Brianna's Navy SEAL by Natalie Damschroder Read Free Book Online

committee. Cable was great, but things had been awkward around Ken ever since she turned him down the first time he asked her for a date. And the second time. And the third. She kept telling him she was dating someone, and he kept saying it didn't look exclusive to him. Working with him and Cable would be bad enough. But no way did she want to work with Darcy, for God's sake. The woman was evil. She scanned the room but couldn't see her. She'd been in the health club that day she pulled her thigh, and Brianna remembered she'd made some remark about what military men wanted. Had she set her sights on Cable?
    She glanced at him again, but he was listening to Jake now. Her brother-in-law didn't oversee the ball anymore, but he'd done it so long everyone still acted like he did. She sighed and accepted her fate. It wasn't like she hadn't worked with people she didn't like before. That was part of a teacher's job description.
    Luckily, her distraction had deterred Kira, too. She didn't want to talk about Cable with her sister. The truth was, she had no idea where things were going. They had dinner together every few nights, and they talked at school and went to the movies. Cable had become a fixture at Sunday dinner at her parents’ house, and they always took a walk to the coffee shop afterward, sometimes alone, sometimes with members of her family. They got along great, never ran out of things to talk about, and agreed on most of the important stuff. The things they didn't agree about, they either had excellent discussions or knew instinctively when to stop talking.
    There were two problems. First, Cable wasn't letting things go any further. He was an incredible kisser, but the harder Brianna tried to take it to the next level, the more resistant he seemed. She had no idea why.
    The other problem was that the more time they spent together, the more Brianna fell for him, and the more she fell for him, the more convinced she was that he was a mistake and she should break it off. He was retired from the military, but the things that had compelled him to it in the first place were still there. She could see the feverish light in his eyes when he talked about those things. She'd seen it herself in the mirror, especially last year. Until Andrew had been killed, and the light had died.
    When the meeting broke up, half a dozen people surrounded both Jake and Cable. Kira had driven separately and Brie had ridden with her, so they waved at the men and headed out to Kira's truck.
    "So you guys are getting pretty serious, huh?” Kira snugged her parka tighter up around her neck and pulled her keys from her pocket. “And please zip that jacket."
    "I'm not cold."
    "It's thirty degrees out. Zip it."
    "Yes, Mom.” But they were at the car so she didn't bother, ignoring Kira's look.
    "So?” Kira asked again, starting the car. “Serious?"
    "I don't know. I think it could be.” She shook her head.
    "But what? What's missing?"
    "It's not what's missing, exactly.” She dropped her head against the back of the seat as Kira turned the corner of her street. “He's going slow. Which is unusual, but fine. I just ... can't see how it can last."
    "He doesn't want to settle down?” Kira speculated. “He seems like the kind of guy who's ready for a family."
    "That doesn't matter to me. Really,” she added when her sister snorted. “I'm happy with my life. I'm independent, but I have a great family. I have my kids at school, who fulfill all my maternal urges and then some. Cable's like the icing.” But even she could hear the skepticism in her voice.
    "So? What possible obstacle could there be?” Kira sounded testy, and Brianna understood. She'd gone through hell trying to get Jake, and in comparison, Brie's relationship with Cable must seem like a home run.
    "He's what I used to be,” she admitted. “Two years ago, I would have been ecstatic at my real-life adventure hero. But I'm over that, and of course that's when I get it."
    Kira pulled