Page 31 of Burning for Him

Jenn nodded. “That’s what I said. And Uncle Jake is nine years older than Nick.”

“Okay, so what was reason number two?” Angie asked before sipping from her water tumbler.

“He thought I had hero-worship feelings toward him because he got shot when I was kidnapped with you.”

“Ah. Okay, I can see his point about that. It could’ve happened. Hey, Kristen, didn’t you write a hero-worship trope in one of your books?”

“Uh-huh.” She sheepishly glanced at Jenn. “I got the idea from you and Doug. I thought that’s what was going on with you, but in my defense, it was only a few months after the whole kidnapping thing.”

Jenn’s jaw dropped, and it took a moment to find her voice again. “Oh, my God! I’m Crystal inDenim & Diamonds?”

“Yup.” She popped the P. “And Doug is Master Gideon.”

“How did I not figure that out before now? Well, at least Crystal didn’t have to wait four years for Gideon to get his head out of his ass.”

“That’s true. So, I take it Doug finally gothishead out of his ass?”

She spent the next twenty minutes or so explaining everything, from when she kissed Doug last year and he ran away, to the earthquake, and how he, Lindsey, and Romeo showed up. Then she filled them in about everyone going to the mountain village, followed by the landslide, and her and Doug being trapped on one side. She told them about Margie dying, how she and Doug helped deliver the baby, and how they had to spend the night together in a borrowed cabin. Finally, she reached the part where she had the nightmare, and howDoug's comforting her turned into something more. Something surprising and wonderful.

The women were silent for a few moments when she stopped talking, then Shelby sighed loudly. “Kristen, if you don’t write all of that into your next book, I’ll bug the shit out of you until you do.”

“Don’t worry. I’m already plotting it in my head.”

Satisfied with that response, Shelby turned back to Jenn. “Okay, so what am I missing? You sound happy that you and Doug are together, yet something is bothering you. Wait, didn’t you say there were three reasons why he was reluctant to be with you? What’s the third?”

“The Sexy Six-Pack,” Kristen proclaimed. She had secretly dubbed Jenn’s uncles that when she saw them at Donovan’s pub before actually meeting them and getting involved with Devon. The fun moniker had stuck with the women—well, all except Jenn, who couldn’t call her uncles sexy.Ew. “Am I right? The six annoying grown-ass men who still think of you as the little girl they’ve protected all your life, and not as an adult who can make your own decisions. A woman with wants, needs, and desires who finally has the man she’s been dreaming about for years. Damn, I should be writing this down.” She jumped up. “Let me get a pad and pen, but keep talking.”

Jenn nodded to the other women. “Yes, it’s my uncles, and the fact that he works for them. He thinks Uncle Ian is going to kill him and dump his body in the gulf.”

Reaching over, Angie patted her uninjured arm. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Oh,I’llmake sure it doesn’t happen. I love my uncles, and not just the Six-Pack, but all the SEALs who worked with my dad and were there for me whenever I needed them. But it’s time for them to realize I’m a grown woman, and if I have to stand up to them to be with Doug, then that’s what I’ll do.” She glancednervously at each of her confidants as Kristen retook her seat with a pad and pen in her hands. “Just not yet. I think Doug still needs a little time to get used to us. I don’t want to lose him after everything we’ve been through. He fought his feelings for me for so long, and I want us to grow more comfortable with each other without any outside interference. And you know damn well my uncles will interfere as soon as they find out. So, for now, will you please keep it quiet for me?”

“Of course. Mum’s the word,” Shelby said. “Right, ladies?”

“Right!” Kristen and Angie agreed.

Shelby lifted her glass of seltzer and held it aloft, encouraging the others to do the same. “To Jenn, for finally claiming her man.”

She laughed as the other women chorused, “To Jenn!”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

As Doug stood with his back to her, lowering the anchor, Jenn stripped down to her royal blue bikini on the deck of his boat—A Salt Weapon. He’d cringed when she said the name was cute due to his profession and time in the military, which made her laugh. Men could be as sensitive about their toys as they were about getting their dicks injured or insulted, not that Doug had anything that could be insulted, even though she only had one other man to compare him to.

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, perfect for a few hours on the gulf’s calm waters, away from everyone else. While Doug mostly used his boat for fishing excursions during his downtime, it had a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a table and couch that converted into a bed below deck. They could stay there all day and night as long as no storms were predicted.

They’d been home from Colombia for almost three weeks now, still keeping their relationship undercover. It hadn’t been easy. Meeting up at places for dates during the day or evening, such as lunch, dinner, or the movies, was fine. They just avoided anywhere they might run into her uncles or people the men knew.

The problem was not being able to stay together overnight and waking up to each other every morning. Her place was out because everyone, meaning her uncles, would notice and question it if Doug’s truck was at the compound in the middle of the night when it wasn’t work-related. The same thing would happen if her carwasn’tthere. Since she shared a foyer with Jake and Nick, it was possible Doug could run into them too.

If all that didn’t already make things difficult enough, the twenty-four-hour guard at the front gate was another issue. So was the fact that a text message would alert the on-duty guard, the Sawyer brothers, and Jake if any of the compound’s other perimeter fence gates were opened, whether by a hand being scanned or a breach. That included the doors leading to a tunnel connecting the gym’s panic room to an exit beyond the fence line, opening into the forest to the west. No, that hadn’t been the retired Navy SEALs’ idea, but she wouldn’t be surprised if it were. The secure room and tunnel were discovered during the warehouse’s renovations years ago after Ian and Devon purchased the property. They kept the panic room, updating it and reinforcing the door at the far end of the tunnel, which was concealed by landscaping. Even though the exit was outside the fence line, the brothers owned that land, too, and used the wooded area for training exercises.

They’d never needed to use the panic room, but it was fully equipped just in case. While she understood their business required various extreme safety measures, they made it nearly impossible for Jenn and Doug to spend the night together. A few times, she’d stretched the truth and told them she was sleeping over at a friend’s house, but she couldn’t do that every night and had to be satisfied with leaving his bed at a reasonable hour to go home. It was frustrating for both, but Doug didn’t complain beyond asking her to stay for a little longer so they could cuddle.

While she felt guilty sneaking around, she couldn’t bring herself to announce to everyone that they were a couple yet. Other than her aunts and Shelby, the only people who knew were her friends Daniella and Yardley. Oh, and Tony, of course—they’d stayed in touch.

It was inevitable her uncles would find out—it was a miracle they hadn’t already. She needed to tell them soon, but then the blessed silence would be broken. They would go apeshit, without a doubt.

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