They worked together easily, chatting with Amber and Gray. Boomer seemed fascinated by the cat, and it kept them entertained. Kept Gray from making any more snide comments, although he doubted his buddy would do that in front of Mara.
When they finished the prep, he grabbed his keys. Mara picked up Fritter, and they headed to his car.
Neither said a word.
Once he turned the Tucson onto the road, Mara burst into laughter. Fritter startled in her arms, but she held him tightly.
Seth’s mouth twitched as relief shot through him. Chaos Machine saw the humor in the situation. She wasn’t upset about their friends almost catching them.
She sucked in a couple of breaths and hugged the cat. “I can’t believe I forgot we weren’t alone. We were in their kitchen, and I was about two seconds away from checking out your abs.”
A shot of lust jolted his system at the thought of her fingers checking him out. He could almost feel her touch right now.
“We acted like teenagers getting caught making out by their parents.” And then she was laughing again.
He joined in with a chuckle. “I didn’t even hear them approach until Boomer barked.”
Mara kissed the lucky cat. “Thanks to Fritter here, we didn’t get caught ripping each other’s clothes off on the island.”
He imagined they wouldn’t have been the first couple to have sex on the island, but he was glad they hadn’t let it get that far. That was for their own space.
Which hardened his body further. He wanted to pull over and taste the laughter bubbling out of Mara.
She was so damn full of fun and joy. He’d have to do his best not to suck that right out of her.
Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d really laughed like this. Chuckles here and there, sure. But full-on laughter? Definitely not since Maki’s death. “Maki would have liked you. Would have liked the entire farm.”
Her smile softened as she glanced at him. “I’m sorry your friend lost his life trying to help others. He’s a hero, like you and the others. That probably doesn’t help much, but it’s true. You’re all so brave. Few people are brave and selfless enough to join the army. Fewer still make it through the training to face the horrors that you’ve seen. So, thank you for your service.”
Seth swallowed hard against the emotions her words conjured. He couldn’t speak, but he managed a nod.
Mara stroked the cat. “If this guy didn’t already have a name, we could have named him Maki. I’ve got an idea. Whichever chicken seems to be the leader, we’ll call her Maki. What do you think?”
What did he think? Seth reached across the cab and squeezed her hand. “I think you’re amazing. Sexy, smart, and kind. That’s a great idea. He’d see the fun in a chicken bearing his name.”
She gasped. “Oh, I never thought of that. Would he think we were calling him a chicken? He’s the opposite.”
Seth smiled. “I think he’d get a kick out of it.”
She nodded. “That’s good. Maybe we can name them all with your teammates’ call signs. As long as they’d think it was funny, not insulting.”
His heart stirred a little more. This woman was waking it up in the very best of ways. He squeezed her hand again. “I think they’ll like that. Thanks.”
It had been a while since he’d texted the other men. They kept in contact through a group chat. Not often, but enough to ensure they were all doing okay. He knew the rest worried about Seth. He was the one who’d had the worst injuries and had needed to find an alternative path.
Sending them a photo of chickens named after them all would be a way to let them know he was okay.
Well, maybe not okay, but he was getting there.
Thanks to the woman who wanted to name chickens after his team.
Mara enjoyed the ride into Phail. She would have preferred to find a private space to continue kissing Seth, but that would have led to a lot more than kissing.
Which she wanted, but maybe not yet. Jumping straight from a first kiss to sex was a bit of a leap. She had no intention of sleeping with Seth once and then being done with him.
Did he feel the same or was he just looking for a hookup?
She patted Fritter as she studied Seth’s profile. She didn’t know him all that well, but he didn’t seem the hookup kind. He was often broody and gruff.
