passionately and with a balance that had only rubbed off on his two boys. The four of them were a unit as strong as his team was to him. He loved them all deeply as he tried to absorb the knowledge that heâd lost three of his closest brothers.
Heâd had a solid childhood, even with his dadâs deployments. With the use of modern technology, his dad had always been there, even when heâd been working overseas.
He loved his job. Being a SEAL was it for him. Career. Battle always brought with it danger and the very real threat of death.
Death was unavoidable in war. It was a stone-cold fact. But the thought of losing Tyler, who was as close to him and as deeply entrenched in his heart as his brother, Rock, was unbearable. Hell, maybe deeper. Dex had fought with Tyler, watched Tyâs back as much as heâd watched Dexâs. There wasnât anything he wouldnât do for Tyler. And to lose him because Dex had somehow either miscalculated or screwed up would be even worse.
It tore him up that his sister was here. A family member heâd only heard great things about. Sad things, too.
He would take the comfort she offered because he needed it. He had to let all this go. Only an idiot would bottle up emotions and never give them free rein.
The ache in his throat intensified, and he swallowed, an agony of emotion clogging his chest.
After he was spent and the purge was over, he let her go. The loss of Spacemanâdamn, his ridge boss, his friend, his tactical geniusâit was too much. Slim Jim, who had just become a father, andâdammit, his eyes teared up again, his chest hurtâDJ. Man, he was going to miss him so damn much; him and his humor were often all that kept the platoon going when times got tough. Leaning back, his side protesting with each move, he wiped at his swollen eyes and met her gaze. âThis is a hell of a way to meet Tyâs sister,â he said, his voice raw and raspy.
âWell, I would have preferred a family dinner or a barbecue, not a hospital in a war-torn country where people are trying to kill us.â
Ah, thank God, the beauty had a sense of the ridiculous, which only helped to make this just a tad less awkward. He cracked a faint smile, nodding. âItâs a pleasure to meet you, Piper.â He reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. Thatâs when he got a really good look at her. She resembled Tyler a lot. But his hair was darker, where she had a mane of tawny gold hair and heartbreaking whiskey-hued eyes with dark, thick lashes. But where Tyâs features were masculine, hers were pretty in a quirky way, not elegant, but cute. Her eyebrows were darker than her hair; her chin was delicately angled, but definitely set with determination. At odds with her all-American looks, her mouth was lush, exotically full and covered with a smooth layer of plum-colored lipstick. Funny that the lipstick made him homesick.
Okay, one thing was for certain. That RPG hadnât rattled his brain too much. He was still thinking like a man.
About Tylerâs sister !
Suddenly he had an insight into exactly why Rock resisted getting involved with Tristan Michaelsâs sister Neve. Maybe he would lighten up on his brother in that respect. Maybe.
âOnce weâre all home and Iâm in DC, I think I will take you up on that.â
She smiled and wiped at her own cheeks, reminding him that they had all been through two hours of hell.
âTylerâs pretty upset and heavily medicated. Iâm not sure if heâs thinking straight, but he was worried they werenât telling him the truth about you.â
He got that damn lump in his throat again. âThen letâs go prove it to him.â
Alarmed and not yet sure about whether he was joking, she stared at him. âWhat? Youâre wounded. I promised the nurse I would only be here for a few minutes, not get you up and walking.â
âTyler is whatâs important