Page 45 of Baby Daddy Protector

Lila wrote off Preston years ago. Of all the sneaky, underhanded things a man could do. Pretending to be dead, just to avoid her? Furious is putting it mildly. But when she bumps into Preston at the very same resort where they met, she calms down long enough for him to explain. And she can’t deny the sizzling chemistry they both still share.

When things take a dangerous turn, Lila’s grateful to have a sexy Navy SEAL in her corner. And maybe in her bed as well…

Grab your copy ofSnowed In with the SEAL

Available November 30, 2023

(Available for pre-order Now!)

www.LeslieNorthBooks.com

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EXCERPT

Chapter One

Three years ago…

There were worse ways to spend a June evening than watching a beautiful woman dance in the rain.

Preston Lawson leaned one shoulder against the side of the cabin he’d rented for the week and stared across the yard at Lila Holden as she twirled and laughed while rain soaked her pretty auburn hair and her white T-shirt, plastering both to her body.

What a fine body it was too. Curvy and soft, and seemingly made for him. She fit him perfectly, and not just physically, but emotionally too.

And that was exactly why Preston had to say goodbye to her.

She’d expect—and deserve—a more serious commitment if he stayed, and that was something he couldn’t give her. His heart twisted a bit inside his chest, but damn it, leaving was for the best.

Besides, it wasn’t like he had a choice. He was being deployed again with his SEAL team in a couple of days and would be gone at least six months. Sure, he and Lila had been hot and heavy from their start two months ago, but it was best to end it now, on a high note and with a clean break.

“You better come in soon, honey, before you catch your death,” he called to her. Her response was to spin faster, throwing her arms out wide. For a gal who’d lost her entire family, she had more zest for life than anyone he’d ever met.

Lila glanced over at him and laughed. “I have a better idea. How about you come out here and join me?”

He snorted and shook his head, perfectly happy beneath the overhang of the porch, dry and warm. And yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, or ignore the potent draw he felt to hold her tight for just a little bit longer. He wasn’t a trusting man by nature—life had repeatedly taught him the unfortunate lesson that nothing lasted forever and most people were out for themselves. Which made the fact that somehow, some way, Lila had burrowed her way into his heart from day one that much more unbelievable. Yet, there she was, right there in his soul, as close to him as his SEAL teammates or the memory of his long-lost parents, gone nearly twenty-four years now.

“So, what do you say, sugar?” Lila came up to him, peering up at him. She held a hand up and crooked her finger at him, her expression enticing. “Want to have a little fun?”

Tamping down the pinch of melancholy inside him, Preston reached down and grabbed her hand, hauling her up on the porch beside him, pulling her close as she squealed in delight. “How about we go inside and have fun instead?”

In response, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and deep. His body responded immediately, and he held her, pressing his hips to hers to allow her to feel the full extent of her effect on him. Man, he couldn’t get enough of Lila. Odd, since he’d never been a guy driven by his emotions or desires. In fact, he normally did his best to suppress that side of himself and prided himself on self-control and strategic thinking, not sloppy feelings. Feelings could get a man killed in combat, reacting out of anger or frustration. No. Usually, Preston kept a tight lid on his emotions, but with Lila they all seemed to want to come pouring out.

Another good reason to get out of town.

One more night. He’d spend one more night holding her, touching her, hearing those soft little moans she made as she came apart in his arms, then he’d set her free. Leave for his mission and never look back. That was how it had to be.

Preston bent slightly and swept Lila up into his arms, carrying her inside their cabin at the remote wilderness lodge, then kicked the door shut behind them. The sound of raindrops plinking on the tin roof above created a nice sense of intimacy as he tugged her wet T-shirt over her head then ran his fingers down her damp skin, loving the way she shivered against him.

“Cold?” he asked, nuzzling the side of her neck as he undid the clasp on her bra.

“Not even a little,” she said, stepping away from him, sliding the straps down her arms then tossing the bra away, leaving her naked from the waist up. Preston’s pulse kicked up another notch and his hard cock strained against the fly of his jeans. Hard to imagine this would be his last night with her.

During his eight-week leave, they’d been pretty much inseparable. He’d met her his first night here. She’d been waitressing in the restaurant attached to the lodge and he’d been a lonely sailor home between missions. He’d had his share of girlfriends in the past, but nothing long-term, and nothing like Lila.

She made him feel happy and content and made him dream about a different future than the one he’d planned for himself. Made him think that a career in the Navy might not be all he wanted for himself. Those were dangerous dreams, since a military career was basically all he knew. He’d enlisted right after high school graduation, fresh out of his umpteenth foster home, and he’d never looked back. Until now.

The final reason he needed to let Lila go.

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