Page 70 of Nanny for the SEALs

“Time to find out,” I said out loud while texting with my thumbs. “There’s no going back now.”

26

Rogan

I hesitated, then hit send.

Rogan: If you can’t wait until tomorrow, Asher or Brady can always keep you company.

Heather: HAH!

Rogan: I’m serious. They both really like you. I don’t know if anyone has told you, but you’re ridiculously hot. I don’t mind if they hold you over until I can be with you again.

Heather took a long time to respond. The little text message bubble danced, disappeared, and then danced again on my screen. I wondered if I had pushed things too far. Was my suggestion really that insane?

Heather: Okay, time-out on the playful texts. I legitimately can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

Rogan: We both agreed this is just physical. Neither of us want a serious relationship. If you want to sleep with other people, I’ll understand.

Heather: Yeah, but them? They’re your business partners.

Rogan: All the more reason I would trust them with you. Better than some stranger at the club.

Heather: Hey. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone trolling for dudes at the club. I have some self-respect.

Rogan: I’ll be thinking about what I want to do to you the next time we’re both home. In the mean time, have fun tonight with the guys. If you want.

Heather: Be careful. I might just take you up on that.

Rogan: I hope you do. As long as you don’t lose interest in me!

Heather: Don’t worry. There’s zero chance of that ;-)

I’ll admit: I was a little jealous that Asher or Brady might be fooling around with Heather tonight. But it wasn’t the kind of jealousy that stemmed from being possessive about her. It was jealousy that they were at home and I was stuck in my SUV, watching a client’s house in the middle of the night.

But I meant what I said. I would rather Heather be with the two men I trusted more than anything in the world than with some random bro at a bar.

Asher, Brady, and I had been through hell together. We had shared tents, sleeping bags, and even Kandahar caves. Sharing a woman wouldn’t be a problem.

Suddenly there was movement over by the perimeter wall of the property. All thoughts about Heather disappeared, and the tactical part of my brain clicked on. I froze in the car and scanned the distance.

One second ticked by. Then two. Had I imagined it? The trees were swaying in the wind, and the first droplets of rain were beginning to patter against my windshield. I was tired, and the mind played tricks when it was deprived of sleep. Maybe I should have sent Brady rather than—

There. More motion along the wall, moving from right to left. A figure.

I held the walkie-talkie to my mouth. “Cooper. Report your current position.”

“Haven’t moved, boss. Dining room table, where I have eyes on Apple Pie’s bedroom door.”

The figure wasn’t Cooper out patrolling the perimeter. It was someone else.

“Something wrong, boss?”

The figure was crouched low as it moved along the wall toward the house. Trying to be stealthy.

“Stay sharp, Cooper. I’m going to check something out.”

I got out of the car slowly, then gently rested the door against the frame without closing it, to avoid making any noise. I pulled the collar of my jacket up to protect against the rain, which was coming down harder now.

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