Page 14 of Summer with a SEAL

Last night had been…amazing.

He was a man of action, so usually he was meeting a woman at a bar, taking her out on a date, or bringing her home for the night. Hanging out with Jessica when sex clearly wasn’t on the table for the evening was a new one for him.

And hell if he wasn’t that much more intrigued by her.

They’d sat out on her deck for over an hour, drinking beers and just listening to the waves roll in. He’d flirted with her but for the most part kept his hands to himself. She was shy, and he could be patient. And when he had let his hand rest on her bare thigh, the feeling shooting through him had been electric.

Something told him that when he did finally kiss her—or hell, make love to her—it would be fucking spectacular. Discovering what made her moan, listening to her little gasps and whimpers as he pleasured her?

Hell.

He’d be hard for hours just imagining it.

He might as well wait to take her out on a proper date before any of that though. But it was clear that the chemistry between them was palpable. When was the last time he’d just clicked instantly with a woman? From the moment he’d spotted her on the beach in that green bikini, that was it. He wanted more.

And the image of her down by the water, her brown waves ruffling in the wind, was now burned into his brain.

She didn’t seem to even realize how damn beautiful she was—sure, her friends were attractive in a flashy sort of way. But Jessica’s tempting curves were a sight to behold. And that flush on her cheeks was intriguing as hell.

His phone buzzed on the counter after he’d poured milk into his bowl, and he answered, seeing his SEAL team leader Hunter’s name flash on the screen.

“Hook, is everything all right?” he asked.

“We’ve got orders to move out,” Hunter said in a clipped tone. “We’re going wheels up in three hours. Be on base at eleven hundred for a briefing.”

“Shit, are you serious?” Jacob asked.

Usually they knew when situations were unfolding and expected an imminent deployment. To be called up out of the blue was somewhat unusual. Not exactly unprecedented, but it was bad timing since he was planning to ask Jessica out. Hell, he’d told her he wanted to take her out this week. He couldn’t exactly ask her on a date now when he didn’t know when he’d be back.

He didn’t even know where they were going or why.

No wonder he’d never bothered with any sort of relationship before. Not that he and Jessica were in a relationship, but life as a Navy SEAL was complicated. Plenty of the men managed to have wives or girlfriends, but it sure the hell wasn’t easy.

“Fuck yeah, I’m serious,” Hunter said. “Are you still with that woman from last night?”

Irritation roiled through him. Not that it was any of Hunter’s damn business who he may or may not be with. Even if he had slept with her, he wouldn’t be bragging to his buddies. And having Jessica referred to as “that woman” didn’t sit right with him either.

“Jessica. And no, I waited with her for her friends to get back and then left her at her place like a perfect gentleman.”

Hunter chuffed out a laugh. “Right, Joker. Sure thing. Don’t worry if she shot you down—there are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

“Asshole,” he muttered.

“Is her friend all right? The one who was in the ER?”

“Affirmative. Ryker drove both the women home, and Jess and I were waiting for them. On the deck and fully clothed, I might add.”

“Well aren’t you a fucking white knight,” Hunter said.

“Gotta eat and grab my gear,” he said, ignoring the jab from Hunter. “See you on base.”

“Roger that,” Hunter said before ending the call.

Jacob muttered a curse as he set his phone down. He supposed he could text Jessica and say he’d be out of town. What the hell good would that do though? She’d probably want details and would just think he was blowing her off when he couldn’t provide any specifics.

He’d call her when he got back. Whenever the hell that was.

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