Page 10 of SEAL's Temptation

He’d caught Avery looking at him a few times as they’d moved back up the trail through the rainforest, and he’d flashed her a grin.Clearly, she liked kids given her job as a pediatric nurse.Plus, she was great with this family’s three rugrats.

Did Ryan want kids one day?

Hell if he knew.He’d never gotten serious enough with a woman to really consider it.Kids were fine, but he wasn’t around them enough to give it much thought either way.

His own teammate, however, was now going to be a father.Layton’s pregnancy had been a surprise, but once Hudson “Torpedo” Brown had gotten his head out of his ass, he’d decided he was all in.Now he and Layton were a couple, expecting a child together.Life was funny sometimes.Hudson was the last guy that Ryan would have expected to become a father first out of his teammates, but sometimes you didn’t have a choice in the matter.He had to admit that Hudson seemed happy as hell given the new circumstances in his life.

Wonders never ceased.

Avery finished talking to the EMTs, both of whom admired the splint she’d put on the girl’s arm.Avery hadn’t been fazed in the least, no doubt used to dealing with pediatric emergencies at the hospital where she worked.She was truly in her element today, both calming the child and providing the appropriate medical care, and Ryan’s admiration for her grew even more.

He could never in good conscience try to talk her out of taking the position in South America.Even if she gave in, she’d eventually resent him for it.He’d have to hope like hell she was okay until she got back—and somehow find a way to stem his own concerns.Ryan was protective, especially toward those he cared about.While it gutted him to think of her in any danger, he had to admit he loved watching her shine.She’d be in her element, and he’d have to figure out a way to deal with it.

Ryan shook the father’s hand, and then the man was hustling his children to their SUV, the mom and injured girl both being loaded into the ambulance.

“Whew,” Avery said as the emergency vehicles left.“That was quite an eventful morning.And here I thought I was on vacation this week,” she joked.

“You were amazing,” he told her honestly.

She shrugged.“All in a day’s work.And hey, you weren’t so bad yourself.”

“We train for a variety of scenarios, but most civilians aren’t necessarily level-headed in an emergency.I’m impressed.”

“I’m not most civilians,” she said, looking highly amused at his comment.“I’m a medical professional.We train, too, just for different situations than you.”

“I know.I didn’t mean any offense,” he told her.His gaze moved to the trail and then back to her.“I’m guessing you don’t want to head back to the waterfall.We didn’t get much time to enjoy it, but it would double our hiking time to head there and back again.”

“We can hike back there another day,” she said.“But you know what?I hear Hawaii has some killer beaches.”

He chuckled.“Yep.There’s even a quiet one by my house—less touristy.Not that there’s anything wrong with tourists,” he teased, stepping into her space.

She flushed as she looked at him, those pretty blue eyes alight.“We’ll have to swing by my hotel first.I didn’t bring a swimsuit since you surprised me with the waterfall.”

“Yeah.Didn’t think that one all the way through,” he admitted, feeling sheepish.While he’d have no problem skinny dipping with Avery, there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d do it when someone else might catch sight of her.

He kissed her softly then carried their backpacks to his big SUV, easily loading them in before helping Avery into the passenger seat.She looked good sitting there.Right.He wasn’t used to driving a woman around but had become accustomed to it when she was visiting.She didn’t have a car here, so it made sense.Now it just felt natural.

An hour later, he was practically in seventh heaven, rubbing sunscreen over Avery’s slender shoulders and trying not to groan at the sight of her in a little yellow bikini.

Fuck, she was pretty.Svelte, toned limbs.Curves in the right places.And skin so smooth, he was dying to run his hands over every square inch.She’d taken her hair out of her ponytail, and long, blonde strands blew in the breeze.He paused what he was doing, shifting her hair aside, and planting a soft kiss on the back of her neck.Ryan didn’t miss the way she shuddered.He loved how affected she was by his touch.

He wanted to find all her secret places—discover what kisses and caresses would make her squirm for him.Moan.Cry out his name.

Avery glanced back over her shoulder at him, and even with the dark sunglasses she wore, he could feel the intensity of her gaze.

He felt the intense connection between them, too.

Ryan was drawn to her in a way that made little sense.Maybe if they’d seen each other more regularly over the past few months, she’d have lost some of her appeal.Some of her mystery.Or maybe not, because something about the way they connected was different than with any woman he’d been with before.They hadn’t even slept together yet, but damn.He already knew it would be incredible.

She broke his gaze, glancing back out to the water as a wave crashed on the shore.

His big hands moved over her back, readying to apply more sunblock.“Untie the strings,” she told him, lowering herself to the ground and then lying face down on the towel and turning her head to the side.“I don’t want to burn.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he quipped, but he took a little too much pleasure in kneeling over her and tugging on those little straps, undoing the ties.His cock thickened, but he willed himself to calm down.They were on a public beach.It was quieter than the touristy ones, but he wasn’t about to be ravishing her right here.Still, he enjoyed massaging the coconut sunscreen into her soft skin.Feeling the heat of her body.Breathing in her floral scent.She groaned slightly as he kneaded her shoulders, and he smiled.

“That feel good?”he asked.

“Too good.”

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