Page 1 of Loved by a SEAL

Chapter 1

Sarah threw her head back and laughed as kids shrieked around her, darting away from the restaurant’s deck overlooking the beach and racing down toward the sand. Long, honey brown strands of hair blew across her face, and she brushed them aside, breathing in the salt water scent of the ocean.

Her bohemian, floral-print sundress blew in the wind, and she resisted the urge to leave the deck of the bar and run down to the beach, too, splashing in the surf. The waning sunlight gleamed on the crashing waves, and as families were packing up for the day, couples and groups of men and women were filling the beach, restaurants, and bars along the Virginia Beach boardwalk.

Music blasted from the restaurant and bar behind her, and she turned toward her best friend, grabbing her margarita from the table.

“It was such a great idea to meet for drinks tonight! It’s been way too long since we had a girl’s night.”

Morgan laughed, her red wavy hair bouncing around as she swayed to the music. “You need to move down to the beach, hun. We could grab drinks every weekend.”

“True that. And look at all the gorgeous men around here.” Sarah’s eyes gleamed as she caught sight of two shirtless men jogging down the beach boardwalk.

“They don’t have any men in Norfolk?” Morgan teased.

“Sure they do. They’re just usually fully clothed.” She winked at her best friend, who shook her head.

“They look military to me,” Morgan said.

“Yep. Buzz cut gives ‘em away every time.”

“Not to mention the muscles.”

Sarah grinned and grabbed a chip from the bowl on the table, dunking it into the fresh salsa. She popped it into her mouth, enjoying the spiciness and fresh herbs. “Right? I’m heading over to my brother’s place tomorrow for a barbeque. Plenty of muscle there, but none of the guys are single anymore.”

“Patrick’s still a Navy SEAL, right?”

“Yep.”

“Doesn’t he have any other single friends?” Morgan asked waggling her eyebrows. “Those can’t be the only men he knows.”

“I’m sure he does, but I’ve never met them,” she laughed. “I only know the guys on his SEAL team. Wait—are you asking for you or me?”

“Definitely you! You know I don’t date military men anymore.”

“I know your situation didn’t work out—”

“Work out? Ha. That’s a complete understatement. If I ever see that cheating bastard….” Morgan grumbled.

“The military’s tough even in a good relationship. Look at how Patrick’s constantly deploying to God knows where. But seriously, just because one military guy was an asshole doesn’t mean they all are. You don’t have to give up on an entire population of men.”

“Easy for you to say. All you have to do is mention that your brother is a Navy SEAL and no man will ever do you wrong.”

Sarah laughed. “That does have certain advantages I suppose. Then again, if they know him, his reputation alone scares them off as soon as the words are out of my mouth.”

“Tough break.”

“Yep. I’ll stick to finding my own dates, thank you very much.”

Sarah took another sip of her margarita, enjoying the saltiness mixing in with the tequila and lime. The thin gold bracelets on her wrist delicately shifted every time she moved, and she smiled as the evening sun warmed her skin. A good friend, drinks, an ocean breeze—life was perfect at the moment.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Just happy to be here. I may only live an hour away, but I don’t get down to the beach nearly often enough.”

“I’m still telling you to move closer. They need physical therapists here, too. Hey, maybe you should get a job on base—provide a little TLC to all those hot Navy SEALs.”

“Ha ha. Working on the same base as my brother will not land me a man. Not now, not ever.”

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