Hot SEALs: A Daye with A SEAL (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Dangerous Curves Series Book 3)

by Donna Michaels

  This time, Hawk remained silent and didn’t turn to her at all.

  Now her heart full-out rocked in her chest. She stepped closer and touched his arm. “Tell me. Do you think that creep wanted to use me as bait to flush out Cam?”

  He muttered a curse and twisted completely around to face her. “Yes. So, now you see why it’s safer that you’re here.”

  “Yes.” She also saw he’d risked his ass for her. “Thanks, Hawk.”

  His head tipped back while creases wrinkled his forehead. “For what?”

  “Rescuing me.” She stepped forward, slipped her arms around his body, and hugged him tight. Tough shit if he didn’t want to be touched. He deserved a genuine hug, dammit.

  After stiffening a second or two, he slid his arms around her back and relaxed.

  It felt good. Damn good standing there in his arms. He was a pillar of strength and muscle, and warm…deliciously warm. She snuggled closer without thought.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Gina,” he said against her temple. “I promise. You’re safe with me.”

  Although she knew what he meant, and she did feel very safe with him, his words caused a sharp piercing in her chest. He was a decorated SEAL. And whether he admitted it or not, they were friends. He cared about her, therefore, he’d put his life on the line for her.

  Exactly what he must’ve done last night.

  Exactly what she didn’t want.

  Not from him.

  “I know, but I’m more concerned for Cam.” She drew back out of his reach and busied herself pouring them juice he’d left on the counter. “I hope he’s safe.”

  He fixed them each a plate of eggs, and added the toast before he carried them to the table. “It’s Cam. I’m sure he’s safe.”

  He sounded so sure she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.

  “What about my car?” Her heart sunk as she thought about her cute little mini abandoned in that rough neighborhood. Probably nothing left.

  “It’s safe.” He chuckled. “Can’t say the same for Turbo’s reputation, though.”

  Relief made her smile, but Hawk’s amusement warmed her heart. It was so rare.

  “You should’ve seen him try to get out when he parked it in Jon’s garage.” He laughed outright. “Took him a good two minutes, and lots of cursing.”

  She smiled. “Not exactly made for big, tall men.”

  “True.”

  She carried the juice to the table and sat down, her stomach growling in anticipation.

  “Do you want me to warm up the bacon?” he asked.

  “No. It’s good. Let’s eat.” She motioned for him to sit and they spent the next half hour eating, talking about her coffee shop, and cleaning up while being civil.

  It was a miracle.

  Heaven help her, she liked this side of Hawk. A lot.

  “I think we just broke a record,” she told him as she dried the dishes he washed.

  He turned to her, a half grin tugging his lips. “Oh? For what?”

  “Most minutes together without tearing each other to shreds.”

  His smile turned wry. “Will wonders never cease?”

  She laughed. “Who knows? I’m just glad you’re not telling me to get the fuck out.”

  Shit. Why’d she say that?

  Now his smile was gone, and a frowning scowl pinched his face.

  “I’m sorry about that, Gina,” he said, wiping his hands before grasping her shoulders. “I was a complete ass to you in the hospital, and you were nothing but kind. You didn’t deserve my bad attitude. You deserved my gratitude. And I am grateful. Thank you for being there for me.”

  By the time he finished, Gina could barely breathe. She heard the words and the sincerity with which they were delivered. Watched them fall from his mouth. Still, they were a shock to her system. In a damn good way.

  She swallowed past her hot throat and lifted her hand to touch his face, finally getting to say the words she’d wanted to say back then. “You’re my friend, Hawk. Like it or not, I care about you. I’ve got your six. I’ll always have your six.”

  His intake of breath hissed between them as he lifted a hand to cup her face and brush away a tear with his thumb. “I don’t deserve it.”

  “That’s the problem,” she said as her tears increased. “For some reason, you see yourself as this monster, but your friends don’t see you that way at all.”

  “You should. Hell, Gina, I let you walk out of that damn bar last night and get kidnapped.”

  She shook her head. “You also rescued me and brought me here. Why would you do that if you weren’t a good guy?”

  “I was told to.”

  “So you would’ve been fine letting Corcoran’s men have me?”

  His breath hissed between them again.

  “I didn’t think so.” She smiled and kissed his palm.

  His whole body stilled, so she did it again.

  With a curse on his lips, he released her shoulder, cupped her face with both hands, and brought his mouth down on hers. A zing skittered throughout her body and bounced back up.

  Damn, that was new.

  He nipped and drank in a slow, unspoken question of acquiescence, making her crazy. She answered by stepping into him, closing the gap between them. He tipped her head, changing the angle of the kiss, and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She moaned, meeting his tongue stroke for stroke, her whole body coming to life.

  Her pulse was pounding and legs were weak. She’d never responded to any man like this before. Frankly, she had no idea she had it in her.

  When they broke apart for air, she set her forehead on his cheek and slumped against him.

  “Damn, Gina. I’ve wanted to do that for years,” he rasped.

  He did?

  That knowledge sent a shaft of self-assurance straight to her spine. She drew back and brushed her thumb across his lower lip. “Me, too.”

  He let out a growl, or a hiss, some sort of sound she felt to her core. Then they were kissing again. Wild and hot. So damn hot. He had a hand stroking her ribs, just under her bra, and the other holding the back of her head as he proceeded to zap her brain cells.

  Things got a little crazy. She thrust her fingers through his hair to get a better grip and accidentally knocked off his glasses.

  He stiffened and ripped his mouth away. She blinked at him a second, her body trying to equate the sudden loss of his heat while her mind tried to play catch-up.

  Swearing under his breath, he bent down and swiped his glasses off the floor then straightened and shoved them on. “I’m going to go check the perimeter.”

  Five seconds later, the front door slammed behind him.

  Gina continued to blink at the now deserted kitchen. The sound of her heavy breathing echoed through the empty house.

  What just happened?

  One minute she was in ecstasy overload, the next…empty. Just empty.

  So she saw his eyes. Big deal.

  Foolish man forgot she’d seen his face before the surgeries. When it was torn to shreds and disproportioned. The smattering of scars under his eyes and around the sides now were nothing.

  Hell. He should see the burn scars on her back from the fire that had taken her parents.

  Now those were ugly.

  Still, it was probably a good thing they’d stopped. Damn, that man could kiss. Her insides still quivered. And that was dangerous, because he could change his scarred face a hell of a lot quicker than he could change who he was on the inside.

  A good man who’d risk his life for another.

  Risk his life for her.

  Exactly what she didn’t want. So kissing him had been foolish.

  Damn foolish.

  And yet, as she lifted a hand to touch her tingling lips, still swollen from his ravishing, heaven help her, given the chance, Gina knew she’d do it again.

  Chapter Four

  For over nine years, Gabriel had kept his distance from that woman, and in les
s than sixty minutes in her conscious presence of their forced seclusion, and he was all over her like a damn dog in heat. He rounded the corner of the safehouse for the fourth time in a half hour, still nowhere near settled enough to enter.

  Why the hell had he kissed her?

  What the hell had he been thinking?

  That’s just it. He hadn’t been, at least not with the head on his shoulders. The woman sucked all reasoning from his brain when she was near. And, hell…when she touched him?

  Fucking forget it. He was putty in her hands.

  One brush of her lips on his skin, and he was hard and ready. Like last night, after he’d snuck into Corcoran’s base and rescued her, she’s shocked the shit out of him and his system by melting into him and kissing his neck and jaw. By the time he’d gotten to the safehouse, his body had recovered, only to launch back into erotic hell when he’d carried her upstairs to bed. It’d taken every ounce of decency in him to untangle himself from her warm, clinging body. He’d been so hard he’d required an extra cold, extra-long session in the shower to take him down.

  And today, one brush of those luscious lips to his palm and he was on her in an instant. Crushing her close, sampling her essence. Christ, he was never going to get the exquisite taste of her out of his head.

  She was his buddy’s sister. Cam trusted him to keep Gina safe. He had no right touching her. Kissing her. Needing to be inside her.

  He was a stupid ass. And horrible friend.

  He’d let Birddog down. And now Cam.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket. Retrieving it to glance at the caller ID, he cursed.

  Cam.

  He inhaled, blew out the breath, then answered.

  “Hey, buddy. My sister driving you nuts yet?”

  “Yes.” Gabriel snickered at the truth in his answer.

  “I thought as much.” Cam chuckled. “You two always rub each other the wrong way.”

  A half hour ago, they were rubbing each other very right. He chose to keep that to himself and change the subject. “Any word on the prince or Marhub?”

  “I’m meeting the prince tomorrow. He still hasn’t told me why he’s in the States, only that it was important for the future of his country. As for Marhub, there’s no chatter, and Turbo is still waiting for a call from Corcoran. Has he contacted you yet?”

  Yesterday, when they’d rescued Gina, Jon had disabled the security cameras while Gabriel had taken out the two guards from behind, one outside, and one inside Gina’s room. No reason for Corcoran to have suspected his presence.

  “No. What do you want me to do about Gina if he does call and want my help? I won’t leave her here alone.”

  “You won’t have to. Someone from GAPS will watch her if you get a call.”

  He nodded, feeling better in the knowledge she’d be protected. “Okay.”

  “In the meantime, hang tight. Maybe the prince will only be in the country over night and we can all go back to our lives by mid-week.”

  “I won’t hold my breath.” Instinct screamed this was too important for a one-nighter.

  “Yeah, me either, but it sounded good.” Cam chuckled. “Have fun playing house with my sister. Try not to kill each other. I’ll be in touch.”

  Images of a naked, panting Gina flashed through Gabriel’s mind, and before they dissipated, her brother hung up.

  Shit. He hadn’t needed that damn prompt. Now he was hard again.

  With a heartfelt growl, he set off for another sprinted patrol of the perimeter to cool his libido before he finally unlocked the front door and strode inside. He needed a shower and his head examined.

  And not in that order.

  Gina was curled up on the couch sleeping with the TV on. Despite his recent vow to keep the beauty at arm’s length, he couldn’t stop his feet from carrying him to her side. Her thick lashes cast shadows on her high cheekbones while her full lips parted to emit a soft snore.

  His heart cracked open a little, and he stood there soaking up her beauty. She looked so innocent and carefree, without the worry of her brother creasing her brow. He grabbed her coat from the chair where he’d set it earlier, and draped it over her sleeping form.

  She mumbled something about dreaming and he could’ve sworn she sighed his name. His nickname. He’d never heard her call him Gabriel. She’d always only ever referred to him as Hawk.

  But he was good with that, and his pulse always kicked up when she said it. Like now. He brushed her hair off her temple. So soft and silky. The feel transported his mind back to the kitchen when his hands were full of the silken strands while she’d opened up for him and he’d plundered her sweet mouth.

  Heat flooded his body, funneling to his crotch.

  Shit.

  He clenched his jaw and straightened. Now he really needed that shower. Apparently, he was going to be taking matters into his own hands every damn day he was locked up with the potent woman.

  “Hey.” Soft fingers curled around his wrist while she sat up…even with his crotch. “You okay?”

  No.

  He was fucking far from okay.

  He was going to hell for the images flashing through his mind as her breath warmed his erection. She was Cam’s sister. He shouldn’t be thinking the thoughts in his head. The ones from his dreams where her sweet lips worked him over and took him down while she stared up at him through a wicked, heated, brown gaze.

  “Hawk?”

  Fuck. She shifted closer, her eyes darkening with the need blazing through him.

  “I’m going to hell,” he muttered as he pivoted around, breaking her hold. Distance. That’s what he needed. He took the stairs two at a time to get away from the temptation.

  She was Cam’s sister, he repeated in his head again. It was time to get back to treating her that way.

  But he wished to God he could’ve assuaged the need in the beauty’s eyes.

  ***

  Dazed and unsatisfied. Twice in two hours. Wow. Gina hoped this wasn’t how every damn day was going to play out while she was holed up with Hawk.

  Whatever her brother was doing, wherever he was, he better get home fast and safe. Then she was going to kick his ass for putting her through two types of hell.

  Worry over his wellbeing, and her isolation with Hawk.

  She wasn’t going to last. Wasn’t going to be able to continue to watch the gorgeous SEAL reject her and walk away when she’d tasted the same hunger burning from the inside out in his kiss.

  He felt it, too. She knew it, dammit.

  At least he had the good sense to fight it, her mind reminded.

  True.

  Cripes. She rubbed at the throb returning to her temples. All this back and forth in her head was giving her a migraine.

  Sleep no longer beckoned, so she turned to stare at the TV, noting one of her favorite fantasy movies filled the screen. She’d gone to see it twice in the theater with Paige.

  Shoot. Paige.

  Gina was supposed to call her last night. Her friend was probably worried sick. She rose to her feet and began searching the house for her purse. A really quick text couldn’t hurt. She doubted Corcoran would even know her number to track her calls.

  When her search yielded squat downstairs, Gina headed upstairs, but a quick peek from the doorway found nothing in the first bedroom, except Hawk’s two duffle bags. She walked passed the closed bathroom door. The sound of a shower brought visions of wet, naked muscles and—

  She shook her head to dispel the image before it took root. The last thing she needed was a naked Hawk on her brain. She scampered into the bedroom where she’d woken that morning and glanced around. No sign of her purple cross-body purse. Damn. She hoped Corcoran didn’t have it. Last thing she needed was to cancel all her cards and report her driver’s license stolen. Her gaze drifted to the closet. A smile tugged her lips. She hadn’t noticed it before, but there, on a hanger in the corner of the closet, was her purse.

  Thank you, Hawk.

  She rushed to
remove the designer knockoff from the hanger before she settled onto the bed, unzipped it, and peered inside. Her cell sat at the bottom, under her anime wallet, makeup pouch, and a pack of gum.

  She dug it out and hit the button. Her phone was dark. She frowned and held the spot at the top to turn it on.

  Nothing.

  Was it broken? Or had the battery been removed?

  The more she thought about it, the more the latter made sense. She’d seen it in a movie where the battery was removed to keep from being tracked by a cell tower or something.

  Shoot.

  Hawk removed her battery. It had to be him. And now she couldn’t text Paige.

  But maybe his phone was still on. Or at least still had a battery.

  She shoved her things back in her purse and set it on the chair on her way out the door. With luck, he’d left his phone unattended in his room while he showered. The sound of water still streamed behind the door, so she rushed into his room and searched for his phone. It wasn’t in plain sight. She tried the drawer in his nightstand and found a tablet, pen, and box of extra-large condoms.

  Her heart rocked and belly quivered. Had he brought them, or was it something GAPS provided? Either way, Gina could barely breathe, until reality set in. It didn’t matter. This was Hawk. The by the book SEAL had no intention of using them. She shut the drawer and sighed. Too bad.

  No, it was good, her mind countered. Damn. That stupid flip-flopping brain of hers struck again.

  She blew out a breath and headed to the dresser to check the drawers. Empty. Her gaze fell to his two duffle bags on the floor. She rummaged through the smaller one, but it only held his clothes. Glancing at the closed bathroom door, she lifted out a neatly folded T-shirt and brought it to her face. She inhaled and closed her eyes at Hawk’s unmistakable sexy, woodsy, manly scent.

  Her body tingled and nipples peaked. Cripes. This reaction she had to him was insane. She opened her eyes and quickly returned the T-shirt to the duffle bag before unzipping the other.

  Holy arsenals.

  Knives and guns of various shapes and sizes filled the bag, along with enough ammunition to hold off an army. Her fingers shook as she zipped it back up and stood. She knew Hawk was a SEAL. Knew he was proficient with weapons, but to actually see them hit her in the gut with a one-two punch.