Page 11 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

Her gut clenched. The idea of marrying him and then neatly saying goodbye felt.

..wrong. She wasn’t exactly the type of woman who needed a huge, extravagant wedding.

Riley had assumed when she ever got married, however, it would be for love.

Forever. Riley and Sawyer hardly knew one another.

He was just a guy she saw around Coconuts when she was working.

She’d make small chit-chat with Sawyer and his teammates while taking their orders or when she brought their drinks and food, but that was it.

They weren’t friends and they certainly weren’t in love with one another.

As they’d discussed previously, the marriage would be nothing more than a business transaction.

She bit her lip. Was she making a big mistake? Riley was used to getting the job done no matter the cost to herself. While she didn’t sleep with men for information, when she’d been overseas? She’d flirt or date men for information. Be who they wanted her to.

This was different, and it gave her pause.

“You okay?” her friend Chelsea asked, carrying a large tray full of steaming meals to bring out to her own table. A second server was right behind her, and she neatly moved around Chelsea, heading out of the kitchen.

“Me? Sure.” Riley replied. “I’m fine. Just an off night I guess.”

Chelsea shot her a disbelieving look. “I don’t know. You look a little pale. By the way, some hottie out there was looking for you.”

Riley did a double-take as Chelsea started to exit the kitchen with her tray of food.

“Looking for me?” Riley repeated, feeling foolish.

“Yep. Same guy that’s in here a lot with his military buddies.

Usually has a couple of women fawning all over him, but he’s alone tonight,” Chelsea said.

“I wouldn’t turn down a night in his bed if you know what I mean,” Chelsea added with a wink.

“Even single moms like you need a wild night once in a while.”

A shot of embarrassment washed through Riley, a flush creeping over her skin.

No one at the bar questioned her lack of a boyfriend or dating life because they assumed she was busy with her daughter.

Her fake daughter. But the idea of a night with Sawyer had her all sorts of worked up, even though, rationally, Riley knew that it would never happen.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Riley said, ignoring Chelsea’s comment about sleeping with him.

“I’ll be right out.” Riley smoothed her hands down over her shorts, trying to ignore the sudden pounding in her heart.

Chelsea couldn’t be talking about Sawyer, because they were supposed to meet later at her place.

Much later. He had training all day and then was going to see about adding her to his benefits—for their “marriage.”

Suddenly, Riley broke out in a cold sweat as nerves quaked through her.

Riley’s career affected no one but herself.

She took jobs as she saw fit and had generally made her own way through life after splitting with the government.

Of course the outcome of her jobs affected others—whether she was successful in gathering intelligence or tracking down an adversary.

But Sawyer? He had a very active career as a Navy SEAL.

His teammates relied on him, and he had to do whatever the Navy ordered.

Adding her to his military benefits made everything official.

There’d be strings to untie when they eventually annulled the marriage. Paperwork. Complications.

And what would he tell his teammates?

He’d claimed that he’d break the news today, which shot another jolt of worry through her. They were in here all the time. Would they ask questions? See right through their lie?

Riley was somewhat baffled that he’d even suggested they get married.

It would look good to his commanding officers, according to Sawyer, but how much trouble could he really be in?

Sawyer deployed with his teammates on ops.

He seemed to be good at his job. Was he really being watched that closely for any past indiscretions?

Sure, he was a flirt, but it wasn’t like he was the only sailor on base to enjoy spending time with the ladies.

And flirting, or even sleeping with a woman, wasn’t a crime.

Was there something she’d missed in her profile on him? Not likely. Maybe he just really wanted to get the traitors selling out their country. This seemed like an extreme move, however, even for a fly by the seat of his pants guy like Sawyer.

Shaking her head, she stalled in the kitchen for a moment longer.

Riley had enough to worry about tonight without him showing up now instead of their planned meeting later.

She needed to narrow down the possibilities as to which man was selling military weapons.

Her mind ran back over the first intercepts she’d seen, when her contact at DOD had first brought her onboard this case.

“How will I know it’s you?” the buyer had asked in his intercepted text.

“Just follow the ladies. I’m a regular there. Tall. Fit. Dark blond hair. The women love me.”

The first messages weren’t much to go on, and yet the buyer had found him.

The traitor. The man who’d somehow smuggled out freaking missiles.

If she’d been given the intel sooner, maybe she could’ve stopped it before anything had begun.

Observed the meeting from afar and discovered who both the buyer and seller really were.

Tracked him instead of mistakenly following Sawyer.

The intercepted texts from the traitor only got more conceited and arrogant after that first message.

Give me some time. I know what I’m doing—with women and with the goods.

You’ll get what you want as long as I do.

Cash. A pretty girl or two. You deliver on that, and I’ll deliver on what I promised.

Riley’s mind worked that over. Could that be what the early payment tonight was referencing—a woman?

Jesus. This guy really was a womanizing pig.

She moved without thought, heading back to the bar.

If Sawyer truly was here, she could enlist in his help tonight.

He might know some of the men she’d been watching or at least recognize them.

And he could help her look for whoever had stripes and whiskers. Whatever that meant.

She briefly checked on one of her tables, then scanned the bar again.

It was even more crowded than a few minutes ago, a big group having descended on Coconuts for the evening.

Kind of surprising for a Monday night, but then again, the extra people might help her blend in more if she tried to find her guy.

She scanned the area, searching for Sawyer. Someone approached her from behind, and Riley stilled, goosebumps washing over her skin. Without even turning around, she knew. Her body instinctively reacted to him, and as much as she hated it, she needed his help in her investigation.

“Fancy seeing you here tonight.” Sawyer’s deep voice made her stomach do a funny little flip.

She was in low sneakers for her shift tonight, and it felt like he was towering behind her.

She could feel the heat from his muscled body, and her body was practically electrified at his presence.

Riley turned and nearly sucked in a breath.

He looked good. Too good. Freshly showered, his short hair looking slightly damp, with the five o’clock shadow she loved across his chiseled jaw.

And he smelled clean, like soap mixed in with sandalwood.

There was a trace of the salty ocean breeze mixed in there, too.

Something about him almost felt like coming home, which was crazy. Sawyer wasn’t hers.

“Hi.” Her voice almost sounded breathless. Riley’s heart thudded in her chest, and it was like the rest of the restaurant faded into the background. “I thought we were meeting later on at my place.”

“Change of plans.” Before she could react, Sawyer took her hand, his thumb skimming over her skin. Her pulse jumped as he leaned in closer, and then his lips were on hers.