but they were too well trained for that. If anything, it had solidified their determination to get Caroline back alive and to take the terrorists down.
Wolf knew he owed Cookie a debt greater than the man would ever know. Cookie had tried to tell Wolf the debt was paid when they had to cut short a mission to get back to the States and to Cookie’s woman, Fiona, when she was in trouble, but Wolf knew he’d never feel the debt would ever be paid in full.
Hunter “Cookie” Knox had been the one who kept Caroline alive when she’d been thrown overboard in the ocean. He’d been the one that had held the life-saving oxygen to her face and swam them away from the terrorist boat moments before it had blown up.
Wolf didn’t begrudge Caroline the close friendship she had with Cookie. And the two were close. While Wolf was a possessive man, he couldn’t bring himself to care in this case. In any other situation if a man dared to touch Caroline, Wolf would be all over him, but not Cookie.
There was only one thing about their relationship that bothered him, but Wolf knew he’d most likely never bring it up with her. It wasn’t worth the angst it would bring either Caroline or Cookie. Wolf would just have to suck it up and deal with it.
Tonight was the night Wolf hoped would be the night he’d make the first step toward making Caroline his, officially. He’d asked all his friends here tonight because he was going to ask Caroline to marry him. Wolf knew how much Caroline’s friends meant to her, and he meant to surround her with as much love as he could, before he asked her to wear his ring.
“How are you doing, Fiona?” Caroline asked gently, leaning toward her friend. She’d never forget how scared she’d been for her when Fiona had experienced a flashback of her kidnapping and had fled Riverton.
“I’m good, Caroline. I’ve progressed to seeing Dr. Hancock every other week now and honestly, I’m feeling pretty good about everything. I know I’ll never truly forget what happened to me in Mexico, but anytime it gets…hard, Hunter’s there.”
Caroline reached over the table and squeezed Fiona’s hand. “Good. Hunter’ll take care of you. I have no doubt.”
The two women shared a glance full of understanding. Fiona understood the relationship between her husband and Caroline, and supported it wholeheartedly.
“Hey, guys! You all ready for your food now?” Their waitress stood at the side of the table. Her long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that cascaded down her back.
“Thanks, Jess,” Benny said, looking up at their pretty waitress. “We were just waiting on Caroline, but we’re all here now.”
Jess nodded and turned and headed back to the bar, obviously to tell the cook their food could be served up.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Caroline asked, looking around the table.
“Can’t we all just get together and hang out?” Sam “Mozart” Reed asked with a smirk.
“Well, yeah,” Caroline said somewhat sarcastically, “but usually when we do, you guys,” she motioned to the unattached SEALs around the table, “bring some skank with you and pretend you’re dating her instead of just feeding her before you bring her home to...”
“Hey!” Faulkner “Dude” Cooper interrupted complaining. “That’s not fair. We are dating the women we bring to dinner.”
“Yeah, for the night.”
The men turned in shock at the words. Alabama wasn’t one to speak her mind, but every now and then she’d lay out a zinger, as she’d just done.
Christopher “Abe” Powers leaned into his girlfriend and chuckled. “That’s my girl,” he said with affection.
“Jesus, you women are lethal,” Kason “Benny” Sawyer complained. “You bitch when we date someone, you bitch because you don’t like her, then you bitch when we break up with her.”
“It’s because we care about you,” Caroline said seriously. “You all deserve better than people like Michele and
Wolf knew he owed Cookie a debt greater than the man would ever know. Cookie had tried to tell Wolf the debt was paid when they had to cut short a mission to get back to the States and to Cookie’s woman, Fiona, when she was in trouble, but Wolf knew he’d never feel the debt would ever be paid in full.
Hunter “Cookie” Knox had been the one who kept Caroline alive when she’d been thrown overboard in the ocean. He’d been the one that had held the life-saving oxygen to her face and swam them away from the terrorist boat moments before it had blown up.
Wolf didn’t begrudge Caroline the close friendship she had with Cookie. And the two were close. While Wolf was a possessive man, he couldn’t bring himself to care in this case. In any other situation if a man dared to touch Caroline, Wolf would be all over him, but not Cookie.
There was only one thing about their relationship that bothered him, but Wolf knew he’d most likely never bring it up with her. It wasn’t worth the angst it would bring either Caroline or Cookie. Wolf would just have to suck it up and deal with it.
Tonight was the night Wolf hoped would be the night he’d make the first step toward making Caroline his, officially. He’d asked all his friends here tonight because he was going to ask Caroline to marry him. Wolf knew how much Caroline’s friends meant to her, and he meant to surround her with as much love as he could, before he asked her to wear his ring.
“How are you doing, Fiona?” Caroline asked gently, leaning toward her friend. She’d never forget how scared she’d been for her when Fiona had experienced a flashback of her kidnapping and had fled Riverton.
“I’m good, Caroline. I’ve progressed to seeing Dr. Hancock every other week now and honestly, I’m feeling pretty good about everything. I know I’ll never truly forget what happened to me in Mexico, but anytime it gets…hard, Hunter’s there.”
Caroline reached over the table and squeezed Fiona’s hand. “Good. Hunter’ll take care of you. I have no doubt.”
The two women shared a glance full of understanding. Fiona understood the relationship between her husband and Caroline, and supported it wholeheartedly.
“Hey, guys! You all ready for your food now?” Their waitress stood at the side of the table. Her long black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that cascaded down her back.
“Thanks, Jess,” Benny said, looking up at their pretty waitress. “We were just waiting on Caroline, but we’re all here now.”
Jess nodded and turned and headed back to the bar, obviously to tell the cook their food could be served up.
“So, what’s the occasion?” Caroline asked, looking around the table.
“Can’t we all just get together and hang out?” Sam “Mozart” Reed asked with a smirk.
“Well, yeah,” Caroline said somewhat sarcastically, “but usually when we do, you guys,” she motioned to the unattached SEALs around the table, “bring some skank with you and pretend you’re dating her instead of just feeding her before you bring her home to...”
“Hey!” Faulkner “Dude” Cooper interrupted complaining. “That’s not fair. We are dating the women we bring to dinner.”
“Yeah, for the night.”
The men turned in shock at the words. Alabama wasn’t one to speak her mind, but every now and then she’d lay out a zinger, as she’d just done.
Christopher “Abe” Powers leaned into his girlfriend and chuckled. “That’s my girl,” he said with affection.
“Jesus, you women are lethal,” Kason “Benny” Sawyer complained. “You bitch when we date someone, you bitch because you don’t like her, then you bitch when we break up with her.”
“It’s because we care about you,” Caroline said seriously. “You all deserve better than people like Michele and
Similar Books
