Page 8 of SEAL's Paradise
Chapter 4
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SAWYER SHOOK HIS HEAD, running a hand over the stubble on his jaw.Riley, quiet little waitress Riley, was claiming she was some undercover operative.A former Fed.He was hesitant to believe her based on their past interactions, but how the hell would she know everything that she did then?
His personal information could’ve been found with a little digging.The SEAL team didn’t have social media accounts, but basic information on just about anyone could be easily accessed online.His full name.Date of birth.Hometown and relatives.It was part of the reason why the team kept a low profile.There was no need to connect a name to a face.Blow their cover.Dangerous people were out there, enemies of America, and they’d love to take down a Navy SEAL team ready to move in on a mission.Sawyer and his teammates operated under stealth and secrecy.Their own friends and families couldn’t know details about where they were and what they were doing.Just about everything they did was too highly classified to reveal anything.
But Riley knew about their latest op.
The team’s mission to rescue Avery in the Darien Gap hadn’t been leaked to the press.They’d debriefed with their commanding officer upon return, and Avery was safe at home.Her roommate Luciana, from Avery’s Doctors Without Borders work, was another story.The Colombian nurse had gone missing, and the team had been forced to leave with only one woman.There was absolutely no way Riley would know about Luciana’s disappearance unless she was telling the truth.She had access to classified information.
The question was, was someone feeding it to her without authorization or had Riley really been working undercover the entire time?
And didn’t that bring about a whole host of issues.
Glancing at the time on his phone, he was half-tempted to head back to the party.His teammates would still be there, and Sawyer now had a shitload of information to tell them.Except he still had questions.Gaps in his knowledge of what Riley was doing in Hawaii.And Sawyer could just as easily fill his teammates in later—once he knew more and had gotten the answers from her that he deserved.
Sawyer’s lips quirked as he read over Riley’s message and thumbed a response.
Behave tonight?
Like hell he would.
She’d been playing him all along, pretending to be a waitress at Coconuts.This new version of Riley intrigued him.She was still a touch shy beneath that bravado—the flush of her cheeks proved that.The slight hesitation at moments.The way she didn’t know how to handle him.But this version of Riley was sexier, too.The tight clothes.The mystery tattoo.The fact that she’d texted him at all.
Recalling again the hint of pink on her cheeks, Sawyer wondered if she flushed like that everywhere.He could imagine getting Riley all worked up.Teasing her.Touching her.Giving her the barest of caresses while she squirmed for him.Sawyer would let his mouth whisper across her skin.Let his hands roam.And Riley would give in to him, until she was begging and pleading and crying out his name.
Sawyer licked his lips.Sweet little Riley had no idea what she was in for.Maybe she was used to handling assets, to giving instructions and calling the shots, but Sawyer knew she would falter at handling him.She’d get flustered.Look at him with those big, dark eyes that were somehow innocent despite the life she’d led.And Sawyer would give her good reason to forget about the rest of the world for a while and become the sole focus of his attention.
Hell if he didn’t want to see everything she had to offer.To strip her bare and explore her body.Tease out the reason she hadn’t revealed herself to him until now.
What had changed?Was it really just that time was running out?
Riley knew they were highly trained Navy SEALs.He might’ve been her initial suspect for the traitor on base, but she’d been working at Coconuts for a long time.She’d moved her focus off him yet was clearly used to relying on herself now.To working alone.
He smiled, thinking of how well a man and woman could work together.In a multitude of ways.
Sawyer needed a game plan for tonight.Drinks.A quiet dinner near the beach.Maybe a second date if things went well.Riley wasn’t exactly the type of woman who’d be begging him to take her to bed after one evening together.This woman would be more of a challenge, and he was one hundred percent up for it.Sometimes the shy girls could be the most intriguing to discover, and damn if this one didn’t have secrets.
His phone buzzed in his hand, and he looked down, expecting to see another text from Riley.Instead, his team leader’s name flashed on the screen.Wyatt “Wildcard” Miller no doubt wondered what was up, but Wyatt wouldn’t have been a good leader without checking up on one of his men.Not with the way Sawyer had hustled out of the party earlier.
Wyatt:Everything okay?
He smirked and thumbed a response.
Sawyer:Yep.Riley needed my help with something.I’ll explain when I know more.
Sawyer:I’m taking her out tonight.
He chuckled as his phone buzzed again, but this time it was Hudson “Torpedo” Brown’s name that popped up.Sawyer shook his head.His buddies were all together, and Wyatt had no doubt quickly filled them in on this new development.They had to be as puzzled as he’d been that she’d contacted him at all.
Hudson:You’re shitting us.You’re taking out Riley?The waitress from Coconuts?
Sawyer shook his head, chuckling.Jesus.Why didn’t the whole damn team just text him?That’s what he got for rushing off from the party to Riley’s aid.His friends wouldn’t question if she needed help given they watched out for friends and acquaintances alike, but a date?
Totally different ballgame.
