Page 22 of Loved by a SEAL

Chapter 6

Ryan resisted the urge to smile as he watched the heat blossom over Sarah’s skin. For a woman intent on arguing with him about everything, this was probably the first and only time he’d rendered her speechless. A gust of wind blew her hair back, and he again saw the three tiny earrings in her ear. He never really paid attention to jewelry before, but somehow on her, it was sexy as hell. That intricate little braid she’d pulled a small section of her hair back in made her look feminine. He wanted to run his rough fingers through the rest of all that silky hair of hers and see if it felt as soft as it looked.

“Punches?” Christopher asked. “Do I even want to know?”

“I do,” Lexi said with a grin, turning around before getting into the cab of Christopher’s pick-up truck. “This sounds like a good story.”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Sarah said lightly as Ryan raised his eyebrows.

“Umm-hmm,” Lexi said, glancing between Sarah and Ryan. “I don’t believe that for a second. I’m sure the guys on base would love to hear about the CO getting decked by a woman.”

“Have a good night!” Sarah said with a wave, turning to walk down the street.

Her sundress blew in the breeze as Ryan jogged a few steps to catch up, swishing around her shapely legs, and Ryan heard the engine rev on Christopher’s pick-up behind them. Her hips swayed just so, and Ryan clenched his jaw. Fucking hell. Coming. Going. Sarah was irresistible all the same.

He resisted the urge to smirk as he saw the teeny little mini cruiser Sarah was gazing at.

“Don’t tell me that’s yours.”

“Of course. The new ones have amazing gas mileage. I don’t need some gas guzzler that pollutes the air and wastes natural resources.”

“Of course not,” he commented dryly.

“I’m guessing you drive a monstrous SUV large enough to hold the entire SEAL team—who you probably don’t actually drive around, so there’s no need. Your gas mileage is horrible in the stop-and-go traffic around Virginia Beach, and when you park on base, you need two spaces for the monstrosity.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Lucky guess?”

“What makes you think I need to double park? Maybe I’m quite adept at driving large things into tight spaces.”

Sarah did a double take, and Ryan chuckled. “You’re always ribbing me. I couldn’t resist.”

She glanced up at him, her petite frame barely coming up to his shoulder. Holy hell she was a tiny little thing—which made it all the more enjoyable when she laid into him. He could wrap his hands around her waist and lift her into his arms in an instant.

Which didn’t sound like an entirely bad idea.

“More like you are always ribbing me. Which you seem to thoroughly enjoy.”

“Well I can’t argue with you there.”

She tilted her head, looking at him quizzically. Those soft pink lips of hers parted, but he returned his gaze to her hazel eyes. “Look, I’d love to stand around and argue,” she said, “but I’m meeting Morgan for drinks. Care to come with? We could always argue more there.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Not a date; I just told you I’m meeting her for drinks. Although Morgan may be with one of the guys from last night.”

“So it’s a double date.”

Sarah rolled her eyes, and Ryan pressed his lips together in amusement.

“I’m driving though.”

“No way will I fit in that little clown car of yours. If I’m taking you out for drinks, I’m driving.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out with a frown, glancing down at the text message.

SITREP came in—no major updates. Briefing at 0800 tomorrow.

SITREPs, or situation reports, were updates on unfolding situations around the globe. No news was good news, in some ways. The kidnapped American woman was likely still alive. The boots on the ground and U.S. allies needed to hone in on her location stat so his team could deploy for an extraction. He could have his men on a C-17 military cargo plane on a nonstop flight to Afghanistan within hours.

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