Page 56 of SEAL's Resolve
“Our door is always open, my friend.”
“Yeah, you say that now. I’m betting the offer doesn’t stand the next time we’re at PSI for training.”
A quick grin from the medic. “Only if you’re injured and need TLC.”
Light footsteps sounded on the stairs. Rafe turned as Kristi walked into the kitchen. As he studied her face, tension melted from Rafe’s muscles. Kristi’s color was better. He met her in the center of the kitchen. “How do you feel?” he asked as he drew her into his arms again. Yeah, he was becoming addicted to hugging this woman.
“Better. No wonder you and the others swear by that anti-nausea patch.”
The men around the room chuckled.
“How’s the headache?” Jackson asked.
“Manageable.”
He handed her a packet from his pocket. “Take two capsules in an hour. Don’t try to tough it out or you’ll be in the same shape as last night.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, I won’t wait again. That wasn’t fun.”
“Are you hungry?” Rio asked.
“It’s too early for me to even think about food, but thanks for the offer.” She glanced at the empty plates around the table. “I’m guessing the same isn’t true for the rest of you.”
“We learned to eat when we could. During missions, we don’t always have time.”
“More chamomile-mint tea?” Rafe asked her.
She brightened. “That’s perfect.”
“Here.” Rio handed Rafe a large to-go cup. “This should hold her tea. To-go coffee all around?” he asked Wolf Pack.
“You are a true friend,” Cal said.
The medic smiled. “I’ll remind you of that when you return for a refresher course.”
A scowl. “That wasn’t an invitation to ramp up the difficulty of our training.”
“I thought you wanted to prove that SEALs are tougher than Delta Force soldiers.” He leaned back against the kitchen counter. “In case you wondered, they aren’t.”
Rafe poured Kristi’s tea into the travel mug while his teammates teased Rio about the perils of being an Army grunt. When Kristi joined him at the kitchen counter, they prepared travel cups of coffee for all of the operatives.
When they finished, Rafe dropped a light kiss on Kristi’s mouth. He turned to his teammates. “We need to go. Clock’s ticking.”
“Load up,” Eli said. “We leave in five minutes.”
As Wolf Pack left to retrieve their gear, Rafe looked at Rio. When the medic gave a short nod, Rafe turned to Kristi. “I’ll be back in a minute. Stay with Rio.”
He took the stairs two at a time, checked the bathroom to be sure he hadn’t left anything, then scooped up his Go bag, and returned to the kitchen and Kristi.
“You don’t have to do that,” Rio was saying to her. “Darcy wouldn’t expect you to do anything in return. We’re happy to help.”
“I want to design and make a dress for her. Will you help me?”
His expression softened. “All right. I’ll email the information you need to Rafe.”
“That works. Thanks.”
“No pressure, though, all right? I won’t tell Darcy what you plan to do. If you don’t have time, it’s fine. Your first priority is to heal.” He sobered. “Will you talk to a trauma counselor?”