Page 35 of SEAL's Temptation

“This guy’s an American, huh?”he asked.

“Yep.The other doctor is, too, but he’s got quite a different personality.”

“Don’t get yourself in trouble,” Ryan said.“If he’s standing right there, just shoot me an email when you can to explain what’s going on.I can look into him if you need me to.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Avery assured him.

“Well, you’re a beautiful woman, but if you’re not interested, you’re not interested.”

“Exactly.The other nurses and myself have made that clear,” she said firmly.

Ryan muttered a curse.He knew men like him.Guys who wouldn’t take no for an answer.Sawyer was the biggest flirt on the team, but he wouldn’t ever make a woman uncomfortable.Avery was pretty laid back, so if she didn’t like this Dr.Walters guy, that said something.

“All right, time to go!”a male voice called out.There was another muffled sound in the background, low conversations that Ryan couldn’t hear.

“I’ve got to go, Ry,” Avery told him.“I’m sorry we couldn’t talk longer.”

“Me too, but I’m glad you called.I worry about you down there, and I miss you like crazy.”

“I miss you, too,” she said, her voice wavering slightly.“I’ll email you later on.”

Ryan’s chest clenched.“Just do your thing, Av.Before you know it, you’ll be flying to see me.”

“Hopefully around Thanksgiving.”

“You put in the request?”he asked, a new kernel of excitement forming inside him.That was months away, but he’d gotten used to seeing her on the regular and hoped they wouldn’t actually have to wait an entire year.

“It’s not guaranteed, but yes.I’m hoping to be approved for time off then.I’ll fly out to Oahu and book a hotel.”

“You can stay with me, although I might not let you out of bed for a week,” he teased, his voice husky.

“Avery!We’ve got to get going,” the man called out, and Ryan disliked him all the more.Maybe there was a good reason they had to leave, and maybe not.He didn’t like the guy bossing his girl around.

“That sounds really tempting, Ry.I might hold you to it,” she said quickly.“I miss you,” she said, her voice softer.More emotional.

“I miss you, too, baby.Be careful down there.Email me later,” he added.

“I will.Bye.”

The call ended, and he cursed.He understood the need to move out when needed, and it’s not like she’d taken a jaunt up to Panama City on her own.If there were other staff with her, she needed to stay on their timeline.

Still, as Ryan stared out at the waves crashing on the shore, he felt lonelier than he had in a while.Normally, an afternoon on the beach on a beautiful Saturday would be just his thing.His buddies.Beers.A little competition with a friendly game or two of volleyball.He was uneasy though, and it was going to be a long time before he felt settled again.

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