Hot SEAL, Red Wine (SEALs in Paradise)

by Becca Jameson

  Ellie lowered herself onto her back and then shielded her eyes with one hand to block the sun enough to see him. “How about snorkeling?”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see what they have.” He considered walking off without saying anything else, but he couldn’t resist tempting her, so instead, he leaned over her, set his hand on the arm of the chair on his opposite side, and kissed her lips gently. “Be back soon.”

  Later that afternoon, they were in the casino, and Ellie couldn’t stop giggling. She had a pair of dice between her palms and she was about to toss them down the craps table yet again.

  Several people were watching her play because Lady Luck seemed to be on her side today. She was only vaguely aware of the growing crowd, however, because every time she lifted her gaze, it landed on Noah. He was smiling at her. Indulgently. One arm crossed over his chest, the opposite elbow resting in his hand while he stroked his chin with his fingers.

  She didn’t think he had ever once looked down at the table to see what numbers she threw. It was possible he hadn’t even realized she was on a winning streak. His gaze burned into her.

  And it felt so damn good.

  She remembered that heated gaze, so many snapshots in her mind. He’d always loved it when she laughed, when she was truly happy. It had been a long time since she’d felt that emotion so strongly. Honestly, she didn’t think she’d been this carefree in over a decade. Not since the two of them had climbed into the back seat of his car about a month before she broke up with him and fogged up the windows with their lovemaking. She’d drawn silly faces on the glass with her toes as they basked in the afterglow.

  She flushed at the memory as she glanced down and tossed the dice. She had no idea what numbers she threw because she lifted her gaze back to Noah immediately. But the crowd was clapping, so it must have been good.

  She could still feel the intensity of his gaze boring into her as the dice found their way back into her hands. She was shaking as she threw them one more time, not from the stress of gambling but from the heated stare from Noah. A collaborative sigh from the crowd informed her she’d finally crapped out.

  Suddenly, Noah lurched toward her, grabbed her around the waist, and flattened his front against her back. She giggled as she collected her chips. He rocked her back and forth as they backed away from the table. His lips were on her neck, nibbling a path to her ear.

  After flicking his tongue over the sensitive lobe, he whispered, “God, I love to hear you laugh. The world disappears when that soft sound fills the room.”

  Heat raced up her chest, and she knew her cheeks were bright red. She hugged his arms around her waist and sighed as her eyes slid closed. She wanted to remember this moment for years to come. Maybe it would be a pleasant memory when times were tough.

  Or maybe it would destroy her.

  Chapter 6

  Ellie was slowly losing her mind. She stood in the tiny bathroom that evening, staring at her reflection in the mirror and wondering how she was going to survive six more days of Noah Seager.

  He looked fantastic. He smelled fantastic. He stroked her skin every time he walked near her. He kissed her neck or ear or mouth or cheek or forehead or hand or arm as often as he could.

  Yeah, she was going to lose it, and she suspected it was all part of some giant plan he had to break her.

  “We better hurry if you want to make the 8:15 dinner, Ellie.” His voice was just loud enough to reach her through the door.

  She glanced at her watch. She had less than half an hour. She didn’t need it, though. She was ready except for getting dressed. Makeup and hair were done.

  She stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in her towel. “I only need about five minutes. Can you step out of the room so I can get dressed?”

  He grinned at her. This was when she noticed he had dressed while she was in the bathroom. He wore gray dress pants and a light blue dress shirt with a black tie and black loafers. He looked better than she’d ever seen him, and she nearly swallowed her tongue.

  The breath left her lungs while she took him in. Her hand shook where she held the towel closed. Her breasts grew heavier. And her pussy wept. Wept.

  If her body didn’t stop betraying her, she would end up naked under him before the end of day one. And that was not an option.

  “Ellie, I’m not going to stand in the hall while you dress. But I’ll go on the balcony and face the water as a compromise. However, if you think I don’t remember every inch of your body, you’re sadly mistaken. Plus, I saw all but about two inches earlier this afternoon, along with every other person on this ship.” He winked at her and then stepped outside.

  The cooler breeze hit her and calmed her racing heart. Marginally. She stared at Noah’s back for a few seconds, wondering if he would truly honor her wishes or spin around as soon as she dropped the towel.

  One thing was for sure, she had no options, so she needed to hurry and put her dress on before she tempted fate.

  She grabbed a pale blue dress out of the closet, ridiculously thinking it would match his shirt nicely. Why she thought this was necessary was beyond her. But she did it anyway.

  After a quick glance to find Noah leaning his elbows on the balcony railing, she set the towel on the bed and quickly slid the silky dress over her head. Holding the bodice up, she considered at least putting on a thong and then decided against it. This dress hadn’t been made for undergarments. It had no back and clung to her hips in a way that would tell everyone what she was wearing underneath.

  Unfortunately for her, she hadn’t planned this trip with Noah in mind. She’d planned a girls’ vacation with Karla. One in which she’d intended to let her hair down, dress in fantastic clothes, and at least get men to notice her even if she hadn’t intended to give them the time of day.

  She was still a woman. Stubborn perhaps, but she enjoyed when a man gave her a double take just as much as the next gal. Too bad she was now stuck on this ship with sexy clothes and a man she’d love to ravage.

  She reached behind her neck to tie the two ends of the fabric that would hold the dress up and quickly realized the task was going to be difficult to accomplish on her own. The dress would fall unnaturally if she tried to fasten it with her arms in the air.

  Damn Karla.

  She padded toward the sliding door. “Would you tie the back for me, please?” She was holding the straps with one hand at the base of her neck, her other hand reaching for the doorframe, so she wouldn’t trip over the lip that led to the outside.

  Noah turned around. He pushed off the railing and took one step toward her and then stopped. His gaze widened and then swept rapidly up and down her body. He was breathing heavily.

  Great.

  Bad dress choice. Not that she had better ones.

  “Jesus, Ellie. You look beautiful.”

  She blushed. It wasn’t avoidable. Even though she really didn’t want him to see her that way, it felt good. Really good. He was eyeing her with an intensity she hadn’t seen even in high school. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  She turned around slowly and shook the silky fabric at her neck to get him to take it from her.

  His hands landed on her shoulders, his warmth seeping into her skin and bringing goose bumps to the surface. When he slid them up to her neck and took the two ends, she released her grip and lowered her arms to her sides.

  Noah slowly tied the silk, giving it just enough of a tug to make the dress land right. When he was finished, he reached up and removed the clip she’d carefully placed in her hair.

  “Hey,” she blurted. “It took me forever to get that right.”

  He wrapped his palms around her biceps, leaned in close, and kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. “I like it down better,” he whispered.

  She couldn’t breathe. If circumstances were different. If life hadn’t derailed her train car fourteen years ago. If she were a weaker woman… she would say fuck dinner, turn around, and jump into his arms.

  The truth was
, Ellie would give just about anything to have him inside her. The intensity in his gaze melted her resolve. The way he breathed on her neck and stroked her skin made her knees weak. Who cared if his every move was a calculated effort to get her into his bed?

  Yeah, she would give just about anything. But there was one thing she would not give, and that piece of information was critical and would ruin everything.

  She swallowed her emotion, fortified herself against his touch, and stepped out of his embrace. “I just need my shoes, and I’ll be ready,” she murmured in a husky voice she didn’t recognize as her own.

  She scrambled across the room, found her wedges in the closet, and slipped them on without looking back. When she stood, shaking out her messy hair, she found him holding both sides of the glass doorframe, his broad body leaning into the room. His gaze was heated like it took every effort to contain himself.

  “Ready?” she asked, hoping to spur him into action.

  He nodded slowly, stepped inside, and shut the sliding door. Swiping their keycards off the desk, he stuffed both of them in his pocket and opened the door to the hallway.

  The air was thick with sexual tension. She knew he felt it too.

  She was so screwed.

  Noah sat across from Ellie at a private table in the elegant dining room, silently thanking Karla for requesting they not be seated for the week with ten other people.

  He wanted Ellie all to himself.

  She was fidgeting, which she’d done from the moment they took their seats.

  Good. He loved that he was under her skin. He also loved that her nipples were so obviously hard under the thin material of her silky dress. He sat as casually as possible, spinning his glass of wine around by the stem, not taking his gaze off her. Who would?

  Her dress fit her perfectly as if it were made specifically for her. He’d nearly choked when he’d first seen her as he turned around on the balcony. He’d known instantly she was bare under the soft silk. The material in the front covered nothing but her tits, her back was bare, and the skirt flared at her hips to land mid-thigh. He’d considered running his hands up her legs until her knees buckled.

  She was divine. Elegant. Sophisticated. But also playful. Way out of his league.

  She lifted her gin and tonic and took another sip. It was half-finished, and they hadn’t even had their first course yet.

  “We match,” he pointed out.

  She tipped her head to one side for a second and then glanced down at her dress and then across at his shirt. “Yeah. We do.”

  They didn’t match at all. Except for their colors. Those did appear coordinated. But she looked like a movie star. He looked like a guy in a suit. “Photographers are going to snag us in the hallway.”

  “Probably.” She took another sip.

  He lifted his glass and drank from it. The flavors burst in his mouth, making him smile. “This is a very good Merlot, if you want to try it.”

  She wrinkled up her nose. “No, thanks. I never developed a taste for wine. Not even sweet wine.”

  He leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table. “Maybe you haven’t had a good one before.”

  She pointed at his glass. “I know that’s dry. Gross.”

  He chuckled. “Okay. More for me.”

  “I’ll stick with the gin and tonic,” she said, lifting her glass toward him. “Especially if it’s Bombay Sapphire. It goes down a little too smoothly. Don’t let me drink more than two of these, or you’ll be carrying me back to the room.”

  “Hmmm. And you think that warning is going to help your case?”

  She tipped her eyes to the ceiling but met his gaze with a grin. “Fair point.”

  Their appetizers arrived, the waiter making a flourishing motion as he set them down. Renaldo. He was from Spain. He would be with them all week.

  Noah lifted his gaze. “Thank you. That looks delicious.”

  Ellie picked up her spoon and dipped it in her vichyssoise. She moaned around the first taste. If she did that often, he would gladly order her three more gin and tonics and be happy carrying her back to the room.

  Not that he’d take advantage of her when she wasn’t sober, but he would enjoy the opportunity to hold her sweet body close as he carried her to their cabin.

  Noah picked up a shrimp, dipped it in the cocktail sauce, and savored the flavor. “We are totally not going to miss any more dinners.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Tell me about your job,” he inquired as they finished their first course.

  She didn’t answer him right away. Instead, she wiped her lips and stared at some spot across the room. Finally, she met his gaze. “Okay, here’s the prepared speech I intended to give you.”

  He furrowed his brow. “Okay…”

  “It’s demanding and exhausting and challenging and exciting all at the same time. I work long hours. I make a lot of money. I have saved most of it over the years. It’s cutthroat. Anyone who does it for too many years will die early and alone.”

  He lifted his brows now. “Shit. I can’t tell if you love it or hate it.”

  “Both.”

  “Wait, you said that was a prepared speech. What’s the version you didn’t share?”

  She lifted her glass to her lips, the ice tinkling as she finished the drink.

  Noah took it from her hand, lifted it toward a passing waiter, and set it on the table. Someone would bring her another one. He reached for that same hand and held it in his larger one on the table. “Talk to me.”

  She licked her lips. “You have a way of making me say things I didn’t intend to divulge.”

  He smiled broadly. Thank fuck. If I’m lucky enough, she’ll lead me to the gold mine eventually.

  “I quit on Friday.”

  He jerked in his seat. Shock didn’t begin to describe his reaction. “What? Seriously? Why?”

  She shrugged. “Same reasons you listed for getting out of the navy. It was enough. I’m worn out. It’s strenuous work.” She repeated his reasons for leaving the SEALs verbatim.

  “Are you okay with it?” he asked. She had devoted a decade to Wall Street.

  “Yes. Totally. A little nervous. Uncertain. I have no idea what I’m going to do next, but yes.” She sat up straighter, adding one nod of her head for emphasis.

  “You didn’t line up a new job?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I’m going to wing it when I get back. Find myself. Start over.”

  “Don’t you have an apartment in New York City?” How was she going to pay the rent? He didn’t care. He was just curious. Hell, if he had his way, she would leave that apartment and run off with him to a quiet mountain cabin where they could make up for lost time, fucking so often that they couldn’t get out of bed.

  If there were a God.

  “I do. Did you miss the part where I said I made a lot of money? I’m good. I can take my time finding something else.”

  Find me.

  He lifted his wine, finished the glass, and set it down.

  Less than a moment later, their bartender arrived, set a new glass in front of Ellie, and refilled Noah’s. He swiped Ellie’s finished drink from the table and left so fast his presence had been a blur.

  “I don’t know what to say,” he responded. “That’s… not what I expected.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She extricated her hand from under his and leaned back. “I haven’t even said it out loud until now. My parents don’t even know. No one does.”

  “Why? Do you think people will be disappointed?”

  She ran her finger around the rim of her glass, thinking. “Not really. No. Just shocked. I was too tired to get into it with anyone. I just wanted to get to the port and start my vacation. I was looking forward to a girls’ week with Karla. I haven’t seen her in five years. I thought we’d laugh and catch up and relax and eat and play and sun and swim and so many other things.” Her voice trailed off. She lifted her gaze. “I’m gonna kill her.”

  He smiled. “I
’ll kill Layton while you do Karla, and we’ll bury the bodies in their own yard.”

  “It’s a plan.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about your vacation with Karla. I’m sure you’re disappointed.”

  She shrugged. Took another drink. Her eyes were serious and warm when she looked at him again. “I know this might sound confusing, and I’m probably a bitch for saying it out loud, but…”

  “Go on,” he encouraged. If she stopped there, he would not be able to breathe properly again.

  She took a deep breath, lifted her hand, reached across the table, and cupped his fresh-shaved cheek. “I know we got off to a shocked and rocky start, but the truth is I wouldn’t trade this accidental trip with you for anything in the world. I’m a selfish bitch. I’m super clear on that. But I want this anyway.

  “I want to spend every second with you. I want to soak in your excitement for life. I want to eat and sunbathe and snorkel and shop and drink and go to shows and sleep in your arms. I want all of that for seven days. It’s all I’ll ever get. I know it. I realize I can’t have more. But I’m so damn happy I could cry.”

  He sucked in a breath, stunned silent. When he reached up with his hand to cover hers over his cheek, he slid his face to kiss her palm. Her words meant the world to him. They told him everything he needed to know. She loved him. She’d never stopped loving him. She’d even loved him while she was breaking his heart fourteen years ago.

  What if she never told him why she’d left him that day? Could he live with it for the rest of his life? Could he somehow decide that his feelings for her were so much more important than whatever made her dump him that he could let it go, forgive her, and move on?

  Twenty-four hours ago he would have said fuck no. But his shield was crumbling.

  Not that it mattered. He wasn’t the only player in this game. She would also have to agree to such an arrangement. He doubted she could. That was why she said everything she’d just said. She was going to leave him at the end of the week with no discussion.