Sean:
We lost Clint. My team, my responsibility.
I see it every night. Same details, same moment, on repeat.
Then they send Aidan to take his place and I want him gone from day one. He doesn't back down. He doesn't break. And he has no idea when to quit.
My brain screams at me to walk away. I yank Aidan toward me and kiss him hard.
I don't have a good explanation for it.
Aidan:
I walk into a team that looks at me like I'm standing in a dead man's spot. I didn't ask for that. I can't fix it.
What I can do is not break.
Sean keeps pushing. I keep pushing back. At some point he asks if I'm poking the bear again.
I tell him I'm not really into bears. That men in uniform are more my problem specifically.
He laughs. I think that's when everything changes.
Then the mission turns lethal and I realize I can't lose him too.
"Don't you fucking die on us," I tell him.
I mean it more than he knows.
Enemies-to-lovers military romance with grief, found family, and a hard-won HEA. Fort Dale. Standalone. No cliffhangers.