Page 4 of A Very Grumpy Navy SEAL (Wolf Valley: Grumps #10)

FOUR

Koa

I didn’t sleep a wink last night. My mind wouldn’t shut off.

I spent a few hours searching for a suitable house for Lula.

It needed to be safe and close to town so she’d have decent internet and access to help if needed.

There weren’t many rental properties in Wolf Valley or the surrounding areas, so I moved on to houses that were for sale.

I have some money saved, and I wouldn’t mind being Lula’s landlord.

That way, I would still have a reason to talk to her and could ensure she was safe.

I finally narrowed it down to three houses and sent a few emails to the agents inquiring about seeing them.

After that was done, I tried to get some sleep, but it was no use.

I was too wound up, too horny and wired to fall asleep.

For the first time in a while, I’m not sure what to do. Being in the military is pretty predictable. We wake up, go to work, receive our orders, complete them, go home, sleep, and start all over again the next day. Here, though, I’m at a loss.

I want Lula. Badly. I haven’t even known her for twenty-four hours, and I’m already head over heels in love with her.

But she’s Ledger’s little sister. Ledger is my best friend, and I would never do anything to hurt him or betray his trust. He sent me out here to look for his sister, not wife her up.

But fuck if I don’t want to.

With a groan, I roll out of bed and head into the bathroom to take a shower to wake me up.

I stand under the hot spray, trying to figure out my next move.

I know I need to talk to Ledger, but I don’t know how to bring it up to him.

How do you tell your best friend you’re in love with his little sister?

I shut off the water and grab a towel to dry myself. My phone is ringing when I walk out of the bathroom, and I hurry to answer it.

“Hello?” I grunt.

“Hey,” Ledger greets.

I sink onto the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m about to head out, but I wanted to check in with you to see how Lula is really doing. She said she was fine yesterday, but she seemed off.”

“Yeah, she had a rough day yesterday.”

“How bad?”

“Well, she lost her rental house and her job, so pretty bad.”

“Shit,” he hisses. “I knew she shouldn’t have left San Francisco.”

“She would have lost her job regardless, and I’m pretty sure that rent in San Francisco is a lot more than here, so she might be better off staying in Wolf Valley,” I point out.

“But she could find a job more easily in San Francisco,” he argues

I know Ledger is worried about his sister, and I want to put him at ease. He doesn’t need to be worried about Lula while he’s in a war zone. I need to put him at ease so he has his head on straight before he goes out on patrol.

“I’m in town for a few more days. I’ll get her sorted out before I head back to base,” I promise.

“Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“I’ve got to head out. I’ll check in once I’m back at base.”

“Okay. Stay safe.”

“Thanks.”

He hangs up, and I drag my hands down my face. I know I need to tell him about my feelings for his sister, but I need to choose the right time. I don’t want to upset or distract him before he heads out on a mission.

It’s still early, and I know Lula must still be asleep, so I dress and head out to grab us some coffee and breakfast.

I pull on my shoes, grab my phone, hotel key, and wallet, and head out the door. As I lock the door behind me, Lula emerges from her room.

“Morning,” she greets me with a pretty smile.

“Morning. You’re up early,” I comment as I fall into step beside her.

She laughs self-consciously. “Yeah, I was hungry.”

“Me, too. What are you hungry for?”

“There’s a bakery a block west of here. I was going to check it out.”

“I’ll join you.”

We head downstairs, and I take her hand and lead her toward my car.

“We can walk. It’s so nice out,” she says, smiling at the sunrise.

I nod, and we head down the sidewalk toward the bakery.

“How did you sleep?” Lula asks after a minute.

“Um, good,” I lie.

“Yeah?”

I nod, staring straight ahead. “How about you?”

“Pretty good. I spent a few hours looking for jobs and places to live.”

“Any luck?”

“Not really. I put my resume in at a few places. Hopefully, I’ll hear back soon.”

“Fingers crossed,” I say as we stop outside the bakery.

It smells delicious, and Lula’s stomach growls as I hold the door open for her.

“Welcome!” a redheaded woman calls as she loads pastries into the display case.

Lula smiles. “Morning.”

“Let me know when you’re ready to order,” the woman says.

Lula bends to look at all the options in the case. I do my best to keep my eyes on the pastries and not on Lula’s ass.

“What looks good to you?” she asks.

You.

“Um, I think I’ll do the cinnamon roll.”

“Okay. Can we get a cinnamon roll, a cheese Danish, and a blueberry muffin, please?” Lula orders. She turns to me. “Did you want a coffee?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, and two coffees.”

“Coming right up!” the redhead says.

I shake my head as Lula pulls out her wallet. “I’ve got it.”

“You paid for the hotel rooms. I can buy us breakfast.”

“Not a chance, bunny.”

“Bunny?” She raises an eyebrow, and a smile tugs at the corner of her lips.

I shrug. “It seems fitting.”

Our breakfast is boxed up, and when Lula steps up to pay, I reach out, grab the back of her shirt, and tug her away from the register.

“No,” I tell her sternly.

“It would be good if you weren’t always pushing or pulling me when you’re trying to do something sweet,” she points out.

I grunt, and she rolls her eyes. I hide my smile as I pay for our breakfast and pass Lula’s pastries to her. We each grab a coffee and wave goodbye as we exit the bakery.

“Where now?” I ask, sipping my coffee.

“How about we eat over there?” She points to a small park across the street.

“Sure.”

I follow her to a picnic bench and sit across from her. We both dig into our food and Lula moans as she bites into her Danish. My cock hardens, and I shift on the bench.

“You have to try this,” she says, shoving the pastry in front of my face.

I take a bite and swallow a groan when the cheese melts on my tongue. “That’s damn good,”

“What was the best breakfast that you’ve ever had?” she asks after another bite of her Danish.

“There’s this little place in Virginia, right outside the base. They have the best breakfast. I’ve probably been there a hundred times, ordered everything off the menu, and it’s all delicious.”

“Are you a savory or sweet person?”

“Usually savory, but after this, I might be swayed to the sweet side.”

She laughs and finishes her Danish.

“What about you?” I ask.

“There was this crepe place in San Francisco. We went every Sunday morning, and I had the lemon and sugar crepes with a scoop of ice cream,” she says with a nostalgic smile.

“I’ll have to check it out sometime.”

Her smile dims. “You can’t. They closed a few months ago.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“So why did you decide to move here?”

“I woke up one morning and realized there was nothing left for me in San Francisco. I was alone, working a boring job, in a city that didn’t feel like mine anymore. I wanted a change. I wanted to make something that was mine. Find somewhere that felt like home.”

“And that’s Wolf Valley?”

“I think it could be.”

Lula is so optimistic and resilient. She’s lost her parents and been left behind by her brother, but she’s still going strong. The world and all its ugly parts haven’t corrupted her. I want to keep it that way.

“What about you? Where’s home?” Lula asks.

“Right now, Virginia.”

“And before that?”

“Chicago.”

“Is that where your family is from? Are they still there?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“I was an orphan. I grew up in the foster system. There’s nothing left for me in Chicago.”

“I’m sorry, Koa.”

I shrug. “I turned out all right.”

“Yeah,” she says softly.

She digs into her muffin, and we eat in silence for a minute before she asks, “Did you always want to be a Navy SEAL?”

“Yeah. I saw an ad on TV when I was seven, and I was set on it from then on.”

“And is it everything you thought it would be?”

“Pretty much. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I’m good at it. I’ve found a family with my team members.”

“I’m happy for you.”

“What about you? What’s your dream career?”

“Honestly?” She leans across the table.

“Yes.”

“I don’t really care about a job. I want to be a mom,” she whispers.

“Oh, fuck,” I curse under my breath.

My cock presses against the zipper of my jeans, and it’s not going down anytime soon. Not with the image of Lula pregnant with my kid flashing in my head.

Lula pregnant, naked, beneath me…

She frowns. “What?”

I clear my throat. “I think you’d make a great mom.”

She beams. “Thanks. But first, I need to find a man.”

Jesus, I need to talk to Ledger. Soon. I need to tell him how I feel about his sister because I’m not about to let another man knock up my girl.