SEALed at Midnight by Cat Johnson Page A

or, I don’t know, firemen.”
    He ran his hand over his face. “What can I do to prove it to you?”
    “Tell the truth.”
    He hesitated for long enough she started to worry what he was going to reveal. Finally, he said, “I’m in a counterterrorism unit.”
    Counterterrorism. That sounded even more farfetched than the rest of his story.
    He stood. Taking a step forward, he extended his hand to her on the sofa. “Will you come with me?”
    “Where? Why?”
    “To my parents’ house. If you don’t believe me, maybe you’ll believe them.”
    First her elusive one-night stand showed up out of the blue, and now he wanted her to meet his parents?
    “Please, Ginny.”
    “I’m not dressed.” It was a lame excuse but it was all she could come up with on the spot.
    “Then get dressed. I’ll wait.” He sat back down.
    She was torn, but eventually, curiosity won out. “Okay.”
    If he was lying, she wanted the satisfaction of calling bullshit. If he wasn’t—she couldn’t risk losing this man if he really was, as crazy as it seemed, some sort of super soldier who’d been off saving the world from terrorists.
    “Thank you, Ginny.”
    As she moved toward the hallway leading to her bedroom, she shot over her shoulder, “Don’t thank me yet.”

CHAPTER 12
    Thom opened the passenger door and waited for Ginny to climb inside. She looked adorable all dressed up to meet his parents in her furry boots and big sweater.
    That she’d agreed to come with him at all had to be a good sign.
    He moved around the vehicle and got behind the wheel, glancing at her while turning the key in the ignition. “Ready to go?”
    The sideways look she sent him was ripe with skepticism. “Yup.”
    Sometimes he hated the career he’d chosen. This—when he couldn’t be completely honest with the woman he was interested in—was one of those times.
    The unsuccessful mission in Syria he’d just returned from was another reason to be disgruntled with his job.
    While his unit had been in place and awaiting the order to move in, badly timed airstrikes aimed at their target by overzealous supporters of Brashar had sent Jihadi John into hiding. Now they had no idea where he was.
    Thom couldn’t tell Ginny all that, but he’d be damned if he let her go on thinking he was lying about what he did and who he was.
    He should be insulted she thought he was lying, though he couldn’t really blame her after the way he’d disappeared.
    It was no wonder his marriage had imploded. Relationships were hard enough. The kind of life he lived made them nearly impossible.
    Was he crazy for even thinking he could make a relationship work? And with a woman who lived thousands of miles away?
    Was it worth even trying?
    He glanced at her before pulling onto the main road. He saw the cute pout of her lips as she held firm to her doubt. He remembered the feel of those lips beneath his.  
    Yeah, it was worth it.
    After all he’d been through in the divorce, he was nothing if not a realist. He knew it might not work, but he was sure gonna try. He was too stubborn not to.
    His parents lived barely ten minutes away. That was a good thing since the ride over was silent. Ginny didn’t make conversation, so neither did he.
    He only hoped his parents’ natural warmth would melt the icy barricade Ginny had erected.
    Thom turned into the driveway and parked. “Here we are.”
    She assessed the house before turning to him. “What are your parents going to think of you showing up with me?”
    “I’m sure they’ll be surprised, especially since they’re not even expecting me.”
    He reached for the door handle when her hand on his forearm stopped him. “You came to see me before your parents? And you didn’t tell them you were coming?”
    “That’s right.” He nodded and opened his door.
    After what had happened last time, and with Jihadi John still at large, Thom hadn’t wanted to get his parents’ hopes up, just in case he got called in again before he