Page 24 of SEAL’s Paradise (Alpha SEALs Hawaii #6)

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S AWYER CLOSED THE DOOR to his truck and jogged across the parking lot at Riley’s condo.

It was late, and he’d rushed over so quickly, he hadn’t even called her first. Or changed out of his uniform.

He took the stairs two at a time, eager to see Riley and let her know about the newest developments.

She’d been wanting to ID the traitors for weeks, and they finally had not one name but two.

Everything was happening now, and first thing tomorrow, both Kurt Bengal and Robert Brown would have eyes on them at all times.

His teammates had remained on base with their commander, looking further into the backgrounds of both men.

They needed to know their accesses. Clearances.

What intel they could’ve possibly leaked in addition to the treachery of smuggling out missiles.

Sawyer was eager to start on the real work, to locate where the missiles had gone and stop the removal of yet another one from base.

Now that they knew who to watch, hopefully Bengal and Brown would lead them right to where the arms had been shipped off the island.

Rushing down the breezeway of Riley’s condo building, Sawyer stopped when he reached her place. He knocked quietly on the door, hoping he wouldn’t be scaring her. Somehow, he doubted that Riley usually had guests showing up unannounced at this hour.

Adrenaline coursed through him.

He was anxious to share the updates, yes, but he also just wanted to see her. It had been twenty-four hours since he’d kissed her right here at this very front door, and frankly, that felt like too damn long.

“It’s me,” he said in a low voice when he heard the soft fall of footsteps in her foyer. “Open the door. I have some news, and I wanted to share it in person.”

He heard the lock turn, and then the door swung open.

Sawyer’s gaze immediately swept over Riley, his heart stuttering a beat.

Riley was standing there barefoot, in a silky black camisole and little shorts, her long hair dangling down near her breasts.

It was sexy. Intimate. It was also the least amount of clothing Sawyer had ever seen her in, and he wanted to eat her right up.

Her floral scent slammed into him, and he felt his cock twitch. Hell, she was pretty. Breathtaking. His hands itched to pull her close, but he forced himself not to immediately move closer, soaking in her goodness and warmth.

He had come here for a reason, and it wasn’t to explore every inch of her skin, as much as he wanted to.

“What’s going on?” Riley asked in confusion. Her eyes moved between his and the uniform he wore, seeming to realize he’d come straight from base. “Did something happen?”

“Can I come in? I need to talk with you.”

“Sure, but it’s late,” she said, still seeming baffled by his sudden appearance.

“Guess I’ll have to stay here then after I share my news.”

Riley didn’t miss a beat. “Hope you enjoy the couch.”

He licked his lips, trying to hide his smile as he stepped inside, and she shut the door. “Well, a man can hope, kitten.”

She looked up at him, flustered, and he wanted to chuckle.

Riley’s words didn’t match her body language in the least. She was affected by him—her breasts rising and falling, her skin flushed, her lips slightly parted.

She might not have been expecting Sawyer to show up, but her reactions didn’t lie. She wanted him.

He briefly scanned the apartment, deciding to change the subject and hopefully put her at ease. “What happened to your cat?”

“My cat?”

“Yeah, the first time I picked you up, there was a cat here. I haven’t seen it since.”

“Guess you can’t charm every living creature,” Riley joked, but she still looked slightly uncertain.

Sawyer reached out and took her hand, surprising Riley. His thumb lightly ran over her smooth skin, and he nodded to the couch. “Let’s go sit down. I’ve got an update you’re not going to believe.”

***

R ILEY’S HEART THUDDED in her chest as she stared up at Sawyer.

He was just about the last person she’d expected to see on her doorstep.

He was still in uniform, and she had on a skimpy little pajama set.

She saw the exact moment he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra, his eyes briefly lingering on her nipples.

Riley tried not to react to his gaze, but warmth washed over her, arousal pulsing at her core.

Sawyer looked good. The stubble on his jaw, the heat in his eyes, the way his muscled frame filled out the uniform he wore.

All of it was very, very good. And then he’d taken her hand.

It was achingly sweet. He hadn’t kissed her.

He’d joked about spending the night, but sitting down to tell her whatever update he had felt. ..serious.

Riley grabbed a blanket tossed over an armchair as they moved to the sofa, and Sawyer surprised her again, helping her to wrap it around her shoulders.

It felt like she needed to shield herself from him.

Focus on whatever he needed to tell her and not the fact that she was wearing next to nothing with a handsome sailor in her condo late at night.

She wasn’t scared of Sawyer, more so of what could happen.

He was getting harder and harder to resist, and Riley desperately wanted to protect her heart.

Putting trust in a man could be dangerous, and she had a feeling that if she truly fell for Sawyer, she’d never be the same.

He sank down beside her on the couch, getting right to business. Her breath caught as his blue eyes bore into hers. “We finally got a match. We ran the photo through facial recognition software. At first, we weren’t finding anything, but then we got a hit.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Not in the least,” he said, speaking more rapidly.

“The commander pulled us into a briefing this evening. The man with the tiger tattoo is named Kurt Bengal. He’s served in the Navy for twelve years, four of which, he’s been stationed here.

The second man we believe to be a suspect is his brother, Robert Brown.

Brown has access to the munitions’ storage areas, which would make him a prime suspect in illegally moving missiles.

The commander and my teammates are still on base right now, doing a deep dive into their backgrounds.

Tomorrow, we’ll implement a plan to track their every move and stop the sale of additional weapons. ”

“What?” she asked in shock, her veins suddenly ice. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I came straight here,” he assured her. “I left as soon as the briefing ended to come to you.”

She stood up in agitation, the blanket falling to the floor. “Sawyer, this is my case. I don’t appreciate that you, your commander, and your entire SEAL team all were aware of the suspects’ names without telling me first. This is supposed to be my operation.”

“Well, bringing me onboard worked out in your favor, wouldn’t you say?

” Sawyer asked, stalking closer. “I brought in my commander and teammates, and we have answers. Names, faces, all of it. Tomorrow morning, we’ll start following them both.

Investigating. Letting them lead us right to the missiles and ending in their eventual arrest.”

She glared at him, frustrated. “I’m glad we have names, of course I am, but this is my show.

I was hired by the Defense Department to locate the man or men selling military weapons.

I was hired to stop the sale of missiles.

I reached out to you for assistance, not to take over my case.

I’m the one who’s been undercover, working at Coconuts and tailing various servicemembers around Honolulu to narrow the possible suspects down. ”

“Except you were tailing me,” he pointed out. “That didn’t help a damn thing and only slowed you down.”

She crossed her arms, fire in her eyes.

“Kitten, don’t be mad. I think you’re smart as hell, but something like this is difficult for anyone to investigate fully on their own.

Maybe I should’ve called you directly from base, but I wanted to tell you in person.

When my CO called for the briefing, I didn’t exactly have time to say ‘let me check with my future wifey first.’ I follow orders just like any other sailor. ”

“Sawyer, your following orders is not the point.” She glared at him, and Sawyer seemed to realize she wasn’t going to see things his way on this matter.

“You’re mad at me. I get it. We’re on the same side though, and tomorrow we’ll be working together to end this. How ‘bout we kiss and make up?” he joked. But the heat in his eyes was absolutely real.

She huffed out a breath. “We should get to work now. Start doing our own research on these names. Formulate a plan.”

“They’re already handling things tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll follow them both. We can be on base while you’re tracking them elsewhere. Or I’ll bring you in with me first thing in the morning. They won’t make a move without us knowing it.”

She glared at him, crossing her arms, but it only pushed her breasts upward in the little camisole she wore. Sawyer’s gaze landed on her cleavage, and she flushed. Riley could practically feel the atmosphere change between them, and her breath hitched as she saw the arousal in his eyes.

“You know what?” he asked, his gaze licking over her. “I think I have a better idea of what we could be doing right now.”

He moved closer, stalking toward her until he was mere inches away. Riley breathed in his scent. Basked in his warmth. And then Sawyer’s hands were in her hair and his lips were on hers—hungry and insistent. Demanding.

She gasped, and his tongue slid into her mouth. Tasting. Teasing. Gently thrusting in and out, showing her exactly how he’d make love to her. She whimpered, trembling slightly, and then Riley startled as he lifted her into his arms.