Page 1 of SEAL's Secret

Chapter 1

One month ago

Layton O’Connell nearly stumbled, trying to heft the large box from the back of the moving truck parked on the busy street in Oahu. Cars drove past, the sun shone brightly above, and the salty air from the Pacific wafted over her. Usually, she was closing on sales, getting buyers the home of their dreams back on the East Coast, not hauling boxes and furniture into a leased apartment in Hawaii.

She staggered back, bumping into a rock-solid chest, and one of the guys helping her sister move easily grabbed the heavy box before it teetered off the back of the truck, flashing Layton a sexy grin. His muscles bunched with the movement as he lifted it into his strong arms, and her eyes briefly caught on his bulging biceps before trailing back up to meet his gaze.

“I got it,” he said easily, his deep voice husky and dark eyes twinkling with amusement. A hint of stubble covered his strong jaw, dark brown, just like his shortly cropped hair. And shoot. He’d absolutely noticed her checking out his muscles, judging from the expression on his face. Not that he wasn’t worthy of drooling over. The man was freaking hot.

“Thanks,” she said, brushing back a strand of blonde hair and not missing the way his own eyes moved over her. She wasn’t exactly dressed to impress in running shorts and a snug tank top, her hair up in a messy, high ponytail, but from the look on his face, he didn’t seem to mind at all. His gaze fell to her lips, briefly raking down her body.

No, his very male interest in her was obvious, and Layton felt her pulse speed up.

“Go ahead,” he added with a nod toward the doors of the apartment building. The others continued to move around them, not seeming at all bothered that she was essentially standing in the way. “We’ll haul everything upstairs. You can help Emersyn get organized and tell us where to put things.”

“Yes, sir,” she joked, causing the guy’s lips to quirk.

Not just any guy. Hudson. She’d noticed him amongst the other men on the beach a few days ago, too. How could she not? Layton had been terrified, panicked at her sister’s near-drowning while they’d been kayaking in the Pacific Ocean. While several men had helped Layton as she’d been guided back to solid ground, it was Hudson’s strong hand that had gripped hers as she’d faltered in the shallow waves, her heart racing and body trembling. The sparks that had shot between them had been a shock, and she’d clung to him in a brief moment of panic, his deep voice murmuring, “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Then everything had happened at once—sirens, CPR, a crowd gathering around Emersyn’s limp body lying on the sand.

Layton tried to clear her thoughts.

Everyone had been focused on resuscitating her sister, and Layton had been too distracted to pay Hudson any attention after that. She’d been frantic, making sure Emersyn was all right. Alive. Breathing. Yet here they were again mere days later, Emersyn’s rescuers moving her into her new apartment in Honolulu.

Somehow, Layton ended up in the elevator alone with Hudson, the other guys passing them on their return trip as they’d headed back outside to grab more furniture and boxes. She pressed the button for Emersyn’s floor as the doors closed, and then it almost felt like Hudson was sucking up all the air in the small, enclosed space, his big body taking up far too much room.

Hudson was taller than her by a good eight inches. Big and broad. Strong. He was around her age, maybe a couple of years older. Competent. Confident. Not to mention absolutely mouthwatering. The man was in peak physical condition. She admired the corded muscles of his forearms as he shifted the big box he was holding and noticed the faint scent of clean soap mixed in with something else musky and male. The woodsy scent appealed to her, a contrast to the scent of coconut sunscreen and salty ocean air that otherwise permeated the space. He was tanned from days spent in the Hawaiian sun, no doubt training frequently with his teammates, and while she knew he was one of the good guys, there was something dark and dangerous lurking beneath his fun-loving personality.

“This isn’t much of a vacation for you,” he noted as the elevator began to rise, the side of his mouth hitching up. “Helping your sister move, that is.”

“I’m in sunny Hawaii,” she countered. “The kayaking thing didn’t quite work out, but we’ve got plenty of time to hit the beach again before I fly home, maybe try some of that famous Hawaiian shave ice. Now, if Em had been moving to a cornfield in the middle of Kansas, I might’ve had other ideas about her needing my help.”

“You got me there,” he said with a low, sexy chuckle. “Oahu’s a gorgeous place. The view’s not bad in here either,” he said with a wink, causing her to blush. His grin widened. Hudson was a flirt.

“Well, what about you?” she asked, trying to regain her composure. “You and your teammates barely know Emersyn, yet you’re helping her move. I’ve got the familial ties that practically make it my sisterly duty to fly out to this gorgeous tropical island.”

His lips quirked. “Point taken. But if you haven’t noticed,” he said conspiringly, “Aaron’s a bit smitten with your sister. I doubt he could’ve stayed away.”

“A bit?” she joked. “He showed up at her hospital room.”

“Guess she made one hell of an impression on him. It seemed to be love at first sight,” Hudson said with a husky laugh.

“Don’t believe in that?” she asked.

“I mean, lust at first sight? Sure. Two people can immediately be attracted to one another. Do I think you could fall in love with someone the second you meet? That’d be a no.”

“You’re a pessimist,” Layton said. “I mean, you’re not wrong….”

“No?” he raised his eyebrows, looking amused.

“Negative, ghost rider. Of course, you can’t fall in love with another person the moment you meet. It’s just chemistry. Pheromones.” The elevator stopped, the doors opening, but no one was waiting to get on. She frowned, pushing the number for Emersyn’s floor again. “I obviously don’t think they’re head-over-heels in love. Besides, I’m divorced, so I’m rather skeptical of the whole love is forever thing.”

“Wow. Your ex must be an idiot,” he noted.

She felt warmth flood through her. Hudson’s attention was flattering if no doubt leading exactly nowhere. Maybe her sister would start something with Aaron, but Layton was flying home in a matter of days. “My ex ran off with his secretary,” she explained, rolling her eyes. “And get this—then he cheated on her as well. No, if I meet anyone during my week on the island, it’ll be for an illicit night of fun, not forever.”

Hudson’s whoosh of breath and low chuckle made her pulse skitter. There was something extremely sexy about his deep voice and the way those dark eyes focused on her. “If you needa partner to…tango with…let me know,” he said. “I’m always up for a tough assignment like that.”

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