Page 38 of Sean

“More.”

He chuckled. “Give me a second to get my breath back, and then you can have”—anything, everything, all there is of me—“whatever you want.”

NINETEEN

Sean’s hand stroked over her hip as he held her close, tucked against his body. Maybe it was silly to feel this safe in a man’s arms, but she did. Completely safe, protected, even cherished. She wiggled until they were closer together and caught his hand to bring it up to her breast. She’d had sex before, but never like that. She felt like she finally knew what it felt like to make love.

She lay there enjoying the closeness for several minutes before rolling over to face him. A kiss seemed the right place to start because words couldn’t express the emotions running through her. Her lips met his softly, languidly. He kissed like that—unhurried and focused. It was probably how he did everything, but his kisses felt so special that tears threatened. Tears that she couldn’t have explained, so she focused on the inch long scar on his chest to distract herself.

She brushed her thumb over it. “Battle scar?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate, which wasn’t a surprise to her. Still, she wanted to understand him better, so she couldn’t resist a follow-up question.

“Did you and your brother always know you wanted to be SEALs like your father?”

His entire body stiffened before he rolled away from her to stare at the ceiling. He could still feel her soft skin against his, but he felt a million miles from her. She knew talking about his brother was painful for Sean, but they’d just shared something that should break down any barriers between them. Why was he putting them back in place? She wanted to push the point—but at the same time, she didn’t want to upset him.

“Sean?” she questioned softly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. I just want to know you better.”

“It’s fine.” But it wasn’t, and the way he’d withdrawn from her so quickly saddened and disappointed her.

With one question, she’d put an end to their interlude—to their escape from her reality. And now that the magic of the moment had shattered, she felt she could no longer stay there. She had responsibilities. She twisted away from him and let the deluge of all her problems come down on her again. Most of them she couldn’t solve quickly or on her own. The one thing she could do was make sure Lucy and Amos were safe and happy. That’s what she should be doing, checking on them and not lying here restless and frustrated.

“We should get back to the kids,” he said as he sat up and reached for his jeans.

How was it that he seemed to know what she was thinking? It made her wonder about the connection developing between them. How strong was it? And why was it both frustrating and wonderful?

“Right.” She scooted away from him and left the warmth of the bed. She quickly found her clothing, which had been torn off in the heat of the moment, and dressed. How could they have been so close just a short time before, when now it felt like they were miles apart? All the while, she did her best to shrug off the barrage of emotions that pummeled her.

They tidied up the cabin quickly and were soon on the trail. He passed her a sandwich from his pack, and they ate while they kept moving. Both of them seemed to feel the need to get back. Even when she wanted to stop to take a photograph, she resisted the urge because she was worried about the kids.

And, she had to admit to herself, because she didn’t know what to make of what had happened between her and Sean. Had their lovemaking meant anything to him? It had meant a lot to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask if it had been as significant to him. Maybe…later she’d find the courage to do that.

When they reached the ranch, Sean stayed with her long enough to see that the kids were fine before disappearing to the barns. Julia kept herself busy, playing with the kids and helping with dinner. Since she rarely made herself the center of attention, no one thought it odd that she was quiet during the meal. Emmy asked how their hike was and got a brief answer from Sean before he turned to Tara with a question about one of the horses. After that, the dinner conversation stayed focused on ranch business.

Everyone went off to bed early, leaving her in the living room alone. She’d already made sure the kids were asleep, which left her a good opportunity to check in with her friends. They still sent texts twice daily, but tonight, she felt the need for a video chat with them. Sean’s family was great, but she craved the familiarity of people who knew what she was going through. Well, some of what she was going through. Today’s events had left her in a muddle.

“Hey,” Sophie came on the line first. “All quiet there?”

“All’s well,” Julia answered, mostly truthfully. There’d been no sign of Wilson or his lackeys, so that was a win. A second later, Helen’s image showed on the screen. “Hi, Helen.”

“So good to see you both,” Helen said, smiling at them. “I can’t wait until we can get together in person. It’s been forever.”

“We’re getting closer to ending this every day,” Sophie said. “Here’s my official update, and then I want to hear how everything else is. The police are actively investigating Mira’s death and Wilson’s drug ring. That’s what my sources tell me, and they’re reliable. This whole mess can’t last much longer.”

“That’s good to hear,” Julia said. She was looking forward to the day when she could come out of hiding.

“How are you holding up, Julia?” Helen asked.

“Pretty well. Sean and his family have been an enormous help. They watch out for the kids, so it’s not all on me anymore. I even had the chance to take a bunch of photographs today when Sean and I went hiking.”

“You trust them that much, then?” Helen seemed almost surprised by that.

“I do. We’ve explained enough of the situation that everyone understands what’s at stake, and the ranch is fairly isolated.”

“Hiking and taking pictures, huh?” Sophie was grinning. “Just the two of you in some beautiful and deserted forest? Am I getting the right image?”

“It was in the woods, yes, and we were the only two people around,” Julia confirmed even as she felt her cheeks get warm.

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