“None of your business, Jug. Do I ask what you and Shelly text about?”
“Shelly is my wife. You just said Riley wasn’t your girlfriend. Big difference.”
Talon looked up. “Jug?”
“Yeah?”
“Fuck off.”
“Nope, and I love you, too, Skipper.”
Talon rolled his eyes before returning to his phone.
Talon: In Tokyo. Everything here is incredibly organized, and I'm in love with it.
He was thinking about how Riley would react toTokyo. He was sure she'd love the efficiency, the attention to detail, the way everything had its place and purpose. She’d told him how much she loved her old job as a compliance officer.
Riley: Very you.
Was it him? Yeah, it was. He demanded efficiency and precise actions from himself and his men. She understood the parts of his personality that other people found intimidating or obsessive. Still, he played it loose.
Talon: Is that an insult?
Riley: Observation. You like order, control, everything in its place.
"She's profiling you via text," Jug observed, reading over Talon's shoulder again. "I like her."
“Are you going to stand there?”
“Hell yeah.” Jug smiled. “Better answer her.”
Talon: Guilty as charged. What gave me away?
Riley: The way you text in complete sentences with proper punctuation.
"Damn.” Jug laughed. "She's got your number. Literally and figuratively."
Talon flipped Jug off … again.
Talon: Some of us have standards.
Riley: Some of us are control freaks
"She's flirting with you," Jug pointed out unnecessarily.
Talon shook his head. "No. She's being friendly."
"Skipper, I've seen friendly. That's flirting. And you're flirting back, which is weird, especially for you. But a good weird. When's the last time you let yourself be human with someone?"
When had he last been human? Before Riley, he'd been all tactical precision and professional distance. She'd changed that, made him remember he was more than what had happened during the Siege.
“It’s complicated.”
“Yeah, I know. I know you share something with Ranger that none of the rest of us could understand. My guess is you went through something together, which is why you trust him. Us? You made us prove our worth so you could trust us without doubt or hesitation, just like she’s proving her friendship. You’ve been hurt, Skipper. Deep, I’m thinking, but don’t bottle it up again and turn away from her. She’s the best thing to happen to you since I’ve known you.”
Talon pocketed his phone. “Jug?”
“Yeah, Skipper?”
