Page 6 of Stranded with a SEAL

“Speaking of ladies, I see the one I was with heading back my way. Gentlemen,” Jacob said, rising from his seat with a smirk. He pulled out his wallet and tossed some cash down on the table.

“Gentlemen?” Ryker asked in disbelief.

“He was talking about me,” Hunter quipped. “Just ask Emma.”

Jacob said hello to the woman and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close as they walked to the front door. Noah shook his head, turning back to his buddies. “And then there were three.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Hunter said, tipping his bottle at Noah and Ryker.

Noah chuckled, taking a swig of his beer. His gaze drifted across Anchors, and he thought again about Bailey. He wondered what she was doing and if his buddy Owen and those other guys were still there.

Probably not given they were out on a Bachelor’s party bar crawl. And he had no reason to go back there to see her again. He rejoined the conversation with his friends, trying to relax and forget about standing there on the beach with her.

This town was full of single, beautiful women. There was no need for him to get hung up on her.

Chapter 3

Bailey walked down the Virginia Beach boardwalk Saturday morning, her flip-flops slapping against the wood. The ocean breeze blew through her hair, and her lightweight sundress ruffled in the breeze.

She grinned at the group of guys jogging toward her who were appreciatively checking her out. Each shirtless, showing off enviable ripped abdomens, with tanned skin and muscles upon muscles, they were a sight to behold.

The three guys looked like they could’ve been SEALs from Little Creek or sailors stationed over in Norfolk, except they didn’t have their hair cropped in the standard military fashion. That, and the military guys around here usually trained together on base.

Still, she didn’t mind a little eye candy on her way to meet her bestie for brunch. With the long strand of restaurants and hotels on one side of the boardwalk, and the wide stretch of beach on the other, it was already filling up on this gorgeous day.

“Looking good, sweetheart!” the last guy called out as her gaze slid over his muscled chest.

“Right back at ya!” she said, waggling her fingers at him as he jogged by.

She glanced over her shoulder, seeing him do the same, and he nearly crashed into a couple pushing a stroller.

Pausing briefly to apologize, he looked back at her and shrugged with a lopsided grin.

She laughed and kept on walking. Guys like him were a dime a dozen around here. Sure, he’d flirt with her if she encouraged it, but he’d be happy to be with any attractive woman, she was sure.

The beach would be filled soon with families playing in the surf, couples strolling hand-in-hand, and friends hanging out, sunbathing, and relaxing together. A few seagulls swooped through the air, the sunlight gleamed off the water, and the salty scent of the ocean blew in.

She adjusted the stack of bracelets on her arm, admiring her sun-kissed skin. She spotted Taylor already sitting at a table on the deck of one of their favorite restaurants, waving as she walked closer.

“You nearly caused a collision back there,” Taylor said with a laugh, her brown ponytail bobbing back and forth as she took a sip of her ice water.

Bailey stepped up onto the deck, laughing. She dodged a dog on a leash that leaped up happily wagging its tail to greet her, nodding at the couple seated there. “And that was my fault…how?” she asked her best friend. “I was just innocently walking along.”

“Innocently? Right. Trouble follows you wherever you go,” Taylor said with a knowing smile.

“Now that I can’t disagree with. And I’m glad you snagged a table. I parked a couple of blocks away so I could walk down the boardwalk.”

“It’s a perfect day for it. Mason dropped me off,” Taylor said, a slight flush creeping over her face.

Bailey waggled her eyebrows. “I get it; you were running late. Or was there more rolling around in bed than running?” she teased. “Congrats, my friend!”

“Shhh,” Taylor chastised her, looking mortified.

“Oh stop,” Bailey said, shushing her. “No one knows what I’m talking about. No one’s listening. And you two are practically living together anyway. We should probably start planning the wedding right now.”

“We’re not engaged,” Taylor said, looking embarrassed. “And we don’t even live together. I just stay at his place a lot.”

“Meaning all the time,” Bailey quipped. “Honey, if I had a hot Navy SEAL boyfriend, I probably would, too. Shoot, you probably wouldn’t be able to get me out of bed. Because the last couple of guys I’ve been with? Less than satisfying.”

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