Page 13 of Tempted by a SEAL

Damn shame he wouldn’t ever find out.

The two men he was watching were wasting a hell of a long time talking about the food and beer. By the time he heard anything of relevance, Emma would probably be long gone.

Just like the supposed missing British archeologist.

“I had no idea you were sitting here,” Emma said, looking affronted. “I came into the pub to order a drink like everyone else.”

Hunter’s ears perked up as the men finally began talking about the matter at hand.

“They don’t know what happened to her,” one of the men said in a thick accent. “She was located in a bazaar in Kabul but then vanished.”

He clenched his fist.

Vanished?

What the fuck?

“How the hell could she simply disappear?” the other man asked. “Weren’t several men tracking her?”

“Somehow she escaped.”

The other man bit out a curse. “She has the documents we need. See this?” he asked.

Hunter’s gaze flicked back to the table, where the two men looked at some papers. “Two pages are missing. We find her, and we retrieve what we need. She can’t have that information.”

“They were fucking supposed to handle this.”

“They didn’t. It’s possible she’s on her way back to London.”

“We’ll find her. Do you have a picture?”

“Of the woman? Yes. She’s quite beautiful. Pity she escaped.”

Hunter narrowed his gaze, exchanging a confused glance with Mason.

“Doesn’t sound right,” Mason said in a low voice, pulling out his phone. “I’ll contact the CO and see if we missed something.”

Hunter nodded, his gaze landing on Emma again. If the missing woman had escaped yet no one had heard from her, then where the hell was she? Were they following the wrong lead?

And why was this chick in the pub acting so damn mysterious?

“I can see you’re not even paying attention,” Emma said, swirling the ice cubes around in her glass. She took a sip of her drink, and he watched as she swallowed, enjoying his view of the long, slender column of her throat. The soft cashmere that hugged her breasts as his gaze dropped lower. “Spot another woman you fancy?”

Hunter’s took in her wide green eyes, flushed cheeks, and full, pink lips.

Fucking beautiful.

Emma.

But it couldn’t be. The name was just a coincidence.

“I’m all ears, princess,” he said, his voice gruff. “You seem reluctant to share anything about yourself. Maybe you usually just sit around your castle all day? I’m sure you could convince plenty of British guys to wait on you hand and foot. Seems like it’d get boring after a while though.”

“Princess? Not hardly. And I certainly don’t ‘sit around’ all day doing nothing.”

He cocked a brow, watching as she smirked at him, her green eyes sparking. Hell if he didn’t love a woman who was a challenge. Not that he had time to play games.

“Another soda?” the female bartender asked, leaning up against the bar again. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Hunter and Emma, amusement filling her eyes.

Annoyed by the interruption, Hunter gruffly said no.

Emma flipped her red hair over her shoulders again in what was clearly a practiced move. He wouldn’t mind running his fingers through all that softness. Finding out if she tasted as delicious as she looked.

She cleared her throat, sounding as prim and proper and British as she had when she’d first bumped into him. “If you really must know, I’m an archeologist.”

Hunter’s stomach dropped.

---