Page 30 of Summer with a SEAL

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jacob asked a moment later, sliding back onto the empty barstool.

“Oh, it’s nothing. One of those women just came back over while you were gone and was asking about you.”

Jacob frowned. “Hey, Jess,” he said, tilting her chin up so she met his gaze. “They were flirting with me and all of my buddies a few weeks ago. I mean, sure, I might have flirted a little with them then. But tonight, I told them right away I was with someone. I’m here with you.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said, shifting away from him. “I’m just being silly.” She took a sip of her margarita, suddenly feeling more than a little foolish.

“I like you,” he said softly. “Do I date a lot of women? No. It’s easier to just go out for a night or something and never see them again. Or hang out with my buddies and women I meet on the beach.”

“We met on the beach,” she pointed out.

“So we did. And we just spent the entire afternoon together. I didn’t even remember the names of those women until they came over tonight, much less get their numbers. But I came to see you as soon as I got back.”

The hostess came over just then to tell them their table was ready. Jacob climbed off his barstool and held out his hand. “Shall we go eat?” he asked, helping her down. He ducked closer, so that his lips brushed against her ear. “I never asked any of those women out. Only you, angel.”

She flushed, feeling the heat from his large frame radiating off of him. His thumb lightly caressed the back of her hand, and she suddenly felt foolish for doubting him.

“Yes, let’s go eat,” she agreed.

“Thank goodness,” he joked, clutching his free hand to his heart as he winked at her. His brown eyes sparked with amusement, but she could see he’d been sincere about what he said.

“Thank goodness we’re eating or thank goodness I agreed to eat?” she asked, smiling up at him.

“Both, definitely both, angel. I’m starving, yes, but I wouldn’t want to be here with anyone else.”

Chapter 13

Jacob dropped to the ground a few days later, doing another set of push-ups in the training room. He grunted as his biceps burned, but he forced himself to count up to twenty once more. To focus on nothing but the reps he was doing.

Colton counted out from across the room, doing pull-ups on the bars. A few of the other guys were gathered around the weights, spotting one another as they lifted. After training all day out on the water yesterday, a day where they remained on base for PT and briefings was a change of pace.

Jacob preferred being out on the open sea, training for action, rather than sitting through various intel sessions—and knew that the rest of his buddies did as well.

There were still no updates on the missing American official, and he hoped that they deployed again soon to rescue her. The alternative was unthinkable.

“How’s your new lady?” Hunter asked as Jacob stood up, grabbing a towel to wipe the beads of sweat off his forehead. “You seeing her soon?”

“Fantastic,” Jacob said. “I’m taking her out again this weekend.”

“Again? Wait, you already saw her since we got back?” Hunter asked, cocking his head as he watched Jacob.

“Affirmative. The day after we returned stateside,” he added with a chuckle. “Why wait around when there’s a good thing right in front of me? I can’t have some other dude swoop in. I snuck up and surprised her after the debrief.”

“Man, she’s already got you by the balls,” Hunter said with a chuckle.

“You’re one to talk, Hook,” Mason said as he walked over, calling Hunter by his nickname. “You moved in with Emma as soon as she came to the U.S. I mean, did you even date her first or just start shacking up together right away?”

“You just moved too slowly, Romeo,” Hunter said with a smirk. “That could’ve been you and Taylor, too, if you’d gotten off of your ass sooner.”

Jacob’s lips quirked. Mason and Taylor had flirted for a month before finally starting to date. She’d been hesitant to date one of the SEALs who frequented Anchors, but once Mason had convinced her to go out with him, they’d been inseparable ever since. Funny that every man on the team had a woman now—well, except Ryker. And not that Jessica was really Jacob’s woman. They were dating. Taking it slow.

It’s not like anything serious would happen with her leaving at the end of the summer anyway.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mason said. “You and Emma hit it off the second you met. I was there, remember?”

Jacob shook his head, walking over to take a long pull of water from his bottle. “It’s not like anything serious is going to happen with Jess—she’s only here for a couple of months. Hell yeah, I plan to date her while she’s in town. She’s fun and smart—not to mention gorgeous. But she’s got a teaching job in Blacksburg.”

“They’ve got schools here, too,” Colton said sarcastically as he dropped down from the bars.

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