Page 13 of Securing Jane

“It’s okay. We’re never going to be best friends, which sucks, but she calls me every now and then, and we manage to have a good conversation.”

“That’s good,” Storm told her.

“Yeah. You ever been married?” Jane asked.

“Nope. And before you ask, no kids either. I dated quite a bit when I was a SEAL, but it never seemed fair to tie someone to me permanently. I was gone a lot, and honestly, I put all my energy toward my job. I wouldn’t have been a good husband.”

“And that’s changed now?”

Storm respected her for asking. “Yeah, it has. Because I’m no longer active on the teams, I’m home every night. Well, almost every night. I love what I do, and I take the safety of the men on my teams seriously. But I don’t live and breathe missions as I once did. I’m not saying I’ll be a perfect husband or catch, but I’ve learned a lot over the years. Not to mention I’ve got some pretty damn good role models around me. Rear Admiral Creasy is one of my mentors. He’s been married to Brenae for years, and they’re just in love today as they were when they met. I admire that.”

“I’m sure it hasn’t been easy,” Jane mused.

“Of course not. She’s been through hell, but she’s never given up on him, and Dag goes out of his way to make sure his wife is happy and safe.”

“That was the opposite of my marriage,” Jane said.

Storm was thrilled she was opening up to him. He appreciated that they weren’t talking about superficial topics like the weather. He craved getting to know Jane better, and this was exactly what he wondered about…what made her tick.

“How’s that?” he asked when she didn’t continue.

“Jake stopped trying. I was at home waiting for him with our kid, and he was off having fun and basically didn’t feel as if he had any responsibilities. He’d get home, and I’d go off on him for leaving me alone and for not helping me more. The more I bitched, the more he pulled away. Until eventually he found someone who was more fun, wasn’t such a downer.”

“That’s bullshit,” Storm told her. “Having a child is a huge responsibility. He should’ve known that going in. And it takes two people to make a relationship work. If he wasn’t helping you or making you feel appreciated, that’s on him, not you.”

“I guess,” Jane said. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Do I wish things were different? Yes and no. Yes, because that might’ve made Rose happier, made her teenage years less difficult. No, because I’ve learned to be a strong woman as a result of him leaving. I don’t think I’d have the career I do if we were still together, and I definitely wouldn’t be as confident in myself.”

Storm admired Jane. She was able to find the good in a situation that was anything but. “You’re amazing,” he said quietly. Glancing over at her, he saw she was blushing. It was adorable.

“I’m not. I’m just me. Have you heard anything about who sent that package?” she asked.

Realizing that he’d made her uncomfortable, Storm made a mental note to compliment her as often as possible in the future, to hopefully make her truly believe how wonderful she was and not think he was blowing smoke up her ass. “Not yet. NCIS is doing what they can to track it down. The info you gave them about the packaging and the address will definitely help, though.”

“I can’t imagine anyone having it out for the rear admiral. Granted, I don’t know him except in a work capacity, but from what I do know, he’s always been nothing but respectful and kind.”

“He is,” Storm agreed. “But he’s also had to make some tough decisions when it comes to staffing and missions. And that can make enemies.”

“You think it’s someone who worked for him?” she asked.

“I think it’s too early at this point to know for sure. But generally people who send shit like that in the mail are cowards and afraid to confront someone face-to-face. It could also be someone who doesn’t have access to the base, so they had to resort to the mail.”

“I didn’t think about that,” Jane said worriedly. “Do you think he’s safe? Someone might come after him at his house.”

Storm reached out and took her hand in his. He’d held her hand the day before, and it had felt so right. So normal. He wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of person, so even he was surprised he’d reached for her again, but the second her fingers closed around his, a jolt went through his body, and he couldn’t bear to let go of her. “Dag is always careful. He’ll be on the lookout for anything unusual.”

“Good.”

“Which reminds me…once the press gets ahold of the story, things are going to be hectic for you.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Jane said with a shrug. “They’ll want to know all the gritty details and they’ll get up in my face about it for a few days, but then some political figure will do or say something stupid and they’ll forget about me.”

“Just be careful, okay?”

“I will. Luckily, they can’t get to me on base, so I’ll just hide out at work like usual, and eventually they’ll get sick of staking out my apartment.”

Storm frowned, not liking the thought of her having to fight the paparazzi just to get home. But since she didn’t seem overly worried, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. “If you want an escort, let me know.”

“Thanks. But I think you’ve carted my ass around enough for a few days.”