Page 17 of Guarded By the SEAL
“Truck.”
“Whatever!”
He watched as she tugged at the buttons on the shirt. “Can I turn around now?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He checked out the change in her appearance. Her hair looked good down, though he suspected she wouldn’t appreciate the compliment, so he kept it to himself. His shirt was much too big on her, the open buttons revealing the alluring swell of her breasts above her bra cups and the smallest bit of lace, as well.
“Is this okay, or is the shirt too big to achieve the desired effect?” she asked.
“It’s the best we’re going to do right now,” he said honestly, taking his foot off the brake so they moved up another space.
“So, no.” She huffed before unbuttoning the entire strip of buttons holding the shirt together. Before he knew what she was about, she tied the front shirt tails together in a knot, then rolled up her pants until they appeared stylish and fun. “You don’t grow up with a mother like Marilyn Gleason and not know how to flaunt what the good Lord gave you.” She laced her fingers through the underside of her hair and fluffed up her wavy locks.
Wyatt was dumbstruck. The transformation was mesmerizing. To say she looked like a completely different person was an understatement.
She pointed at his open mouth. “What are you doing, catching flies over there?”
He shut it. “Sorry. It’s just—”
“It’s our turn. You need to move up.”
Sure enough, he was being waved forward by a policeman. He rolled his window down and pulled up.
“License and registration, please?”
Wyatt reached for the wallet he kept atop the center console. “Evening, officer. What’s going on?”
“We’re looking for a missing child, five years old, blonde hair, blue eyes.” He took a look at Wyatt’s license, and shined a flashlight in Wyatt’s face before moving on to Teslyn. “I’ll need yours too, Miss.”
“I’m sorry, officer. I didn’t bring my purse with me.”
Wyatt’s hand reached for hers. “My girlfriend and I were just out for a drive.”
The officer shined the light on Teslyn’s face, then stood. “All right. Go on through.” He shined his flashlight in the back seat as they moved, the man suddenly barking, “Stop right there!”
Wyatt winced and hit the brakes as the cop yelled to the other officers.What made the officer change his mind?He’d shone his flashlight into the back seat just as they were pulling away.
“What’s going on?” whispered Teslyn.
“Just stay calm. Did you put the hand guns back in the storage bin like I told you to?”
She was silent, the loud voices of the officers outside the only sound.
“Tess?”
“I didn’t want her to touch them. They’re dangerous.”
He wanted to scream. He wanted to argue and fight and place blame where blame belonged, but he did none of those things. Bright lights beamed into the cab of the truck. “Driver, get out of the vehicle with your hands up!”
Wyatt’s hands were already in the air. He didn’t turn to face her as he said, “If they recognize you, don’t fight them or try to get away.” He got out and was immediately slammed against the side of his truck by two officers who cuffed him and frisked him roughly.
Stay in the box, Ivy. Stay in the box.
If they made it through the vehicle search without them finding Ivy, they might be okay. His mind went into overdrive, looking for a way out, as Teslyn was cuffed and brought to his side. She really did look like a different person in that get-up. A person with far less class than his Teslyn.
Your Teslyn?
