Page 2 of SEAL's Secret

She flushed, not oblivious to the chemistry between them. While Hudson seemed like a decent guy, she wasn’t actually about to jump into bed with a man she’d just met. She barely knew the first thing about him. The elevator dinged, and she held her hand out to make sure the doors stayed open, gesturing for him to go first. A weird feeling of déjà vu washed over her as they walked down the hallway, like she’d done this exact same thing before. She was comfortable with him, she realized. Yes, Hudson was deliciously sexy, but he also had an easygoing personality that made her feel at ease.

“I explained why I’m here,” Layton said, “but you still didn’t share how your entire team ended up helping Emersyn move into her new place today, Aaron’s interest in her notwithstanding.”

“The rest of us don’t mind helping out. We all saw her on the beach that day,” Hudson said, his face darkening. “Aaron cares about her, and he’s like a brother to us. We go where he does. And hey,” he added, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “It’s not every day that I get to impress a beautiful woman by hauling around heavy boxes.”

Her jaw dropped.

Hudson’s easy laughter filled the hallway as he looked at her pointedly.

Yep. He was absolutely talking about her. And he’d volunteered to be her vacation fling. She felt her cheeks heat again. “You’re a flirt.”

He lifted a shoulder, somehow making it look easy despite the heavy box in his arms. “The guys and I are busy training most of the time or deploying on missions. Sure, we go out and have fun,but I don’t know. You seem more real than most of the women I meet.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, curious.

“Just that you’re down-to-earth, I suppose. Genuine. Don’t get me wrong, you’re beautiful, but some women have to be fully made up every second of the day with tons of makeup on and not a hair out of place. They’re putting on a show, more worried about impressing everyone around them than just being themself.”

Layton laughed, giving him the side-eye. “I’m helping my sister move. It’s not like a sexy little dress and stilettos would be appropriate—not that I brought those on a beach vacation anyway, where most of my time will be spent in a swimsuit.”

He chuckled. “That’s what I mean—you’re real. You were trying to kayak with Emersyn, not strutting around in a skimpy bikini afraid to even get wet. I totally think you could pull off that little bikini look if you wanted though,” he teased.

Layton’s heart fluttered as she felt his appreciative gaze on her once more. Layton had to admit his attention felt good. She’d been out of the dating scene for a long time, and while Hudson’s attention was flattering, deep down, she also sensed that he was a good guy. The entire team was helping her sister, who was for all intents and purposes, practically a stranger to them. They’d not only rescued her days ago but were getting her settled in to her new place as well.

“Your sister was lucky to find a good rental in Honolulu,” Hudson commented.

“She was. The market is hot here,” Layton agreed. “I could probably make a killing if I switched up my real estate business and moved to Oahu.”

“Where are you from again?” Hudson asked conversationally.

“Virginia. D.C. area,” she quickly amended. “Things are bustling there, too, but this is different. There’s limited inventory on an island.”

“Can’t say I’ve been to D.C. before,” Hudson admitted. “Norfolk area, yes. Little Creek.”

Ah yes. The hunky guy walking beside her wasn’t just a protective, alpha male who happened to be in the military. He was a freaking Navy SEAL. As were the rest of the men helping today. Emersyn was a DEA analyst here on TDY for six months. Layton was just a real estate agent. A divorcee. A single mom.

Not that she’d shared that with Hudson.

She’d fly back home to her real life in a matter of days. If he wanted to flirt with her, Layton saw no harm with that. She deserved to have a little fun, too, and it’s not like she’d see him again after she returned to the East Coast. Layton had joked with her sister that she needed a vacation fling, and she could certainly do worse than Hudson. The man was funny, charming, and practically looked like a movie star with his good looks and muscled frame.

“Where are you originally from?” she asked as they walked into the commotion of Emersyn’s new apartment. Wyatt “Wildcard” Miller was with Austin “Storm” Eckhart, hefting a sofa into place. Some of the others were no doubt already bringing up another load of boxes or furniture. And she heard her sister’s voice mixed in with Aaron “Anchor” Nielsen’s, coming from down the hallway.

“Iowa,” Hudson said, following her into the kitchen. “I moved around a lot as a kid. Ended up in foster care. I joined the Navy at eighteen and got the hell out of there.”

Layton frowned. While her own situation wasn’t ideal, what with an ex-husband who’d cheated on her and four-year-old daughter being constantly shuffled between homes, she knew Caroline’s upbringing was more stable than many kids. “I’m sorry. That sounds rough.”

“It is what it is,” he replied, clearly not wanting to elaborate on his upbringing.

Hudson set the large box on the counter with a thump as Layton glanced around the sunny yet empty space. The counters were bare. The fridge was empty. There wasn’t even a coffee maker or toaster on the counter. Hopefully some of those necessities were inside the box, because Layton absolutely needed her caffeine fix first thing in the morning.

It was hard to believe her sister would be living here now, thousands of miles away. Layton would help her get settled in, then go back to her own crazy life. To reality. She swallowed. While she missed Caroline like crazy during the weeks she was with her father, being in a different place helped to some extent. She wasn’t distracted by her daughter’s empty bedroom or her complete change of routine, not having a child to drop off at daycare in the morning, prepare meals for, or tuck into bed every night.

While Layton was here on vacation, she could almost pretend that a piece of her heart wasn’t missing every time Caroline had to leave to go to her father’s house.

“I’ll open the box for you,” Hudson said, jarring her from her train of thought. He clearly had noticed the kitchen’s lack of everything. There wasn’t even a pair of scissors in sight. “You can start unpacking while I haul some more boxes upstairs with the guys.”

She stared in surprise as he pulled a large K-bar knife free.

“Hazard of the job,” he explained, noticing her watching him. “We’ve got all kinds of weapons and gear. I figured it was best to be prepared what with moving your sister in.”

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