by Soraya Lane
THE NAVY SEAL’S PROMISE
SORAYA LANE
THE NAVY SEAL’S PROMISE
SORAYA LANE
Copyright © Soraya Lane 2012
Cover by Mixing Ink Design
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Visit Soraya at her website www.sorayalane.com or on twitter @Soraya_Lane.
You can email Soraya direct at [email protected]
Also by Soraya Lane
Available from Harlequin Romance
The Navy Seal’s Bride
Back in the Soldier’s Arms
Rodeo Daddy
The Army Ranger’s Return
Soldier on Her Doorstep
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
Saskia Cullen tucked closer into the warmth beneath her cheek. She tried to shift her body, seeking a more comfortable position, but didn’t get very far. She yawned and stretched out an arm.
“Hi.”
Her eyes flew open, the deep voice so close to her ear taking her by surprise.
Oh. Heat burst into her cheeks, her eyes darting to the side before she recoiled back into the seat and hit her head on the window. “I’m sorry, I must have…” What had she done? She was so exhausted she could hardly even recall boarding the plane.
“It’s fine. I figured you were really tired.” The guy seated to her right, the guy she’d been snuggled into like he was her own personal love monkey, was grinning at her. His eyes crinkled ever-so at the corners, brown irises somehow smiling as he watched her.
It didn’t stop her embarrassment and her cheeks were still on fire.
“I don’t usually do that sort of thing, I promise,” she started, rubbing the back of her head where she’d hit it. “I remember taking my seat and then I must have fallen asleep before you even boarded.” The last week had been so exhausting, and then the thought of the long-haul flight back home… Saskia looked down, pleased she’d changed back into her civilian clothes. The last thing she needed to do was embarrass herself and the army.
“Look, you don’t snore and I didn’t mind, so it’s no big deal,” the guy insisted, holding out his hand. It was awkward, given how close they were seated, but she grasped it anyway. “I’m Luke.”
“Saskia,” she managed, still tongue-tied. “And I am sorry. Honestly, it’s beyond embarrassing and I have seriously never done that before.”
He laughed, a big grin spreading across his face. “What, fall asleep with strange men?”
Saskia knew her face would be a furious kind of red by now. Let myself not be in control was what she wanted to reply, but she kept her mouth shut.
“Just to warn you, we’ve been having some turbulence.”
The plane started to shudder and Saskia looked up to see the seatbelt sign flashing. She instinctively touched her buckle to make sure it was fastened.
“You mean to say I slept through more of this?” she asked, resting her head back on the seat as the plane thumped and rocked like a bad rollercoaster ride.
Luke nodded, hands planted to his thighs. “Yep, sure did.”
She watched the way his fingers thrummed back and forth and then stopped, digging into the denim of his jeans. Her eyes skipped to his face. It wasn’t outwardly obvious, but she was pretty sure he was nervous. She’d seen this sort of thing plenty of times before, especially with her new recruits.
“You okay?” The plane lurched some more.
Luke met her gaze. “I’ll be fine as soon as we land.” He paused and slowly unclenched his fingers, crossing his arms instead like he’d realized how she’d found him out. “This doesn’t bother you?” he asked with a grimace.
Saskia shrugged. “I’m used to flying, that’s all.”
She wondered if that’s why he hadn’t minded her sleeping on his shoulder. Perhaps it had taken his mind off the turbulence. Saskia fought the urge to check her breath, horrified that she might have been breathing all over him.
“You fly for work a lot?” he asked.
Saskia hesitated. Did she tell him the truth or lie? She glanced at him, still not sure. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So are you flying home or for work right now?”
He was just making polite conversation, and since they were going to be sitting side by side for a while yet, she either needed to open up or somehow maneuver the conversation away from her. She was used to being around men 24/7 – the kind of men that’d make plenty of girls swoon. So the fact that this broad shouldered, dark eyed stranger was making her stomach flip more than the turbulence? It told her she didn’t want to spoil things by telling him what she did for a living, not when so many civilian guys seemed to find it intimidating. Having Luke to flirt with for the rest of the flight wasn’t exactly something she was opposed to.
“I’m flying home, but just briefly. I’m on leave,” she admitted, pausing as she watched his face. “From the army.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “You’re a soldier?”
She smiled at the expression on his face. “United States Army Corporal Saskia Cullen,” she told him, proud of her title. “I’m flying home to see my family and I’ll be back on a plane in two days.”
Luke relaxed as they started flying more steadily again. “So you’ll be used to far worse conditions than this?”
“Yup, you could say that.” Some of the flights she’d been on in the last couple of years had been beyond hair-raising.
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but since you’ve slept through most of the flight…”
“We’re almost there already?” Saskia checked her watch. Wow. She must have been more exhausted that she’d realized.
“Do you have a connecting flight to make?”
She looked back at Luke. “I’m heading to Buffalo.”
Luke frowned. “This turbulence is from the snow storm that’s hit New York and the surrounding states, and it sounds like they’re going to let us land and then shut the airport down. There’ll be no flights going out for the rest of the night due to snow.”
“What?” Saskia’s heart started to pound. “No, that’s not possible, I have to make it.” The plane’s jerking motions hadn’t worried her, but not making it home? She had a little boy with his heart set on seeing his mom, and it had been so long since she’d been back.
Saskia bit her lip. Thinking about what she was missing wasn’t going to change the situation.
“So what is it that you do?” It wasn’t this guy’s fault that the leave she’d worked so hard to get was worthless.
He grinned then winked at her. “If I tell you I’ll have to kill you.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. That was something her son would say. “Seriously?”
Luke chuckled. “Guess.”
He braced himself with one hand against the seat in front of him as the plane hit more turbulence and she decided to play along. They both wanted to keep their minds off things.
“Sales rep,” she guessed.
He frowned. “Please don’
t tell me I look like a salesman.”
Saskia looked him up and down, liking what she saw. He was handsome – thick blond hair, chocolate eyes, and a smile that lit up his entire face. His face was tanned, like he’d spent a lot of time outdoors, and his hands… she looked up quickly before he had a chance to notice that her gaze had dropped. They were hands that had seen real work, even if he did look more super-cute surfer than construction worker.
Saskia glanced up and realized that his eyes were locked on hers. She cleared her throat. “I’m picking up that you don’t fly for a living.”
That made him laugh. She raised an eyebrow in response.
“Just because I don’t like turbulence doesn’t mean I can’t handle it.”
She laughed and then stopped. He’d pushed up his sleeve and she’d seen a flash of dark – a tattoo. And from what she could see it looked like an eagle. She had it.
“What time was it that we land?” She knew full well, but…
“1900 hours,” he replied without hesitation.
Saskia grinned. Gotcha. “I’m close, so you may as well just tell me. It’s something to do with the military, otherwise you wouldn’t have answered like that.” She didn’t have to admit that she’d been ogling his ink.
Luke leaned closer, into her space. She wanted to move back but had nowhere to go.
“I’m a Navy SEAL,” he said, his voice low. “I work counterterrorism, and I’m only telling you because you’re military, too.”
Saskia stared at him. She knew how closely these guys respected their privacy when it had the potential to put those they loved in harm’s way. “Your secret’s safe with me,” she told him, voice low, wishing she had the confidence to reach out and touch his hair. It was long, too long for a military guy, but she wanted to touch it anyway. Almost all the guys she served with had buzz cuts, and there was something about being so close to a man with thick blond hair… She gulped and tried to pretend that she was still on duty. That he was out of bounds.
It wasn’t so easy.
“Saskia, do you want to have dinner with me?”
He was sitting back in his seat now, but he was still watching her.
“You mean at the airport?”
He nodded. “I have a feeling we’re going to be stuck a while, but having a meal with you might just about make up for it.”
Saskia’s cheeks flared with heat again. “Do you say that to every girl you meet on a plane?”
Luke shut his eyes for a second as the plane jolted. “I don’t usually travel on commercial airlines, so no, you’re the first.”
Saskia couldn’t help but smile. She was used to men being charming, but this man was something else entirely. Maybe it was a SEAL thing. Those guys probably all had massive egos.
“If we’re grounded I’ll say yes, but if not I’ll be running like a mad thing to the other terminal,” she replied, hoping her voice sounded as confident as she’d meant it to.
“Deal.”
The speaker above them crackled to life.
“Once again we apologize for the large pockets of turbulence. We have been cleared to land, however those of you waiting for connecting flights will need to make alternative arrangements as there will be no further flights departing until the snow has cleared.”
Saskia shut her eyes, tight, biting her lip to stop tears from forming.
“At least I get to have dinner with a beautiful woman.”
Luke’s honey-laced voice should have made her smile, but for some reason it only made her feel more emotional. A few tears escaped down her cheeks, falling too fast for her to stop them, and her breath shuddered in her throat. She wanted to get home so bad.
“Hey, come here.” Luke pulled her against him despite their seatbelts, his big arms wrapping around her protectively. “You’re okay.”
Saskia was too overcome to feel embarrassed, but she did tuck into him. Luke was warm and kind, and right now she needed the comfort, even if he was a stranger.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled into his chest.
He squeezed her tighter. “You’re gonna miss something important, aren’t you?”
Saskia nodded, eyes shut as he held her.
“We’ve all got something to miss when we’re away,” he told her. “Whatever it is that you’re going to miss? I’ll do whatever I can to stop that from happening.”
Saskia pulled back, not caring that her face was now probably tear-stained and her hair dishevelled. “Really?”
Luke nodded, the corners of his mouth kicking up into a grin. “Yes ma’am,” he replied. “After dinner, of course.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Saskia had no idea if there was anything Luke could do to help her, but she knew that if anyone could, it would be a Navy SEAL. He was used to making the impossible happen, surviving what others couldn’t, so if she was going to put her faith in anyone, she didn’t mind it being him. Besides, it wasn’t exactly a difficult trade – dinner in exchange for his help.
“I need to get home to see my son,” Saskia confessed. “I told him I’d be home for Christmas, and I don’t want to break my promise.”
Luke Gray stared at the beautiful woman seated beside him. Truth was, he’d liked her sleeping on his shoulder. It had been too long since he’d had a woman curled up next to him, felt the softness of a woman in his arms.
But seeing her cry had done something to him. Because he knew some of what she was going through. “I wished I’d been able to come home for something important, but I never made it,” he confessed. “So if you need to get to your son in time for Christmas, there’ll be a way to make that happen.”
When his wife had died, he’d spent months thinking about what he should have done. Phone calls and letters hadn’t been enough, even if it had been all he’d been permitted to do at the time.
The speaker crackled to life again, announcing their imminent landing.
Saskia was sitting deep in her seat as the lights flicked off in the cabin, but her fingers sought his, reaching for his palm and then entwining their hands.
Luke didn’t look at her, just shut his eyes instead as the plane lurched. But he did return her touch, lacing his fingers between hers.
There was something nice about holding the hand of a woman who could come close to understanding what he’d been through. Who could help him forget about all he’d seen and done this past year, even if it was only for a couple of hours.
CHAPTER TWO
Luke unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched before opening the overhead compartment. He pulled down his bag and passed Saskia the one she pointed to.
“Here you go.”
She grinned. “Thanks.”
He watched as she unzipped her bag and stuffed her book and a water bottle into it. How the hell had he managed to end up seated next to someone as cute as her?
Luke stood back as the line cleared ahead to let her out. “After you.”
They shuffled down the aisle and he tried to stay a comfortable distance from her, but given the space they had it wasn’t easy. From where he stood he could smell her perfume, or maybe it was her hair. He couldn’t tell, but he liked it.
“So you’re really a soldier, huh?”
Saskia half-turned to face him, smiling as she shook her head slightly. “And by that you mean…”
“I don’t know. I guess it’s sexist but none of the female soldiers I trained with looked so…” Luke stopped himself before he could finish the sentence. He’d dug himself a big hole with this line of conversation.
Saskia’s head was tilted, waiting.
“Feminine.” Beautiful, soft, sexy… all way better words to describe her.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a laugh. “I think.”
Luke clamped his jaw shut so hard he was almost grinding his teeth. He was acting like an idiot, trying way too hard to impress her.
“You know, you don’t have to take pity on me and take me for dinner.”
Luke nodded at the flight attendant as they passed her and walked off the plane and onto the jetway.
“Well, just remember than I’m not easily offended, so you don’t have to go through with helping me or anything else either.”
“Does this get in the way when you’re commanding your crew?”
Saskia’s head was tilted slightly. “What?”
“Being argumentative. I’m guessing this is why we don’t have girls as Navy SEALs,” he joked.
Saskia landed a punch on his arm that had more force than he would have expected.
“Is that tough enough for you?”
Luke couldn’t help but laugh. Yep, she was as pretty as could be and tough when it counted. And he hadn’t enjoyed flirting, if that’s what he could even call it, with a woman in what seemed like forever. Had been happy up until now to play the widower card.
“If I promise to lay off the teasing will you still have dinner with me?”
Saskia laughed. “You know, if I didn’t have you ribbing me I’d probably be having my own personal pity-party somewhere.” She sighed and adjusted the bag resting over her shoulder. “I still need to get to a ticket counter first, but after that, dinner will be my first priority.”
“Let’s go.” Luke marched through the crowd walking in the direction of the ticket desks, determined to get to the right counter before any of the civilians. He could see Saskia keeping up with his pace from the corner of his eye, so he didn’t slow down.
He was used to missions that often meant the difference between life and death, and he was taking this just as seriously. Luke wanted to help her, he did, but also he wanted to have that hour alone with her to eat dinner more than anything else. So if that meant securing the first available flight out of here for Saskia so she could chill out instead of acting frantic and anxious for rest of the evening? Then he was going to do everything in his power to make that happen. Shit, an evening with her was worth a few minutes of tough talking at the ticket counter.
Jolly festive music was playing from at least half the speakers they passed, but Luke ignored everything but his goal. He held out his hand and smiled as Saskia clasped it without hesitation. “We need to hurry,” he muttered, spying the already long line ahead.