“Okay. Are you guys all like this?” Hailey asked.
“Like what?”
“This intense,” she said with a small laugh.
“When someone’s in danger? Absolutely. I know you haven’t met her yet, but we were all there in Colombia when Raptor met Clarissa. She’s one of us now. The guys on our team are like brothers—we’d literally die for one another. As soon as Raptor and Clarissa got together, she became one of us. Just like you are now, too.”
“Grayson and I aren’t even dating,” she protested.
Ethan raised his eyebrows.
“I mean, not really. He told me I could stay with him and we’ll date eventually, but….”
Ethan chuckled. “I think you’ve been his since the moment he met you, sweetheart. And that’s a good thing. I don’t know you well yet, but I’ve seen the way the two of you look at one another.”
She flushed, knowing he was right, even if she didn’t want to admit to it. She wasn’t staying with one of the other men on the team; she wasn’t curled up beside Ethan like she had been with Grayson. They were together, whether they called it such or not.
The key in the lock had them both turning their heads, and then Grayson was moving inside the apartment. He dropped the grocery bags on the floor and immediately crossed over to her, sitting beside her on the sofa. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked urgently, totally ignoring Ethan sitting there.
“See what I mean?” Ethan quipped, grinning as he stretched out his legs.
Grayson shot him a look but turned back toward Hailey.
“I’m okay,” she assured him. “I was a little freaked out, but I was fine here with Ethan.”
“I shouldn’t have left you alone,” Grayson said, looking tense.
She reached out, putting her hand on his forearm, and he visibly calmed. “I’m fine. It was just another text. I admit I don’t like getting them, but nothing happened. Ethan was with me the entire time. I wasn’t here alone.”
Grayson nodded, reached a hand out and running it down her hair. She felt comforted by his touch, but he seemed to need to touch her as much as she needed him.
“So, are you feeding the rest of us or what?” Ethan asked, glancing at the bags by the door.
“We’ll order pizza. I was picking up a few things for Hailey,” Grayson said. “Speaking of which, I got four different kinds of tea.”
She giggled and stood up. “Four?”
“Damn, man,” Ethan said. “How much tea do you think your woman drinks?”
Grayson muttered a curse, but Hailey had already crossed the apartment and picked up a plastic bag full of tea boxes. “Wow. You did go a little overboard, but I appreciate the gesture.”
Grayson went to grab the rest of the bags and followed her into the kitchen. “I’ll admit I don’t have a tea kettle or anything, but hopefully you can warm up some hot water in the microwave?”
“Works for me,” she said. “What time are the rest of your teammates coming over?”
“Twenty minutes,” Ethan said. “I told them to come now because of the new text.”
“Appreciate it,” Grayson said, exchanging a glance with Ethan. Hailey wasn’t sure what that was about but didn’t question it. Those guys worked together so well, it was like they could read each other’s minds or something. She’d never been close in that sense to her coworkers. They’d have dinner together or go out for drinks when she lived back in Arlington, but it wasn’t a close bond like this though. She kept in touch with a few people, but Kim was the only one she’d truly befriended.
“You okay?” Grayson asked her quietly. She realized she’d stopped at his sink with an empty mug, ready to fill it with water.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I was just thinking about Kim.”
He snaked an arm around her waist, seemingly not caring that his buddy was right there, and kissed the top of her head. It was sweet and comforting, but her body immediately responded to his touch. Someday, when she was better, she wanted to kiss this man for real. To have Grayson pull her into his arms and kiss her like he meant it. Show her she wasn’t imagining the chemistry and sparks between them.
Now wasn’t the time or place, and she didn’t want him to catch the flu she was recovering from anyway. But goodness, she was certainly looking forward to the day when they went to dinner together, a real date, and a real goodnight kiss.
Chapter 14
Grayson glanced around his living room at his teammates. All five other men were there, Raptor even coming back early from his camping trip. He’d brought Clarissa along, too, and she and Hailey were sitting on the balcony sipping cups of tea. Grayson didn’t even know if she was usually a tea drinker like Hailey, but she’d seemed to want to put the other woman at ease and had immediately started talking to her about San Diego and life out here on the west coast.
He shook his head, stunned for a moment as he watched them. A couple of months ago every guy on the team had been single. They’d head out to bars on the weekends, maybe take home a woman for the night. It had been a few months since he’d been interested in that. After his last fling had fizzled out almost immediately, and he’d seen what Raptor had with Clarissa, he knew he’d eventually want something more.
And then—bam. He’d seen Hailey when they were in Bagram and felt like he’d been hit with a bolt of lightning. Sure, he’d been instantly attracted to women before, but this was different. She wasn’t like the types who chased after the guys on his SEAL team and bedded every man they met. She was special—intelligent, independent, maybe a little shy, with the way she blushed as he flirted with her, but damn. Something inside him had immediately stood up and taken notice.
It was crazy how fast it had happened, but he was falling for her. Hard.
He’d taken more time to get to know her than just about any woman he’d been with in the past. And he hadn’t even slept with her yet.
“They seem to be getting along,” Blake said in a low voice.
“I’m glad,” Grayson admitted. “Hailey could use some female friends out here. She doesn’t know anyone. And of course I’d want her to get along with your woman.”
“Yep. I take it things are already getting serious if she’s staying here with you.”
Grayson blew out a breath. “It’s crazy fast.”
“And when you know you know,” Blake replied.
“She seems happy chatting with Clarissa though. It’s always tough not knowing anyone.”
“Same for Clarissa,” Blake said. “I know she’s befriended some of our neighbors, but she left everything behind in Texas.”
“Is she moving out here permanently?” Grayson asked, eyeing his teammate.
“If I can convince her to. She’s talking about teaching classes online this fall. If she’s happy, I’m happy. I guess she could teach at a university out here, but for now, she seems to like the idea of keeping her old job and doing the virtual class thing.”
“Well damn. Good for you guys,” Grayson said.
He set his plate down on the coffee table, five empty pizza boxes scattered around. The men had all shown up hungry, and Grayson had been happy to order lunch for everyone since they were here to help Hailey. They may have just gotten back from a mission, but his friends had dropped everything to be here.
“So what’s the latest?” Troy asked, getting down to business now that everyone had eaten.
Grayson filled them in on the texts, including the most recent one this morning.
Ethan glanced over at him. “She looked scared out of her mind,” he said in a low voice. “I hate that some asshole is terrorizing a woman.”
“And we’re sure it’s related to Bagram,” Troy said, frowning.
“It seems most likely,” Grayson said. “Shit goes down there, she’s injured and flown home, and then suddenly a week later she’s getting these texts?”
“It’s suspicious as hell,” Blake said. “I assume someone is looking into the numbers?”
Gra
yson nodded. “I spoke with the CO, and the IT guys on base are aware. They’re spoofed though—all random numbers. It doesn’t give us a damn clue about where they’re coming from.”
“Do you think whoever is sending them knows she’s here?” Jackson asked, leaning closer. “If so, that poses a whole new layer of problems. She shouldn’t be alone.”
“Which is an issue in and of itself because she’s starting her new job,” Grayson said. “She can stay here with me as long as she needs. I told her we’d get her apartment set up so it’ll be ready for whenever it’s safe. Hailey’s lease starts next week, and she has movers, but I’ll go with her to supervise.”
“So we’re assuming this is tied to the traitor,” Logan said, glancing around. “Did the CO give any indication that they’ve narrowed that down?”
“They haven’t. The investigation into the bombing is still ongoing. Two women are still missing. It sounds like Hailey will be interviewed soon, along with everyone who was working in the general’s office.”
Troy let out a low whistle. “That’s a hell of a lot of people.”
Grayson nodded. “Unless they’re using a computer, they’re not texting her from Bagram though.”
“So you think they’re working with someone?” Jackson asked.
“Maybe. Or they were there for a short period of time, like us, and already home.”
“Or their deployment was up,” Blake commented. “They could’ve been there all along but were part of a team coming back stateside.”
“This is fucked up,” Troy muttered. “All of it—the bombing, the tip-offs regarding our op, the text messages.”
“I think it’s all tied together,” Grayson said.
“Maybe something will come out of the interviews,” Jackson mused. “Someone will know something or have noticed someone acting suspiciously.”
“That’s my hope,” Grayson said. “But in the meantime, I need a way to protect Hailey.”
The men sat around discussing strategy for the next half an hour, going over how to best protect her now that she was out in San Diego. By the time he’d finished meeting with his teammates, Grayson felt somewhat better. They all had his back, which meant, they had Hailey’s as well. He didn’t like that he’d met her under these circumstances, but he’d do whatever he needed to make sure she was safe.
Chapter 15
Two days later, Hailey was feeling well enough that she and Grayson had gone out together. He still claimed it wasn’t an official date, since he was showing her around San Diego and she needed to do a little shopping. They stopped for lunch at a cute Mexican place though, and after eating cafeteria food for the better part of the past year, she felt like she’d died and gone to heaven.
“That was the worst thing about coming home injured,” she said from across the table.
Grayson tilted his beer back to take a swig, but raised his eyebrows.
“I was looking forward to doing some things in DC that I’d missed before moving across the country—dinner with some friends at my favorite restaurants, stopping by this coffee shop I love, just little stuff. Oh, and before you ask, the coffee shop actually has amazing tea there, too.”
He chuckled. “Was I that obvious?”
“You looked confused,” she said, smiling across the table at him. “But instead of doing little stuff like that, I was in the hospital and then just resting at home. “I didn’t get to visit any of the places I missed.”
“That does suck,” he agreed. “I know when we come back from a longer mission, I can’t wait to hit up some of my favorite places either or spend a long day at the beach.”
“Do you like to swim?”
“Surf, actually. Although I do like swimming, too.”
“Makes sense given that you’re a SEAL.”
“Please tell me you like the beach,” he said, grabbing a chip and dunking it in the salsa.
A couple walked in the front door, and Grayson’s eyes swept to them before looking back at her. She noticed he was always totally aware and alert of his surroundings. Even back in Bagram, when they’d heard the emergency siren, he’d instantly known what to do and pushed her to the ground. It was almost like he always had a backup plan, even for everyday life. Oddly enough, that was comforting. Maybe it should’ve alarmed her to some extent, but instead, she just felt safe with him.
“I love the beach,” she assured him. “I was kind of regretting not getting an apartment closer after enjoying the view from your balcony.”
“You haven’t moved yet,” he said. “You could look at different places now that you’re out here.”
“I already signed the lease, so I doubt I’ll be able to get out of it at this point. It’s fine,” she said with a shrug. “I was hours away from the beach in Arlington, so being a short drive isn’t bad at all.”
“You’re always welcome to stay at my place,” he said with a wink.
She flushed, smiling back at him. Grayson had been nothing but the perfect gentleman while she’d been there. It was a strange arrangement, to be sure. She was practically living with him and they hadn’t even gone on a real date or kissed yet. She was attracted to him though, especially now that she was feeling better and not exhausted all the time.
“I’m glad you’re finally over that flu or whatever you had,” he commented, apparently thinking the same thing she had been.
“Me too. It’s nice to get out and do something—not that I didn’t like your apartment.”
He shrugged. “It’s pretty basic, I know. Nothing fancy, but I love being close to the water.”
“Where’s your surfboard anyway?” she asked.
“I rent a small storage area. They’ve got garages for rent, too, but I didn’t need a ton of space. I’ve got a couple of surfboards, a jet ski, and some stuff like that.”
“So you’re an adrenaline junkie,” she teased.
“I take it you’re not?”
“Nope. Not at all. Oh, that smells amazing,” she said as the waitress brought their food over. Her chicken fajitas sizzled, and Grayson’s steak burrito was so big it looked like it could feed three people. Her mouth watered just smelling the amazing aroma.
“I had lunch with a few people at the Pentagon last week, but that doesn’t exactly count as eating out.”
“It sure doesn’t,” he said with a chuckle.
“This looks incredible. And this place is cute,” she said, looking around the colorful restaurant. Blankets and sombreros hung from the walls, mariachi music played, and the margarita she was sipping was a bit strong but amazing.
“They do try to attract the tourists here,” he said, nodding toward the kitschy décor. “But the food is awesome.”
“I can’t wait to try the fajitas,” she said.
“I’m just glad you like Mexican.”
They dug into their meals, talking and laughing for the next hour. “God, I wish everyday was this fun,” she mused. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in—well, a long time.”
“Me either, sweetheart. I’ve got to be back on base tomorrow, and I know you’ve got to go into your new office. Speaking of which, I usually head in early for PT with the team. I talked to my commander, and he’s fine with my coming in later tomorrow so I can drop you off. I’ll work out a schedule with the guys so we can give you a lift the rest of the week.”
“Oh, I don’t want to put anyone out,” she said, frowning. “I can probably grab a taxi or something until I buy a car.”
“Not a chance. It’s no trouble,” he assured her. “We talked the other day and want to make sure you’re safe. I know you got a new cell number yesterday, but you’re still getting texts to the old one. This isn’t over.”
“It’s creepy as hell,” she said with a shudder.
“Agreed. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” he said, clenching his jaw. “There’s a major investigation going on because of everything that happened in Bagram. The CO is keeping us apprised of the situation, even though we’ve had th
e past few days off because of our last mission.”
“I’ll talk to my new office tomorrow and explain what’s been going on,” she said. “That reminds me—can we stop by the storage area for the moving company today? My work clothes in Bagram were ruined, so I don’t have much with me in that one suitcase. I can get a box of my older clothes from there. It’ll tide me over until I can do some shopping.”
“Sure thing,” he said, taking the bill from the waitress as she came over.
Hailey reached for her purse, but Grayson stopped her. “Lunch is on me,” he insisted.
“But you said this doesn’t count as our date.”
His hazel eyes twinkled as he grinned at her. “It doesn’t, because I’m still planning to take you out to dinner one night. But there is no way I’m letting a woman pay for my food.”
“I don’t mind,” she insisted.
“I know you don’t, but I don’t mind either. Let me treat you to lunch, sweetheart.”
“Okay. But I’m making you dinner tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m feeling all better, and you’ve been taking care of me the past few days.”
“Well, I won’t turn that down,” he said with a grin. “But only if you let me help a little since it’s my apartment.”
“Maybe,” she teased, standing up as Grayson signed the receipt and handed it back to the waitress.
“Want to walk down by the water a few minutes before we head over to the moving company’s storage area?”
“Sounds good,” she said.
They walked outside into the warm California sunshine, Grayson taking her hand in his. It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a gentle breeze coming off the water. “My team practices jumps over there sometimes,” he said, pointing off into the distance.”
“Jumps?” she asked, confused.
“Skydiving,” he clarified.
SEAL's Embrace (Alpha SEALs Coronado Book 2) Page 14