Page 16 of SEAL's Paradise
Would she push him away or kiss him back?
He’d stop if she told him to.Of that much, she was certain.Sawyer might be the most flirtatious man she’d ever met, but he wasn’t the type to force a woman into anything.
The air between them grew thicker, the quiet noise of the restaurant fading into the background.Their breaths intermingled as his lips hovered only inches from hers.She could feel the heat from his body, breathe in his masculine scent.
“Riley—” His voice was thick.A low, sexy rumble that made her insides turn over.
She never got to find out what he was about to say.
“Here we go!”a server announced, appearing with their entrees and setting two steaming plates of food on the table.
Riley jolted back, so lost in Sawyer that she hadn’t even realized their server was approaching.Sawyer left his hand on her thigh, not seeming disturbed in the least by the sudden interruption.He squeezed her leg gently, clearly trying to soothe her, before clearing his throat and shifting his chair slightly back.“Thank you.This looks fantastic.”
But his eyes were burning into hers as he spoke, the server already moving away, and Riley had the distinct impression that he’d rather make her his meal this evening.
Chapter 7
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SAWYER LET HIS HANDrest on the small of Riley’s back, escorting her to his truck after they’d finished dinner.Her shoulder blades were highlighted by the strappy, low-back dress, and her hair blew in the breeze.Riley was sexy.Stunning.He wanted to duck lower and breathe in her scent, letting his lips trail over all that soft, warm skin.Maybe inspect that rose tattoo up close—and discover what else she had hidden beneath her clothing.
Putting her in his truck and driving her home to simply say goodnight seemed all sorts of wrong.
And he wasn’t going to sleep with her.
Yet.
Sawyer needed to be patient, and he had the distinct feeling that she would be worth the wait.Besides that, he did want to help her.If there was truly a traitor on base involved in the movement and sale of military weapons, he wanted to end them just as much as any other servicemember would.Sawyer’s duty was to the Navy and his country.He wouldn’t put lives at risk just because some dick wanted some easy cash.Sawyer and his teammates could be in danger because of this jackass.What if Riley was involved in only part of the case?What if in addition to selling weapons, the traitor on base was moving classified intelligence?
His jaw ticked as he worked that thought over in his mind.Stealing missiles from a military installation should not have been easy in the slightest.Were more people involved?Was someone high up enough to easily cover it up?
There were a multitude of problems here, and the sexy woman at his side was the very least of them.
“Thanks for dinner,” Riley said, glancing at him.His mind immediately shifted back to the moment.Normally he’d be thinking about all the different ways to get her into bed.Now he was just...thinking.He’d already decided he’d help her, but letting her go tonight seemed like a crucial mistake.
He liked her.Riley was intelligent and beautiful.He’d always thought her to be too sweet for him, but there was some definite bite beneath her quiet exterior.Even a kitten had claws.Riley was all kinds of perfect, and he’d been too oblivious to notice what had been right in front of him.
