Free A Sexy SEAL Novella Anthology by Tawny Weber Page B

shadow fell over the table.
    Feeling like they weighed two-tons each, Sam
lifted his eyes to see who it was. Then, biting back a growl, he
dropped them again.
    “Russ, what’re you doing here?” Eli said it
in the same way Sam imagined he’d say his brother was impinging on
sacred ground.
    “Sam needed a ride and a friendly ear.”
    “This is a SEAL bar.”
    Even in his blurry state of mind, Sam knew
that Eli would be happier if there was a quartermaster at the door,
limiting access to navy personnel only. He figured Russell knew,
too, but the other man simply shrugged.
    “This is where Sam’s car was. Maybe instead
of hanging out and being a friend, I should have recognized my
place and dumped him in the parking lot.”
    Sam figured it was a credit to Russell’s
easygoing personality that the guy could make that jab sound like a
joke.
    “What’s the problem?”
    Eli directed the question at Sam, but it was
Russell who answered.
    “Woman problems.”
    Shit.
    Sam slid down low enough in his chair that
his spine was practically hugging the seat. Not to hide so much as
that he figured he’d make a smaller target this way. He’d waited
until Eli had joined the Navy and deployed overseas before he’d
started dating the guy’s little sister. Not because he was trying
to hide anything. He just figured that it’d be hard to show Bry a
good time if he was broken into tiny pieces dusted with Eli’s boot
print.
    “Bryanna?” Not even looking at Sam, Eli
addressed the question to Russell.
    “Yeah. He pissed her off.” Sounding as
amused as he had when he’d told Sam to un-piss off his sister,
Russell gave Sam a pitying look. “Seeing as he looks like she
tossed breakfast over his head, I’d say he pissed her off good,
too.”
    “Good. That’s it, then.”
    “That’s what?” Sam wondered aloud.
    “The best time to walk away. Break up with
her now, while she’s in the right mental place for the split.” Eli
scowled, his brows digging a deep v between his eyes. “You go back
there and kiss her ass, you’re going to get her hopes up again.
You’re going to make her think the two of you have a future.”
    “Why wouldn’t they have a future?” Russell
asked, leaning forward to match his brother’s scowl with one of his
own. “They had a fight. That’s no reason to walk away.”
    “Morelli’s about to graduate BUD/S. He’s
kissing distance away from earning his trident.”
    “So?”
    “So, he can’t juggle his duty as a SEAL and
a relationship. It just can’t be done. Not well.”
    “That’s crap,” Russell decided. “Just
because you swore off relationships and vowed to only have sex with
hookers doesn’t mean Sam should.”
    “Don’t be an ass,” Eli muttered, looking
around to make sure nobody had heard. “I don’t have sex with
hookers.”
    “You don’t have relationships, so who’re you
having sex with?”
    Curious enough to lift his chin off his
chest, Sam peered at Eli. Since the guy was pushing so hard for him
to get single fast, that was the sort of information that would
come in handy.
    “I’m committed to my career. To my country.
I put everything I am, everything I have into that. There’s nothing
left to give a woman.” Bristling, Eli jerked his chin toward Sam.
“You ask your brother. Noah will tell you the exact same
thing.”
    “What a bunch of bullshit.”
    And off they went, arguing in low tones and
nasty threats.
    Sam wondered if he could get another table.
Sooner or later, Russell’s insults were going to push Eli into
throwing a punch. The last place Sam wanted to be when that
happened was right here in the middle of it. The way his luck was
going, he’d end up getting his ass kicked.
    “This is our little sister we’re talking
about here,” Russell pointed out, as if they all needed reminding.
“You’re actually sitting here arguing for Sam to break her
heart?”
    “I’m arguing for Sam to end things now, before he breaks her heart.”
    “Why the