Page 7 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Four

Virginia Beach, Virginia

July 23, 2011

“You got your eyes on that one, or is she still in play?” Harry said as he sat down next to Mack at the bar. He slid his glass to the bartender for a refill.

Mack’s eyes were locked on the brunette sitting at the opposite side of the bar. She was talking to her friend—nervously laughing and trying desperately to act like she wasn’t looking back at him. “You can try, but she’s already set her sights on the gold medal. Not sure she’s going to settle for the bronze at this point,” Mack said as he tried to smooth his beard out a bit.

“God. I can’t wait for you to move to San Diego,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Maybe then there will be some left for the rest of us.”

“I wouldn’t count on it, brother,” Mack said as he slid off his bar stool. “Now sit back and watch the master work.”

The brunette watched anxiously as Mack sauntered over and sat down next to her. She giggled as she turned to him. “My friend wants to know if you’re a SEAL.”

“Does she?” Mack said, putting his hand on her knee. “And what do you want to know?”

She looked down at his hand slowly and then back up at his intense stare. “Umm. I mean, I guess the same thing,” she said, starting to breathe a little more heavily.

“Is that really all you want to know about me? There are so many things that are more interesting.”

“Like what?” she said as her eyes widened.

“Like,” Mack said as he slid forward on his stool, so their knees were almost touching, “that I make the best pancakes in the world.”

She tilted her head. “It’s a little late for pancakes. Don’t you think?”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to eat them when we wake up in the morning.” Mack smiled at her as he stood up. He touched her shoulder lightly as he walked by her. “I’ll be in the black truck to your right as you walk out if you want to join me.”

Mack knew the women in this bar weren’t much of a challenge. That amount of effort worked at least 90 percent of the time, but he had never seen this woman before. He was giving it about a seventy-thirty chance she’d show up. He was barely in the truck when he saw her walk out of the bar and look immediately to her right. He got out and walked around to the passenger’s side. He opened the door and leaned against it as he watched her walk over to him.

“Hey,” she said, looking up at him.

He reached out and took her hands. “Hey.”

“My friend said I can’t leave with you.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming out to tell me,” he said, squeezing her hands lightly before he dropped them.

“Wait,” she said, pressing her hands against his chest. “She said I couldn’t leave with you, but I’m sure we can get creative.”

“I’m very creative,” he said as he spun her around and pressed her against the door. As he started kissing her, she wound her arms around his neck and buried her hands in his thick hair. He pulled up her skirt as he picked her up and sat her down on the truck seat—spreading her legs with his hips as his body pressed against her.

“Is anyone going to see us?” she whispered as she started to pull off Mack’s T-shirt.

“No, baby. We’re hidden over here in the corner,” he growled into her ear as his hand started moving between her legs. She let out a soft moan.

He grabbed a condom out of the glove compartment and ripped it open with his teeth. He put it on with one hand as he plunged his fingers inside her with his other hand. She moaned more loudly.

“You like that? You’re really going to like this,” he said as he slid himself inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him in deeper. As he rocked her back and forth against the seat, she grabbed his face and started aggressively kissing him—stopping only to let out a few more moans. She rubbed her hands through his hair again as her body shuddered against him. Mack buried his face in her shoulder as he came. He kissed her gently a few more times before he pulled out.

She stood up and pulled her skirt back down. “You are a SEAL, right?’

“Yeah.” He smiled as he pulled his pants up. “I am.”

She smiled broadly. “Okay. Well, I’m going to go back inside to my friends. I’ll see you in there, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Mack nodded as she walked around the truck. He gave her a few minutes’ head start and then followed her inside.

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