Page 36 of Honk if You Love Real Men (Tempting SEALs 1)

“But you don’t know that for sure.”

Her heart had started to pound. “No, but I’m pretty certain I’m right.”

“Oh, yeah?” he came toward her.

Bree edged away from him, her back coming to rest against the headboard.

“Don’t play games with me, Trent. Not now.”

“You took a big risk inviting me up to your room, Bree. A huge risk.”

And he was right, damn it. She knew

that. It’d been a stupid idea. But he’d stopped advancing.

She looked away from him, tears burning the edges of her eyes. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d never been prone to foolish acts before.

You’re desperate, that’s what happened.

A hand reached out and gently touched her arm. Bree flinched, but he only did it again.

“The truth is, Bree, you can trust me,” he said softly. “And if you give me the address of the bastard who did this to you, I’ll hunt him down and kill him for you.”

She looked into his eyes, realizing he was absolutely serious. How had it happened? she wondered. How had all the years dissolved? And what was that look in his eyes? It was the same look as before, the one that made her feel . . . odd.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said, a part of her realizing the words had more to do with the look in his eyes than her state of mind.

“Let me hold you.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she said, the tears falling down her cheek.

“Let’s try.”

She almost waved him away, but instead she forced herself to nod. He shifted, slowing scooting closer to her—like she was a wild animal about to flee. And maybe she was.

“I won’t hurt you, Bree,” he said softly, taking her into his arms.

Everything inside her froze, and then went wild, her pulse, her breathing, the adrenaline in her veins. She almost wrenched away from him, almost told him to let her go. But instead she made herself stay still, to try and relax, and eventually, slowly, she was able to do that.

He held her. She listened as he murmured soothing words—nonsense things that helped calm her down.

“Do you remember the first night we met?”

She nodded.

“I chased you up and down that cruise strip what must have been a hundred times, but I never caught you. And then, when I pulled into that convenience store, there you were.” He rubbed her back. “My lucky night.”

“I should have never left you.”

“Nah,” he said softly. “You had bigger and better things to do. I understood that. But I never forgot you. You were my first real girlfriend, the first love of my life. When I looked up and saw you in front of my job site, I thought I must be seeing things.”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.”

“How could I ever forget you?”

She shrugged.

“I still can’t believe you came all the way back to make love with me. What am I? A stud service?”

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