Oath of Honor

“Some—I didn’t really have time to discuss it with her.”

“Everything okay?” Evyn asked as casually as she could. She

couldn’t pretend she hadn’t overheard the conversation, and while it

was none of her business, she cared if Wes was having a problem. After

all, personal issues affected performance, and Wes was not only a key

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part of the team now, it was her job to see she settled in smoothly. She

might tell herself that, if she wanted to blow smoke in her own face.

She cared if Wes had a problem because she didn’t like the idea of Wes

being unhappy. If Wes was unhappy, it most likely had something to do

with the new job, and she was a big part of that new job.

“She’s doing the mother thing.”

“You mean the part where they try to get you to share? And as

soon as you do they tell you all the ways you screwed up?”

“My mother usually doesn’t pry,” Wes held the door open while

Evyn went through, “but my sister ratted me out. My fault—I forgot

what a little tattletale she was when she was younger.”

“You’ve got three, right? You’re in the middle?”

“I’m in the upper middle—one older, two younger. Denise—

Denny—she’s the baby.”

Evyn rounded to the driver’s side of the Explorer and waited while

Wes climbed in. “You all must be pretty close in age—didn’t you say

your father—sorry, never mind.”

“My father died when I was six. There’s about a year and a half to

two years between the four of us.”

“So what did your sister know that she immediately told your

mother?” The street in front of the cantina was clear and Evyn pulled

out. “Nothing. Not really. I just happened to talk to her in the middle

of the night—she’s a nurse in Philadelphia. I maybe mentioned I was

having trouble sleeping, but not because of any problem. Just”—Wes

shrugged—“a lot of changes. That’s all.”

Evyn glanced at her, then back at the road. Wes looked a little

tired, but they’d been hitting the exercises hard for hours. She was

obviously in great physical shape—she looked as good in a wetsuit as

she did in the jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt she’d walked out wearing

that morning. Rangy and lean and strong. Evyn put that image aside.

If Wes was having trouble adjusting, she ought to know. She wanted to

know. She wondered if she was part of why Wes wasn’t sleeping, and

the idea didn’t sit well. “This isn’t what you expected, is it?”

“I had no idea what to expect.”

“Very politic of you.”

Evyn shot her another look and their eyes met. Wes had gorgeous

eyes—the kind of crystal green that reminded her of summers in the

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park, of fresh-cut grass, of carefree pleasures. She had to drag herself

away from her eyes and the memory of freer, simpler times. She stared

at the road. “I don’t know why it is, but every time we’re together, we

end up talking about stuff I never talk about with anyone else.”

“Like what?” Wes said gently.

“Like…personal things. I know more about you and your family

right now than I know about Gary, and he and I have been partners on

and off for a couple of years.”

“I know what you mean,” Wes said.

“Got an explanation?” Evyn asked half playfully, but her heart

stuttered, waiting for the answer. She hadn’t meant to voice that crazy

feeling of being totally exposed whenever she was alone with Wes and

expected Wes to understand even less. Now she wasn’t sure what she

wanted to hear.

“Not yet,” Wes said softly.

A wave of disappointment heavily laced with relief washed over

her. Refocusing the conversation on something safe, she said, “So?

What’s keeping you up at night?”

Wes laughed. “You’re as bad as my sisters.”

“Wait till you get to know me better.”

Wes laughed again. “Nothing, really. Just adjustment. I’m fine.”

“Oh, I’m sure of that. You wouldn’t be where you are if little things

like having a new command dropped on you, transferring overnight to

a new post, being put through an accelerated version of boot camp, and

being charged with safeguarding POTUS threw you off.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” Wes said lightly, “I guess I am

doing amazingly well.”

“We’ll see, Superdoc.” Evyn pulled the rented Jeep into the small

lot beside the rescue station and cut the engine. She turned in her seat

to face Wes. “If there’s something you want to talk about, I’m a pretty

good listener.”

“You are. You make it easy to talk.”

The wind had picked up, and whitecaps raced across the water.

Wes was studying her, in that completely focused way she had, and the

attention was as exciting as the touch had been. She’d never been so

aware of being alone with a woman in her life. They’d barely touched,

and that had been totally innocent, but her blood sang with anticipation.

She didn’t get this keyed up with a woman she was about to sleep with.

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Her system was primed with expectation for more than a touch, and

nothing could be less likely to happen. “I hear a but coming.”

A wry smile played over Wes’s face. “Unfortunately, I think you’d