Page 40 of SEAL Summer Escape

“Can I carry something?”she asked, looking over at him.

“Not a chance.”

She laughed, the light, musical sound filling his chest with warmth.“You do know I usually carry my own things to the beach,” she said, sounding amused.“Beach chairs, towels, coolers—you name it.Not to mention lugging my photography equipment around when I’m wanting to capture some decent photographs.”

“I know, and I also know you don’t need to when I’m here.”

“But that’s silly,” she protested.

“Hell, sweetheart, it’s nothing.I plan to do plenty for you when we’re together.If you’re dating me, there’s a lot you won’t need to worry about.”

“So now we’re dating,” she teased, glancing up at him.“I thought this was just our first date?”

He pulled her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across the back of it, loving the way that she shivered at his touch.“The first of many.How about over there?”he asked, nodding his head toward a flat stretch of beach twenty feet away.“It looks like a good spot and far enough back from the tide that our blanket won’t get wet.”

“It looks perfect,” she said.

Mason spread the blanket down on the sand and watched as Taylor elegantly fold her legs beneath her and sat down.Her dress hugged her breasts even more in that position, and he resisted the urge to groan.

He set his backpack down on one corner of the blanket to help weight it down, sinking to the ground beside her.

“All right—I’ve got sandwiches, fruit, cheese, crackers, water, pretzels.”

“Wow, you must be hungry,” she said.

“I worked up an appetite this morning,” he quipped.“Actually, I really did.I played basketball with Hunter on base after I left your place.”

She opened a bottle of water and took a long sip, setting it beside her on the blanket.“Basketball, huh?You’re a busy guy.”

“Hell, I could’ve stayed with you all morning, but I wanted to give you some space.”

“Yeah, uh, this morning—wow.”

Mason chuckled, loving the hint of rosiness that spread across her cheeks.Hell, he’d thought of little else since then.Driving away from her apartment, he’d imagined all the ways he could pleasure her.All the nights and mornings they’d spend making love.

Although he hadn’t exactly planned on spending the night at her place, he hoped for a hell of a lot more of that in their future.

“I could go for some fruit and a sandwich,” Taylor said, changing the subject.

“Sure thing.I confess that I made none of this,” he said with a grin as he started pulling plastic containers from his backpack.

“You didn’t make it and then package it like they do at the grocery store?Seriously, Mason, this is perfect.I mean, why do you think I work at Anchors?I love being by the water.And I think its sweet that you packed a picnic for this.

Mason chuckled.“Sweet, huh?Do me a favor and don’t tell the rest of my SEAL team.”

Taylor smiled at him, the ocean breeze rustling the loose tendrils of her hair.“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.”

“Next time I’ll bring a bottle of wine.I wish I thought of it earlier—I kind of just grabbed what I could at the grocery store.”

“But you’re a beer drinker,” she said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

He chuckled.“That I am.I’d probably bring a couple of beers for myself.But, when I bring you to that bonfire I was telling you about, there’s always several coolers full of drinks.Most of the guys are beer drinkers, as you know.But the women are more into wine.”

“It looks like a storm in the distance,” Taylor said, squinting at the horizon.

Mason gazed out at the dark clouds over the ocean.They were several miles away and would probably blow right up the coast.“I think it’ll stay offshore.It was supposed to be great weather on the beach today.There are plenty of times there are storms at sea that never come onto the land.”

“Have you been caught in any?”

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