“Dude.” Zade’s brows turned inward.
“Seriously, Turner.” Kole glanced away from the gravel road to give him a disapproving look. “We’re just giving you shit.”
Damn. They were right. These were his teammates. His friends. And what they were saying wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before.
So, why is it bothering you now?
Matt honestly didn’t know. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t been laid in a while. Not that he’d ever admit it to these jokers, but he hadn’t had sex since before Kole’s wedding.
So, there it was. He was horny and needed to release all his pent-up frustration. Except he wasn’t.
Aaand…that was the real problem behind Matt’s short fuse. Hewasn’thorny. Not like he should be after going this long without female companionship.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t get any. Hell, the way he looked, Matt knew he could walk into any bar in Dallas and have his pick of the single women in attendance. Probably some of the married ones, too. Not that he’d ever do that. Even a guy like him had lines he never crossed.
The problem was him.
Not physically. His extra time spent in the shower this morning confirmed that, which was a huge relief. But it also confirmed something else…something Matt had been in denial over ever since his dry spell started.
You’ve been denying it for a hell of a lot longer than that.
The annoying fucking voice was right, and he knew it. He knew it because lately, there was only one woman his body craved. One woman haunting his dreams at night.
She was the same woman who’d turned him into the uncaring, no-strings asshole he was today. And damn if that didn’t piss Matt off something fierce.
He squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger in an attempt to knock the decade-long memory away.
“You okay?”
Matt opened his eyes and ran a hand over his face before looking at Kole. “Yeah, man. I’m good. And, uh…sorry I got so wound up.”
“It’s all right.” With a concerning glance, Kole shrugged a shoulder. “Anything you want to talk about?”
“Nope.” If he did, he’d have to explain what happened ten years ago. No way in hell was he doing that. The last thing he wanted was for them to know what a schmuck he’d been.
“Fair enough.”
The cab of the truck was quiet for the next mile or two before Zade struck up a conversation about where they wanted to eat. Once that happened, Kole called Gabe, Bravo’s team leader, and invited him to join them.
When the discussion turned to something work-related, the three went on as if nothing had ever happened, and Matt knew all was forgiven.
Like most men, he and the other Bravo members would sometimes get hot under the collar. Also like most men, they’d run their mouths, say their piece, and move on. None of that holding a grudge bullshit.
Still, he felt like a prick having gotten pissed at their teasing. He really wasn’t an asshole. Not to these guys, anyway. They were more like brothers than teammates, and Matt was grateful as hell to have them by his side.
By the time dinner was over, he’d canceled his non-date, claiming something had come up with work. Since then, he’d been sitting here, at the hole-in-the-wall bar he sometimes went to when he didn’t want to be around anyone he knew.
The longer he sat, the more he thought about his job and the guys he worked with now. Bravo Team may be less than two years old, but for Matt, it felt as if he’d been part of the team for much longer.
When he’d first enlisted in the military, he was convinced he’d be in for life. But when Jake McQueen approached him about joining R.I.S.C., the elite, private security company Jake owned, Matt was more than willing to listen.
R.I.S.C., which stands for Rescue, Intel, Security, and Capture, was one of the most sought-after private security firms in the nation. Made up of two teams—Alpha and Bravo—they not only worked for civilians in need of protection, they also took on jobs for Homeland Security.
Those ops were sometimes very dangerous and almost always off the books. Homeland would task the men—and one woman—of R.I.S.C. to do jobs ranging from intel gathering to hostage extractions. Or, like the name said, they’d be hired to locate and capture some of the country’s most dangerous enemies.
Joining the Navy had been a dream of his ever since he was a kid. One of his best friends growing up had an older brother who was a pilot in the Navy. Matt and his friend always idolized him.
Unlike his worthless father, Matt was determined to make something of himself. Although, in a strange way he probably owed part of his success—albeit a microscopic part—to his old man.
