Page 87 of No Regrets

“No, it’s not.”

“How about you come and eat at my place?”

Kelly hesitated for just a second, then gathered her courage. “Yes. I’d like that.”

As they had both driven, Kelly followed him back to his house. Last night had been spent tossing and turning, going over what he’d said. Secretly, she’d been thrilled to learn there was no new woman. She was still struggling to get the mental image of that night out of her head, but it hurt a little less now she knew it was an aborted hook-up. What her feelings meant was still unclear. But she did know she wanted Dex in her life.

Parking beside his truck, she got out, following him up the steps into his house. Walking through the front door, she paused. It felt strange to be back here, even though she’d spent so much time in this house over the years.

“You alright?” Dex asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry. Just been a while.”

“Nothing’s changed. The back door is still stiff, and the deck still creaks.”

He grinned and she smiled back at him, relaxing a little.

He asked, “You want to eat inside or out?”

“In, if that’s OK. It’s a little cooler tonight.”

“Sure. Make yourself comfortable.” He motioned to the couch before heading to the kitchen.

Kelly busied herself opening the containers, then she curled up at one end of the sofa. They’d spent so many nights here watching movies, getting distracted. She smiled at the memories. This house was as much of a home to her as her own.

Dex walked back in with a steaming mug. “I made you a tea.”

“Thanks.” Taking it from him, her fingers brushed his. She jolted, glancing up at him and their eyes met briefly before he sat down. They ate for a few minutes in silence, and she took the opportunity to look at him. His posture was tense, like something was worrying him, or maybe it was the grief over his dad.

“So, tell me about the new job?”

Dex took a sip from his wonton soup before answering, as if weighing up what to say.

“It’s taking a little bit of getting used to, but it’s good.” He glanced her way, smiling. That smile. It pierced her heart again, the little butterflies stirring.

“Do you like it? Out of SEALs?”

“Yeah, I do. The whole team is happy. It’s like SEALs, but better. We have way more freedom to run things our way. We only have to answer to Sam and he’s not so black and white about things.”

“Sounds like a perfect fit for you all. What’s it like working with Sam?”

Dex chuckled. “We’ve butted heads a few times. Had my ass handed to me just last week.”

“You mentioned that yesterday. Still pushing the boundaries.” She grinned.

“Yeah, I’m still learning where the line is with him. But it's all good. I respect the hell out of him.”

“I’m glad it’s working out.”

“Me too.”

Kelly leaned back holding her tea. God, he looked really tired. And so damn tense. “You sound troubled?”

He sighed. “I fucked up on the last op, crossed a line. The team were pissed.”

Oh shit. That had never happened before. “Why were they pissed?”

“Because this thing is so new with Sam and after the hearing and everything. Onyx is the tip of the spear, and I put it all at risk. It isn’t just me that will get screwed if I fuck up. It will affect the team. Sam treats us as one unit. I jeopardized their careers. Ryan lost his shit.”

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