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Bailey walked down the dock with Taylor, the men following behind. She could hear their low voices—talking about a recent mission, it sounded like. Mason had gotten a text from Hunter, their SEAL team leader, and the men had briefly huddled together to discuss something.
Interesting how they could be carefree and laughing one minute and then serious and no-nonsense the next. As big of a flirt as Noah was, she got the idea that he was one hundred percent committed to his career.
He had to be she supposed—lives were literally at stake.
She didn’t know exactly what becoming a SEAL entailed, but she did know most men never passed the training.
A brief hint of worry washed over her.
Noah and Mason had dangerous jobs—of course he could never tell her about his missions or what exactly he did, but they were sent to bad places. Deployed to God knows where, length of time unknown. They fought against the bad guys and did things she could never even dream of.
Taylor had told her small bits of the types of things Mason had said he did—the things that he could share, that is. She got the idea that Taylor and the other girlfriends didn’t know the half of it.
And her best friend seemed okay with it.
It was silly for her to worry about Noah anyway. He was a big boy who could take care of himself. He was a freaking Navy SEAL for crying out loud. The thought of him in harm’s way didn’t sit well with her though, and that was somewhat of a shock to her system.
She was casual about her relationships, content to move from one man to another without much thought.
And maybe they’d spend a long weekend together down in Florida, having a good time, but she was planning to keep things between them friendly and nothing more. Flirting was okay, but as for making out or sleeping with him?
Not a chance in hell that was going to happen.
“Hey ladies, wait up!” Mason shouted a moment later, and the guys jogged forward to catch up with them. Mason’s blond hair gleamed in the sunlight, and he ducked down, catching Taylor in a kiss.
After a delicious brunch and a second mimosa, Bailey was feeling pretty carefree at the moment. She let all her worry about the guys’ careers as SEALs drift aside.
Noah had his trademark aviators on, but she could tell he was watching her. The breeze ruffled her sundress, and she rested her hands on her thighs, holding it in place. His gaze dropped to her legs, and she felt heat rising within her.
Just a glance from him seemed to send her up in flames.
That was part of the appeal she supposed—she’d never be with him, so all the innocent flirtations were that much more exciting.
They could look but not touch.
And goodness, did he seem to enjoy looking at her.
Noah slung his arm around her shoulders, tugging her close. “Stay next to me so your dress doesn’t blow too much.”
She nodded, shifting slightly closer to him. It felt good feeling his solid strength beside her—to feel the weight of his muscular arm across her shoulders. “Have you ever been fishing before?” he asked as they walked to the edge of the dock.
“A few times—but not day trips on a boat like Mason and Taylor are planning.”
“Fishing off of Florida should be amazing,” he said with a grin. “All that open water, sunshine, and a cooler full of beers.”
Bailey laughed, glancing out at the water glinting in the bright sun.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, glancing down at her.
She looked up at him, wishing she could see his eyes beneath his sunglasses. She noticed his nose had a slight bump in it, like maybe it’d been broken before. It just added to his rugged appeal though. With his chiseled jaw and the slight scruff of his dark whiskers, he wasn’t completely clean cut. He probably had a million stories to tell, too. She was sure his SEAL team had seen and done everything.
“Taylor and I predicted that’s what you guys would want—a few cold beers.”
“Doesn’t take much to keep me happy,” he said with a chuckle. “But you’re a bartender. Maybe I’ll let you concoct something else for me.”
A wave crashed against the dock, sending a slight spray of water up in the air. The cool droplets felt good against her heated skin. With the sun beating down and the slight buzz from her mimosas earlier, she was carefree and content.
That and the fact that she had a gorgeous man beside her. He had a clean, soapy scent with just a hint of spice. All that tanned, toned skin didn’t hurt either.
“Maybe I will,” she said. “House specialty.”
“And what’s that?”
“A surprise. Guess you’ll have to wait and find out down in Florida.”
“So how long did Owen stay last night? I hadn’t seen him in years, just heard he’d be in town. Man, if it didn’t make me feel old seeing a high school buddy of mine.”
“You can’t be that old,” she scoffed.
“Thirty-three,” he said with a wry smile. “Sure as hell feels old when I remember Owen from back when we were teenagers. We did all the varsity sports together—dated all the cheerleaders, too. Feels like a million years ago now.”
“So you graduated fifteen years ago? You’re right—thirty-three is old,” she mused.
One minute she was standing on the dock beside him, and the next, Noah had ducked down and scooped her up into his arms. She shrieked in surprise, clinging to him, and then he took a step closer to the edge, acting like he was going to toss her in.
“Put me down!” she yelled.
He just laughed harder, holding her close to his broad chest. He was solid muscle—nothing but ripped muscles and pure strength. His hands on her bare skin made electricity surge right through her. One arm wrapped around her, the other held her securely beneath her legs. Calloused fingers gripped her, so she knew she wouldn’t really fall. That didn’t mean she was about to let go of him though.
The ocean breeze blew through her hair, and Noah turned so that he was bearing the brunt of the wind. “If I put you down, you’ll fall right in, sunshine,” he said in a deep voice. “Don’t worry, I’d jump in after you though.”
“Hey, put her down!” Taylor called out. “Mason—do something!”
Mason chuckled beside her. “If she calls for help, I’ll make him put her down. They’re just goofing off, sweetheart.”
Bailey playfully swatted Noah on the arm, and he turned away from the water, carrying her back toward their friends. “Hell, that would’ve been fun tossing her in,” he said with a grin.
“You just wanted to jump off the dock yourself,” Mason said.
“Absolutely. The water looks awesome. I wasn’t sure that Bailey would really appreciate it though,” he said, setting her back down on the dock. She clung to his forearm, steadying herself.
“You enjoyed that,” she accused him.
“Holding you in my arms? Hell yeah, I enjoyed it. You’re a beautiful woman.”
She crossed her arms in mock-annoyance. “A beautiful woman who’s not going to sleep with you.”
“Who said anything about sleeping with me?” he asked with a grin.
“Oh, you’re impossible,” she said, walking down the dock back toward the beach. Embarrassment mixed in with irritation washed over her. Sure, he hadn’t exactly said he wanted to sleep with her, but she could put two and two together. She’d heard stories about the guys on the SEAL team. Maybe Mason and some of them had settled down, but as for the rest?
Not a chance.
“Wait up!” Taylor called out, hurrying to walk back with her. “He’s just messing with you.”
“I know,” she said, flipping her hair back as the wind blew through it again. “He flirts with everyone. I need to get going though. I’ve got work later tonight. Text me the details of the trip, and I’ll see if I can get off for the weekend.”
“It’s crazy how the rest of the world takes weekends for granted,” Taylor said.
“Yep. I love the crazy hours at the bar though. It shouldn’t be a problem; I haven’t had a weekend off in months.”
“Sunshine!” Noah called out, jogging to catch up with them. “I was just teasing you back there.”
“I know,” she said, irritated. “But I have to get going. I’ve got to work later on tonight.”
“Can I walk you to your car?” he asked as they stepped off the dock and back onto the beach.
“I’m a couple of blocks down.”
“Hell, I can walk a few blocks. Catch you guys later!” he said, waving goodbye to Mason and Taylor.
“Where’d you park?” she asked, picking her way through the sand.
“Close by, but I don’t mind walking you to your car.”
She blew out a sigh, wondering why he was so intent on going with her. They’d be spending the weekend together soon though, so she might as well clear the air between them. If she got annoyed every time he did something stupid, she might as well not go on the trip at all.
“Fine. Let’s go, cupcake,” she said dryly.
“Cupcake?” he asked with a chuckle.
“You keep calling me sunshine.”
“That I do, because of your long blonde hair. So, why’d you come up with cupcake?”
“I figured it would piss you off.”
His low laughter filled the air around them, and she turned and walked down the boardwalk toward the garage where she parked, leaving him hurrying after her.
