Page 14 of SEAL's Paradise
An exchange of missiles for money as someone stationed here sold out their country.
She’d taken the second job without hesitation, but since it had come to a standstill, she needed his help.
And Sawyer was evidently going to play it up the entire evening with his over-the-top “first date” game.He’d already told her that he was paying for their meal tonight, and he’d ordered for them both because he wanted to treat her to something special.
Typical arrogant man.
She wasn’t going to sleep with him, but this was hardly the first date she’d gone on to gather intelligence.The only trouble was, she’d know nothing further about the traitor on base by the end of the evening.This was solely to get Sawyer’s cooperation.Normally she’d do something like this for information.Agreeing to a date with Sawyer was a risk for many reasons.
And the evening had barely just begun.
Her gaze swept over the small dining room of the restaurant, which overlooked the ocean.It was a far cry from Coconuts, with its boisterous crowd of both locals and tourists.This place didn’t seem like the type that a guy like Sawyer would frequent.Not unless he had an agenda.
“Do you bring all your dates here?”she asked as the waiter popped open a bottle of champagne and poured them each a glass of bubbly.
He grinned, clearly enjoying as she again grew slightly flustered under his gaze.“Only the ones I really like.”
Riley managed not to roll her eyes.“Try again, Sawyer Cole.”
His lips quirked.“You know my buddies call me Sawyer or Saint.”
“You’re definitely no saint, my friend.”
“Exactly.”If anything, he looked even more amused by her comment.Sawyer raised his glass of champagne, and she nearly did a double-take.Riley was used to seeing him with a beer in his hand and the flavor of the night at his side.This was a new side of him, and she had to admit, he didn’t look uncomfortable here in the least.“To us,” he said with a grin, clinking his glass against hers.“The night is young and full of promise.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, I’ll promise you that.”
He chuckled, getting more comfortable in his seat as Riley took a sip of her bubbly.She almost choked as he lifted his hand to get the waiter’s attention and ordered a beer.“I just can’t with this stuff,” he said by way of explanation, gesturing toward his glass.“I can try to be fancy for you, kitten, but I’m more of a small-town guy at heart.”
“So I gather,” she said dryly as the waiter brought over a longneck.
Sawyer took a long pull, his eyes dancing with amusement.“Much better,” he admitted, and she tried not to smile at his honesty.Or to stare at his full lips, surrounded by the sexy dark stubble on his jaw.Couldn’t he at least be unattractive?The bad boy of the SEAL team would no doubt be more willing to help her out than his teammates, especially since snooping around on base wasn’t part of his actual orders.Her own job would be much easier if she didn’t find him so good-looking, however.Riley had always been drawn to him, much to her annoyance.He was a flirt.A player.Sawyer was one-hundred-percent not her type, so why did a flush creep over her skin and her heart flutter every time she was around him?
It was inconvenient at best.A distraction she didn’t need.Once Riley determined who was selling out their country, however, she’d most likely be on her way.Coming to Hawaii had merely been an assignment.Maybe she’d stick around for a bit longer, soaking up the sun and surf, but she didn’t have anything tying her to Honolulu.She’d move on, finding something else to do.Somewhere else to settle.She and Radley could take jobs anywhere, although her sister had already relocated to the west coast.
A brief pang of regret shot through her at leaving the tropical island.She felt safe here, far removed from the rest of the world.The hustle and bustle of Washington, DC.It wasn’t necessarily practical to make this her home base and take jobs as they came, but then again, the SEAL team was based here.Riley knew for a fact they flew out on missions around the globe.
“Tell me,” Sawyer said when she didn’t say anything further.“Where’d you learn to drive like that?You peeled out of the parking lot so fast earlier, I thought your tires would start smoking.”
Riley smirked.“Defensive driving class.I told you I’m former government.”
He nodded, seeming to mull that over.“And you left your fancy job as a Fed because...?”He raised his eyebrows, and she tried not to get lost in those baby blues.Geez.Riley needed to get a grip.“You couldn’t have left for no reason,” Sawyer prodded.“Not if you’re here in Hawaii working alone.Sure, some companies snatch up government workers by dangling higher salaries in front of them, especially if they have the clearances to do the work, but you don’t seem like the type who’s after the money.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I was just in your place, princess.It’s cozy but casual.Even if you were trying to go unnoticed by moonlighting as a waitress, you don’t have expensive, fancy jewelry and purses lying around.You’re not blinged out in labels and logos.”
“Maybe I left my designer things behind.”
“Try again.”
Exasperated, she shot him a look.“No.I’m not in it for the money.”
“Then why’d you leave your government job?I follow orders and do what Uncle Sam says in my line of work.I go where the Navy sends me, get the bad guy, so to speak....The pay and benefits are good.You seem more like me than you realize—someone who appreciates a steady job and doing something for the greater good.Something must’ve happened to make you up and quit, leaving you now working on the fringes, so to speak.”
Riley sobered.“My sister.”She swirled the champagne in her glass, trying not to grow misty.She also knew you weren’t supposed to swirl champagne the way you did when drinking wine, but she needed a distraction to hold herself together.She met Sawyer’s curious look.“Radley and I worked at the same agency, and she was burned.I quit shortly after she did.We started...freelancing.Taking side jobs.Doing our own thing, making our own rules.There are others out there like us.”
“Don’t I know it.Black ops,” Sawyer said in a hushed tone.
