The Navy Seal's Promise
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Authors: Soraya Lane
SORAYA LANE
THE NAVY SEAL’S PROMISE
SORAYA LANE
Copyright © Soraya Lane
2012
Cover by Mixing Ink
Design
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of this work in whole or in part in any form is forbidden without the prior
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Visit Soraya at her
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www.sorayalane.com
or on
twitter @Soraya_Lane.
You can email Soraya
direct at
[email protected]
Also by Soraya Lane
Available from
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The Navy Seal’s Bride
Back in the Soldier’s
Arms
Rodeo Daddy
The Army Ranger’s
Return
Soldier on Her
Doorstep
Saskia Cullen tucked closer into the warmth beneath her cheek. She tried to
shift her body, seeking a more comfortable position, but didn’t get very far.
She yawned and stretched
out an arm.
“Hi.”
Her eyes flew open, the deep voice so close to her ear taking her by
surprise.
Oh.
Heat burst into her cheeks, her eyes darting to the side
before she recoiled back into the seat and hit her head on the window. “I’m
sorry, I must have…” What had she done? She was so exhausted she could hardly
even recall boarding the plane.
“It’s fine. I figured you were really tired.” The guy seated to her
right, the guy she’d been snuggled into like he was her own personal love
monkey, was grinning at her. His eyes crinkled ever-so at the corners, brown
irises somehow smiling as he watched her.
It didn’t stop her embarrassment and her cheeks were still on fire.
“I don’t usually do that sort of thing, I promise,” she started, rubbing
the back of her head where she’d hit it. “I remember taking my seat and then I
must have fallen asleep before you even boarded.” The last week had been so exhausting,
and then the thought of the long-haul flight back home… Saskia looked down,
pleased she’d changed back into her civilian clothes. The last thing she needed
to do was embarrass herself
and
the army.
“Look, you don’t snore and I didn’t mind, so it’s no big deal,” the guy
insisted, holding out his hand. It was awkward, given how close they were
seated, but she grasped it anyway. “I’m Luke.”
“Saskia,” she managed, still tongue-tied. “And I
am
sorry.
Honestly, it’s beyond embarrassing and I have seriously never done that before.”
He laughed, a big grin spreading across his face. “What, fall asleep with
strange men?”
Saskia knew her face would be a furious kind of red by now.
Let myself
not be in control
was what she wanted to reply, but she kept her mouth
shut.
“Just to warn you, we’ve been having some turbulence.”
The plane started to shudder and Saskia looked up to see the seatbelt
sign flashing. She instinctively touched her buckle to make sure it was
fastened.
“You mean to say I slept through more of this?” she asked, resting her
head back on the seat as the plane thumped and rocked like a bad rollercoaster
ride.
Luke nodded, hands planted to his thighs. “Yep, sure did.”
She watched the way his fingers thrummed back and forth and then stopped,
digging into the denim of his jeans. Her eyes skipped to his face. It wasn’t outwardly
obvious, but she was pretty sure he was nervous. She’d seen this sort of thing
plenty of times before, especially with her new recruits.
“You okay?” The plane lurched some more.
Luke met her gaze. “I’ll be fine as soon as we land.” He paused and
slowly unclenched his fingers, crossing his arms instead like he’d realized how
she’d found him out. “This doesn’t bother you?” he asked
with a grimace.
Saskia shrugged. “I’m used to flying, that’s all.”
She wondered if that’s why he hadn’t minded her sleeping on his shoulder.
Perhaps it had taken his mind off the turbulence. Saskia fought the urge to
check her breath, horrified that she might have been breathing all over him.
“You fly for work a lot?” he asked.
Saskia hesitated. Did she tell him the truth or lie? She glanced at him,
still not sure. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So are you flying home or for work right now?”
He was just making polite conversation, and since they were going to be
sitting side by side for a while yet, she either needed to open up or somehow
maneuver the conversation away from her. She was used to being around men 24/7
– the kind of men that’d make plenty of girls swoon. So the fact that this
broad shouldered, dark eyed stranger was making her stomach flip more than the
turbulence? It told her she didn’t want to spoil things by telling him what she
did for a living, not when so many civilian guys seemed to find it
intimidating. Having Luke to flirt with for the rest of the flight wasn’t
exactly something she was opposed to.
“I’m flying home, but just briefly. I’m on leave,” she admitted, pausing
as she watched his face. “From the army.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “You’re a soldier?”
She smiled at the expression on his face. “United States Army Corporal
Saskia Cullen,” she told him, proud of her title. “I’m flying home to see my
family and I’ll be back on a plane in two days.”
Luke relaxed as they started flying more steadily again. “So you’ll be
used to far worse conditions than this?”
“Yup, you could say that.” Some of the flights she’d been on in the last
couple of years had been beyond hair-raising.
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but since you’ve slept through most of
the flight…”
“We’re almost there already?” Saskia checked her watch. Wow. She must
have been more exhausted that she’d realized.
“Do you have a connecting flight to make?”
She looked back at Luke. “I’m heading to Buffalo.”
Luke frowned. “This turbulence is from the snow storm that’s hit New York
and the surrounding states, and it sounds like they’re going to let us land and
then shut the airport
down. There’ll be no
flights going out for the rest of the night due to snow.”
“What?” Saskia’s heart started to pound. “No, that’s not possible, I have
to make it.” The plane’s jerking motions hadn’t worried her, but not making it
home? She had a little boy with his heart set on seeing his mom, and it had
been so long since she’d been back.
Saskia bit her lip. Thinking about what she was missing wasn’t going to change
the situation.
“So what is it that you do?” It wasn’t this guy’s fault that the leave
she’d worked so hard to get was worthless.
He grinned then winked at her. “If I tell you I’ll have to kill you.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. That was something her son would
say. “Seriously?”
Luke chuckled. “Guess.”
He braced himself with one hand against the seat in front of him as the
plane hit more turbulence and she decided to play along. They both wanted to
keep their minds off things.
“Sales rep,” she guessed.
He frowned. “Please don’t tell me I look like a salesman.”
Saskia looked him up and down, liking what she saw. He was handsome –
thick blond hair, chocolate eyes, and a smile that lit up his entire face. His
face was tanned, like he’d spent a lot of time outdoors, and his hands… she
looked up quickly before he had a chance to notice that her gaze had dropped.
They were hands that had seen real work, even if he did look more super-cute
surfer than construction worker.
Saskia glanced up and realized that his eyes were locked on hers. She
cleared her throat. “I’m picking up that
you
don’t fly for a living.”
That made him laugh. She raised an eyebrow in response.
“Just because I don’t like turbulence doesn’t mean I can’t
handle
it.”
She laughed and then stopped. He’d pushed up his sleeve and she’d seen a
flash of dark – a tattoo. And from what she could see it looked like an eagle.
She
had it.
“What time was it that we land?” She knew full well, but…
“1900 hours,” he replied without hesitation.
Saskia grinned.
Gotcha
. “I’m close, so you may as well just tell
me. It’s something to do with the military, otherwise you wouldn’t have
answered like that.”
She didn’t have to admit that she’d been ogling his
ink.
Luke leaned closer, into her space. She wanted to move back but had nowhere
to go.
“I’m a Navy SEAL,” he said, his voice low. “I work counterterrorism, and
I’m only telling you because you’re military, too.”
Saskia stared at him. She knew how closely these guys respected their privacy
when it had the potential to put those they loved in harm’s way. “Your secret’s
safe with me,” she told him, voice low, wishing she had the confidence to reach
out and touch his hair. It was long, too long for a military guy, but she
wanted to touch it anyway. Almost all the guys she served with had buzz cuts,
and there was something about being so close to a man with thick blond hair…
She gulped and tried to pretend that she was still on duty. That he was out of
bounds.
It wasn’t so easy
.
“Saskia, do you want to have dinner with me?”
He was sitting back in his seat now, but he was still watching her.
“You mean at the airport?”
He nodded. “I have a feeling we’re going to be stuck a while, but having
a meal with you might just about make up for it.”
Saskia’s cheeks flared with heat again. “Do you say that to every girl
you meet on a plane?”
Luke shut his eyes for a second as the plane jolted. “I don’t usually
travel on commercial airlines, so no, you’re the first.”
Saskia couldn’t help but smile. She was used to men being charming, but
this man was something else entirely. Maybe it was a SEAL thing. Those guys
probably all had massive egos.
“If we’re grounded I’ll say yes, but if not I’ll be running like a mad
thing to the other terminal,” she replied, hoping her voice sounded as confident
as she’d meant it to.
“Deal.”
The speaker above them crackled to life.
“
Once again we apologize for the large pockets of turbulence. We have
been cleared to land, however those of you waiting for connecting flights will
need to make alternative arrangements as there will be no further flights
departing until the snow has cleared.”
Saskia shut her eyes, tight, biting her lip to stop tears from forming.
“At least I get to have dinner with a beautiful woman.”
Luke’s honey-laced voice should have made her smile, but for some reason
it only made her feel more emotional. A few tears escaped down her cheeks,
falling too fast for her to stop them, and her breath shuddered in her throat.
She
wanted to get home so bad.
“Hey, come here.” Luke pulled her against him despite their seatbelts,
his big arms wrapping around her protectively. “You’re okay.”
Saskia was too overcome to feel embarrassed, but she did tuck into him.
Luke was warm and kind, and right now she needed the comfort, even if he was a
stranger.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled into his chest.
He squeezed her tighter. “You’re gonna miss something important, aren’t
you?”
Saskia nodded, eyes shut as he held her.
“We’ve all got something to miss when we’re away,” he told her. “Whatever
it is that
you’re
going to miss? I’ll do whatever I can to stop that
from happening.”
Saskia pulled back, not caring that her face was now probably tear-stained
and her hair dishevelled. “Really?”
Luke nodded, the corners of his mouth kicking up into a grin. “Yes
ma’am,” he replied. “After dinner, of course.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
Saskia had no idea if there was anything Luke could do to help her, but
she knew that if anyone could, it would be a Navy SEAL. He was used to making
the impossible happen, surviving what others couldn’t, so if she was going to
put her faith in anyone, she didn’t mind it being him. Besides, it wasn’t
exactly a difficult trade – dinner in exchange for his help.
