Page 1 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

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S AWYER “SAINT” COLLINS’S boots crunched the gravel in the unpaved parking lot as he climbed out of his pickup truck, the sandy earth peeking through beneath the dusty pebbles.

The produce stand was buzzing with people on Saturday afternoon.

Cars whizzed by on the highway, and his eyes swept the area, taking in the families, couples, and other people milling about and loading their cars.

He briefly squinted in the bright sunlight, the sound of the waves from the Pacific Ocean crashing in the distance both soothing and familiar.

His gaze landed on the woman he was here to meet at the far edge of the lot, her dark brunette tresses blowing in the Hawaiian breeze and creamy skin practically glowing in the summer sun.

Hell.

Riley had on skinny jeans so tight that it looked like she’d been poured into them and a snug-fitting tank top that showed off her assets.

Her womanly curves were practically sinful, and if she’d dressed like this when she’d waitressed at Coconuts, he probably would’ve tried to take her home the first night they’d met, not laughed off her blushes and not-so-secret glances his way.

The dark sunglasses she wore today made it hard to read her expression as her head swung his way, and she looked different than the flustered waitress he was used to seeing at the bar. This version of Riley was cool, confident, and collected. Not to mention hotter than sin.

His hand clenched as he moved more quickly toward her. He might’ve planned to saunter casually across the lot, but everything about this situation was off.

The sexy, form-fitting clothes she wore. The change in her normally shy demeanor. The fact that she’d texted him at all.

He didn’t stop walking until he was standing right in front of Riley. It was closer than socially acceptable given they were acquaintances at best, but this chick had been following him. Watching him. And she’d somehow gotten his contact info and asked to meet him here.

He didn’t say hello, avoiding all pretenses of polite conversation, just looked down at her delicate features.

He couldn’t see her brown eyes at the moment but took in her slender nose and kissable, pouty lips.

The slight flush on her cheeks. Shame it wasn’t appropriate to kiss her hello.

Sawyer bet she tasted divine, and her mouth looked delicious.

“You have my attention.” His voice was low and smooth. He was curious more than anything. Confused, perhaps, but comfortable enough to let her say her piece. He gazed at her, unmoving, waiting for a reaction.

“You got my text.” Her voice was like a fucking angel singing.

Feminine. Sweet. Somewhat of a contrast to her current, no-nonsense attitude.

And since when did he wax poetic about a woman?

Never was the answer to that question. Sawyer realized that he wanted to hear his name on her lips.

Listen to Riley’s sweet cries as he thrust into her, making her explode beneath him in his bed.

If he hadn’t been attracted to her before, he sure the hell was now.

Ironic timing given the looks she’d been giving him all along.

Puppy dog eyes. That’s what his teammates had called it. Sawyer hadn’t really given a shit then, but this version of Riley? Sign him the hell up.

“Affirmative. I got your text. What’s this about, little Riley Roo?” he joked, trying to get a rise out of her.

A brief flash of annoyance crossed her face. “I needed to talk to you.”

“So I gathered. How’d you get my number?

” He didn’t care so much that she’d texted him but was damn curious.

Despite knowing her for nearly a year, he’d given her his order at the restaurant while he flirted with other women there, not giving Riley so much as another thought.

He’d seen her watching him as he whisked other ladies out the door for the night.

Felt her eyes on him anytime he was there.

Riley was shy, even blushing around him much of the time.

The icy coolness she had going on now was intriguing, to say the least.

He let his gaze rake over her, taking in her plump breasts pressing against her tank top and curvy hips—perfect for wrapping his hands around as he pulled her close.

Riley was slender yet womanly in all the ways that counted.

And yep, he was counting his blessings right about now.

She was an eyeful of sexy woman, practically made for a man to admire.

Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

“You gave your number to one of the other waitresses months ago,” Riley said. “I was saving it until I needed it.”

Surprise washed over him. “And what’d you have to say, kitten?”

She rolled her eyes. Yep, she still had those dark sunglasses on, but the reaction was obvious. It was a look he’d seen plenty of women give him before.

“Come on now. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m all yours.”

“I need your help.”

“Yep. Figured that given your text.” He looked around.

“You having car trouble or something? I know some asshole isn’t bothering you at the bar because we’re out here in the middle of nowhere at a fucking fruit stand.

Everyone seems to be minding their own business,” he added, making a show of scanning the area again.

There certainly weren’t any handsy, drunken sailors here.

No tourists insisting they get to know her as more than a waitress.

Sawyer hadn’t necessarily wanted to chase after Riley in the past, but if a man had so much as touched her without her consent, Sawyer would end him.

“There’s a traitor on base.”

He startled, certain he’d heard wrong. “Come again?”

“I’m not a waitress, Sawyer.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Then what the hell are you doing waiting tables, kitten? Or was that your evil twin sister I saw batting her eyelashes at me at Coconuts all those times?”

Riley huffed out a sigh. “I do have a sister. Radley’s not here though.

She lives near Seattle, which is neither here nor there.

I’ve been waitressing at Coconuts for a year, but things aren’t always as they appear.

” She brushed back a strand of that luscious dark hair, and his eyes caught on a dagger tattoo on her inner wrist.

What the hell?

Sawyer considered himself a pretty observant guy. He had to be in his line of work. But this? This version of Riley he had to admit he never saw coming. And how the hell had he never noticed her ink before?

“You have questions.”

“You think?” he asked sarcastically, crossing his arms. Her eyes briefly landed on his biceps, and he smirked. Seemed she was still interested in him even if she claimed to be different than the woman he knew from the bar.

She waved her hand with exaggerated patience. “Let’s get on with it then. Ask away.”

“Who are you, Riley?” he asked. No pretense.

No beating around the bush. She’d gotten him out here, and he wanted answers.

For not being a waitress, she’d sure the hell waited on his teammates and him a number of times.

Even their women knew her. Not a single thing she was saying made a lick of sense.

“I’ve been working undercover,” Riley said smoothly.

“At a restaurant?” He shook his head. This chick was killing him. Was she making up some bullshit story just to get his attention? It was a different angle, but then again, he was here, wasn’t he?

Score one for Riley.

“Lots of military types come through Coconuts,” Riley said. “I was investigating.”

“And?”

She stared him down, not the least bit intimidated that he was bigger than her. He supposed she had no reason to be, not at the moment. They were surrounded by people off a highway at a fucking fruit stand. What was the worst that could happen?

“At first, I thought it was you,” she said, her voice as sweet as honey. He could imagine her whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Maybe sitting in his lap while she rode him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her bare breasts rubbing against his chest... “I realized I was wrong.”

His gaze snapped back to her eyes. “And what’s this person you’re ‘investigating’ doing that has your feathers’ ruffled?” he asked, making little air quotes with his hands.

She smirked. “Kittens don’t have feathers.”

He chuckled. Score two for Riley.

“Don’t be a smartass,” she continued. “I’m serious, Sawyer. I’ve been working at Coconuts looking for a mole in the military. Someone has been selling state secrets and stealing munitions from Pearl Harbor.”

Sawyer narrowed his gaze. “And you don’t think I would have heard about this if it were true? Come on now. We would’ve been briefed about munitions suddenly going missing. NCIS would’ve been investigating and interviewing sailors.”

Riley slid her sunglasses atop her head, shooting him a look with those big brown eyes. She arched a brow. “You think? That would ruin the investigation if you knew they were onto you.”

“You thought it was me,” he said dryly.

“I had my suspicions.”

“Kitten, I’m a Navy SEAL. I’m around weapons just as much as the next guy, but surely my commanding officer would notice if ammo suddenly went missing or if our ops were compromised.

Everything’s been by the book, and we’re hella successful on everything we run.

I’ve got no reason to believe a thing you’re telling me. ”

“Not ammo, Sawyer. That’s not the type of munitions that are missing. We’re talking about missiles.”

His jaw ticked as he stared at her, working that over in his mind. Her gaze briefly raked over him, and he resisted the urge to smirk. Maybe her little act at Coconuts wasn’t all for show. The looks she gave him. The blushes. She might’ve been watching him, but she was into him, too.

And hell if he wasn’t into the new and improved Riley.

She was suddenly like a bright and shiny new toy he wanted to play with. To strip bare and explore with his hands and mouth. Forget this undercover bullshit story she was going on and on about. They could have some fun between the sheets and pretend this entire conversation never happened.

“You expect me to believe you,” he finally said when she didn’t add anything else. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“I’m a former government operative. I ran assets. Collected intelligence. Spent time overseas. I work with my sister now, doing jobs as they’re needed.”

“Who do you work for?” he demanded. “I haven’t seen you flash a government ID, kitten. I think you’re bullshitting me.”

“We’re self-employed.”

“We?”

“Radley and I.”

“So you’ve got a sister supposedly working in Seattle. And you ended up here in Oahu because...?”

“I came here a year ago on a different case. I was helping out Radley, and that guy’s been locked away, never to see daylight again.

Since I was already here, I got involved in this case.

Small pieces of intelligence were being leaked, presumably to gain trust from our adversaries.

When the missiles went missing, shit started to hit the fan.

It’s bigger than we thought, and we need answers, stat. ”

“So why the hell did you think it was me?” Sawyer asked with a frown.

“The description of the guy matched you.”

“Good looking and has a way with the ladies?” Sawyer quipped.

Riley leveled him with a gaze. “Negative. Word was that an arrogant sailor who hung out at Coconuts and had access to Top Secret information was leaking intelligence and somehow gaining access to the missiles.”

“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down much, kitten. I’m hardly the only sailor there and you know it.”

“I was working on a hunch. You have access to various areas of base given your career as a Navy SEAL. You fit the profile, so I followed you.”

“And you brought me all the way out here, interrupting the party I was attending, I might add, to let me know you don’t consider me a suspect any longer?

Make it make sense, kitten,” he encouraged.

His gaze licked over her again, taking in Riley’s sexy cleavage.

A long necklace dangled between her breasts.

A stack of bracelets jangled on her arm as she shifted, no doubt uncomfortable at his scrutiny, and he snatched her hand, turning it over to inspect her inner wrist. “What’s the dagger tattoo for? ”

“Men have underestimated me before. That’ll never happen again.”

She pulled away, and he released her. There was a story there, but now wasn’t the time. Not when he needed a whole host of other answers. “Why’d you want to meet me here, Riley?” he asked, his gaze hard as he looked at her.

“I no longer suspect you, but I want to work with you. I need your help, Sawyer.”