A SEAL's Seduction (Alpha SEALs Book 4) (8 page)

Mike eased into a parking spot on the busy road, instructing Kenley to sit tight until he could help her out of the SUV.  She watched him round the front of the vehicle and felt a small flush of pleasure at his attentiveness.  Was this how he treated all the women in his life that he was supposedly only friends with?  Unlikely.  And who was she kidding—they weren’t exactly “just friends.”  Not with the heated glances he’d been throwing at her for the past hour.  She could pretend all she wanted, but after that kiss they’d shared at the pool?  She wasn’t fooling anyone.  Not even herself.

He opened the door, and her breath caught as he reached out to help her.  Kenley let Mike take her hand and help her out of his SUV, his large, muscular hand nearly enveloping her much smaller one.  His grip was warm and firm, and she tried not to gasp at his closeness.  At the heat she could feel from his large frame as he hovered over her.  His other hand came to a rest atop the open door, essentially trapping her against the passenger seat.

She tilted her head back, meeting his eyes.

“I like you,” he said, his voice husky.

Heat coursed over her skin.  “Excuse me?”  She couldn’t have heard him correctly.  Hadn’t he just said a few minutes ago he wasn’t going to pull anything?

He ducked his head lower, holding her gaze.  “I like you.  I don’t play games; I don’t beat around the bush.  I’ll be your friend, but know that I want more.”  His thumb lightly caressed her knuckles, sending shivers down her spine, and then he released her, backing away, giving her space.  Leaving far too much distance between them again.

She didn’t know how to react to that.  Maybe there was some sort of electricity still sparking between them, but she was leaving in another week or so.  And he was all wrong for her.  She didn’t do one-night-stands; she didn’t need a guy like him around.  Except—no one else had made her feel so alive in such a short amount of time.  They’d only spent the briefest of moments together, and each time it hadn’t been nearly long enough.  Her body craved more of everything—his touch, his voice, his scent.  The unfinished promise of what could happen between them if only she’d let it.

It didn’t mean anything though.  She was in lust, maybe, but not in the beginnings of a relationship.  That kiss yesterday might’ve been the best kiss she’d ever had, but it had been a fantasy.  A moment of adrenaline and heightened hormones.  And since she’d be gone in days, not a thing would ever come of it.

Shakily she stepped onto the sidewalk as Mike shut the door, setting the alarm.  “Where to?” he asked, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

She felt off-kilter by his admission but steeled herself, determined to pretend everything was fine.  “Do you like seafood?”

“Angel, I’m in the Navy.  I’ll eat anything.”

Did he just call her…angel?  She hastened a glance his way, and he winked.

Brushing it aside, she began walking.  “Lexi and I were planning to eat at this seafood place down the block.  Does that sound good?”

“Sure, wherever you want is good with me.”

“Did you guys get to finish helping Christopher today before everything happened?”

“Yeah, we moved a ton of furniture around as you could probably tell.  And Patrick and Christopher hauled a bunch of things down to storage.  It’s all set for whenever Lexi wants to move in.”

“Wow.  It’ll be so strange when she’s down here permanently.”

“You can come visit; it’s just a few hours away.  I’ll even let you stay with me if you want.”  He casually slung his arm around her shoulder, and she sighed.  His warmth and strength beside her felt too good.  Maybe he was claiming to be playing it casual, but her body was screaming for more of those heated kisses and stolen caresses.

“Are you forgetting my parents have a condo here?” she asked lightly.

“Ah, the infamous condo.  I couldn’t forget that—that’s where we first met.”

“Met,” she scoffed.  “You held me against the wall when you thought I was one of the kidnappers.”

Mike ducked his head low, his lips hovering near her ear.  “The next time I have you against a wall, it will be for an entirely different reason.”

She flushed, heat coursing through her veins, as images of Mike holding her against him flashed through her mind.  There were a few different ways to interpret that statement, all of them entirely too tempting.  All of them entirely wrong for her.

His lips brushed against her cheek, heating her skin even more.  “I love how you blush around me, Kenley.  It makes me think you’re more affected by me than you want to admit.”

Embarrassed, Kenley abruptly pulled away from him, putting her hands on her hips.  “What do you want Mike?  You acted like this was just a friendly dinner, but obviously it’s not.”

He raised his eyebrows, a smug expression crossing his face.  “I wanted to see how you’d react.  You sure seemed to like me yesterday at the pool.  Then at the bonfire, you blew me off.  So which is it?”

Kenley threw her arms up in the air.  “I give up.  Forget about dinner.  I’ve got to go.”

“Kenley, wait—” he said, gently grabbing her arm as she turned to leave.  “I’m sorry.”  His fingers barely clasped her arm, but she felt trapped in place, tethered to him.  She took a deep breath, desperately trying to fill her lungs with precious oxygen.  Why was it so hard to breathe around him?  It was like he sucked all the air from the space around her, leaving her breathless.  Making her desperate to stop whatever it was he did to her—before she fell so hard there was no turning back.

“We’ll never be friends, Mike,” she said angrily.  “We’ll never be anything.”

His expression clouded, and a hint of regret flashed across his eyes.  “Kenley, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry you’re acting like a jackass.  But what’s the point?  You’ll act nice for a little while then turn into a jerk again.’

“Let me walk you back to your car.”

“Don’t bother,” she said, stalking away.  Knowing he would follow, she glanced back over her shoulder and shot him an icy glare.  “Just leave me the hell alone.”

***

Mike watched Kenley walk away and muttered a curse.  He’d pushed her too far after promising he wouldn’t hit on her tonight.  But hell, how long was she going to go around acting like there was nothing between them?  He’d kissed plenty of women over the years, but that kiss he and Kenley had shared yesterday?  It had been the hottest one of his life.  Holding her to him in the pool like that, feeling all of her softness up against him, the sweet and gentle way she’d yielded to his kiss and touch?  It made him want a hell of a lot more time alone with her.

He didn’t think a little harmless flirting would cause her to freak out like that.  He was a man, not some teenage boy too shy to talk to the pretty girls.  If he was interested in a woman, he’d let her know.  What was there to pretend about anyway?  They were consenting adults.  Maybe he did want to take her to dinner and then straight to his bed, but that didn’t mean the night would’ve ended that way.

He sighed, looking back and forth on the busy road.  He still needed to eat, and they had early training tomorrow.  His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to see a text from Brent.  He and Matthew were at Anchors tonight.  Might as well join them, he supposed.  He had to eat sometime, and Kenley had just blown him off.  He sure the hell would’ve liked her company more than his buddies, but what was he supposed to do?  Chase her down the street like some asshole?  She clearly didn’t want to see him.

Walking down the block, he pushed open the door to the busy bar.  Even on a Sunday evening it was packed, and Mike scanned the room.  A group of women near him made a big show of giving him the once over, but he didn’t give them a second glance.  His buddies were at a table in the back, along with a couple of co-eds who were laughing hysterically at whatever Brent was saying.  Mike noted the women they were with were not the nurses from last night.  Hell.  Wouldn’t those guys ever tire of an endless parade of women?  Maybe he was getting too old for this scene.

He’d left Christopher and Lexi at their place; Patrick had been hurrying home to see Rebecca and their kids.  Even Evan, the youngest man on their SEAL team, now had a girlfriend.  He and Alison lived together and seemed completely content.  Although Mike usually enjoyed weekend nights out with his buddies, the women and booze a welcome relief from the stress of their training and deployments, the days were starting to feel a little empty.

Lately, he felt like he needed something more.  Regret weighed on his chest from the way the evening had ended with Kenley and the dinner that never was.  She hadn’t even let him escort her back to her car, and that didn’t sit well with him.  Sure, she was a grown woman and could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t safely see her to where she was going.

He nodded to the waitress for a beer as he crossed the bar and then grabbed an empty seat at the table.  The woman Brent had been talking to was now perched on his lap.

“Sure, I’d love to see those babies,” he laughed as she pushed out her ample chest.

“I’d love to show you,” she cooed.

Jesus.  Could the woman be any more obvious?  There was something entirely unappealing about women who came on too strong.  Subtlety could work just fine, even for guys like them.  Why didn’t she just strip in front of Brent and show him her goods right now?  Hell.

“Who’s your friend?” the dark-haired beauty beside Matthew asked, coyly batting her lashes at him.  She had on way too much make-up and a skintight top that left nothing to the imagination.  Hell, he could probably guess her bra size in that thing.

“Are you deserting me already, darlin’?” Matthew asked, winking.  The brunette laughed and appeared to be in no hurry to leave his side.

“Just weighing my options,” she teased, licking her lips suggestively.  She leaned against the table, putting her ample cleavage on display.  Even Brent’s attention flicked over.

“What’s your name?” she asked Mike, sending him a mega-watt smile.

Good God.  Although her rack was a sight to behold, it had to be fake.  There was nothing attractive about that.  Mike’s mind flashed back to the sundress Kenley had on today—it skimmed over her curves just so, giving him a hint of what lay beneath but leaving plenty to the imagination.  And hell if his imagination hadn’t been working overtime.  He’d felt all her softness against him and knew she would be gorgeous.  The rosiness of her lips was natural, not from some fancy, over-applied red lipstick.  Would her nipples be that same rosy hue?  He hardened just thinking about those full breasts of hers.  He was dying to kiss and caress her, tasting, sucking her nipples into his mouth as he teased her.  There was nothing he wanted more than Kenley crying out his name, begging him for more.

And after the abrupt dismissal she’d given him tonight?  Hell, it made him want to chase after her even more.  Even if she was uncertain around him at times, she wasn’t afraid to stand up to him or tell him off when necessary.  She sure the hell didn’t throw herself at him like these overdone girls.  And wasn’t that a refreshing change.

“Don’t worry about him,” Matthew said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.  “Can I buy you another drink?”

“Maybe,” she giggled.  “If you ask nicely.”

Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

A loud raucous drew their attention from across the bar as two guys began arguing and shoving one another, a chair crashing to the floor.  As one of the men stumbled backward, a woman behind him fell to the ground, caught in the melee. Her head connected with the edge of the table, which toppled over as well, sending plates, glasses, and bottles flying.

Mike, Matthew, and Brent rose instantly, hurrying toward the commotion.  Matthew helped the woman up as several bystanders looked on.  Brent grabbed hold of the guy throwing punches, fire in his eyes.

“Enough!” he roared.

The man struggled, but Brent had him down on the ground in an instant.

“Get some ice for her!” Mike called out to one of the bartenders as he noticed the thin line of blood trailing down the woman’s temple.  He grabbed a clean napkin from a nearby table, tossing it to Matthew.  “You two, out of here,” he growled at the men, gesturing toward the door.

“Who the hell are you!” the man still standing shouted.

Anger coursed through Mike as he stepped closer, adrenaline surging through his veins.  “Get the fuck out of here now, before we throw you out.”

Brent yanked the guy on the ground up, causing him to wince in pain.

“Let’s just go,” the guy muttered.

The manager hurried over, checking to see how badly the woman was injured.  “The police are on their way,” he said to Mike and his teammates.  “These two were in here causing trouble last week.”

“They sure the hell won’t be here again,” Mike assured him, eyes blazing.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and the women they’d left at the table in the back waved goodbye and rushed out the front door.  He and Matthew exchanged glances.  “Underage?” Matthew questioned.

Hell.  The women were in college but possibly not even twenty-one yet.  Mike felt like an old man at thirty-two.  He was too old to be playing these games in crowded bars with college girls.  That’s all they were—girls.  He wasn’t sure how old Kenley was, but she was definitely a woman.  She had a job.  A degree.  Her own life.  She sure didn’t throw herself at him, wanting only to bed a Navy SEAL.  Hell, if anything, she pulled away from him.