Page 15 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

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S AWYER TOOK A PULL from his beer, seated a few barstools down from where tiger boy stood. The more he looked at the tattoo, the more he realized it was real. Seemed an odd choice, but what the hell did he know? Maybe the guy had gotten it when he was young and dumb.

He watched as the man lifted his jacket off the barstool and briefly placed it onto the bar to sit down.

It was damn perfect timing. Sawyer reached over to grab a napkin, neatly sticking the tracking device on the inside of the jacket.

The guy hadn’t even noticed, too busy ogling the women seated across the way.

He shoved the jacket back onto his lap after he’d taken a seat, and Sawyer smirked.

He only had to hope the guy didn’t leave it here. If they didn’t see or intercept the message that was being delivered, Riley now had another method to follow his movements this evening. As long as the jacket went with him.

And meanwhile? Sawyer had set plans of his own into motion.

He drummed his fingers on the bar, his gaze briefly landing on his phone.

He’d hear back from Wyatt shortly. Riley would no doubt be pissed that Sawyer was looping in his teammates, but what choice did he have?

Sawyer had a picture of the man selling weapons.

It’d be easy enough to run his photo through facial recognition software or search the records on base.

Easy, as long as he used the resources available to him.

One way or another, this was ending.

The buzzing of his phone caught his eye, and he scanned over the text.

Wyatt: I thought you said Riley was IDing the guy at the bar. You were supposed to find the second guy—the one with access to storage areas on base.

Sawyer: Change of plans. I’m at Coconuts and snapped a photo of the first man.

Sawyer: We just need to ID the fool.

Wyatt: This could be our careers if she’s playing us.

Sawyer: Then I’ll do it on my own. Think he’ll notice if I steal his wallet to take a little looksie at his military ID?

Wyatt: The hell you won’t. Send me the goddamn picture.

Sawyer chuckled under his breath, thumbing another message to his team leader along with the photos he’d snapped. His buddies might think this was a bad idea, but he trusted Riley. Her story checked out, and although he had more questions, it wasn’t enough to make him hesitate in helping her.

Riley emerged from the kitchen just then, carrying a tray loaded with meals.

He nearly stood to go help her with the heavy load, then stopped himself.

This was her job. And if he left when they’d managed to have the perfect opportunity fall into their laps, he’d be a fool.

Sure, they finally had a face to ID the guy, but this mofo could lead them to a hell of a lot more.

Taking a long pull of his beer, Sawyer nearly chuckled as his gaze swept the bar.

Nope. This was almost too fucking easy. A teenage boy stood to the side, looking awkwardly out of place.

He had on sneakers and jeans and was wearing a leather jacket, almost looking like he was trying to fit into a bar scene.

Except they were in Hawaii. A freaking tropical paradise.

Sawyer set his beer down and neatly slid off the barstool, crossing the crowded space without thought. Hopefully tiger boy wasn’t watching, because Sawyer only had one chance to fool the teenager.

Fucking tiger tattoo.

“You got a message for me?” Sawyer asked as he approached. He stood in front of the teenager, blocking the view of him from the bar in case old tiger stripes himself happened to look over.

The teenager swallowed, suddenly looking nervous. “Um—maybe.”

“Stripes and whiskers, right?” Sawyer asked with a grin.

“Well, uh, I’m supposed to look for them,” the teenager boy said, his voice cracking. His gaze scanned over Sawyer, clearly not finding anything of the sort.

“Just a code word, my friend,” Sawyer said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“How about I give you some cash for your trouble? Thanks again for coming all the way down here to meet me tonight.” Sawyer pulled his wallet from his back pocket, peeling a few twenties off the little money he carried.

Too bad Sawyer hadn’t realized he’d be paying off some dumb kid this evening.

He’d have made sure to have more cash on him.

The teenager looked at the money, shrugged, then pulled a folded manila envelope from the inside of his jacket. “Here you go.” He handed over the delivery and snatched the cash, almost seeming worried that Sawyer would change his mind about tipping him.

The kid was gone before Sawyer could question him about who’d hired him, but no matter. They’d gotten more intel tonight than in the weeks Riley had been working the case alone. Some of it was pure luck as far as timing, but hell. If they got answers, that was all that mattered.

Sawyer lifted the bottom of his shirt and shoved the envelope into the front of his pants, deciding he needed to get the hell out of there.

Thankfully, he’d grabbed his phone in his haste to intercept the delivery.

He thumbed a message to Riley as he strode out of Coconuts into the dark Hawaiian night.

Sawyer: Meet me at your car.

Riley: Okay. I’m headed out in a few. What’s going on?

Sawyer: I’ve got the package.

Riley: That’s not some sort of sexual innuendo, is it?

Sawyer: Negative, kitten. But you know me all too well.

Sawyer: After all, a tiger never changes its stripes. ;)

Riley: You need a girlfriend. Someone else you can bug all the time.

Sawyer: Also a negative. I already got my future wifey.

Sawyer: Get your cute ass out here.

Sawyer snorted as she sent him a blushing emoji. Then his jaw dropped as she texted him back.

Riley: Your ass isn’t so bad either.

His low chuckle filled the parking lot. Riley could protest all she wanted, but she wanted him, too. She just wouldn’t admit it.

***

R ILEY CAME RUSHING out the back door of Coconuts a few minutes later, her purse slung over her shoulder, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.

Sawyer frowned as she crossed the nearly empty back lot.

Sure, he was here waiting for her, but what about the nights he wasn’t?

It didn’t sit well with him that she was out in the dark, deserted area alone.

He had little time to worry about that, however. Riley’s jaw dropped as she got closer, and Sawyer held up the envelope.

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, but I did,” he said, loving the shocked look on her face.

“I don’t understand. How did you get it?”

“Well hello to you, too,” he said, smiling like the cat that got the canary. Because he was. He had the intel. The girl. “And yes. I have the address.”

“He thought you were the guy? The idiot with the tiger tattoo? But what about the whiskers and stripes?”

Sawyer chuckled, backing her against the side of her convertible, his hands landing on her hips.

Riley’s breasts rose and fell, and her lips parted as he caged her in.

“Sawyer. Tell me what’s going on. How did you get the envelope?

And why does it feel like you’re about to kiss me right now?

No one’s watching. We don’t have to pretend out here. ”

He smiled, his mouth mere inches away from hers. “Who said anything about pretending?” He kissed her then, hard and deep, loving that she didn’t push him away. Quite the opposite, really. Riley’s hands clung to his tee shirt, and she gasped, almost as needy and desperate as he felt.

Sawyer devoured her—tasting, teasing. He poured all of his pent-up emotions from tonight into the kiss.

And Riley gave as good as she got—her tongue dueled with his, and his cock was half hard as she pressed against him.

Sawyer finally broke off the kiss, resting his forehead against hers.

They were both breathing heavily, and it took everything in him not to pick up where they’d just left off.

“I told him it was a code word,” he finally explained.

“Lucky me that I knew it. Should we go back to your place?”

“Sawyer.”

“To look inside the envelope, kitten. Get your mind out of the gutter,” he joked. But he kissed her again, softer and sweeter this time, skimming his fingers over her cheek. Riley was flustered, and while he’d love to explore that some more, they had work to get done.