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“Would you prefer I said, ‘had sexual intercourse’ instead?”

“I’d prefer you didn’t sound like an asshole when you talked about it,” Sean snapped.

Aidan’s jaw tightened. “Maybe you should try not being one yourself, for once.”

They glared at one another for a good minute before Aidan jerked his eyes away, throat working. Sean thought the man was going to come back with something sharp and biting, speciallymade to get a rise out of Sean. Instead, the anger in Aidan’s eyes died, and he sighed.

“Look, I know why you’re here. Because of what happened and the fact that you’re my CO.”

Sean looked away, realizing with a sudden cold wash of shame that it was exactly why he was here. Not because what they’d done had felt wrong, but because he didn’t want his ass handed to him by the Brass. The last thing he needed was another kick while he was down.

When Aidan spoke, it was soft but earnest. “I’m not going to go running to General Winter because we had sex, Sean. I’m a big boy who doesn’t need to go running to Daddy. Plus, it’s not like I wasn’t right there, a part of it.”

“I know,” Sean said, meaning it. “But?—”

“But we haven’t exactly been getting along, and you were worried I might get it in my head to use that against you,” Aidan said, something sharp and pained flashing in his gaze.

“Sounds worse when you say it out loud,” Sean admitted.

“I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t...abuse that,” Aidan said quietly, looking at the floor.

There was such a quiet emphasis on the way he said it that Sean drew his head up with a frown. He opened his mouth to ask where that had come from but was stopped by a sharp rap at the door.

Aidan snorted. “I’m popular today.”

Ricardo’s voice came from the other side of the door. “Aidan, you in there?”

“Yeah, come on in,” Aidan called back.

Ricardo stepped in, freezing when he saw Sean. Ricardo’s eyes immediately scanned the room, reading the emotional weather. If Ricardo thought anything was strange, other than the fact that Sean and Aidan were in the same room without trying to kill one another, he didn’t say anything.

“Saves me the trouble of trying to hunt you down,” Ricardo said to Sean.

Sean frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Word from General Winter came in. We have to get suited up.”

Sean straightened, immediately alert. “For what?”

“I guess he’s done waiting for us to give him the green light. He’s throwing us out somewhere.”

Aidan stood up, cocking his head. “Somewhere?”

Ricardo shrugged. “All he said was that we’re getting put out into a ‘real’ test of our team. And to suit up and meet out by the airfield.”

“Where the fuck are we going?” Aidan asked.

Sean grunted. “Let’s go and find out.”

The headset crackledto life in Sean’s ear, filling his head with Matt’s voice. “Is this really necessary?”

“General Winter seems to think so,” came Ricardo’s response.

“Feels excessive.”

Sean was inclined to agree, but he wasn’t going to voice that to the rest of his team, who were anxious enough as it was. They hadn’t been given much time to get their gear together and meet their ride out at the airstrip. First had been a plane, but not before they’d had helmets strapped on their heads, limiting their hearing and completely blocking out all light. They’d flown for a while before being transferred to what he was sure was a helicopter. Their only contact was with one another, over the intercom built into the helmets.

“General Winter doesn’t want us to know where we’re going,” Nick said.