Saving the Seal 2: A BWWM Navy Seal Interracial Romance (6 page)

The thought was enough to make the young woman’s stomach threaten to reject her chicken salad. With bated breath, Genny watched as Owen untaped the edges of the box, gently separating the top and the bottom.

A shower of lavender tissue paper spilled out, cushioning the five brilliant red roses that tumbled the ground atop it.

Flowers. They were just flowers.

Suddenly, the idea that someone had sent her something dangerous in plain daylight seemed beyond silly. Shaking her head, Genny breathed a sigh of relief before making her way over to her boyfriend. He was still staring at the roses suspiciously, as if worried they might leap up and begin attacking them.

Bending down, Genny began to pick one up. Owen’s eyes widened as he opened his mouth to protest. “Genevieve, don’t-”

“There.” The psychiatrist cut him off with a knowing smirk. “Feel better now?” She twirled a single stem with her fingertips. The bud didn’t even have thorns. They had all been thoughtfully removed. Owen only stared at her for a long beat before exhaling hotly.

He had the decency to look somewhat abashed. The SEAL flushed slightly as he looked away. “Sorry.”

Though Genny was slightly irked at his behavior, she couldn’t be mad. The man had been trained to sense danger. No doubt those same senses that had once served him well had just kicked into overdrive. “It’s okay.” With a smile, she scooped up the rest of the roses, taking the box from his tight grip to place them back inside. “I understand. You were nervous.”

Owen raked a hand through his hair – a nervous gesture. “It was just…that call. I had no idea who it was and we just finished with the case…I wanted to be sure.”

“It’s alright, Owen,” Genny reaffirmed, standing on her toes to press a soft kiss to the side of his mouth. “Don’t worry about it.” He had already put himself on edge worrying about so many other things. When he might be able to go back to active duty, Gina’s baby being delivered soon, the homework she’d given him to help with his progress…It was only natural that the man should be on edge. “Why don’t you go home and relax.”

The SEAL sighed, glancing at the roses once more. “Yeah. I guess I will.” He managed a weak smile. “I suppose it’s almost time for the Tigers game anyhow.”

The
time
!

“
Shit!
” The epithet escaped Genny on a low hiss as she checked her watch. She had five minutes to make the ten minute drive back to Riperton and clock in. She couldn’t be late on her first day. “Honey, I have to go!” She pecked Owen quickly on the cheek, thrusting her flowers into his hand before she turned towards her car. “Take these home for me? I’ll see you later tonight.”

The moment she was in the car, she proceeded to drive like a demon. By some divine intervention, she was only one minute late clocking back in – and it was a good thing too. Director White had come down to talk to her about her first day progress.

As she became enveloped in her work once more, Genny forgot the panicked look in Owen’s eyes when he’d seen her with the box. He had just been overreacting. It was sweet that he was trying to protect her, but who would want to harm her? She wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Genny’s first week at her new job was a blur of little sleep and acclimation. The first night she got home around one in the morning and sleepily staved off Owen’s lovemaking attempts. She rose the next morning before six and left the house at seven, too tired to feel guilty that she hadn’t spent much time with him. The next day was a little better. She got in at ten, and after dinner, asked her boyfriend why she hadn’t seen the flowers she sent home with him. Owen only scowled for a moment before admitting that he’d thrown them away.

His words had made Genny slightly angry. Just because someone else had sent her flowers, he’d thrown them away? She was lucky he hadn’t seen her new office. There were four or five bouquets displayed there from congratulators and well-wishers. Irritated at his attitude, she’d gone to bed before him and pretended to be asleep when he lay down next to her. With all that was going on at the hospital, she didn’t have time to deal with him being dramatic.

The rest of the week was a flurry of paperwork and more running around than she did on her daily 5K. She was supposed to have an appointment with Owen on Friday afternoon, but she had to hand him off to Stella with her apologies. She was simply swamped and didn’t have time to see a single patient – something she lamented greatly.

When she finally left the office, exhausted, around nine in the evening on Friday, Tina stopped her in front of the main entrance. “Genny, another package came for you today.” She smiled, handing the department head a box identical to the one she had received on Monday. At the sight of it, Genny’s lips curved upward. She had no idea who was sending her the flowers, but it was nice to get them at the end of such a long week. She took the package from Tina before making her way to her car.

Once inside, Genny undid the ribbon and opened the box. Once she had, she was again met with the sight of five roses – only these had already withered and died. Frowning, the young woman extracted one from the tissue paper. She yelped at a sharp pain in her fingertip, dropping the shriveled bloom to reflexively suck the pad of her thumb into her mouth. When she withdrew it to inspect, a bead of blood bloomed crimson at the crest of the digit.

Apparently, these roses hadn’t been de-thorned either. With a sigh, she tossed the bag into the back seat. The roses had probably been sitting in a warehouse somewhere for a few days too long. It was a pity. She had been looking forward to the fragrant blooms after the week she’d had.

She was also looking forward to seeing Owen, but when she returned to his house, his truck wasn’t in the driveway.

Genny let herself in, dropping her paperwork on the kitchen table and greeting Eddie, who immediately pounced on her. The pooch followed her to the sofa, where she collapsed, flicking on the television.

Eddie burrowed his way beneath her head, something that made her grimace at first, but eventually, Genny relaxed when she found the Rottweiler actually made a nice pillow. Some news channel or the other blared in the background and she closed her eyes, promising herself she’d get up to make dinner in a few minutes.

When she next woke, it was daylight outside. Eddie was gone and Genny searched groggily for the nearest clock. It was seven thirty in the morning. She’d slept nearly twelve hours.

Aghast, the young woman straightened on the couch, stretching until her back and neck popped. She wondered where Owen might be until she caught sight of the man perched on a chair at the bar in the kitchen, staring at her across the space that separated him.

Owen’s fingers were folded under his chiseled chin, his mouth was set and he looked very,
very
upset.

“Owen?” She murmured sleepily. “What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

For a long moment, her lover didn’t answer her. When Owen finally did speak, it was with barely contained anger. “Why didn’t you come to our session yesterday?”

Oh.
Damn
. With a low groan, Genny covered her face with slender fingers. “Jesus, Owen. I’m sorry. This week has been insane. I’ve hardly had a moment to catch my breath.”

“You
promised
me that you were the only therapist I’d have to see.” Almost as if he hadn’t heard her, Owen went on, his voice tinged not only with anger, but also a definite note of unease. “That I’d never have to deal with a stranger again.”

“Owen, Stella’s not a stranger.” Genevieve interrupted as gently as she could. She wasn’t ecstatic about being faced with a temper tantrum this early in the morning. “You’ve met her hundreds of times.”

“But she’s not
my
fucking therapist, Genevieve.” Owen’s tone was sharp enough to make her flinch. “
You are
. How am I supposed to go into a session and meet with someone unexpectedly like that? Stella doesn’t know what I’m going through. We’ve never had a single session before. I’m not comfortable with her in that respect and I never
will
be!” As he spoke, the SEAL’s voice rose to higher and higher volumes, until finally, Genny snapped under the stress.

She hadn’t
asked
Stella to interrogate the man. Simply to make small talk with him so they could at least still get the session in. Having another therapist talk to Owen in that respect would have been illegal anyway. Genny and Genny alone had been charged with his treatment, and only after completing a mountain of paperwork that almost compared to the one that now arrived on her desk daily.

“Owen, I can’t shield you forever! There will be times when I can’t be there and that’s what I’m trying to prepare you for! The goal of your treatment is to learn to work through your issues yourself. You can’t use me as a crutch forever!”

“
Goddamn it, Genny!
” A soft cry of surprise escaped her as Owen leapt from his chair, toppling it in a swift moment. “You’re not my crutch! It’s not about depending on you for treatment. It’s about needing you! Trusting you! With not just my issues but with understanding the kind of person that I
am
!” His words echoed through the entryway of the house, shocking Genny with their intensity and making Eddie cower under the coffee table.

In the silence that reigned afterwards, the guilt crept back in on her.

She had been neglecting him. She’d hardly spent a moment with Owen all week, and then she’d handed off his appointment without even telling him. That had been callous of her – something she shouldn’t have done regardless of how busy she was.

“I’m sorry.” Owen swallowed thickly, raking his hair back from his brow as he turned away from her to lean against the kitchen counter. His tone had gone from a shout to the barest murmur in under a minute. “I’m sorry, Genevieve. I just…no one knows me like you do.
No one
.”

The young woman blinked back tears. Rising from the couch, she hurried into the kitchen to wrap her arms around her boyfriend’s midsection. She rested her head against his back, feeling like an utter and complete cad. “No, Owen. I’m the one who should be sorry. I should have made time for that session. Everything’s been so crazy and I…I haven’t been spending any time with you at all.” Gently, she kissed over the knobs of his spine until she reached the base of his neck. “I miss you. I do. I’m just a mess right now. I need time to adjust.”

“I know.” Owen returned gruffly through the curtain of his hair. “I don’t mean to make things harder for you. I’m just…I’m a fucking mess, Genny, and no one knows that better than you.”

“Owen,” Her voice a hushed reprimand, Genny cupped his cheek, forcing her lover to look at her. “You’re not a mess. Far from it.” Reaching up, she smoothed dark hair from his brow before trailing a thumb over his lips. “Do you know how long it takes vets to recover from PTSD?”

Slowly, the man shook his head, unspeaking. “Five to ten
years
, if not longer.” She answered her own question lowly. “Some
never
get better. For you to have come as far as you have in just two years…that’s amazing. And you’re only getting better every day.”

The SEAL’s cheeks flushed at her praise as his eyes slid from hers embarrassedly. He was stubbornly quiet for a moment before opening his mouth. “I hate that goddamn recorder though.”

Genny laughed, even as a shiver passed through her at the sensation of his lips moving against her fingertips. “I know you do. And I’m proud of you for sticking with it.”

Owen merely rolled his eyes, taking her hands in his as the tension between them eased. Softly, sensuously, he kissed each of her fingertips, sending an ache of hunger down to pulse between her legs. However, after his mouth brushed over one of her thumbs, he paused, glancing down at the digit in concern. “What happened here?” The SEAL indicated the small, red spot where a rose’s thorn had penetrated her skin the night before.

Genny had almost forgotten about it. “Oh. I pricked it. On some roses.”

Almost immediately, Owen’s eyes narrowed as his grip tightened slightly on her hands. “Roses?”

Oh, hell. She might as well tell him now. It was no big deal, anyway. “I got another box of unmarked roses. Only this time they were already dead.” She frowned at the memory. “No biggie, they probably just sat somewhere for too long.”

As little as she cared about her injury, her explanation only made Owen’s brow furrow further. She knew he wanted to ask her more about the flowers, but Genny hardly wanted to argue after they had been on their way to making up. “Owen, don’t worry about it. Like I said, they were dead. I’ll probably thrown them out myself.” She drew his mouth down to hers, kissing him with all the skill she possessed.

The gesture worked, and Owen soon groaned against his mouth, forgetting his concern as he lifted her smaller frame against his. In a truce, he was carrying her down the hall towards the bedroom, and Genny thought of nothing but having him inside of her as soon as humanly possible.

Neither of them noticed the wound on her thumb had re-opened, staining the pristine white sheets with tiny, individual drops of bright crimson.

Chapter Four: Someone Watching

Owen knew things were hard for Genevieve. For the first month of her job, she hardly ever came home before eleven PM. However, after their argument, she made sure never to miss their weekly appointments, and he tried to commit himself to his exercises as much as he could. Journaling, recording, taking care of Eddie and visiting Gina daily served to keep him busy.