Victoria was guiding her through it. Gabriel couldn’t help but notice she was a lot gentler with Sara than Judd.
Blake licked the crumbs off his lips, and Gabriel was proud of the fact that he didn’t whine. They’d been so busy with preparations that they hadn’t had much alone time. If they weren’t running ragged, they were lying in bed thinking about it. They’d managed a couple of handies and some quick kisses, but that had been two nights ago, and Gabriel was beginning to feel jittery.
Despite his raging blue balls, he couldn’t begrudge anything. The busyness had been good for everyone. The entire group hadfelt it, but none more than Blake. He was smiling again. Making snarky comments rather than just staring off into the distance, his fingers clenching and unclenching.
Blake was present again. And not in the self-flagellating way he had been, but in the way he’d been the first time they’d met. Wide-eyed and a little panicked, but holding it together in that beautifully clever way of his.
Don’t insult me, soldier boy.
Even now, bent over his books with that peeved look in his eye, he was more himself than he had been, and Gabriel was breathless with just how close he’d been to losing him. Blake had become so important to him. And not just because of their circumstances. He would have felt this way about Blake if they truly had met in a coffee shop and gone on real dates. Even when he deployed to places unknown with a return date as changeable as a summer storm. Gabriel would have made it work. He would have put in the effort he hadn’t bothered to put in with his parents.
Hell, he’d probably even introduce Blake to his family. Just to say he did. To check that box on the way to living the rest of their lives together. Maybe someday he might still get the chance.
Gabriel held onto that thought. Tucked it away like kindling to keep the fire burning.
Tommy stepped into the lobby, shaking out his wet hair. He was wearing a bulging poncho, arms tucked inside to keep whatever he was holding safe. Ducking out of the plastic, he let it drop to the floor with a wetplapbefore jogging over to Blake with what looked like rolls of paper.
Before he could decide if it was private or related to the business of killing aliens, he was interrupted by Judd and Phin’s bickering. They’d followed Tommy in. Phin’s eyes narrowed in on the discarded poncho before flicking over to Tommy. Hepicked it up and hung it on the back of a chair close enough to the fire to dry.
Judd snickered. “Oh, Daddy.”
“Is that what you want to do today? Die?”
With waggling eyebrows, Judd stepped out of Phin’s reach and approached them. His boots squeaked against the tile, immediately drawing Victoria’s ire. Gabriel almost groaned when he saw Judd make a beeline for the pilot.
“I got you something,” he said proudly, dropping a wet plastic bag on the table between books. Sara pushed herself up onto the chair so she could look into the bag. She wrinkled her nose when she saw cardboard boxes and not candy.
Victoria pulled out one of the boxes, her eyes narrowing. “Tampons?”
Every male in the canteen looked up with horror, subconsciously inching away from what might as well have been a box of grenades.
Once, Gabriel had the privilege of seeing a master bladesmith work. The knife he made was so fine, so light, so sharp that he didn’t realize he’d slit his thumb open until the hot blood dripped down his wrist.
Victoria’s face reminded him of that blade.
“How dare you!” she snapped, standing up so quickly her chair fell back. “Of all the pigheaded, misogynistic, asshole things to do—” she cut herself off, looking down at a wide-eyed Sara.
Tommy scuttled forward and grabbed the back of Sara’s chair, dragging her from the line of fire.
With the kid gone, she picked up a box and flung it at Judd. It hit him squarely in the chest. “Do you view me as so incompetent that I needyourhelp? I have more than proven my worth—on and off missions—and I’ll be damned if I let some moron hick with a chip on his shoulder cut me down.”
Judd stared down at the box between his feet. The tension in the room was so thick Gabriel felt his hand twitch toward his sidearm.
When he looked up, Judd’s face was placid. “My intentions were never to embarrass you. I have sisters, and I remember how difficult their monthlies were and I—well. I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have presumed.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant Hollis. It won’t happen again.”
Judd’s boots didn’t squeak as he left the lobby.
The room was quiet. No one knew if the grenade was a dud or if it was waiting to go off in their faces. Victoria’s hands clenched on the table, lips pressed together so hard they disappeared.
Even after everyone had decided the best course of action was to ignore her, and Blake pretended not to see Sara steal another snack cake, Gabriel was watching Victoria.
This was his problem, right?
As Commander, Gabriel’s policy for interpersonal disagreements was to let them work it out and hope they both came out the other side in as few pieces as possible. But he didn’t think that was going to happen here. Judd had been sniffing at Victoria’s heels from the moment he saw her. And honestly, Gabriel thought he would wear her down. That she’d given in to his ham-fisted charm and they’d get something going. A friendship, if nothing else.
“Is he serious?” she asked the moment Gabriel entered her peripheral vision.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
