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GRAYSON TOOK HAILEY’S hand as they walked along the beach later that evening. Although she’d offered to make him a dinner of homemade lasagna, he’d insisted on waiting until she was fully better so she didn’t overexert herself. She’d playfully bantered with him but eventually agreed to make something simpler. Now they’d finished their meal, enjoyed some wine and beer together back at his apartment, and were walking along the sandy shore.
“I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean before,” she admitted.
“What?” he asked, stopping for a moment in surprise.
“Well, I saw it from your balcony, but I grew up on the East Coast. I’ve been to the Bahamas and beaches up and down the East Coast, from Florida all the way up to Massachusetts. I’ve been to Europe a few times and of course Bagram for my work assignment. But I’ve never been out here.”
“And you just decided to up and move to California?” he asked, quirking his brow.
“I decided to ‘up and move’ to Bagram, too.”
“Fair enough,” he said with a chuckle as they started walking again. “California is a hell of a lot better than Afghanistan. I like that you’re adventurous.”
“Not compared to you,” she said. “I like to travel, but only with a carefully planned itinerary. And believe me, I researched a lot before accepting either position. I could never do what you guys do—just fly off somewhere and charge in to unknown situations and act like it’s no big deal.”
“We train a lot,” he admitted. “And we don’t just fly off without a plan. Our team works extremely well together because we drill day in and day out doing exactly that. We do PT together, review information together, and conduct multiple drills for different scenarios. I know what each of the other guys is thinking when we’re on an op. They’re like my brothers. We’ve worked together so much, we can anticipate each other’s moves. It would be harder working with guys I’m not used to being around. All Special Forces teams are highly trained, but it makes a difference when you’ve forged a tight bond.”
“That makes sense,” she said. “I could tell you were all close even back when we first met.”
“We have to be,” he admitted. “And even with all that, we’re not alone. We’ve got officers stationed at the bases that we report to, and our CO is always in communication with us.”
“There are still plenty of unknowns though.”
“There are,” he agreed.
The sun was beginning to sink over the Pacific, and they paused for a moment to look at it. The water lapped at their feet, and it was cooler than Hailey expected. Then again, it was already fall, and she’d read that the Atlantic Ocean was actually warmer than the Pacific.
“Colder than you thought?” Grayson asked with a chuckle.
“Yeah, I’m used to warmer water than this. Granted, I usually go to the beach in the middle of the summer, but this isn’t what I expected.”
“I guess it depends what you’re used to,” he said. “I love it, and the waves are awesome out here for surfing. Maybe when your ribs are better, I can teach you some basics.”
“Surfing basics? I like to swim but would probably be terrible at it. If you’re expecting me to be super athletic like you, you’re going to be sorry,” she said with a small laugh.
“Hey,” Grayson said, stepping closer and putting his hand under her chin. He tilted her head up, looking at her seriously with his hazel eyes. “I don’t expect you to be anything. Surf, don’t surf, whatever.” He shrugged. “I’ve got my teammates to get my adrenaline fix with. Believe it or not, I like kicking back and just relaxing sometimes, too. And even though most of today wasn’t particularly exciting, I loved it because I was with you.”
“I had fun, too,” she admitted.
His eyes raked over her, and he flashed her a grin. “And trust me, sweetheart, you’re absolutely perfect like you are. We should probably head back to my apartment,” he said regretfully. “We’ve both got to get up for work tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I am starting to get a little tired.”
“I can carry you back,” he teased.
“I think you’ve carried me enough places,” she said softly. “It’s not every day you get rescued from a burning building.”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said seriously.
“I know you would.”
The breeze blew in from the ocean, and Grayson ran his hand through her hair as they stood there. “I love the color of your hair,” he said, his eyes molten as he looked at her. “Actually, I love everything about you.”
Her skin heated under his intense stare, but she tried to lighten the mood. “I hated my hair when I was growing up,” she admitted. “I wanted to be brunette or blonde like every other girl in my class. I kind of like it now that I’m older.”
“Me too,” he said, smiling down at her. “So you’ll swim with me this weekend?” he asked.
“I’ll go in the water. I’m not too sure about swimming yet with my ribs.”
“Damn, you’re right. I’m just excited to hang out on the beach with you.” He shook his head, chuckling. “We’ll take it easy, I promise. I should’ve picked up more sunscreen when we were out today. I’m guessing you might burn easily with your fair skin.”
“You’d be right,” she said honestly. “I do have some with me though, so no worries. I got a few necessities before I flew out here.”
They began walking back toward his apartment, dodging a young child that was running toward the water. His parents chased after him, and Hailey laughed.
“Do you want kids?” Grayson suddenly asked, looking over at her.
“Someday. I’m an only child, so I want at least two.”
“Same here. Only child, and I want at least two kids so they have a sibling to play with.”
“God, that was the worst, wasn’t it?” Hailey asked. “I remember being bored out of my mind sometimes, wanting a brother or sister. I read a lot as a kid and luckily had plenty of friends in the neighborhood. It wasn’t the same though.”
“I know exactly what you mean.”
Grayson’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, holding it up to his ear. “What’s up, Raptor?” he asked.
Hailey smiled as he took her hand, and they kept walking. She couldn’t get over how he and his teammates used their nicknames when they talked. She could never bring herself to call Grayson “Ghost.” She knew his friends did, but she couldn’t think of him as anything other than Grayson.
She didn’t catch much from his end of the conversation, but he seemed tense when he got off the short call.
“Everything okay?” she asked, squeezing his hand.
“Yeah. We might get sent out in another week or so. I generally don’t know my schedule ahead of time, and it didn’t matter that much to me in the past. But now that I’ve got you here, I don’t like the idea of up and leaving at the spur of the moment. Raptor doesn’t either since he has Clarissa. We don’t always get advance notice of course, but he wanted to give me a head’s up.”
“Like what happened last week,” she said, remembering his text.
“Yep. It was sudden, and I have to admit, I hated not being able to talk to you before I left.”
They climbed the stairs to his apartment, Grayson’s gaze sweeping the area around them. It was well-lit and seemed pretty safe, but Hailey liked how alert he always was. She was usually fairly cautious but had to admit she let her guard down some when he was around.
“You texted me,” she reminded him. “It’s not like I had no idea you were gone.”
“I know,” he murmured softly, unlocking the door and gesturing for her to go inside. The evening sunlight was streaming in through his balcony doors, and she smiled, already feeling at home here. It would be weird moving into her own apartment when this was over. She’d miss him, which was crazy. She’d only known him for mere weeks, and most of their relationship had been long distance. It’s not like she could just keep living here indefinitely.
She heard Grayson lock the front door, and then his arms were wrapping around her from behind. She giggled, loving how touchy-feely he was. Some guys weren’t really like that, but she had to admit, she loved Grayson’s hands on her.
“I like having you here,” he said huskily, ducking his head so that his lips were at her ear.
“I like being here,” she admitted. She kicked off her sandals so she didn’t get sand everywhere and then shrieked as Grayson playfully scooped her up in his arms. “Grayson!” she squealed.
“I was dying to get my hands on you during our entire walk,” he said, carrying her over to the sofa. He acted like she weighed nothing at all, and with his muscular arms holding her close, she felt safe and secure.
He sat down on his sofa but kept her in his lap, and she eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck as he ducked down and kissed her. It started off softly but quickly intensified to something more. Grayson leaned her back against the pillows as she raked her hands down his solid chest. He was hard just about everywhere, and she loved how safe she always felt in his arms.
“Are your ribs okay like this?” he asked, his voice gravel. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
He nuzzled at her cheek for a moment and then kissed her again, deeper this time. His tongue sought entrance to her mouth, and then she opened to him, letting him take complete control of their kiss. One of Grayson’s hands drifted to her waist, his fingers just barely edging beneath the bottom of her shirt. His thumb skimmed back and forth across her sensitive skin, and she gasped at his touch, arching into him.
Arousal dampened her panties, and briefly, she imagined those deft fingers trailing up her inner thighs and through her sensitive folds. He was so confident and self-assured; she was sure he’d have her seeing stars in no time. Hailey only had two serious boyfriends, and she was certain Grayson was far more experienced than her in bed. It didn’t frighten her though—if anything, she was more attracted to him than any of her exes because things had started so slowly between them. He’d saved her, yes, but they’d spent hours on the phone together. He’d taken care of her when she was sick.
And now, being here in his arms on his sofa?
She wanted to be as close to him as possible.
Grayson moved his mouth down to her neck, the scruff on his jaw rubbing against her tender skin. She tilted her head, giving him more access, and he nipped at her gently, his teeth grazing her neck as she whimpered.
He edged her shirt up, just barely, and his large hand spanned her waist. She could feel his arousal beneath her as he held her on his lap, and she could only imagine all that power thrusting inside her.
Grayson moved his lips up, kissing her jaw and then the tender spot behind her ear. She was panting, her chest heaving up and down, and Grayson groaned against her, his mouth hot on her flesh. “I don’t want to move too fast for you,” he said, slowing his kisses down.
“I know,” she whispered.
He edged up slightly, staring down at her with an intensity that almost frightened her. It was crazy to feel so much so soon. To fall so hard for a man she’d met only weeks ago. Grayson was right though—they were practically living together. They should slow things down given the situation. She didn’t want to sleep with him too quickly and then regret it the next morning.
“It’s crazy how much I want you,” he admitted. He ducked down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. “I respect you, too, though. I want to do things right.”
Her hands rose to his face, holding him there, her fingertips trailing over his stubble. “I’m so attracted to you, but I agree. Let’s take things slowly.”
He nodded and practically shuddered as she ran her thumb over his full lips. God, the things she wanted to do to this man—trail kisses over him everywhere, pleasure him with her mouth and watch him come for her. Let him make love to her all night.
It was too soon though, and they both recognized that.
Grayson helped her to sit back up, and she slid to her own sofa cushion but snuggled against him. She could see his erection in his shorts, and wow. He looked tempting as sin. Grayson grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, softly kissing her. “Just so you know, I’ll wait however long you want, sweetheart. However long you need to be ready.”
“You’re sweet,” she said softly.
“I’m serious.”
“I know. And I love that about you.”
He didn’t comment on her use of the word “love,” and she knew he’d uttered something similar earlier. It was too soon to be falling in love, wasn’t it? She’d heard about people who fell hard and fast of course, who moved in together within weeks of meeting. She’d always thought that was nuts, and yet here she was, basically living with Grayson for now.
“We could watch another movie,” he said. “See how long you last before you fall asleep.”
“Hey,” she said, playfully nudging him. “I was sick.”
“I know. You’ll hear no complaints from me.”
She giggled as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, tickling her as he did. Grayson was flirty and playful a lot of the time, but he was serious about her too. She was falling so quickly for this man, and at the moment, everything seemed almost too perfect. She just hoped whatever it was between them didn’t fizzle out as fast as it had started.
