by Selena Blake
Toying With Her SEAL
Selena Blake
Contents
About Toying with Her SEAL
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
More Books by Selena Blake
About Selena Blake
About Toying with Her SEAL
It was supposed to be a no-strings, harmless, shortlived, get-the-SEAL-out-of-her-system fling.
The men in Jillian's life don't stick around and she's come to grips with that. Yet, when one week turns to two and Teo shows no signs of moving on, she can't help but get her hopes up.
Teo just got out of long, committed relationship with the military. He has no intention of settling down, no matter how delicious Jillian tastes.
Except... maybe it's his retirement or perhaps the holiday cheer, but he can't get the curvy, brunette coffee shop owner out of his head. And he did promise her a fling...
Lucky for her, a SEAL never does anything half-assed, especially when it comes to making a woman scream with pleasure.
1
“You've been coming in here three times a week for months.”
Teo recognized Jillian Moore's voice and glanced up from his computer screen. The gorgeous coffee shop owner had a wide smile that kicked him in the gut and an ass that wouldn't quit.
Right now she stared at him with electric green eyes that he was reasonably sure were aided by contacts...not that he'd ever ask. A delicate brow was raised in silent question.
“You keep track of all your customers?” he asked, secretly pleased that she'd been paying so much attention to him and his habits. Weeks ago she'd stopped asking what he wanted.
He'd step through the door, the bell would ring, she'd glance up from behind the counter and greet him with a sincere hello and a warm smile. That smile was his favorite part of the day. Then, even if there were other customers to be waited on, she'd fit in his cup of coffee and pop a muffin in the toaster oven.
Between taking care of her other customers, she'd stop by his table, drop off his coffee, ask how he was and then move along. Always smiling, sometimes humming, and looking cute as hell in her vintage pinup dresses.
“Only the cute ones.”
Her bald honesty caught him by surprise. It seemed that so many people were cagey or evasive these days. A straight shooter was refreshing and the fact that she looked like a Hollywood starlet from the fifties certainly didn't hurt.
“Thanks.”
“You must really like my muffins.”
His eyes widened. Did she really expect him to admit that?
The smirk curving her lips said she knew precisely what he was thinking.
“What can I say? I love a good blueberry muffin.”
Her lips twitched. Damn he loved that ruby red lipstick. Would she taste as good as she looked? Suddenly it was damn important to find out. He was tempted to tug her onto his lap and do just that. But the bell over the door rang, pulling her attention away.
“Glad to hear it,” she said before greeting the newcomer, a regular named Lester. Then she was back at it, making her rounds, offering everyone a smile and making their day a little brighter.
“What are you going to ask Santa for this year, young lady?” Lester, who had to be pushing eighty, asked Jill as he waited for his coffee.
Teo leaned closer, eager for her answer.
Jill laughed. Damn, Teo loved that sound. So light and effervescent, it went straight through him every time, warming him from the inside out.
“Same thing I wish for every year, Lester. A white Christmas.”
Her answer seemed to surprise the old man.
“Really? You want snow?”
“I want snow,” Jill said simply.
“Not jewelry or clothes?”
“Nope. Just snow.”
Teo, and it seemed Lester too, was charmed by her answer. As Lester made his way to the door, Jill caught Teo’s eye. She sent him a warm smile and then turned her attention back to her work.
Lust sizzled through him. Well, if that didn't beat all. The sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, just the way he liked it. His attraction to the sassy brunette had been instant, but his sister had warned him away from the lovely coffee shop owner.
He hadn’t asked her out, but that hadn’t stopped him from claiming a table several times a week and getting to know her. Reya’d been right on two accounts. Jill was dedicated to her young business, something he’d come to admire and three months ago he hadn’t been in the right headspace to act on his attraction.
Now that he felt like he had his shit together, he wasn't about to blow his chance to accept the invitation in her eyes.
Leaving the SEALs had been tough, just as he'd expected. But readjusting to civilian life had been different, harder, and noisier. Hanging out with his sister and Dylan was an absolute delight. The normalcy of Sunday afternoon cookouts with family and friends was a dream, but the nightmares always came at night.
He hated feeling like he wasn't doing his duty; but honestly, his sanity had been close to snapping. He'd been running at full tilt for well over a decade and a half. Dylan had told him to learn to enjoy the quiet time; they'd earned it. His friend was right, of course. But going from a hard, demanding training schedule and life or death situations to a coffee shop in the burbs was well...weird.
Jill's smile wasn't the least bit weird; it was charming and welcome, open and sunny. He craved that mouth, that smile, her sweet voice greeting him.
Sure, he had a coffee maker at home and he could buy four hundred muffins for ten bucks at a wholesale store, but what she offered was more than good food. He liked the routine of coming here. He enjoyed being a regular and getting to know other regulars. There was something soothing about having a table that felt like his own, a place that he was always welcome, somewhere he didn't worry about getting shot.
“Can I get you anything else?” Jill asked.
Teo'd learned long ago to trust his gut and right now, as he stared into Jill's crystal green eyes, his gut was telling him to make his move or he'd regret it forever.
“I don't want to sound clichéd,” he answered.
Those twin dark brows lifted.
He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the small round table. Her gaze shifted, tracing his muscles.
That's right sweetheart, have a good long look.
He'd worked damn hard to be strong mentally and physically. He wasn't above showing off to get what he wanted and right now, he wanted her, straddling his lap, feeding him muffins.
Maybe that was a bad idea and a little voice asked if it was too soon. He wasn't ready to start dating.
Another voice asked, “Who's talking about dating?” He was reasonably sure that the voice belonged to his cock. Naughty bastard.
“Would you like to have dinner one night, Teo?” she asked, her eyes full of mirth. Holy shit she was ballsy. He almost swallowed his tongue as he tried to form an answer. There was really only one answer.
He glanced down at the watch on his right wrist. “What time do you get off?”
There went that sexy eyebrow again. He retraced his words.
“Work,” he amended. Her mind seemed to be as dirty as his. But he had a damned good excuse. Being surrounded by so much testosterone since turning eighteen meant there weren’t many curse words he didn’t know and at this point, he had a filthy mind.
“I'm bu
sy tonight. Hosting a party—”
“Invite me,” he said, deciding that where she was concerned, it paid to be as bold as she was.
In the past, he’d played it fast and loose as young guys tended to do. But he’d learned to dial himself back a notch. Women worth keeping around weren't used to his zero to sixty lifestyle.
But this one...she was something else. Like no one he'd ever met before and even though he knew promise in a woman's eyes, he wanted to know more about her.
What made her tick? Why had she decided out of all the jobs in the world to open a coffee shop? Was she ticklish? How did she take her coffee? And why did she always wish for snow for Christmas?
“Girls only, hot stuff.” She actually looked disappointed to tell him that. Her gaze dipped to his forearms again and then traced his fingers. Without missing a beat, she took out the old-fashioned pad and paper that she kept around as more of an accessory than a practical device. He'd never seen her write anything down before; orders went from a customer's lips straight to her memory and then the computer behind the counter.
She slid a slip of paper across the table and placed the container of sugars on top of it. “It's on the house today.”
Then she was back at it, making her rounds, smiling at her customers, refilling coffee while laughing with Tracy and Celeste.
Teo played it cool and watched her for a moment longer before laying his hand on the paper and sliding it toward himself.
Her note, as he'd come to expect, was short and sweet.
Call me. Followed by her phone number.
He hid his smirk behind his coffee cup, which he drained. So she was busy tonight; that gave him time to plan. And if there was one thing a SEAL was good at, it was planning.
2
Jill touched up her lipstick as she waited for her friends to arrive. An uncommon and unwelcome tendril of anxiety curled through her. She'd never hosted a Blush Shoppe party before and she was a little worried what the other women would think. They were her friends and some of them were even employees, but if there was one thing she knew, you could never tell how open minded someone truly was.
Cassie, the Blush Shoppe rep, was unpacking her wares, leaving Jill to fret. She was pretty sure she'd never look at her dining room table the same way again. Two dozen bottles of massage oil, lickable body dust, soaps, and lube were joined by a rainbow of sex toys. Everything from fuzzy handcuffs to anal beads graced the pale pink satin tablecloth.
Jill just hoped she didn't scandalize all the women she knew and loved. She was as ready as she was going to be, though. Freshly showered after a long day, coiffed in a favorite style. Apple cider was warming on the stove, she had an assortment of tasty and festive treats available, and Michael Bublé was crooning I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas through the speakers.
At the knock on her door, she smoothed her hands down the cherry print fabric of her favorite vintage dress. She adored the way the belt shrank her waist and the full skirt made her lower legs look extra dainty. Her black stilettos gave the ensemble a modern vibe, making her feel perfectly dolled up.
What did Teo think of her old-fashioned outfits? Was she too costumey?
Tracy, Celeste and Gizelle stood on the small deck just outside her door and she waved them inside. Sharon and a few friends she'd made at the local business meetings weren't far behind. The only access to her apartment, which sat over the coffee shop, was the rear door and staircase. Baby Campbell and Reya Canales were getting out of a red Mini Cooper below.
Baby, one of her best customers, waved. Jill waved back and called down “Come on up!”
A few more employees and some of her longtime friends finished filling up her tiny living room. It warmed her heart to see such a good turnout. There’d been a time when she’d counted her friends on a single hand.
After she'd hugged everyone (she was a hugger), and poured everyone a glass of wine, she settled on one of the kitchen stools she'd picked up second-hand. Like all of her favorite things, it was vintage and the chipped yellow paint was original.
Every time she glanced at Reya, she thought of Reya's brother Teo. The hunk had been lighting up her dreams the last few months and today she'd finally worked up the courage to ask him out. He was light years out of her league, but she didn't think her coffee was that great which meant he kept coming around for another reason.
Maybe he really did have a thing for blueberry muffins. She laughed to herself.
“What's on your mind?” Tracy asked.
“Oh, you know.” Jill wiggled her eyebrows.
“Ahh... Him. When are you guys going out?”
Tracy popped a handful of homemade trail mix into her mouth.
“I don't know. He asked about tonight but—”
“But you're peddling sex toys tonight,” Tracy supplied.
Jill's cheeks colored. She wasn't sure why; she reviewed sex toys and had for years. She was intimately familiar with the items dotting her dining room table. But after all these years, she still cared what other people thought and it pissed her off. She was too old for that shit. If they abandoned her because she knew how to please herself, too damn bad. They obviously weren't very good friends to start with.
“Whoa. You all right boss?”
Jill's vision cleared and she refocused on the dark skinned beauty at her side. “Absolutely. Anyway, I gave him my number. I hope he calls.”
He'd caught her eye from the first moment he’d stepped through the door of her shop and his deep voice was absolutely hypnotic. It did funny things to her insides. Plus, he had incredible manners, always tipped well, and his hands no doubt knew their way around a woman's body.
She had wet dreams about those hands. So big and capable looking with blunt-tipped fingers, short nails, and gorgeous hazelnut skin.
“He'll call. He can't keep his eyes off you. Bet he can't keep his hands off you either.” Tracy snickered and Jill smiled, feeling collected again.
She made small talk with a few other people before tapping a fork against her wine glass. A dozen pair of eyes turned her way.
“That was totally cheesy,” she admitted, smiling at everyone. “Thanks so much for coming tonight. I'll admit I'm a teensy bit nervous. I've never hosted a peddling party before.”
Everyone laughed and she felt more at ease.
“This is Cassie, a rep from Blush Shoppe. I'll let her take over. Hopefully, you’ll be able to check a few people off on your Christmas list.”
Luckily, Cassie was warm, charming and experienced at this type of party. It didn't take long before everyone was laughing, wine disappeared from glasses and she saw everyone scribbling notes in the brochure.
Jill couldn't help but wonder what Teo would think of the Sinfully Strawberry body butter or if he'd like the Come With Me cock ring. Every single item on the table made her think of him. She'd reviewed several of the products in the past but hadn't experimented with a partner. And let's face it, Teo was the first man to get her motor revving in a long time. She’d had a fling here and there since her ex almost bankrupted her. But as a whole, she stayed away from men she could fall for.
Burn me once…shame on me.
“Well, that was a success,” Cassie said as she packed up her samples.
There was about one glass of wine left, maybe a plate of cookies and in Jill’s book that equaled a good party.
“Oh good. I’m glad you thought so.” She knew what it was like to be a small business owner, to celebrate every sale.
After everyone had left, she slipped off her shoes, loaded dishes into the dishwasher and checked her cell phone for messages. A number she didn't recognize popped up above a text bubble.
I know you're having a party, but I was thinking about you and your fantastic blueberry muffins. - Teo
Her heart beat a little faster with every word. Was he for real? Who texted on the same day? Unless he was as smitten with her as she was with him.
Party just ended. I'm cleaning up.
After sending her reply, she added his name and number to her contact list. She didn't have to wait long before another text popped up.
Have a good time?
She smiled as she pondered her answer. Anytime she was with her friends was bound to be fun, but they'd really surprised her. Baby Campbell had been one of her first customers after her shop had opened and they'd become fast friends. The petite blonde had kept the party lively and Jill had really appreciated her zest for the products.
Oh yeah. Love hanging out with my girlfriends.
Owning her own coffee shop had been her dream for over a decade and now that it was finally a reality, she realized exactly what she'd given up to be her own boss. While many of her friends had been getting married and starting families, she’d been scrimping and saving.
Luckily she had amazing employees whom she could trust and depend on. And friends who’d stuck by her. Now her dream was a reality and better than she’d ever expected. She’d become an integral part of the community.
Teo’s next question made her giggle.
What exactly do you do at a girls only party?
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she settled onto her sofa. The streets of downtown Roseville were quiet and she loved the peaceful view of the ancient crepe myrtle trees draped in twinkling white Christmas lights.
Wouldn't you like to know?
It couldn't have been a full minute before another message popped up.
I would. As it is, my brain is making up all sorts of things.
Jill smirked. Three months ago Reya and Dylan had rented her shop for the evening to throw a welcome home party for Teo. Admittedly, Jill wondered what Teo had done for the Navy. She had a pretty good idea, given what she knew about Dylan. Teo had to be in his mid-thirties based on his air of experience and the wrinkles that framed his eyes when he shot that killer grin at her.