Page 40 of Harboring Shantae

"How much trouble do you think the girls are getting into?"

Panther had been hesitant to leave Trista and Shantae alone. They still didn't have a location on Zion, but the women insisted they would be fine. They promised not to leave the house and Falcon, just like everyone on his team, had top-notch security.

"Knowing my wife, a lot. Don't be surprised if you're bringing home a very drunk Shantae."

That's what he was afraid of. Shantae wasn't hiding the fact that she found him attractive. If she was willing to express her interest while sober, he could only imagine what she would do drunk. He would never take advantage of her, but it was hell on a man's control.

He felt himself slipping more and more when it came to her. Take his run that morning, for example. The hungry look in her eyes when she caught him sweating and shirtless had nearly brought him to his knees. It had taken enormous willpower and stealth moves to keep his dick from waving the white flag at her. The damn thing was practically begging for her to wrap those lush lips around it, especially when she took the corner between her teeth. That one little move was like a direct line straight to his cock.

"How is the whole living arrangement going anyway?" Falcon asked.

He just gave his team leader a look.

"I guess her demanding time with Trista tonight answers that."

"Ya think?" Panther answered, thick with sarcasm.

"Care to talk about it?"

No, he didn't want to talk about it. But if there was anyone on his team who he thought would never settle down, it was Falcon, so maybe his team leader might have some good insight. However, in order to do that, he needed to start back at the beginning.

"In high school, I was dating this girl. Samantha. Typical high school sweethearts. We promised to get married after I got out. She said she was willing to follow me wherever I was stationed. Things were good at first, but I felt her slowly pulling away. This was around the same time that I got my first letter from Shantae. At first, I wasn't going to respond. It felt too much like cheating, but a buddy mentioned how it was for a school project and to respond but stop there. I made sure to mention I was seeing someone and how lonely things were without her. I went on leave the following week. Samantha was distant, but we still hooked up."

He flipped a card around in his hand a few times, mentally preparing himself to finish.

"Little did I know it was her way of saying goodbye. Except things didn't go as planned. Three weeks later, she realized she was pregnant. I was deployed at the time, so communication was scarce. Instead of telling me about it, she chose to have an abortion. It wasn't until I was back from deployment and demanding to know why she kept ignoring me that she finally confessed. She didn't want to be tied down to a Marine, that no woman wanted to be second place to a career."

No one besides Shantae knew everything Samantha had said to him. He hadn't told his parents or the guys he was serving with at the time. It was at that moment he shut down and started keeping things bottled up, only talking when absolutely necessary.

"That's fucked, man," Falcon spat. "But you have to know that's a reflection ofher, not you. And it's certainly not the mindset of every woman. If being around your team hasn't proved that to you yet, then I don't know what will."

Sure, all his teammates found great women who were okay with their husbands' jobs, but it was the exception, not the rule.

"I can see you trying to find a flaw in what I'm saying, but I'm telling you, Shantae is one of those girls who would stand by your side no matter what. Just look at how long she wrote to you. That's commitment."

"She also stopped a year ago and only reached out because she needed help."

"Did she tell you why she stopped?"

Panther thought back to that first day he had stormed into her life. He had been so mad. So hurt. He'd wanted answers, but wasn't in the right headspace to fully listen.

"She said we wanted different things. She wanted marriage, and to settle down."

"And let me guess? Over the years, when you talked about your life, you repeatedly mentioned how you didn't want either of those things?"

"Yes, it might've been mentioned."

Falcon dropped his cards and shook his head. "Now I know how Wes feels when he complains about how stubborn we are." He blew out a loud puff of air. "Of course, she stopped writing to you! That woman isin lovewith you. Probably wanted a future with you, but was feeling the situation out. When you kept telling her you were against it, she shut down. I don't try to understand the way a woman's mind works, but I can imagine that's what happened."

Well, shit.

That actually made a lot of sense.

The puzzle pieces started falling into place, and Shantae's behavior over the last few days started to have more significance. She wanted more than just a marriage of convenience. She wanted the real thing.

"I need to speak with her."

Falcon's phone chirped. His team leader glanced down at it as he answered, "Not tonight you don't."