A SEAL's Surrender (Alpha SEALs Book 3)
Page 15
Mike and all of the guys on his SEAL team were trained to be alert and aware in all situations. To neutralize the threat, getting in and out with their asses in one piece. They worked seamlessly as one unit, and he and Christopher hadn’t even needed to utter a single word to one another as they swept the condo.
The fact that Kenley had been on the receiving end of it had been unfortunate, but it’s not liked he’d harmed her. Just held her in place until he could determine who she was—and desired her more strongly than he’d ever wanted a woman before. Must be that forbidden fruit thing—he shouldn’t have her, so he wanted her that much more. Mike shook his head, clearing the heated images that had been burned on his brain.
The men walked out to the parking lot, stashing their gear in the back of Mike’s large SUV. He slammed the trunk shut as they each climbed into the vehicle. “So Patch, what are you up to tonight?” Brent asked Mike, addressing him by his nickname. “I know Christopher’s all pussy-whipped and busy with his woman.”
“Sonofabitch,” Christopher muttered under his breath. Mike smirked. Despite Brent’s ribbing, Christopher was happier than ever, engaged to the love of his life. If he wanted that, then awesome for him. Mike was content living alone, flirting with the pretty girls whenever he felt like it, spending the night with one every so often. He didn’t mind doing the flowers and dinner song and dance some of the time as long as the woman he was with understood he wasn’t after anything long term.
He really did need to talk to Kenley tonight and formally apologize. If one of his SEAL buddies was marrying Kenley’s best friend, their paths would no doubt continue to cross from time-to-time. He didn’t need her feeling uncomfortable around him, and if smoothing the waters between them led to anything more, well, he sure the hell wouldn’t complain. Not when the memories of her lush little body pressed firmly against his filled his brain every night.
“We’ve got that bonfire on the beach tonight,” Christopher said. “Didn’t Patrick and Rebecca invite you?”
“Hell, I guess so,” Brent muttered. “I need some female companionship though, not a night with you motherfuckers.”
“Are you hitting up Anchors instead?” Mike asked as he started the engine.
Anchors, a popular bar in Virginia Beach, was usually packed with single military men and plenty of available women. Their team went there on the weekends, enjoying a few drinks with their buddies before taking a woman home for the night. Their team leader Patrick “Ice” Foster and his girlfriend, Rebecca, had organized a get together on the beach tonight instead. Each single parents, they’d started dating last spring and been inseparable ever since. There’d been a brief stalking incident, when the spouse of one of Rebecca’s clients had been following her, but all’s well that end’s well. That dude was in jail and his teammate, “Ice,” who everyone thought would never date again, seemed smitten with his woman.
The couple had organized the beach bonfire tonight for the guys on the SEAL team and their dates. Mike supposed the women his teammates were dating didn’t enjoy hanging around the loud, crazy pick-up joint. Not that he blamed them. If he did ever settle down, he sure the hell wouldn’t be spending his weekends at Anchors. Not that he was exactly the settling down kind. Playing the field had suited him just damn fine. And with his career of frequent deployments, long days of training, and weeks or months away, that was probably for the best.
“That depends on who’s going to be at this beach party,” Brent said.
“Alison is bringing along some of her nurse friends from the hospital,” Christopher said, smirking. Alison, a pediatric nurse, was Evan “Flip” Jenkins’s girlfriend. She’d been promising to set up some of the single guys with her friends. Mike had taken one of the pretty nurses out on a date, but the way she’d thrown herself at him had been entirely unappealing. Even for a guy like him, used to having his pick of women, he enjoyed a little bit of a challenge. An easy lay wasn’t exactly what he was after.
“Just steer clear of Kenley,” Christopher added, his eyes sweeping toward Mike.
Mike gripped the steering wheel tighter. “How’s that?” He swallowed, trying to ignore the feelings of lust and desire churning inside him at the mere mention of her name. Hell, the way the woman wound him up like that was unnerving.
“She’s still madder than hell at you. Lexi only got her to agree to come by promising to keep you away from her.”
“What’s she still doing in town anyway?”
Kenley lived in Northern Virginia, near Lexi. After Lexi and Christopher had gotten engaged over the summer, Lexi had put in a job application to work on base here at Little Creek. She and Christopher had been together out in Coronado years ago, and if all went according to plan, they’d be working on the same naval base again before the year was up. Lexi could keep a position with the Department of Defense but live down here with Christopher. Since Little Creek’s own head of network security had been arrested as part of the hacking scandal, a position was open. With her connections and computer expertise, she’d probably be a shoo-in.
That didn’t explain why Kenley had stuck around all this time. He’d seen her once since their encounter at the condo, and it hadn’t exactly gone well. She’d been fuming at him, and that petite little woman telling him off had gotten him harder than steel. Something about knowing that she didn’t want anything to do with him made him want her all that much more. He was so used to women throwing themselves at him that he didn’t know what to make of her hostility—that and the fact that he’d held her against him, yet never gotten a taste of those sweet lips. Usually when a woman was that close, it ended very differently.
Imagining scenarios of him pinning her down and kissing her senseless had kept him up night after night ever since their first encounter at the condo. Even going home with a woman from Anchors hadn’t fully slaked his need. She’d provided a temporary distraction from the woman he really wanted—Kenley. He was dying to peel off her clothes—not to mention peel away the layers of armor she’d put up. Not that she’d fucking give him the time of day right now, let alone a damn chance.
There wasn’t much reason for her to stay in town though now that everything had died down. Lexi was readjusting after her kidnapping and had Christopher. Maybe Kenley just needed a vacation—her parents did own that condo by the beach he and Christopher had found her in. Still, it had been several weeks since the entire incident. One of these days he fully expected her to head back home. Lexi would, too, at least temporarily until her new assignment hopefully came.
“I’m not sure. Lexi’s trying to talk her into moving down here, too. How crazy is that?”
“I thought she worked at the Pentagon?”
“Defense contractor in Arlington. It’s a big company; I think they have plenty of contracts down here.”
“Perfect,” Mike muttered.
“We need to lock you two in an empty room. No, scratch that—a room with nothing but a bed. Let you fuck it out,” Brent laughed.
“Jesus,” Christopher groaned. “I know she wants you to stay away from her, but can’t you at least try to make amends or something? Lexi and I are going to be planning a wedding soon. I don’t want Lexi stressed out every time the two of you are in the same room.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it,” Mike muttered. All he had to do was apologize to a petite, hotter-than-hell woman who loved to mouth off to him. What a freaking spectacular night this was going to turn out to be.
PURCHSASE IN AMAZON’S KINDLE STORE
e-buttons">share