Page 22 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

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T WO DAYS LATER, RILEY breezed into Coconuts before her shift began.

Sawyer hadn’t been able to come the other night after all.

He’d gotten pulled into a late briefing on base, and the men had been sent out on a quick op in the dead of night.

It was exactly the reason that she and Sawyer had originally discussed a fake marriage—to get her onto base if Sawyer was deployed.

Fortunately, he was supposed to land tonight.

Although he didn’t always know how long he’d be away, he’d had a general timeline for this mission.

Riley figured he’d have to debrief with his commander, unpack his gear, and do a bunch of other things before crashing.

No doubt he'd be exhausted, but hopefully, she’d talk with him in the morning.

The place was already packed tonight, and the thump of music mixed in with conversation, laughter, and drinks being poured. The bartender gave her a joking salute as she headed toward the back.

That was one good thing about her supposed engagement—the men who worked at Coconuts no longer hit on Riley. Maybe she should’ve gotten fake-engaged sooner.

They still hadn’t ID’d the guy with a tattoo.

Stupidly, Riley hadn’t gotten a copy of the photo Sawyer had taken the other evening.

Riley could’ve sent it on to her contact at DOD, keeping that part of the investigation moving forward, if she’d had the presence of mind to do so before Sawyer left.

Everything had happened rapidly, however, and she’d been planning to send her DOD handler both a face and a name.

Sawyer had sent the photo to his teammates to run through facial recognition software, and they should’ve had a match by now. Except the men had been gone.

She blew out a frustrated sigh. Once again, simply being around that man had scattered her thoughts.

Even worse, they still had no idea who the second traitor might be. They had names, yes, but nothing had been investigated further with the entire team gone.

Everything would be coming to a head soon. If she failed in her job, it was likely another missile would be smuggled out. Her biggest fear was that she’d somehow fail in her mission and innocent people would be hurt or killed. No one illegally buying missiles wanted them for the greater good.

Riley quickly scanned the lost and found section as she walked into the break room of Coconuts, and her heart thudded.

The damn jacket was still there. So much for tracking the suspect.

Her software still showed the tracking device as being here, but she’d wondered if it had fallen off.

Either he hadn’t come back for the jacket yet, or he’d left it intentionally.

The guy had paid in cash at the bar that night, so there were no credit card records on file to pull his name that way.

Had he known they were watching him?

He’d gone to the address to receive his “payment” in the form of a woman, however. If he suspected something, wouldn’t he have stayed out of sight?

None of it made sense.

She stashed her belongings in the break room, readying for her shift. Her phone buzzed, and a feeling of relief washed over Riley as she glanced at the screen.

Sawyer: Just landed. Gotta debrief, then I’ll touch base with you later.

Riley: Thank goodness.

Sawyer: Did you miss me, kitten?

Riley: It was a glorious forty-eight hours without you teasing me. What’s to miss?

Sawyer: Hey now. No one else is gonna kiss you until you’re breathless. ;)

Riley: Was that you who kissed me? It’s hard to remember...

Sawyer: Funny and beautiful. My future wifey is quite the catch.

Sawyer: I’ll be by later. Either the bar or your place. Don’t get into trouble without me.

Riley reread the string of messages, suddenly feeling flustered. Nervous butterflies filled her stomach, which was unlike her. Unlike her except when it came to Sawyer.

That man.

Riley was always a professional, prepared for any scenario, and he managed to make her feel like a teenager. No wonder she’d forgotten to tell him to send her the photo.

She quickly texted him back, and he sent her the pictures he had of the tattooed man.

Her heart stopped as Sawyer also sent a shot of the two of them.

They’d pretended to pose, and she hadn’t realized that he really did take their picture before he’d flipped the camera angle.

Sawyer’s arm was around her, and although they were both slightly tense because they’d finally spotted the guy, Riley noted that she fit against Sawyer perfectly.

She studied his face for a moment, taking in those blue eyes and strong jaw.

Blinking in surprise, she realized he’d kept the photo of them. Obviously, since he’d just texted it to her. But why? Sawyer was a fun and flirtatious guy, but certainly he didn’t keep photos of just any woman on his phone. Did he?

The hours of Riley’s shift passed by quickly, and she waited on tables and ran orders, all the while scanning the place to make sure her suspect didn’t show.

And yes—she was also looking for Sawyer.

Just in case. It was near closing when she finally spotted him standing by the bar, and Riley nearly stumbled, so surprised to see him.

Sure, he’d mentioned he might swing by, but that was hours ago.

He was still in uniform, which likely meant he hadn’t even been home yet.

Was something wrong?

Riley hurriedly crossed toward him, feeling Sawyer’s eyes rake over her like a caress.

“What are you doing here? I figured we’d catch up tomorrow when you didn’t come by earlier. You’re still in uniform,” she needlessly added.

“The briefing ran late.”

She searched his face, noting the dark circles under his eyes and several days’ worth of stubble on his strong jaw. He looked exhausted. And rather than going home to crash, he’d shown up here.

“You could’ve called or texted later. You look tired.”

“Maybe I just wanted to see you.” His voice was gruff, and his blue eyes filled with an emotion she couldn’t name. Possessiveness, maybe, but protectiveness, too. He didn’t like what had happened the other night.

“Sawyer. That guy with the tattoo has no idea that I’m on to him. He thinks I’m just some plain old waitress. He’s a regular here, and as far as he knows, everything is just business as usual.”

“You think I’m taking a chance when it comes to your safety?” he asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

Riley looked at him in surprise. “I don’t need you to watch out for me.”

“And yet here I am,” he said, planting himself on a barstool, clearly not intending to leave. “Waiting. Watching.” His gaze ran over her, and she felt her body heat. “It’s a mighty fine view,” he said, licking his lips.

Riley flushed, feeling both flattered and annoyed.

She liked Sawyer’s attention and eyes on her.

She just didn’t like the fact that she liked it.

Every time she was near him, it was like Sawyer ignited something inside her.

And she didn’t know what to do with this other side of him—the side where he showed up for her, texted her, and made sure she was safe.

“You look exhausted. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather head home? We can talk tomorrow.”

“Nope. I’m gonna walk you to your car when your shift is over. I don’t like how you park in the back lot in the dark.”

“I walk myself out all the time.”

“Doesn’t mean I like it.” Sawyer reached for her, and Riley let him pull her closer.

His big hand squeezed her waist, and he gently brushed back some of her hair.

Electricity coursed through her, sending goosebumps covering her skin.

Even just being near this man practically had her trembling.

She wanted to both pull away and pull him closer.

Take whatever he offered her. Security. Pleasure. Someone to have her back.

She didn’t resist as he leaned in and kissed her, the moment slow and gentle yet still earth-shakingly hot.

“You’re in uniform,” she protested when she finally pulled back, her heart galloping in her chest. “What about no PDA?”

He cocked his head, his grin dazzling. “When have I ever played by the rules?”

“You’re impossible,” Riley said with a laugh.

“Yep. We already established that, remember? Impossible to resist.”

He kept one hand on her waist, his other dropping to his side. “My buddies are planning to have a bonfire this weekend. What do you say you come with me?”

“To hang out with your friends.”

“To hang out with my friends,” he agreed. “We’re engaged, after all. Maybe I’ll do the big proposal there—get down on one knee and all that.”

“Sawyer.”

He grinned. “You don’t want a fake show to go along with the fake marriage?”

“We both know we don’t need to get married. We have a photograph and some leads. Your commander and team are involved now. This will all be over soon.”

He sobered. “Maybe I like hanging around you.”

“But...this is all just pretend, isn’t it?”

“I’m attracted to you,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I’m intrigued by you. I want to know more, and it doesn’t feel so pretend to me.”

“You don’t date,” Riley protested. “All of your teammates have girlfriends and fiancées—real relationships,” she clarified.

Sawyer shifted his hand, edging beneath the hem of her tee shirt. His calloused thumb trailed in little circles on her skin, and she shivered. “You feel it, too,” he said huskily. “You can deny it all you want, kitten, but I’m not giving up. I want you.”