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TWO DAYS LATER, HAILEY was feeling well enough that she and Grayson had gone out together. He still claimed it wasn’t an official date, since he was showing her around San Diego and she needed to do a little shopping. They stopped for lunch at a cute Mexican place though, and after eating cafeteria food for the better part of the past year, she felt like she’d died and gone to heaven.
“That was the worst thing about coming home injured,” she said from across the table.
Grayson tilted his beer back to take a swig, but raised his eyebrows.
“I was looking forward to doing some things in DC that I’d missed before moving across the country—dinner with some friends at my favorite restaurants, stopping by this coffee shop I love, just little stuff. Oh, and before you ask, the coffee shop actually has amazing tea there, too.”
He chuckled. “Was I that obvious?”
“You looked confused,” she said, smiling across the table at him. “But instead of doing little stuff like that, I was in the hospital and then just resting at home. “I didn’t get to visit any of the places I missed.”
“That does suck,” he agreed. “I know when we come back from a longer mission, I can’t wait to hit up some of my favorite places either or spend a long day at the beach.”
“Do you like to swim?”
“Surf, actually. Although I do like swimming, too.”
“Makes sense given that you’re a SEAL.”
“Please tell me you like the beach,” he said, grabbing a chip and dunking it in the salsa.
A couple walked in the front door, and Grayson’s eyes swept to them before looking back at her. She noticed he was always totally aware and alert of his surroundings. Even back in Bagram, when they’d heard the emergency siren, he’d instantly known what to do and pushed her to the ground. It was almost like he always had a backup plan, even for everyday life. Oddly enough, that was comforting. Maybe it should’ve alarmed her to some extent, but instead, she just felt safe with him.
“I love the beach,” she assured him. “I was kind of regretting not getting an apartment closer after enjoying the view from your balcony.”
“You haven’t moved yet,” he said. “You could look at different places now that you’re out here.”
“I already signed the lease, so I doubt I’ll be able to get out of it at this point. It’s fine,” she said with a shrug. “I was hours away from the beach in Arlington, so being a short drive isn’t bad at all.”
“You’re always welcome to stay at my place,” he said with a wink.
She flushed, smiling back at him. Grayson had been nothing but the perfect gentleman while she’d been there. It was a strange arrangement, to be sure. She was practically living with him and they hadn’t even gone on a real date or kissed yet. She was attracted to him though, especially now that she was feeling better and not exhausted all the time.
“I’m glad you’re finally over that flu or whatever you had,” he commented, apparently thinking the same thing she had been.
“Me too. It’s nice to get out and do something—not that I didn’t like your apartment.”
He shrugged. “It’s pretty basic, I know. Nothing fancy, but I love being close to the water.”
“Where’s your surfboard anyway?” she asked.
“I rent a small storage area. They’ve got garages for rent, too, but I didn’t need a ton of space. I’ve got a couple of surfboards, a jet ski, and some stuff like that.”
“So you’re an adrenaline junkie,” she teased.
“I take it you’re not?”
“Nope. Not at all. Oh, that smells amazing,” she said as the waitress brought their food over. Her chicken fajitas sizzled, and Grayson’s steak burrito was so big it looked like it could feed three people. Her mouth watered just smelling the amazing aroma.
“I had lunch with a few people at the Pentagon last week, but that doesn’t exactly count as eating out.”
“It sure doesn’t,” he said with a chuckle.
“This looks incredible. And this place is cute,” she said, looking around the colorful restaurant. Blankets and sombreros hung from the walls, mariachi music played, and the margarita she was sipping was a bit strong but amazing.
“They do try to attract the tourists here,” he said, nodding toward the kitschy décor. “But the food is awesome.”
“I can’t wait to try the fajitas,” she said.
“I’m just glad you like Mexican.”
They dug into their meals, talking and laughing for the next hour. “God, I wish everyday was this fun,” she mused. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in—well, a long time.”
“Me either, sweetheart. I’ve got to be back on base tomorrow, and I know you’ve got to go into your new office. Speaking of which, I usually head in early for PT with the team. I talked to my commander, and he’s fine with my coming in later tomorrow so I can drop you off. I’ll work out a schedule with the guys so we can give you a lift the rest of the week.”
“Oh, I don’t want to put anyone out,” she said, frowning. “I can probably grab a taxi or something until I buy a car.”
“Not a chance. It’s no trouble,” he assured her. “We talked the other day and want to make sure you’re safe. I know you got a new cell number yesterday, but you’re still getting texts to the old one. This isn’t over.”
“It’s creepy as hell,” she said with a shudder.
“Agreed. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” he said, clenching his jaw. “There’s a major investigation going on because of everything that happened in Bagram. The CO is keeping us apprised of the situation, even though we’ve had the past few days off because of our last mission.”
“I’ll talk to my new office tomorrow and explain what’s been going on,” she said. “That reminds me—can we stop by the storage area for the moving company today? My work clothes in Bagram were ruined, so I don’t have much with me in that one suitcase. I can get a box of my older clothes from there. It’ll tide me over until I can do some shopping.”
“Sure thing,” he said, taking the bill from the waitress as she came over.
Hailey reached for her purse, but Grayson stopped her. “Lunch is on me,” he insisted.
“But you said this doesn’t count as our date.”
His hazel eyes twinkled as he grinned at her. “It doesn’t, because I’m still planning to take you out to dinner one night. But there is no way I’m letting a woman pay for my food.”
“I don’t mind,” she insisted.
“I know you don’t, but I don’t mind either. Let me treat you to lunch, sweetheart.”
“Okay. But I’m making you dinner tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m feeling all better, and you’ve been taking care of me the past few days.”
“Well, I won’t turn that down,” he said with a grin. “But only if you let me help a little since it’s my apartment.”
“Maybe,” she teased, standing up as Grayson signed the receipt and handed it back to the waitress.
“Want to walk down by the water a few minutes before we head over to the moving company’s storage area?”
“Sounds good,” she said.
They walked outside into the warm California sunshine, Grayson taking her hand in his. It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a gentle breeze coming off the water. “My team practices jumps over there sometimes,” he said, pointing off into the distance.”
“Jumps?” she asked, confused.
“Skydiving,” he clarified.
She shuddered, and Grayson chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “So when we go on our first official date, I shouldn’t sign us up for that?”
“No way,” she said, playfully swatting at him. Her hand came into contact with his six-pack abs, and even through his shirt, she could feel how muscular he was. Grayson had touched her gently over the past few days while she was sick, but that hadn’t come close to anything intimate, and her hand on him now was sending heat coursing through her entire body. Grayson’s hand immediately came over hers, holding it there to his stomach.
She glanced up at him shyly, nervously licking her lips. Even though they were walking along in the middle of the day, she had a feeling he’d kiss her. They’d had a nice lunch together, the weather was perfect outside, and this was the closest they’d really been in the past few days.
Grayson stopped them as they reached a railing overlooking the water and turned Hailey to face him, backing her up against it. He rested his hands on the railing, effectively caging her in with his body as he looked down at her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said gruffly, brushing a hand through her hair. She knew it was already windblown from the breeze coming in off the water, and she still had a scar on her forehead that she was a bit self-conscious about, but all that she noticed right now was the heat in his eyes.
He’d shaved, so that he barely had a beard anymore—it was more just dark stubble covering his strong jaw. It was masculine and sexy as hell though, and with his large hand now palming her face and his muscular body in front of hers, she felt surrounded by him. He smelled faintly of the woodsy soap or aftershave that he used, and it was arousing to have him so close to her.
“Thanks for lunch,” she said softly, suddenly feeling shy. She wanted to kiss him but was nervous all of a sudden. Was he expecting her to make the first move? She needn’t have worried though, because Grayson slowly ducked down, giving her time to move or push him away, and then his lips softly brushed over hers.
He tasted of the Mexican food they’d eaten and beer, but she couldn’t get enough of him. His kiss was soft and gentle, and her hands rose to his sides, gripping his shirt as she kissed him back, wanting more. He moved in again, kissing her harder this time. The stubble of his jaw moved over her sensitive skin, and her lips parted at his urging. Grayson’s tongue swept into her mouth, and she clung to him, awareness pulsing through her entire body as he claimed her with his kiss.
Her nipples pebbled beneath her top, and she felt arousal dampening her panties. Grayson’s kiss was hot—there was no doubt about it. It might’ve started out soft, but now he was taking complete control as she surrendered to him.
Moments later, he pulled back, and they were both breathing hard. “Wow,” he said softly as he straightened. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you.”
She let her hands drop back to her side, already missing the connection between them. She’d felt Grayson’s arousal against her stomach as he’d kissed her, and she was happy to see he’d been just as affected as her by their kiss. “It might’ve been a little inappropriate to kiss me like that in the general’s office,” she joked.
Grayson smirked. “Well, it would’ve let my teammates know that you were mine.”
“I’m pretty sure they already realize that,” she said lightly. His eyes were wide with arousal as he looked at her, and he ducked down for one more quick kiss before pulling away.
“Jesus. It’s going to be tough keeping my hands to myself after that,” he said.
She grabbed onto his forearm as they turned to continue walking, loving the feel of his warm skin beneath her hands. He was all muscle, everywhere, and it was extremely appealing. She hadn’t dated a guy like him before, but she was insanely attracted to him. Hailey briefly imagined what it would feel like to have his body moving over hers in bed as they made love—she had no doubt he’d be an amazing lover if that kiss was any indication.
Her hand slid down his forearm to his hand, and he twined their fingers together. His large fingers between hers made her wonder what they’d feel like trailing over the rest of her body. She was so aroused from that intense kiss, she’d hated to stop. She wanted more from him. Not that anything could happen outside in front of everyone though.
She wouldn’t be opposed to snuggling up with him on the sofa when they got back and kissing some more, slowly exploring each other.
“Let’s go pick up your things,” he said, his voice gravel.
“Eager to get back home?” she teased.
“Damn, woman,” he muttered. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
She giggled beside him, and he looked down at her and grinned. “I like hearing you laugh, sweetheart. It scared the hell out of me when you were so sick the other day.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“I know. I just don’t like when you’re not feeling well, and I can’t do anything about it.”
“You took care of me,” she insisted. “And I never even thanked you really for that.”
“It’s no trouble,” he assured her.
They walked back to his pickup truck, neither of them seeming to be in any hurry. Grayson held her hand the entire way, and when they finally reached the passenger door, he pinned her up against it. She eagerly clutched onto the front of his shirt, feeling his muscled chest, and he ducked down and kissed her once, twice, before reluctantly backing away.
“You’re entirely too tempting,” he said, his eyes warm as he looked down at her.
“So are you,” she admitted.
He took her hand and gently tugged her aside, opening the passenger door for her. “Are your ribs doing okay? I didn’t even think to ask with all the walking around we’ve been doing.”
“They’re good,” she said. “It actually feels better moving around rather than sitting still all day. I won’t be lugging anything heavy around for a while, but walking feels fine.”
“I’m glad. Maybe we can take a walk on the beach later tonight.”
“I’d love that,” she said, grinning. “It’s nice looking at it from your balcony, but now that my fever and cold seem to be gone, I’d love to go for a walk on the beach with you.”
“Awesome. We could’ve headed there today if we didn’t need to get so much done. This weekend the weather is supposed to be good though if you want to hit the beach.”
“It’s a date,” she teased.
“Not a date,” he countered.
Hailey rolled her eyes but climbed inside his truck. “What does count as a date then?”
He grinned. “When I pick you up at your place and take you out for the evening.”
She buckled her seatbelt, smiling as he watched her movement, his gaze briefly landing on her chest. It was flattering as hell the way he watched her. Hailey knew he respected her, too, but she had to admit she didn’t exactly mind his gaze roaming over her. Grayson was handsome, and knowing that he found her attractive despite her injuries and recovering from an illness went a long way. He’d literally seen her at her worst and hadn’t been fazed at all.
“All set?” he asked quietly as she looked up at him.
“Yep.”
He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips for a quick kiss. “Let’s get the rest of your errands done then, because I can’t wait to be alone with you later on.” He winked before shutting the passenger door, and her skin heated as he jogged around the front of his truck.
“Now how am I supposed to think of anything else?” she mock complained as he climbed inside.
“You’re not. But take pity on me, sweetheart. I’ve been as hard as a rock since that kiss.”
She flushed as he started the engine.
“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.
Grayson chuckled, shaking his head as he backed out of the space. “You’re feistier than I expected,” he said. “But damn if I don’t like everything about you.”
“The feeling is mutual,” she assured him.
“Then let’s get to it,” he said. “The sooner we get everything done, the sooner I’ll have you all to myself.”
