“Excellent work, Maxwell. I’ll expect a full debriefing tomorrow morning.”
Before Barton could hang up, I interrupted. “There’s something else, sir.” The honorific slipped out, but I didn’t correct myself; I needed all the ass-kissing I could muster for this next part. “I, um, didn’t know that Lacey was your daughter. I mean, I didn’t know Lacey and Lucky were the same person.” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized how asinine I sounded.
Evidently Barton agreed. “What the hell are you talking about? Lucky’s her nickname.”
“Well, it turns out, we kind of . . .”
I rubbed my forehead, which was starting to get damp. This man was well-armed, well-connected, and knew how to use high-powered rifles with deadly precision.
Fuck, I’d rather be back at the drug house getting knifed in the gut.
“We have a history,” I finally bit out.
A moment of silence. I swore I could feel the air temperature drop.
Then Barton replied stiffly, “I’m listening.”
Oh shit. I had a maximum of ten seconds to explain myself before I was as good as dead. “I met her in a local bar about a month ago. She called herself Lacey, so I didn’t know she was your daughter. And we became . . . close. Romantically.” I almost choked on that last word.
“Why are you telling me this? I fail to see its relevance to your assignment.”
I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “It’s not relevant, sir. But now that I know she’s your daughter, I wanted to ask your blessing to date her.”
There was another moment of silence. This one, though, I couldn’t read at all.
And then Barton laughed. It was only a chuckle, a short, gravelly huff, but it was still the most laughter I’d ever heard from him. “It’s not my permission you need, son. Although, for what it’s worth, I think my daughter could do much worse than you.”
Before I could think of a response, he hung up.
I stared stupidly at the phone in my hand. She could do worse, huh? Coming from Barton, that was pretty high praise. Then again, Troy the dead druggie wasn’t exactly a high bar to clear.
“Did you really mean that?”
I startled and turned around. Lacey stood at the entrance to the kitchen, blinking at me, the tentative beginnings of a smile on her lips. She was wearing my thin plaid bathrobe; it hung on her small frame, showing her creamy collarbones and the slightest swell of cleavage. Her wet hair, so dark it looked black, clung in tendrils on her neck and shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed from the hot water. Her eyes were huge, making her look vulnerable, and I had to tear my gaze away before I kissed her.
“Yeah, I meant it,” I muttered.
She fiddled with the robe’s sash, fighting her grin. “So . . . you still want to be my . . .”
Sighing, I nodded. Her face lit up and I hurried to add, “But I don’t know if I know how. With Daniella, I never . . . we never dealt in feelings.” Or at least, not the depth of emotion I had suddenly found myself drowning in.
“We can learn how to do this together. I know I have a lot of ground to make up for. I should have told you everything from the start; I know that now.”
I nodded. “I get that you had your reasons for concealing the truth. People do strange things when they feel threatened. And besides, you told me in the beginning you were running from something. I chose not to press you. Maybe, unconsciously . . . I wanted to stay in blissful ignorance. Blind myself to anything that could have gotten in the way of us.”
“Us. Just us? So Daniella’s gone?” Lacey turned her head toward the empty bedroom at the end of the hall.
“She’s really gone.”
“Are you . . . okay with that?” She chewed on her lower lip, waiting for me to respond.
“Yes. I held on to her for too long. I thought at first it was because she needed me, but in a strange way, I guess I needed her too. It was time.”
Lacey nodded. “I understand. You were scared.”
I didn’t deny her accusation. A big badass SEAL shouldn’t be scared of anything. But love? Yeah, that scared the shit out of me.
“I’m not used to being someone’s boyfriend. There’s a good chance I’ll fuck this up.” Better that she know that now.
A crooked smile graced her lips. “You’re probably better at it than you think.” Lacey pondered for a moment. “What’s your first instinct right now?”
“To make sure you’re okay,” I said immediately. And beat the ever-loving fuck out of those men who touched you.
“That’s perfect.” With a gentle smile, she stepped into the kitchen. “I’m a little shaken up, but nothing serious. What would your next instinct be?”
I licked my lips. I could smell the faintest whiff of something familiar; Lacey must have used my shampoo. She was wearing my clothes and my scent. All the hesitant, confused voices in my head suddenly went quiet, letting me hear what I really wanted.