Page 12 of Honk if You Love Real Men (Tempting SEALs 1)

“I beat up a guy.”

“Why?”

“I won’t make excuses to justify it, if that’s what you want.”

“There had to be a reason.”

“A woman,” he said with reluctance.

“Ohhh.” Not what Estrella wanted to hear. She crossed her arms over her breasts.

Jesse took note with a flick of his lashes. “It was a stupid bar fight that meant nothing. I never saw her again.”

How could he say it was nothing? That was what her ex, Tony, used to say: I didn’t mean to. It’s nothing, just a little bruise.

She pointed her chin at Jesse. “Must have been serious if you went to prison for it.”

Slowly, he pulled an explanation out of himself. “I’d been involved in petty crime when I was young. Stealing cars, that kind of crap. Two convictions. I did some jail time for the second one, and when I got out, it was strongly suggested to me that I join the army to straighten up. I was too bullheaded for that kind of regime, so I picked the merchant marine instead. Got a different kind of discipline there.”

“So this time, when you, uh, ran into trouble—” She nodded, getting it. The state had a version of the three-strikes law, where there was no lenience for a third violation—maximum sentence, no matter what the extenuating circumstances. “—that was the third strike?”

“You’re faster than I was. Sure you’re not a lawyer?”

Her mind was spinning in another direction. Although he’d given her a small amount of space, she was still hemmed in by his broad chest and the cage of his arms, which were braced against the lip of the pool. She should have been frightened. But when she looked at the contours of hard muscle, what might have been intimidating remained arousing. Her fantasy wasn’t going away that easily.

She inhaled. “How long have you been out?”

“Getting scared yet?”

Exhale. “I was wondering if this is your first—?”

“Nope. It’s been nearly eight months.”

“Of course, and there are all those women catching sight of you in your handsome orange vest and throwing underwear out of cars with their numbers on them.”

One corner of his mouth twitched. “I’d be fired if I was caught making time on the job. I’m walking a narrow line with my crew chief as it is.”

“Then why are you here?”

He took his time answering. “Turns out you’re irresistible. And maybe I like trouble a little too much.” He studied her face. “But I don’t think you do.”

“Hmm. I guess you’re right. But for once I couldn’t help myself; and besides—” She ran her finger along his chest the way she’d imagined doing onl

y days ago, except instead of continuing below the water line, she made a curve upward to trace around his bulging pectoral. His brown nipple had beaded and unconsciously she fluted her tongue as she looked at it, then gave her upper lip a slow lick. “—every hardworking girl deserves a night off.”

She put both hands on him and rubbed his chest. His skin flinched. “Make that a night to remember,” she said.

He took a step back, looking at her, amazed. The pirate’s earring glinted at his ear. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, keeping her mind on one track only as she slipped into position against his chest.

“I’m clean,” he whispered, his mouth against her hair as he cradled her.

“That’s good. Because I’m feeling kind of dirty.” Her tongue flicked against his nipple. She inhaled his scent—hot male and black tar. “That’s my confession: I want to be dirty.” She thought of him on the work crew, every muscle in use, glistening with sweat and grime. Of the words she’d already used and the ones banked inside like embers, still to be said.

Go ahead and say it. You want to fuck.

Good girls didn’t speak that way.

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