Page 4 of Harbored by the SEAL
Too much time had passed. She stared at the numbers on the plaque beside the door. Leo wasn’t here.
Fuck.
She blew out air and turned back just as Cowboy rounded the corner and entered the hallway. He was shirtless, the muscles of his chest and abs somehow obscene, his jeans hanging low on his hips. He stopped walking when he saw her, a cross between shock and confusion registering on his features before he smiled and moved again.
“Charlotte? What’s going on?”
She pulled her gaze back up his torso, meeting his eyes.
So. Fucking. Hot.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Oh yeah! Everything is great. Can I come in?”
He withdrew a card from his pocket, turning away from her to unlock the door, and the smell of his skin reached her nose. The earthy blend of spicy male and pungent soap made her muscles clench down deep in her body.
He held the door for her to enter first and she looked around the small stateroom. “Is the woman from the Academy here?”
“Abby. She's up on deck watching the royals.”
“Good.” Charlotte threw her purse onto the small couch. She could lie. She could claim it was some wild coincidence, or even include some semblance of the truth. Her brother had told her about the cruise, suggesting she needed a break and she should go spend some of Rick’s money.
Is that what you want? Do you want to pretend you didn’t deliberately seek him out?
She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. “How are you, Leo?”
“Honestly, I’m at a loss right now. What are you doing here?”
This is it, Charlotte. The moment of truth.
She licked her lips. “I have a proposition for you.”
“What kind of proposition?”
“The fun kind.” She walked toward him. “I’m in need of some recreation.”
Cowboy's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. “The ship has all kinds. What are you looking for?”
“There's just one kind I’m interested in, actually.” She closed the remaining distance between them until she was standing just a foot away. “I'm looking for a fling. A no-holds-barred, no-strings-attached, out-of-this-world, completely sexual fling with a capital F for one week, and one week only.”
She was close enough to see his blue eyes dilate, to feel the shift in the air between them. A flush crept up her chest to her neck.
His voice was gravelly. “That’s why you’re here?”
She nodded.
The heat from his stare was intense, and she could feel his desire. They would be so good together. It would feel amazing to be wanted by this man, to let lust take over what love had destroyed. She needed to be a desirable woman. To have nothing but desire from a highly desirable man.
His gaze dropped to the floor.
All of her bravado began to crumble, leaving the steel structure of her insecurities standing tall. He was going to turn her down.
“Charlotte, I'm sorry. I want to say yes, I really do.”
This wasn’t happening. In her wildest imaginings she hadn’t even considered he wouldn’t want her. She forced her chin higher and tried again. “Oh, come on, Leo. Don't give me some bullshit answer about Logan and responsibility.”
“It's not bullshit. Your brother is my teammate on HERO Force. You know he doesn't want us to be together.”
