Sweetest Goodbye (Navy Book 3)

Chapter 15

All was quiet and no one stirred until after eight o'clock. The first person up was Kellan and he wandered into the living room and fell into a chair, watching T.V. with Kate until Lee emerged a short time later.

"What's for dinner?" Lee asked as she scratched his stomach then stretched, his height even more impressive as he stretched as tall as he could. He looked warm and tousled again.

Kate shot him a dagger stare, daring him to ask the question again.

Kellan laughed. "You still like to live life of the edge, don't you?" he asked as he pulled out his phone.

"Is that why they call you Spider?" Kate asked innocently, unable to hold back the question any longer.

Lee and Kellan looked at each other and said, "Devon," before Kellan stood.

"I need some air. I think I'll order some pizza for dinner? Does anyone want anything specific?" he asked as he walked towards the kitchen and the backdoor. He didn't even wait for an answer to his question before the door closed behind him.

The baby started fussing and Kate picked her up, feeling her heavy diaper.

The silence stretched between the two of them as Lee watched Kate expertly change Amelia's diaper and then cuddle her again.

"Is Devon still sleeping?" Lee asked trying to change the subject.

"Spider?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know? Does it really matter?" He sat down next to her on the couch reaching for Amelia.

"Yes it does, you're sleeping in my house and now in my bed-"

"And I thank you, it was the best sleep I've had in a long while, the sheets and pillow smelled like you, it was very nice." He looked at her completely serious. "The only thing that would have made it better is if you had been with me."

"No!" Kate said as she stood up quickly, shocked by his sudden change of tactic. They had agreed that he was leaving and it wouldn't work whether they wanted it to or not. What was so upsetting was that his thoughts were so close to what hers had been that, had he voiced them earlier, she might have caved.

"That's not fair, we agreed that you're leaving so there is nothing here," she motioned between the two of them with her hand, "worth pursuing, besides how do I know you're not some kind of criminal warlord or something?" Kate started pacing when he cocked an eyebrow at her obvious discomfort.

"Sorry Kate, it was just a little harmless flirting, that's all."

There could be no harmless flirting between them and she sent him a look to that effect.

He grinned his charming grin and shrugged, "I'm sorry, sometimes spending time with the guys makes me forget that not everyone is as direct as we are."

"Why do they call you Spider?" She didn't know why she was so hung up on knowing the answer but she was. She felt it was something that she needed to know.

"I am good at climbing things and I''m good at setting a trap. Especially in a fight, at least that's what I'm told."

"What do you climb?" and then just a quick, "a fight?" Kate swallowed hard at the thought of him in a fight.

"All kinds of things, hills, mountains, buildings and as for a fight, it's been known to happen. Kellan and Josh have nicknames too, if that helps."

"What are they?" She fell into a chair, suddenly tired. She had had to ask, and now she knew the answer, which only left her with more questions.

"Kellan is Houdini and Josh is Casanova." Lee started playing with Amelia by pushing her up into the air and lowering her quickly.