Page 15 of SEAL's Paradise
She nodded, neither confirming nor denying it.
He licked his lips again, looking thoughtful.She could almost see the gears ticking away in his head, but she had no idea what specifically he was thinking.
“So you came here to do one job and ended up with another.Who hired you?”
“Does it matter?”
Sawyer swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.He pinned her with a look.“If I’m helping you, I want to know who you’re working for.”
“I met with someone before taking this assignment—a DOD official.It’s not being investigated internally at this point because they don’t know who all is involved.How high it goes.I have the intelligence.The intercepted messages.One of these days, someone will notice the missiles have gone missing, and the shit will hit the fan.My job is to make sure we’ve found the traitor before that occurs.”
“And you think it’s that easy—lurking around the munitions storage, tracking whoever looks suspicious.”
“They’re growing more confident,” Riley told him.“The latest messages weren’t even encrypted.They believe no one has noticed.And what do I know?”she asked, flashing him a look.“I’m just a waitress at Coconuts.How could I overhear anything or know what they’re plotting?”
Sawyer narrowed his gaze.“You seemed to think it was me,” he pointed out.
“You fit the profile.Cocky.Arrogant.This guy is also known to be a womanizer—”
“Whoa—hold up, kitten.I’ll be the first to admit I like a beautiful woman, but womanizer?I don’t think so.”
Riley tried not to roll her eyes.“You don’t think you have a reputation?Come on, Sawyer.I work there.I see you flirting with all the girls.”
Sawyer reached out and grabbed hold of her hand before she could pull away.His muscled hand held her much smaller one, and she tried not to shiver as he ran his thumb over her skin.“I like what I like,” he said, his voice husky.“So I’m a red-blooded American male who appreciates a fine-looking woman.Everyone knows the deal.I don’t do relationships, and the women are okay with it.I haven’t had any complaints yet.”
“How charming,” Riley said sarcastically, pulling her hand free.
“How am I supposed to believe you if you thought it was me?”he pressed.“That doesn’t seem too savvy, following the wrong man and all.”
She huffed out a breath.“I’ll show you the intercepted messages later.And it’s not like I sold you out to the DOD official.I was trying to track you and observe the meetings.”
“Which never happened, because I’m not your guy.”
“Exactly.I realized that it wasn’t you and instead asked for your help.I have a list of other possibilities in my mind.That still doesn’t solve the problem of who has access on base,” she added in a low voice.“One guy is handling the client—the business deal, so to speak.Another is smuggling out military weapons.What more do you want to know?I’ve given you the basics.”
“Everything.”
Riley stilled.He wasn’t talking about her assignment any longer.
Sawyer’s full lips quirked as his gaze ran over her.Riley’s entire body prickled with awareness, her skin heating.She’d worn a sexy dress to tease him a little, but with the way Sawyer was looking at her right now, it felt like he was the one in complete control.He was like a predator watching his prey.
But did she want to run from him or let herself be dragged down by his charm?
“We could be good together, kitten,” Sawyer said, his voice low.“You’d just have to learn to let go a little bit and let someone else have control for a while.”
Riley sucked in a breath, and Sawyer’s gaze dropped to her chest.Her breasts rose and fell as her pulse quickened.Goosebumps spread across her skin, and she tried not to react as Sawyer moved his chair closer to her.She could smell the scent of his soap—sandalwood, perhaps.It was somehow both comforting and tempting.Part of her wanted to nestle into him, basking in his heat and warmth.The other part wanted to run far, far away, shielding herself from any danger.
His big hand landed on her bare thigh, below the hem of her dress, and he squeezed gently.His hand was warm and firm, and a thrill shot through her as he kept it there.Damn Sawyer for being so tempting.“Tell you what,” he said, meeting her eyes.“I’ll help you out with tracking whoever is working on base to steal weapons.It’s a bit of a risk for myself, but I think you’re telling the truth.”
“You do?”she asked, trying to ignore his calloused fingers on her skin.
“I do.You look nervous, but not because you’re lying.You’re affected by me.”He looked pleased with this statement, and Riley let out a shaky breath.
“I’m used to working with all types of people, Sawyer.”
“Maybe so, but we have chemistry,” he said, lightly caressing the bare skin of her thigh.Warmth flooded through her, shooting straight to her core.She tried not to squirm in her seat—tried not to react at all.“You can’t fake that,” Sawyer said.“And you’re so busy trying not to react to me, that I don’t think you have it in you to make up some far-fetched story about what you’re doing here in Oahu.I’ve always had a good read on people, and I can read you rather clearly, Riley.”
Her lips parted, and Sawyer’s head moved slightly closer.For a moment, she wondered if he was going to try to kiss her.His hand on her leg stilled, and his eyes searched hers.It felt like the moment was dangling between them, the opportunity ripe for the taking.
