Page 41 of SEAL by Fate

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“YOU’RE AWFULLY QUIET.” He tilted the bottle, took a swig, then handed it to Stormy. “Want to talk about it?”

Her seat was laid back and she was covered with a blanket. Lola was tucked beside her. They’d eaten a couple of granola bars that she’d also brought from the cabin. What Gray wouldn’t give to have a juicy burger and loaded fries at that moment.

“There’s really nothing to say.” She handed him back the bottle.

“I don’t believe that.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you.” Her words were a little slurred. “This is all my fault.”

“How do you get that?”

“I left Duncan at the altar.”

Gray blew out a long breath. “And if you didn’t, you would be married right now to a man you don’t love. Not much worse than that.”

“I’m talking farther back. I shouldn’t have agreed to marry him. Hell, I shouldn’t have even dated him. What was I thinking?” She shook her head. “I thought he was a good guy. Aren’t they all just so charming until the beast comes out to play.”

“We all have a mistake story to tell, sweetheart.”

She looked at him. “You have made a mistake? Nooo…not you.”

Damn, he felt like he’d made one after another since he drove up Whispering Mountain, but those weren’t the mistakes she was referring to. “Her name was Hannah. We dated all through high school and I guess it was expected for us to marry.”

“You were married?” She shifted and rolled over, dragging the blanket up over her shoulders.” Lola jumped into the back.

“No. I broke it off a few months before we were supposed to walk down the aisle. I don’t think she ever got over the fact that I enlisted.” He rolled his hand around the steering wheel. “She told me she was lonely and that’s when she found her way into another man’s arms. I told her I’d forgive her, but truth was, I knew things would never be the same. I broke her heart because she pleaded with me to give her another chance, but I didn’t have it in me. I hated seeing her cry. Hated knowing that after so long together we just weren’t right for one another. In the end, she would never have survived my career.”

“You did her a favor. It wouldn’t have been fair to marry her if you wouldn’t have been happy.”

He shrugged, staring through the front window as the snowflakes dropped and melted. They were being very conservative with using the heater, but they didn’t need it because the whiskey warmed their blood. “She married one of my buddies. Had a couple kids, but they divorced a few years ago. I could have told her he wasn’t suited for marriage. The guy had it out for every skirt in town.”

“That’s not your fault though.”

“Hell, maybe. Maybe not.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “How did you meet Duncan?” If she continued to talk, he’d ask questions. He was curious about her life. Maybe he was a bit curious if she had room for a man like him.

“Colette had dragged me along to a block party and he was there. The rest is history—and very boring. I couldn’t tell you more than three things about his past. He had even been sh—”

Gray’s cell whined. Lola barked and Stormy jumped.

“Relax, girl. It’s just my phone warning me it’s almost dead.”

“Scared me to death.” She tipped the bottle and drank.

He picked up his phone from the console and clicked on the screen. “Damn!”

“Still no service?”

“I’m not surprised.” He dropped the phone back into the holder and laid his head back on the seat rest.

“How is your knee?” She laid her fingers on his thigh and he automatically clenched.

“It hurts.”

Man, she was gorgeous with her hair spread out against the seat and the sweet flush to her skin. He was hard just looking at her and she had no clue what she did to him. Hell, he had no right to have these feelings. They faced so many obstacles and they were only a hair’s distance away from danger and yet his body still responded. He continued to stare at her. Unable to turn his gaze away from her beauty,

Truth was, he wanted to kiss her again, take his time in exploring her lush lips and taste. To thread his fingers in her silky hair and soft skin. He wanted to have her squirm under his palms as he made her wet and ready for him. They would be good together. He was sure of that fact.

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