Page 52 of A SEAL's Fantasy

Shit.

“How d’ya figure?”

“A month ago she was all you could talk about. You were corralling everyone, wanting to do date nights and crap.” Brody shrugged. “Then you stopped talking about her and started bitching about everything else.”

Dominic ground his teeth. The only thing worse than this situation was everyone else knowing about it.

“Fine. I’ll stop bitching.”

“Too late. You triggered the Alexia threat,” Brody said, referring to Landon’s wife. “Now we gotta fix this.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal. I was hot for a woman and it didn’t work out. Just as well,” Dominic said with an offhand shrug. “It’s not like we had a chance anyway.”

“Why? She one of your cousins?”

“Funny.” Dominic debated admitting she was worse—Banks’s sister. But figured that’d definitely land him on the shrink’s couch.

“I’m not a serious-relationship type of guy,” he said instead. “Military, SEAL. That just doesn’t scream committed relationship, you know.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve read the stats. I’ve played designated driver plenty of times for guys who are drowning their heartbreak. Military and marriage, it’s not a great mix,” Dominic pointed out. His gaze landed on the ring Lane wore when he was off duty, making him wince. “Not knocking you, buddy. Genna is amazing, you guys are great together. I’m just...”

“Scared?”

Fury flashed. Dominic’s fist swung before his brain engaged.

Shit.

He realized what he was doing an inch before he made contact with Brody’s face. At the same time, his friend’s hand whipped out.

His hand wrapped over Dominic’s fist, Brody arched one brow, then gave a slow, pitying shake of his head.

“You pulled that, Auntie. You throw a punch, you better put a little more effort into it. Otherwise you’ll end up flat on your ass.”

“I remembered at the last second that I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Brody laughed. “Right, you go ahead and tell yourself that if it makes you feel better.”

Dominic yanked his hand away, resisting the urge to shake off the sting. Hard to believe the guy had been out on medical leave a few months back. He had a grip like a vise.

“Landon takes a dim view of fighting among the ranks,” Dominic added, knowing it was lame but figuring it was better than admitting he’d lost his cool.

He never lost his cool.

Something else to blame Lara for.

Right along with his poor sleeping, lousy appetite and nonexistent sex drive. At least, as it applied to other women. In the month since Lara left, he’d had plenty of sexually driven thoughts about her. But the second he considered taking those thoughts elsewhere? Nada. It was unmanning how fast he went from firm to fail.

“Damn, Bad Ass, you suck at consoling,” he said, feeling crappier than he had before he’d beat the hell out of the punching bag.

“Next time we play five-card stud,” Brody muttered as they both turned toward the door.

“What’m I missing?” Genius asked, sauntering into the gym.

“Auntie here is sharing his wisdom on the topic of doom and gloom as it befits the military and marriage,” Brody told Masters with a grin.

Hell.

Dominic dropped to the bench, resisting the urge to drop his head into his hands, as well.

Dominic stared at those hands instead, surprised to see the knuckles scraped bloody. He glanced at the bag, wondering how long he’d been punching without feeling a thing.

“You ever worry that you’re gonna disappoint?” he asked quietly. “That you’re in this relationship that makes you feel good—light and happy, you know? But that you’re chaining her to something that’s not.”

“Not what?” Brody asked.

“You think we carry a heavy load with our job, that we work in the dark, that it dims that light?” Masters said, that genius brain of his getting the metaphor.

Dominic shrugged. He didn’t like this asking for advice thing. He was the go-to guy. The one with the answers.

Having to ask someone else just wasn’t right.

Neither was depending on someone else to be there. Wishing someone would take on the craziness of his career and want to stick around.

“How do you guys do it?” he asked, the desire to find a way to make it work overcoming his frustration.

Masters and Brody exchanged glances, both looking equally uncomfortable. That made Dominic feel better for some reason.

“You just do it,” Brody mumbled, kicking at the weight bench. “You know, if it matters, you make it work.”

“You figure it out, that’s all,” Masters said with a shrug, looking around the gym as if it’d recently been decorated with pictures of naked chicks.

---