Page 50 of Rescued by a SEAL

Chapter 13

Mason parked in the fire lane at the corner of Anchors, jumping out of the car. He slammed the door shut, not even bothering with the alarm, and ran to the sidewalk. “You can’t park there!” an older gentleman walking down Atlantic Avenue shouted, and Mason waved him off.

Can’t park there his ass.

Taylor had been inside frightened and crying because of her asshole ex. A little thing like a ticket from the Virginia Beach PD wasn’t enough to stop him from rushing to her.

Hell.

It was either that or double parking by the cars on the street. And then he’d be blocking traffic.

He shoved open the door and hurried in, not realizing he’d been holding his breath until he spotted Taylor coming back from the kitchen. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail again, her eyes were slightly red from crying, and her face was pale. Her eyes lit up as soon as she spotted him, and then she was rushing across the restaurant, straight into his arms.

“Who-hoo!” a group of rowdy young sailors near them shouted as he lifted her into his arms.

Taylor wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him as she buried her face in his neck. Mason ran his hands over her back and hair, soothing her. Assuring himself that she was okay. She was safe. Her ex had scared her, yes, but she wasn’t physically harmed.

He took a deep breath, inhaling her coconut and sunshine. Hell, the last time he’d been with her, she’d smelled like him. Like his soap and shampoo, his sheets.

His mouth had been all over her, his cock deep inside her.

And now his only concern was holding her until she stopped shaking.

Gently, he set her back on the ground so he could look into her eyes. “Thanks for coming,” she whispered, swiping away a stray tear that appeared.

“Like I would be anywhere else? Your safety is my first priority. Always. Let’s go talk to your manager. We’ll see what he says and then call the police.”

“I already talked to the manager. They’ve seen Eric around some other days, apparently. The bartender had to cut him off at one point. They’re fine with telling him to leave when he shows up.”

Mason nodded, clenching his jaw. His eyes raked over Taylor again. She had on her usual Anchors tee shirt, a pair of ripped-up jeans that were so popular with the women nowadays, and plain Converse chucks.

But damn.

She looked sexier than if she’d been in an evening gown—her jeans hugging her hips and ass. Her tee shirt just snug enough to show off her chest and remind him of what was underneath. Her smile when she looked at him was what really slayed him though.

She trusted him. Felt safe when he was near.

The way she’d sounded on the phone earlier had chilled him to the bone. She’d been crying. Scared. And Eric hadn’t technically even done anything illegal. Saying you wanted someone in your bed wasn’t exactly against the law.

But Taylor had been shaking when he’d arrived. And just knowing that that asshole wouldn’t give up, wouldn’t let her move on, had him seeing red.

“Do you have to finish your shift?” he asked in a low voice, his eyes meeting hers.

“No, they think I should go to the police, too. I explained why I hadn’t shown up to work a couple of times—because Eric had been at my place. It’s kind of a relief to get it all out in the open now. I was embarrassed before, because he kept coming over and wanting me there with him. Saying he needed me. I felt like I didn’t have any control. But telling everyone here at work was liberating in a way. It’s like I have more people watching out for me now.”

“That’s a good thing,” Mason assured her. “And my team always has your back, too. If you couldn’t have gotten ahold of me, you could’ve called any of the other guys. They’d have been here immediately.”

“I understand,” she said softly. The worried look in her eyes slayed him.

“Are you ready to go to the police station? Or do you need to finish some things up here first?”

“No, we can head out,” she said untying the half apron around her waist. “I just need to grab my purse and stuff from the back. I’ll feel better getting my car back tomorrow. I just feel sort of helpless without it—like if Eric shows up or comes over, I can’t leave.”

“He’s doing that intentionally,” Mason said in a low voice, his gut churning. He didn’t like that she didn’t have transportation either. Eric could pretty easily guess she’d be at work or at home. “What exactly was wrong with it, anyway? Jake told me he needed to order a part. I’m starting to wonder if Eric did something to it.”

“I don’t know,” Taylor said with a shrug. “It wouldn’t start, and Eric happened to be over here. This was after it broke down on the side of the road that one time.”

“How did his friend end up towing it anyway?”

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