it while doing their best to slow the other down and then Sarah pounded down the front steps and dashed through the snow toward the yellow cab. She got a flash of the driver’s face as he took in their headlong race to reach him. The man’s eyes widened and he flinched back as both of them crashed into the vehicle at top speed.
“I won!” Sarah cried. “I won! Get away from my cab.”
“Your cab? Bullshit—it’s mine!”
The cab’s engine roared to life beneath them. When it started to move, Sarah jumped back in shock. “What the hell?”
It executed a tight U-turn and took off down the lane, bouncing and shuddering over potholes until it reached the country road.
“I guess neither of you won.” Regan’s caustic words sliced through the ensuing silence. “Maybe it’s time to stop competing so damn much and think about something else for a change.”
Sarah hung her head as she slowly turned around. “Guess we’ll have to call another one.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Dan said suddenly, his tone betraying his frustration.
She shook her head. She couldn’t explain—not with an audience.
“Come on, Mason, let’s go inside and give these two a chance to talk.” Regan took her husband’s arm and led him back up the porch steps.
“Well?” Dan threw his duffle bag down in the snow and circled around to face her. “Do you think I can’t handle being your holiday fling? I’ve had worse thrown at me than that.”
“My holiday fling?” Her voice rose. “You’re the one looking for a fling. I was looking for a partnership.”
He cocked his head. “A partnership? That’s what I offered you. I told you I wanted to figure out if we were right for each other for the long haul.”
“Not that kind of partnership. A business partnership!” Was he playing dumb? “You said you were looking for investors—for partners. Mason thought I might be a good fit. I thought you might actually consider me for one of your trainer positions. But no—not Mr. SEALs-Are-So-Damn-Special. Far be it from you to sully your little naval brotherhood with a lowly female soldier.” She looked from the Hall’s closed front door to the empty street behind them. “Fucking hell.” How was she supposed to get to the airport now?
Maybe she’d better walk. She picked up the bag she’d dropped when the taxi took off and marched down the lane.
“Where are you going? Sarah!” Dan jogged up beside her. “Come on, let’s talk this through.”
“I’m done talking. I’ve heard everything I need to know.”
“Well I haven’t said everything I’m going to say.” Dan grabbed her arm. She instantly slid into a Krav Maga evasive technique but Dan was on to her methods and countered it. Sarah hit him with an elbow strike, but Dan countered that too, catching her off balance and thumping her to the ground. “Damn it, hold still so I can talk to you.” But Sarah wouldn’t hold still for anything now. They scrapped for several minutes before Dan managed to sit on her and pin her in place. His cheek was bleeding from where her fist had connected with his face and he touched his fingers to it. “Son of a bitch.”
“You’re such an ass.”
“I probably am.” He was as mad as she was. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk this out.”
“What on earth is there to talk about?” The minute she was out of here she was going to start to pound calories and bulk up. It burned her that Dan could use his superior weight to his advantage. Just let him try it when her scale topped two hundred and fifty.
“Us. The training program. Us.” He wiped his cheek with his arm, smearing the blood. “You should have said you were interested.”
“Of course I’m interested. I’m leaving the military. I don’t know what else to do.”
“You never said that. All you did was try to prove you were better at everything.”
“So did you.”
Dan took a deep breath. “I guess I did. I was afraid you
“I won!” Sarah cried. “I won! Get away from my cab.”
“Your cab? Bullshit—it’s mine!”
The cab’s engine roared to life beneath them. When it started to move, Sarah jumped back in shock. “What the hell?”
It executed a tight U-turn and took off down the lane, bouncing and shuddering over potholes until it reached the country road.
“I guess neither of you won.” Regan’s caustic words sliced through the ensuing silence. “Maybe it’s time to stop competing so damn much and think about something else for a change.”
Sarah hung her head as she slowly turned around. “Guess we’ll have to call another one.”
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Dan said suddenly, his tone betraying his frustration.
She shook her head. She couldn’t explain—not with an audience.
“Come on, Mason, let’s go inside and give these two a chance to talk.” Regan took her husband’s arm and led him back up the porch steps.
“Well?” Dan threw his duffle bag down in the snow and circled around to face her. “Do you think I can’t handle being your holiday fling? I’ve had worse thrown at me than that.”
“My holiday fling?” Her voice rose. “You’re the one looking for a fling. I was looking for a partnership.”
He cocked his head. “A partnership? That’s what I offered you. I told you I wanted to figure out if we were right for each other for the long haul.”
“Not that kind of partnership. A business partnership!” Was he playing dumb? “You said you were looking for investors—for partners. Mason thought I might be a good fit. I thought you might actually consider me for one of your trainer positions. But no—not Mr. SEALs-Are-So-Damn-Special. Far be it from you to sully your little naval brotherhood with a lowly female soldier.” She looked from the Hall’s closed front door to the empty street behind them. “Fucking hell.” How was she supposed to get to the airport now?
Maybe she’d better walk. She picked up the bag she’d dropped when the taxi took off and marched down the lane.
“Where are you going? Sarah!” Dan jogged up beside her. “Come on, let’s talk this through.”
“I’m done talking. I’ve heard everything I need to know.”
“Well I haven’t said everything I’m going to say.” Dan grabbed her arm. She instantly slid into a Krav Maga evasive technique but Dan was on to her methods and countered it. Sarah hit him with an elbow strike, but Dan countered that too, catching her off balance and thumping her to the ground. “Damn it, hold still so I can talk to you.” But Sarah wouldn’t hold still for anything now. They scrapped for several minutes before Dan managed to sit on her and pin her in place. His cheek was bleeding from where her fist had connected with his face and he touched his fingers to it. “Son of a bitch.”
“You’re such an ass.”
“I probably am.” He was as mad as she was. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk this out.”
“What on earth is there to talk about?” The minute she was out of here she was going to start to pound calories and bulk up. It burned her that Dan could use his superior weight to his advantage. Just let him try it when her scale topped two hundred and fifty.
“Us. The training program. Us.” He wiped his cheek with his arm, smearing the blood. “You should have said you were interested.”
“Of course I’m interested. I’m leaving the military. I don’t know what else to do.”
“You never said that. All you did was try to prove you were better at everything.”
“So did you.”
Dan took a deep breath. “I guess I did. I was afraid you
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