Page 13 of Stranded with a SEAL

“A few times—but not day trips on a boat like Mason and Taylor are planning.”

“Fishing off of Florida should be amazing,” he said with a grin. “All that open water, sunshine, and a cooler full of beers.”

Bailey laughed, glancing out at the water glinting in the bright sun.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing down at her.

She looked up at him, wishing she could see his eyes beneath his sunglasses. She noticed his nose had a slight bump in it, like maybe it’d been broken before. It just added to his rugged appeal though. With his chiseled jaw and the slight scruff of his dark whiskers, he wasn’t completely clean cut. He probably had a million stories to tell, too. She was sure his SEAL team had seen and done everything.

“Taylor and I predicted that’s what you guys would want—a few cold beers.”

“Doesn’t take much to keep me happy,” he said with a chuckle. “But you’re a bartender. Maybe I’ll let you concoct something else for me.”

A wave crashed against the dock, sending a slight spray of water up in the air. The cool droplets felt good against her heated skin. With the sun beating down and the slight buzz from her mimosas earlier, she was carefree and content.

That and the fact that she had a gorgeous man beside her. He had a clean, soapy scent with just a hint of spice. All that tanned, toned skin didn’t hurt either.

“Maybe I will,” she said. “House specialty.”

“And what’s that?”

“A surprise. Guess you’ll have to wait and find out down in Florida.”

“So how long did Owen stay last night? I hadn’t seen him in years, just heard he’d be in town. Man, if it didn’t make me feel old seeing a high school buddy of mine.”

“You can’t be that old,” she scoffed.

“Thirty-three,” he said with a wry smile. “Sure as hell feels old when I remember Owen from back when we were teenagers. We did all the varsity sports together—dated all the cheerleaders, too. Feels like a million years ago now.”

“So you graduated fifteen years ago? You’re right—thirty-three is old,” she mused.

One minute she was standing on the dock beside him, and the next, Noah had ducked down and scooped her up into his arms. She shrieked in surprise, clinging to him, and then he took a step closer to the edge, acting like he was going to toss her in.

“Put me down!” she yelled.

He just laughed harder, holding her close to his broad chest. He was solid muscle—nothing but ripped muscles and pure strength. His hands on her bare skin made electricity surge right through her. One arm wrapped around her, the other held her securely beneath her legs. Calloused fingers gripped her, so she knew she wouldn’t really fall. That didn’t mean she was about to let go of him though.

The ocean breeze blew through her hair, and Noah turned so that he was bearing the brunt of the wind. “If I put you down, you’ll fall right in, sunshine,” he said in a deep voice. “Don’t worry, I’d jump in after you though.”

“Hey, put her down!” Taylor called out. “Mason—do something!”

Mason chuckled beside her. “If she calls for help, I’ll make him put her down. They’re just goofing off, sweetheart.”

Bailey playfully swatted Noah on the arm, and he turned away from the water, carrying her back toward their friends. “Hell, that would’ve been fun tossing her in,” he said with a grin.

“You just wanted to jump off the dock yourself,” Mason said.

“Absolutely. The water looks awesome. I wasn’t sure that Bailey would really appreciate it though,” he said, setting her back down on the dock. She clung to his forearm, steadying herself.

“You enjoyed that,” she accused him.

“Holding you in my arms? Hell yeah, I enjoyed it. You’re a beautiful woman.”

She crossed her arms in mock-annoyance. “A beautiful woman who’s not going to sleep with you.”

“Who said anything about sleeping with me?” he asked with a grin.

“Oh, you’re impossible,” she said, walking down the dock back toward the beach. Embarrassment mixed in with irritation washed over her. Sure, he hadn’t exactly said he wanted to sleep with her, but she could put two and two together. She’d heard stories about the guys on the SEAL team. Maybe Mason and some of them had settled down, but as for the rest?

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