Page 6 of Summer with a SEAL

“Blacksburg,” she said, referencing a southwestern Virginia town clear across the state.

“Mountains are good,” he said, nodding. “They don’t exactly compare to the beach though.”

“Not at all,” she agreed. “Every time I come to the Tidewater area, I’m convinced I should move here.”

“Living here for the summer’s a good start. And hell, there are teaching jobs for sure around here if you ever do change your mind. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone so you feel more comfortable. They all know me—so ask any questions you want.”

“Anything?” she teased.

“Whatever you want. I’d love for you to hang out with me and my friends. And since I’m being upfront, I’d love to take you out sometime, too. Without my friends,” he added with a low chuckle.

“Um, let’s see how tonight goes,” she murmured.

“Fair enough, angel. Come hang out with us at the bonfire for a while. You don’t have to agree right now. I live nearby and am stationed at Little Creek. Same with the other guys. So the chances are good we’ll run into each other again anyway.”

She nodded, something flickering in the back of her mind. She’d heard of Little Creek in passing. But did that mean Jacob was one of the SEALs stationed there? Or maybe he just worked on base. Certainly not everyone was part of a SEAL team.

She felt out of her element. In Blacksburg, lots of people worked for Virginia Tech. It wasn’t a huge military town like Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Was she going to hang out with Jacob for the night or the week and then he’d be deployed somewhere? Sent off on a mission?

He hadn’t volunteered a lot about his job, but she was beginning to wonder if there was a reason for that.

“Joker!” a tall guy with dark hair called out as they walked up to the group. He grinned, and his gaze shifted to her. “How’d you let him talk you into coming over here?”

“Hey now, don’t scare her off,” Jacob said. “I just convinced her it was okay to come join us.”

“Just ignore them,” a blonde woman with an eyebrow ring said. “I’m Bailey. Noah’s with me,” she said, nodding toward the guy who’d just been talking. “I’m a bartender further down the beach if you and your friends want to come by one night. I’ll hook you ladies up with some drink specials.”

“Sounds good,” Jessica said, watching as Noah wrapped his arm around Bailey’s shoulders. She couldn’t see his eyes beneath the aviators he had on, but the expression on his face seemed to indicate that he was completely smitten with her.

“Hi, I’m Brianna,” another woman said, walking over to her. “I’m with Matthew over there. And this is our little guy,” she added, glancing down at the baby in her arms.

“He’s adorable,” Jessica said, watching as Brianna walked off again.

“Can I get you some food?” Jacob asked. “We’ve got hotdogs, sides, chips—you name it.”

“Oh, uh, no thanks. I’m fine,” Jessica said.

“What? I insist. Come on,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her closer to the bonfire. “Let me at least roast you a hotdog or something. I can’t invite you to a bonfire and not feed you.” She tried not to react to the electricity coursing through her at his touch. The feel of his calloused fingertips against her skin had sent heat licking through her entire body.

He was big. Muscular. And his focus was one hundred percent on her. She almost didn’t know what to do with that attention. This wasn’t a date or something—just a group of friends together on the beach.

But he’d made it clear to everyone that she was with him tonight, just from his simple gestures.

Jacob ducked down, pulling more food from a cooler, and she noticed the way his shirt stretched across his biceps. He probably had six-pack abs under that tee shirt. Her gaze tracked down to his muscular thighs—although he wasn’t bulky like some of the guys, he was ripped all over.

Muscles upon muscles of pure masculine strength.

A guy like him was intimidating enough without the killer body. This group of men could annihilate anyone in a minute if they wanted. Although they were joking around though, the ones with their women seemed totally attentive to them.

Just like how Jacob was being attentive to her.

He ripped open another package of hotdogs and grabbed two skewers. “Want me to roast yours?” he asked. “Or would you rather do the honors?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” she murmured, glancing around. A few gazes landed on her, but most of the group was busy talking amongst themselves or tending to their kids.

She did a double-take as she spotted their waitress from the other night there as well. “Hi! I recognize you and your friends,” she said, walking over. “I’m Taylor.”

“You guys went to Anchors?” Jacob asked, flashing her a grin.

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