Tanned and muscular, he knew he was in great shape. And their appreciative glances sure did a hell of a lot for his male ego.
He landed with a splash as the tide receded, his feet sinking into the wet sand, and then he was spiraling the ball back through the air to Jacob.
“Wow! Great catch!” the quiet brunette to his right said, smiling shyly at him.
He flashed her a grin and then quickly ran to catch another pass, leaping again in the air.
The quiet one had been looking at him for the past twenty minutes while her more outgoing friends flirted outrageously with Jacob. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she just wasn’t his type.
Too quiet. Too serious.
Too much the opposite of Bailey.
“Will you help me put on my sunscreen?” one of the women asked Jacob. “I don’t want to burn.”
“Sure thing, gorgeous,” he said, grabbing the bottle from her.
Noah’s phone buzzed in the pocket of his swim trunks, and he grabbed it to see Mason’s name flash across the screen. He swiped it and turned away from their group, his gaze landing on another group of women sunbathing.
“Yo, Viper. What are you up to?” Mason asked. “I just dropped Taylor off near the boardwalk. I’m cruising around Atlantic Avenue.”
“She working today?” he asked, watching as the group of women he was with squealed as Jacob pretended to trip and fall in the water, laughing as they looked down at him. He smirked, knowing Jacob was loving all the female attention.
“Nope, not until tonight.” Mason said. “She’s meeting Bailey for brunch.”
Noah’s ears perked up.
Hell if he didn’t love flirting with her, watching those gorgeous green eyes spark with amusement, her long blonde hair framing her face.
“Where are they?” he asked. “We should go crash their meal.”
“Uh-huh,” Mason chuckled. “I think it’s girl bonding time or something like that. Taylor says I have my whole SEAL team, so she needs her girl time. They’re probably enjoying mimosas and egg-white omelets right now.”
“Then come hang out on the beach with us, Riptide,” he said, calling his buddy by his nickname. “Jacob’s here, too, singlehandedly flirting with all the college girls around.”
“Singlehandedly. Right,” Mason said with a laugh. “Like you’re never chasing after a woman.”
“Guilty as charged,” Noah quipped. “But an entire beach full of beautiful women? Can’t complain about that.”
“Hang on,” Mason said. “Taylor’s calling me right now.” Noah smirked as his buddy switched lines for a moment. Taylor had him by the balls and probably didn’t even know it.
Mason would move heaven and Earth for her. And when she’d gone missing last month thanks to her ex-boyfriend and his asshole friend? Mason had rushed back from halfway around the globe to get to her.
A second later, Mason was back on the line. “Taylor and Bailey want us to come meet them for brunch.”
“What happened to girl time?” he asked, already moving out of the water.
“Remember the trip you wanted to come on with us?”
Noah chuckled. “Hell yeah, but I wouldn’t crash on your alone time. Fishing sounds awesome, but being the third wheel to you and Taylor? No thanks, man.”
“Bailey said she’d come, too.”
Interest flared within him. A long weekend with Bailey? Flirting with her on the boat and watching her prance around in a tiny little bikini? Maybe even getting her into his bed?
Hell yeah.
“Where should we meet them?”
NOAH STRODE DOWN THE boardwalk fifteen minutes later, eyeing the restaurant up ahead. He’d rinsed off in one of the open showers along the beach, pulled on a shirt, and been ready in a few minutes. His swim trunks would dry quickly, and he wasn’t about to miss a chance to flirt with Bailey.
Bypassing the front door to go out to the back deck, he saw the tables filled with people. Some were in swim attire like himself, others were wearing street clothes. Virginia Beach was a casual town, and going from beach to boardwalk and back again made the outdoor decks and patios perfect to grab a bite to eat in between.
Mason was already seated next to Taylor at the table, his arm loosely draped over her shoulder, but Noah’s gaze landed on Bailey.
Blonde hair trailed over her bare shoulders, and she had on a sexy little sundress that looked better than some lingerie. It clung to her curves, putting her breasts perfectly on display, and making him want to examine her thoroughly.
Intimately.
Her sun-kissed skin wrapped in that fabric was sexy as hell. He wanted to undress her slowly, examining all that smooth, tan skin. Touching and tasting her. Discovering what she liked.
Her bare legs led to pink polished toes, and the flip-flops she had on somehow made her legs look even longer. All that bare, soft skin made him want to run his hands all over her. To caress and touch her until she was begging him for more.
Until she whimpered beneath him.
Noah grinned at them, pushing those thoughts aside, and sunk down into the empty chair.
He’d need another cold shower if this line of thinking continued.
“Why are you all wet?” Bailey asked, looking at him in amusement.
“I was down at the beach.”
She lifted her mimosa, and he watched her pink lips take a sip from the tall glass. God, those lips wrapped around a straw could’ve fucking killed him. He’d be imagining them wrapped around his dick all afternoon.
Something about Bailey was sexy as hell—the slight edge she had, the sensuousness of her movements.
She wasn’t even trying to be overtly sexy right now—she just was.
And that faint coconut scent she had was intoxicating and exhilarating.
“We saw you,” she said, her eyes concealed beneath the dark sunglasses she was wearing. “Running down to the water with a woman in your arms, I believe?”
He chuckled, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “Guilty as charged. Jacob’s still down there with them—recent college grads who’ve never met a real Navy SEAL before. But I ditched them to come see you, sunshine.”
She shook her head slightly in disbelief, the small eyebrow ring she had on gleaming in the sunlight, but he caught the slight tug of her lips as she tried not to smile.
Noah’s gaze trailed over her, taking in the tiny row of piercings in her ear and the delicate skin of her neck. He wondered if she had any hidden piercings. Maybe a belly button piercing? Nipple rings?
He kept his gaze on her face, his groin tightening as he imagined what her nipples might look like. Holy hell. He didn’t really have a thing for women with body piercings, but somehow on her he had a feeling that it would be sexy as sin.
He’d love to explore and discover all of her one night.
To slowly kiss and caress her curves and eventually make her come undone beneath him.
“I’m coming down to Florida with you,” she said. “Taylor talked me into it earlier. Think you can handle me for a whole weekend?”
She raised her eyebrows, and he chuckled, the deep sound drawing attention from other patrons.
“The real question, sunshine, is can you handle an entire weekend with me?”
“I deal with drunken men every night, sailor. Nature of the job.”
He frowned slightly, not liking what was in all effect true. She did in fact probably deal with drunken men every night—every bar on the strand did. Nature of the job, indeed. That didn’t mean he liked the idea of strange men hitting on her. Letting their eyes wander over her tempting curves.
He wondered how Mason handled having Taylor serve food and drinks to all the men who came into Anchors. Hell, he and his buddies always loved flirting with the waitresses there.
So who was he to fault the guys that were probably hitting on Bailey?
Didn’t mean he liked it though.
And he’d seen her hold her own last night dealing w
ith the crowds at the bar. She bantered with them but kept her distance. Save for his following her outside, he didn’t think she’d let anyone else get that close to her.
He ordered a beer and burger when their own waitress came over a moment later.
“That’s not very brunch-ish,” Bailey said. “A burger and beer? What happened to eggs benedict or omelets?”
“I’m not really a brunch kind of guy.”
“Meat and potatoes,” Mason agreed. “Can’t go wrong with that. Besides, we’re SEALs, not swimsuit models.”
“But you could be,” Bailey pointed out. “You guys have to stay in good shape. Maybe a Navy SEAL calendar for charity, like all those firefighter ones?”
“Oh right, can you see any of them doing that?” Taylor asked with a laugh. “I mean, some of them would love the attention, I’m sure, but I don’t think so.”
Noah chuckled. “Sunshine, as much as I love the idea that you want to see me shirtless, we don’t want the whole world knowing who we are. Kind of presents a problem when our job is to sneak in and sneak out. We don’t exactly want our faces broadcast everywhere.”
“That does present a bit of a challenge. You can pose and just pretend to be firefighters.” She looked over at him triumphantly, and he resisted the urge to slide his chair closer to hers. To brush some of that hair back off her shoulders, just to feel her bare skin.
Just to see her react to his touch.
“Duly noted,” he quipped, clearing his throat.
Bailey took another sip of her mimosa, Noah’s eyes again drawn to her glossy pink lips. “Are you saying women wouldn’t pay good money to see a bunch of shirtless Navy SEALs? Please. I’ve seen the women fawning over all of you at Anchors and my own bar.”
Noah held up his hands in mock surrender as the waitress arrived with food for the others, telling Noah she’d put a rush in on his burger.
“What is that?” he teased Bailey, glancing over at her plate. “Bird food?”
“An egg-white omelet, smoked salmon, and fruit. How many birds do you know that eat that?”
“If you’re going to eat brunch, you at least have to go all in—sausage, bacon, eggs—”
“These are eggs,” she said, cutting him off. She crossed her legs, spearing a piece of fruit and lifting it to her mouth. He shook his head, trying not to chuckle.
“Here’s your beer,” the waitress said. “Your burger will be out in a few minutes.”
“Fantastic, thanks,” he said, taking a long pull. He caught Bailey watching him and grinned. “A beer, the beach—beautiful women. Can’t complain.”
“Except about my food,” she said.
Noah chuckled, leaning closer. Inhaling some of her coconut scent. “Sunshine, you can eat whatever you want. Wherever you want. I just like riling you up.”
“So I noticed. Is this how you act around all the ladies?”
“Just you,” he confirmed. “Because I know you won’t put up with it. Which makes it all the more interesting when you let me get under your skin.”
“Do you ladies want to walk down on the dock after brunch? It’s gorgeous today,” Mason said. “And Taylor doesn’t have to work for a few more hours, right?”
“Absolutely, but I wish I’d brought my camera,” she said. “The sky is such a perfect shade of blue, I could’ve gotten some amazing photos.”
“We’ll come back another time,” Mason promised her. “Stay up all night and you can take some pictures of the sun coming up.”
“We’ll have to do it soon—it’s already cold at night.”
Mason shrugged, watching her with a smile tugging on his lips. “So we’ll stay the night at your place, and I’ll wake you up nice and early. Make it worth your while. How does that sound?”
“Shhh,” she said, her face turning pink.
“Sweetie, don’t worry,” Bailey said. “We all know you two are sleeping together. You’re a couple.”
“Bailey!” she hissed, balling up her napkin and tossing it across the table. Noah instinctively reached out and snagged it from the air, Bailey watching him in surprise.
“Habit,” he said easily. “But how about you, sunshine? Can you handle me for another couple of hours if we head down to the dock after brunch?”
“Oh, I can handle you,” she assured him, pursing those glossy pink lips. She innocently lifted her mimosa and took another sip, knowing he was watching her. “It’s about time someone put you in your place.”
He took another swig of his beer and shot her a grin. “Honey, you can put me wherever you want me.”
Chapter 5
Bailey walked down the dock with Taylor, the men following behind. She could hear their low voices—talking about a recent mission, it sounded like. Mason had gotten a text from Hunter, their SEAL team leader, and the men had briefly huddled together to discuss something.
Interesting how they could be carefree and laughing one minute and then serious and no-nonsense the next. As big of a flirt as Noah was, she got the idea that he was one hundred percent committed to his career.
He had to be she supposed—lives were literally at stake.
She didn’t know exactly what becoming a SEAL entailed, but she did know most men never passed the training.
A brief hint of worry washed over her.
Noah and Mason had dangerous jobs—of course he could never tell her about his missions or what exactly he did, but they were sent to bad places. Deployed to God knows where, length of time unknown. They fought against the bad guys and did things she could never even dream of.
Taylor had told her small bits of the types of things Mason had said he did—the things that he could share, that is. She got the idea that Taylor and the other girlfriends didn’t know the half of it.
And her best friend seemed okay with it.
It was silly for her to worry about Noah anyway. He was a big boy who could take care of himself. He was a freaking Navy SEAL for crying out loud. The thought of him in harm’s way didn’t sit well with her though, and that was somewhat of a shock to her system.
She was casual about her relationships, content to move from one man to another without much thought.
And maybe they’d spend a long weekend together down in Florida, having a good time, but she was planning to keep things between them friendly and nothing more. Flirting was okay, but as for making out or sleeping with him?
Not a chance in hell that was going to happen.
“Hey ladies, wait up!” Mason shouted a moment later, and the guys jogged forward to catch up with them. Mason’s blond hair gleamed in the sunlight, and he ducked down, catching Taylor in a kiss.
After a delicious brunch and a second mimosa, Bailey was feeling pretty carefree at the moment. She let all her worry about the guys’ careers as SEALs drift aside.
Noah had his trademark aviators on, but she could tell he was watching her. The breeze ruffled her sundress, and she rested her hands on her thighs, holding it in place. His gaze dropped to her legs, and she felt heat rising within her.
Just a glance from him seemed to send her up in flames.
That was part of the appeal she supposed—she’d never be with him, so all the innocent flirtations were that much more exciting.
They could look but not touch.
And goodness, did he seem to enjoy looking at her.
Noah slung his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. “Stay next to me so your dress doesn’t blow too much.”
She nodded, shifting slightly closer to him. It felt good feeling his solid strength beside her—to feel the weight of his muscular arm across her shoulders. “Have you ever been fishing before?” he asked as they walked to the edge of the dock.
“A few times—but not day trips on a boat like Mason and Taylor are planning.”
“Fishing off of Florida should be amazing,” he said with a grin. “All that open water, sunshine, and a cooler full of beers.”
Bailey laughed, glancing out at the water glin
ting in the bright sun.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing down at her.
She looked up at him, wishing she could see his eyes beneath his sunglasses. She noticed his nose had a slight bump in it, like maybe it’d been broken before. It just added to his rugged appeal though. With his chiseled jaw and the slight scruff of his dark whiskers, he wasn’t completely clean cut. He probably had a million stories to tell, too. She was sure his SEAL team had seen and done everything.
“Taylor and I predicted that’s what you guys would want—a few cold beers.”
“Doesn’t take much to keep me happy,” he said with a chuckle. “But you’re a bartender. Maybe I’ll let you concoct something else for me.”
A wave crashed against the dock, sending a slight spray of water up in the air. The cool droplets felt good against her heated skin. With the sun beating down and the slight buzz from her mimosas earlier, she was carefree and content.
That and the fact that she had a gorgeous man beside her. He had a clean, soapy scent with just a hint of spice. All that tanned, toned skin didn’t hurt either.
“Maybe I will,” she said. “House specialty.”
“And what’s that?”
“A surprise. Guess you’ll have to wait and find out down in Florida.”
“So how long did Owen stay last night? I hadn’t seen him in years, just heard he’d be in town. Man, if it didn’t make me feel old seeing a high school buddy of mine.”
“You can’t be that old,” she scoffed.
“Thirty-three,” he said with a wry smile. “Sure as hell feels old when I remember Owen from back when we were teenagers. We did all the varsity sports together—dated all the cheerleaders, too. Feels like a million years ago now.”
“So you graduated fifteen years ago? You’re right—thirty-three is old,” she mused.
One minute she was standing on the dock beside him, and the next, Noah had ducked down and scooped her up into his arms. She shrieked in surprise, clinging to him, and then he took a step closer to the edge, acting like he was going to toss her in.
Stranded with a SEAL Page 3