Page 23 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

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S AWYER SAUNTERED THROUGH the parking lot on base the next day, feeling like a new man.

He’d hung out with Riley at the bar last night, made sure she got home safely, and then crashed.

In his own bed. And despite being there all by his lonesome, it had been a damn good sleep.

He and his teammates had finished their quick op, and he felt strangely settled once he saw Riley.

Sure, they still had plenty of work to do involving her case, but something about seeing her had made him feel like things were right in the world.

It was odd because Sawyer had never felt the need to rush to any other woman before when he returned from a mission.

Far from it. It hadn’t even been long. Sawyer had been gone for forty-eight hours, but he hadn’t been able to get the beautiful brunette out of his head.

Seeing the surprise on Riley’s face and kissing her hello had been one hundred percent worth it. He’d even followed her in his truck and walked her right up to her condo door—kissing her again, because he loved to hear her little whimpers and feel the way she clung to him as he held her.

Shit, he had it bad. It was like she’d been in front of him for months, hidden in plain sight, and someone had flipped on the light switch. Now she consumed his thoughts, and Sawyer had to admit, he didn’t hate it.

Pausing a moment before he headed into the building, he shot off a quick text.

Sawyer: Good morning, kitten. My bed was awfully lonely last night.

Riley: Maybe you should’ve slept on the couch then. ;)

Sawyer: My girl’s full of jokes this morning.

Riley: So now I’m your girl?

Sawyer: Seems that way given I’m gonna wife you up.

She didn’t reply again, and he chuckled.

Riley was fun to tease. The woman was too damn serious and focused on work sometimes.

Sawyer figured a guy like him was good for her.

Sure, he could be serious when the situation called for it, but you only lived once.

Why not enjoy life to the fullest extent?

The irony was, at the rate things were progressing, it was unlikely he’d actually need to marry her. Riley wasn’t working this case alone anymore. Sawyer and his entire SEAL team were assisting.

“You’re in a good mood,” Austin said as Sawyer headed into the locker room, whistling.

“Course he is,” Hudson said. “I know for a fact he went to Coconuts last night to see his lady.”

Sawyer chuckled, slinging his bag down and spinning the combination dial on his locker. “She’s still convinced it’s all pretend, that we’re just putting on a show because we’re fake engaged.”

“Isn’t it pretend?” Wyatt asked with a frown.

“I mean, the fake engagement, sure. I still need to get her a ring,” Sawyer added as an afterthought. “But I can admit I’m into her. The secret undercover work, the hidden tattoos. It does it for me.”

“Hidden tattoos?” Hudson asked with interest.

Sawyer shrugged. “She’s got a rose and thorns on her back. I only saw that when she wore a sexy little dress on our date. I’ll find the others though,” he assured him. “I’m positive there’re more.”

Wyatt crossed his arms, eyeing Sawyer. “Sorry, Saint. It sounds like it’s just about her looks. This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been into a woman simply because she’s attractive. I have to admit though, the fact that you haven’t slept with her yet says something.”

Hudson chuckled. “She’s got him by the balls and doesn’t even know it.”

“It’s more than just about her looks,” Sawyer insisted. “She’s beautiful, sure, but Riley’s smart. Ambitious. She’s good at what she does. She’s quiet, but—”

“Thank God since you’re such a loudmouth,” Austin pointed out. “Imagine if she was just like you,” he said.

“Opposites attract. And trust me—there’s some definite attraction between us.

” Sawyer’s blood heated just remembering the way he’d kissed her goodnight.

Riley had been breathless, clinging to him like he was the only thing in her world.

Sawyer was certain that she’d almost—almost—invited him in to stay.

It might take baby steps, but he’d get there.

And Riley would be one hundred percent worth the wait.

“When do you see the future wifey again?” Hudson quipped.

Sawyer’s eyes landed on him. “Tonight.”

“She working?” Hudson asked.

“Nah. I think she has the night off. I’m planning to stop by later on.”

Aaron chuckled as he walked over. “Oh yeah? Does she know you’re coming? Women love when you show up unexpectedly—not. They want to primp and be ready before a date.”

“It’s not a date. It’s just me, her fake fiancé, stopping by to see her. What could go wrong?” Sawyer asked.

Wyatt muttered an oath, eyeing Sawyer. “A damn hell of a lot could go wrong. Now that the commander is involved in this investigation, too, don’t screw things up just because you’re into Riley. We don’t need her pissed at you after you break her heart.”

“I’m not breaking her heart,” Sawyer said, annoyed.

“The point is, your love life is the least of our problems. We’ve got real trouble if someone is smuggling out missiles. Think with your head for a change, not just your dick.”

“Got it, Wildcard. However, it seemed you were quite happy to meet your girl on an op,” Sawyer razzed.

“Callie’s different,” Wyatt immediately said.

“So’s Riley. She may even be the one.”

The locker room fell silent, and Sawyer turned back to his locker, ignoring the shocked expressions on the faces of his teammates.

Fuck convention. Riley was unlike any other woman he’d met.

She was special. Maybe even everything. Yeah, she was hesitant to believe he was actually into her, but Sawyer knew he’d always regret if he let her get away. If he didn’t give this a real shot.

Riley was different, and it wasn’t just because he was crazy attracted to her or because she was working undercover.

Sawyer felt different around her. He wanted her to feel safe, to be happy, to know he had her back.

Riley might be reluctant to jump into an actual relationship with him, but all he knew was that when she was in his arms, nothing else in the whole world felt more right.

Yeah, they’d done no more than kiss, but the electricity between them had nearly been enough to start an inferno.

The idea of being with Riley probably should’ve scared him. He didn’t date. He didn’t have serious relationships. She challenged him. Made him want to do right by her. And if their relationship ended up being not so fake after all?

He didn’t have a problem with doing it all for real.

***

C OMMANDER MADDEN WAS already in the bullpen when the team arrived late that evening, his laptop open at the end of the long conference table. Now that they’d returned from their quick op, things had finally gotten rolling on the investigation into the men smuggling missiles.

“We ran the photo Sawyer took through facial recognition software again,” their CO told the team.

“It took some time, and I’m sure IT could explain the troubles better than me.

The point is, we have a match.” He went to his laptop, pressing a button so that a photograph of a sailor in uniform appeared on the big screen at the front of the room.

Another click, and the man’s name and stats appeared beside it. “We got a name. Kurt Bengal.”

“Bengal?” Hudson asked with a frown. “I guess that explains the tiger tattoo.”

Sawyer stared at the name in disbelief, then let out a low chuckle. “Well, that’s just damn stupid.”

“Stupid or not, it’s him,” Commander Madden said, his voice hard. “Kurt Bengal has a lengthy list of infractions against him. I’m surprised he’s still active duty. Some of these appear to warrant a discharge.”

“He must have friends in high places,” Wyatt surmised.

“My thoughts exactly,” the commander said. “Even more interesting, however, is that his brother is also stationed here.”

“You’re shitting me,” Hudson said.

“Watch your mouth!” the commander barked, eyeing him. He clicked to another slide, and Robert Brown’s name and photo appeared on the screen. Looking at the similarities between them, there was no mistaking the two men were related.

“Different last names?” Wyatt questioned.

“Apparently so. It seems their parents divorced when they were teenagers. One of them changed his last name back to their mother’s maiden name. I don’t know the rationale behind that, but they both ended up here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.”

“Let me guess. This idiot has access to the munitions’ storage,” Sawyer said.

“Affirmative,” Commander Madden replied. “And while Robert Brown hasn’t been reprimanded during his time in the service like Kurt Bengal, Brown was previously in trouble with the law.”

“Great. So we have a couple of loose cannons with stolen missiles,” Aaron said, looking irritated. “What could go wrong?”

“We need to end this before everything goes FUBAR,” the commander said, studying the slide again.

“Now that we have names, we can stop the sale of the weapons and determine if anyone else is involved in this or the coverup. Both Bengal and Brown have left for the day, but tomorrow morning, we’ll be monitoring them both.

Offices. Home addresses. Hangouts. Everything.

Tonight, we organize, and tomorrow, we’re tracking their every single movement.

The sale is supposed to occur in less than three weeks’ time, and we’re going to prevent that from happening. ”

Wyatt’s gaze swiveled to Sawyer. “You gonna call Riley and tell her the news?”

Sawyer clenched his jaw. “Negative. She needs to hear this in person.”