Page 47 of SEAL by Fate

Yeah, this was a side of him Stormy hadn’t seen. The suave, flirtatious side.

The woman’s brown eyes twinkled and she plastered on the fakest frown Stormy had ever seen. “I don’t know…”

“Ah, come on. Won’t you peek on your computer? I’m sure you have something available. Just a little tap with those fingers.”

“Well, we might, but it won’t be much. Sometimes we have a vehicle left that no one wanted.” She stepped behind the keyboard and tapped away, paused several seconds, tapped a few more keys, mumbling something under her breath. “Hmm. Looks like we do have something. A two door that gets great gas mileage.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Stormy wasn’t sure whether she should smile or frown at what she was witnessing. Gray had just “sweet-talked” his way into a rental car. What really bugged her, which she had no right to feel, was the jealousy swirling through her. The way the young service woman responded to Gray was close to unabashed admiration. No doubt, Stormy couldn’t be the only woman who swooned when he smiled.

He had a certain spectacular charisma about him that could easily rock any woman’s boat. It only made it more prominent because he was built like a Greek God and his posture warned everyone that he would snap a person in two if they gave him reason. She’d also witnessed a softer side to him. His compassion, determination to keep her safe, his gentleness. What woman, even the most independent, wouldn’t want a hero sweeping in and promising to keep her safe from harm’s way.

Stormy had always prided herself on being self-reliant and had never believed she’d feel like she did right now for anyone. She gathered that she was falling, if that were even possible. She felt like she was standing on a diving board and below was a pool of water drawing her to jump and take the risk. Once she took a step off the edge, she would be gone and it scared her. Usually when a person started having feelings for another they had a sliver of an idea that person reflected those emotions, but she had no clue how Gray felt about her. As she watched him smooth over the pretty redhead, Stormy had a thought that this was exactly what he’d done to her. He’d swept in like a thunderstorm, flashed those baby blues and kick-ass smile, and she’d lost her mind like a hypnotized puppy. She could easily wind up losing herself and getting hurt.

When they walked out of the shop, rental agreement in hand, she didn’t even look at him. If he sensed her detachment, he didn’t say anything.

The car was definitely a gas-saver, that was because it was the smallest car she’d ever seen. He looked like a GI Joe doll stuffed inside a Matchbox car. Her mood instantly lightened and she laughed. “Well, she did say it was small.”

Gray groaned and started the engine. “I can’t complain. It’s warm and it moves faster than I can walk…barely, but at least by a few miles more per hour.”

Silence grew between them.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked once they were out on the main road.

“About what?” Best to play imprudent.

“You’ve been quiet since we left the rental shop.”

He was observant. She’d give him that, but she couldn’t allow him to see inside of her where her secrets were hidden. He didn’t need to know that she was developing strong feelings. “I’m just caught up in all this. Before two days ago, my life was average, and now I feel like I’m on the back of a bronco for the eight second ride, except eight seconds passed hours ago.”

He gave her a quick side-glance. “For a woman in her first rodeo, you sure are hanging on like a pro.” He winked.

No, she wouldn’t let his sweet talk sway her. “This is your everyday life, isn’t it?”

“Not every day, but close.”

“Don’t you ever see yourself doing something—”

“Boring?”

“Less dangerous. Leaping from tops of buildings and being shot at are all foreign to me.”

“Let’s not confuse me with James Bond, unless you really want to.”

“Do you ever take things seriously?”

“Yes, my job. Everything else I tend to take with a grain of salt, otherwise I might get premature greys.”

She could easily take his statement as another quip at being funny, but he was dead serious. So he was somebody who could leave the office at work. Yet, when did he leave the office? Was this considered work or pleasure? “What do you do for fun?” Once the words were out she wanted to fish them back. When he grinned from ear to ear she realized he was thinking the same dirty thoughts that she was, and it made her nipples tighten. This was the response she wanted to prevent. How could she get her thoughts and emotions back on track when each time he flashed that grin she was a puddle of a mess at his feet? Taking a long sip of her coffee, she didn’t care that it burnt all the way into her stomach. She was already on fire so it didn’t make a big difference.

“Is that a trick question?”

She turned her cheek and looked at the passing scenery but not seeing anything except his smiling reflection in the glass. “No. I just wonder if you ever take time off for fun.”

“I’ve been known to on occasion, but when it’s just me, I don’t have to abide by a schedule.”

“I remember you saying you don’t come home to the family ranch often. Is it because of her?”

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