by Tawny Weber
Turned out he was even sexier than she remembered, too.
“Bryanna?” he prompted.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” she said with a shrug. When he gave her an arch look, complete with that little smile that made her want to confess her every secret, Bryanna couldn’t stop herself from continuing.
“My career is important. To me, because it’s a reflection of who I am, of what I believe in. That’s vital. But I also believe that if I do my job right, I’ll make a difference. For the Navy, for this base, for the personnel who serve.” She tried a deep breath, hoping it’d ease the intensity throbbing in her voice. “I’m not interested in flirting with fame or fortune. I have no intention of compromising my beliefs for sensationalism. I simply want to do my part to serve my country. To share the importance of what we do, to use the power of that to attract new recruits and to solicit funds so the team never has to do without.”
Bryanna’s face heated at the surprise on Aaron’s face. She was a woman gifted with words. On paper, that was. Paper she could revise, rewrite, perfect. Speaking, though, made her feel weird. Her stomach tightened, her flesh chilled, then warmed, then, as if the changing temperatures had shrunk it, stretched too tight over her bones.
“Stop staring at me,” she muttered, rubbing her damp palms over the delicate cotton of her skirt.
“I like staring at you. You’re hot. Appealing, gorgeous, built. You’re passionate, you’re smart, you’re dedicated. All of that makes for pretty damned sexy.”
“You can’t kiss me here,” she protested, leaning backward in shock. “It’s an admiral’s office. Isn’t that like church to you guys?”
Aaron’s laugh filled the room, filled her heart.
“We should go, then.”
“Go where?”
“Somewhere that I can kiss you.”
Oh, yeah. Bryanna was already on her feet before she remembered that they had a few other things to discuss before they got to the kissing.
“Did you sleep with me to keep me from writing that article?” She knew the answer in her heart, but some questions had to be asked anyway.
“Did you sleep with me to get more information and insights into Poseidon so you could better write that article?” he countered.
“I guess the answer to both of those is no.”
“Good guess. Maybe we should discuss the real answers, though.”
Bryanna wasn’t sure she was ready for that. This volleying words back and forth, it was a sort of verbal foreplay. Sexy and fun, without any intimate truths to turn it into something more serious.
But the look on Aaron’s face, pure stubborn determination, told her that the time had come for truths, intimate and otherwise.
Still, she lifted her chin and said nothing.
“Since I’m the one with all that training facing the terrifying depths of the unknown, why don’t I start,” Aaron offered, his words hinting at the laughter dancing in his eyes. “I have very strong, probably inappropriate feelings for you.”
What was he feeling? But she couldn’t ask. Not yet.
“Why inappropriate?” she heard herself wondering instead.
“We only met a couple of days ago, so the timing is probably inappropriate. We haven’t even spent an entire day together, so thinking I know everything I need to is probably inappropriate.” His gaze didn’t leave hers as he shrugged. “And I believed, until just a few minutes ago, that we came from opposing sides of a line that has defined my career. That has formed the focus of my life.”
“Those are all important reasons and, yes, all inappropriate.” Pressing her lips together to keep them from trembling, Bryanna managed to smile. “Does it make a difference knowing we’re on the same side of that line?”
“I don’t think it’d matter,” he admitted. “What I feel for you is bigger than anything I’ve felt for another. What I want from you is more than I’ve ever thought I could have with a woman.”
Oh, God. Bryanna was so crazy about him that she could barely think. She wanted to dance in place, she wanted to run from the room and shout her joy up and down the halls. But she wanted to be sure, first.
“And now?” she asked. “What do you think now?”
“Now I want to see where this goes,” he admitted. “I feel something for you. I know one night together, a little research on each other and a confrontation in the sanctity of an admiral’s office isn’t a lot to base a relationship on. But I’m a man who lives on the edge. And that edge teaches you to appreciate the moments. To see life-changing potential and embrace any shot at happiness.”
Bryanna’s heart leaped in her chest as she struggled to hold back tears of delight. It was as if he’d peeked into her dreams, gathered them up and gift wrapped them all in bright, shiny paper and glittery ribbons.
“You think we have a shot at happiness?”
“I think we have a shot at whatever we want to make this. What do you think?”
Bryanna’s stomach clenched. Not with fear this time, but with anticipation. Nerves ran under her skin, tingling little shimmers of delight. She was so ready to see what they could shoot for.
“I have a confession,” she admitted quietly, shifting her gaze to her hands for a second to gather her thoughts.
“You’re married?”
She gave a breathless laugh.
“Nothing like that.”
Obviously willing to risk the higher powers’ wrath, Aaron moved forward, stopping inches away, and took her hands in his. His scent wrapped around her, the earthy warmth overplayed by ocean air. The heat from his body seemed to envelop her, to pull her in so she felt as if he’d embraced her with only the touch of his fingers.
“I believe in the power of thought and in making dreams come true. I believe in happy-ever-after. I believe in love at first sight.” She bit her lip to keep from saying more and waited. Simply waited.
When Aaron didn’t stare in horror or run for the door, the bands around her heart eased. When his face slowly widened into a grin of delight, her heart raced. When he reached out to take her hand and lift it high, brushing his lips in a soft caress over her knuckles, her heart melted.
“Love at first sight, is it?”
“I believe in the possibility of it,” she said softly.
“Turns out, love at first sight is something I believe in, too.” With her hand still tight in his, he said, “Now that I’ve seen you.”
* * * * *
The Poseidon team are hard-bodied, fiercely competitive Navy SEALs. But when a sensitive mission goes disastrously wrong, three of the team’s finest will have to trust their hearts and instincts to uncover the truth...
If you loved Call to Honor by New York Times bestselling author Tawny Weber, then don’t miss the next stunning tale in the SEAL Brotherhood series!
Call to Engage
Order your copy today!
Can’t get enough? Be sure to keep an eye out for the next book in this series!
Call to Redemption
Order your copy now!
“Tawny Weber has a gift when it comes to writing about hot SEALs and the woman they fall for.”
—Lush Book Reviews
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ISBN-13: 9781488022760
Call to Honor
Copyright © 2017 by Tawny Weber
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the additional work:
Night Maneuvers
Copyright © 2017 by Tawny Weber
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