Page 17 of SEAL's Harmony
Harmony should have known better than to do this before a date. And not just any date—the first one in over a year. After a brief prayer to the anti-calamity gods, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. If this didn’t work, she’d give up and Ry would have to take her as she was. She wasn’t a vain person, but she wanted to look her best for him and herself. Knowing she looked good always boosted her self-confidence.
Using the tip of her finger, she touched the magnetic eyeliner to make sure it was still tacky enough to work, then picked up the first lash. Well hell, it was sticky all right. The freaking thing wouldn’t let go of her finger.Sweet Baby Jesus. She was so over this. Done. Finished. she decided she’d give it one more shot.
Too bad the damn thing didn’t stick to her eye like it did to her finger. She was afraid to pull on it too hard. She didn’t want to tear it. Instead, she shook her hand, trying to get it to come loose. Then it came loose and flew across the room and stuck on her lampshade. Harmony burst out laughing.
Before she could grab it, the doorbell rang. Ry and Whiskey had arrived, and she was lash-less. Err, extra-lash-less? Was that a thing?Ugh. She looked decent, and the T-shirt really brought out the violet in her eyes. Plastering a smile on her face, she grabbed her purse off the bed. Then she headed to answer the door and greet her dates for the evening.
6
Ry checked out Harmony’s apartment complex as he waited for Harmony to answer the door. When she’d given him her address, the first thing he’d done was look it up in his map program. Relieved it was in a good part of town, he was even happier when he realized it wasn’t far from his condo complex.
Getting antsy that she hadn’t come to the door, he rang the bell for the second time. Had she changed her mind? She would’ve let him know, right? If any of his teammates could hear his thoughts, they’d laugh their asses off. Josh would be the worst, too. Calling him a crazy motherfucker as usual.Seriously.
When the door still didn’t open, he looked down at Whiskey. The dog waited patiently at his side. Ry rubbed his ears, comforting himself more than the dog. A moment later, he sat straighter and let out a low woof as Harmony opened the door.
Ry sucked in his breath as she stood at the threshold, her gaze meeting his and then quickly dropping toward Whiskey. It was the first time he’d seen her in jeans. And holy fuck. Barely stopping himself from a wolf whistle, he gave her his best smile instead.
“You look amazing.” Ry had the sudden urge to pull her against him and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. But he stopped himself. This was their first date and only the beginning of it. But holy fuck. Harmony’s curvy figure was made for casual.
When they’d first met at Rafe and Meghan’s wedding, she’d been all decked out, and then at the bank, she’d been wearing a suit. But seeing Harmony in jeans and a T-shirt was perfection, though he doubted she’d see it that way.
Harmony Taylor was adorable, and beautiful, with her violet eyes sparkling and her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.
“Thank you, you’re not half bad yourself. It’s great to see you looking like the Ry I know and…” Her voice trailed off as her cheeks filled with color. She bent down to greet his dog, and her wavy blonde hair fell over her face, covering her heated cheeks like a veil.
Could she be any more adorable?
“What? You didn’t like my troglodyte look?” Ry teased.
“Umm, honestly, no, not really. But I mean—” she tripped over the words, “if you prefer the beard, it’s not up to me.”
“Harmony, I’m teasing, sweetheart. If you said you liked it, I’d know you were just being nice, and I wouldn’t believe you.”
“But, I—”
“I went home after returning from a long deployment and hadn’t shaved first. My mother wouldn’t even hug me until I shaved.”
“Really?” Harmony giggled, and Ry’s heart skipped a beat.
“SEAL’s honor.” Ry winked. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, let me just grab my purse. Do you want to come in?”
“It’s probably better if I don’t. We might not get to dinner.” Ry couldn’t help himself. He loved teasing her and seeing her blush. Seeing the different shades of pink blossom on her cheeks was like watching a sunset back home.
“Now you’re just being silly.” Harmony shook her head and grinned. “Your partner is terrible. But you know that already, don’t you?” she said to the dog.
Damned if the dog didn’t woof in acknowledgment.
“Traitor,” Ry whispered to the dog as Harmony disappeared inside to get her purse.
A few moments later, Harmony was back, and Ry’s breath caught as his gaze slid over her.
“Thank you for agreeing to come out with me tonight,” Ry said as he placed his hand on the small of her back like he’d been doing this forever. Whiskey moved to Harmony’s other side, keeping both sides of his woman safe. The thought popped into his head out of nowhere and took him by surprise, but it didn’t freak him out. He’d have to analyze that later.
“I should thank you for inviting me. Isn’t it a guy thing to hang out after the mission?”
“It used to be. But as so many of our friends have settled down, it’s more of a welcome home celebration and an excuse for us to get together. I’m not sure who will show up, but I’d bet a couple of the Black Eagle guys will be there with their women.”
