Michael's Discovery - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,73
course, but—”
“Oh, stop trying to make excuses and get down to D.C.,” Stokes commanded. “We’ve spent too much damned time and money training you to think like a SEAL to have you wasting it by running a bunch of tourists around so they can catch some fish.”
Michael didn’t waste time asking how the admiral knew what he’d been up to.
“We need to talk,” Stokes continued. “Be here at oh-eight-hundred hours. And that’s an order, Lieutenant. You’re not out of the navy yet.”
“Yes, sir,” Michael said and slowly hung up the phone. To his astonishment, rather than fury over the presumptive arrogance of the admiral, what he felt was a faint stirring of excitement.
Kelly was feeling really pleased with herself. She’d made very sure that Michael knew she was back in town, while managing to avoid him catching so much as a glimpse of her. If she knew him half as well as she thought she did, he was probably going a little crazy by now. The fact that he’d been trying to catch up with her added to her conviction.
She had one last stop she wanted to make, possibly the riskiest one of all, because she wasn’t entirely sure she could avoid getting caught this time. She headed to Greg Keith’s charter boat headquarters, ostensibly to make an inquiry about chartering a boat that was captained by Michael. She wanted him to hear about the request, wanted him to wonder why she’d suddenly decided to take up fishing.
“To be honest,” Greg told her, “I’m not so sure Mr. Devaney’s going to be taking out any more fishing charters.”
Kelly stared at him in shock. The announcement was the last thing she’d expected when she’d come here. “He’s not? Why? Did something happen? He’s not injured again, is he? His recovery is still on track?”
The ex-SEAL, whom Ryan had willingly sent her to, grinned at the barrage of questions. The smile transformed his face from a rugged ruin to something intriguingly handsome.
“Whoa,” he ordered. “Don’t panic. Michael’s fine. It’s just that he’s gone out of town for a few days, and I’m not sure what’s going to come of the trip.”
“He went away on business? What kind of business?” The only kind of business Michael had, as far as she knew, was SEAL business.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss it. Why not ask him yourself when he gets back?”
“When will that be?”
“Hard to say,” he said with a shrug. He seemed to be enjoying her growing agitation. “Should I tell him you’ve been by asking a lot of questions? Men usually like to know when a beautiful woman’s been poking around in their life.”
Kelly slapped a business card on his desk. “Yes, indeed, you be sure to tell Michael that I came by. And tell him that I am interested in chartering a boat, but only if he’s at the helm.”
“Got it,” Greg said, his grin spreading.
She was at the door, when he called after her. She turned around and saw him studying her card.
“If things don’t work out between you and Michael,” he said, “you give me a call. Something tells me you’re the kind of woman who only comes around once in a man’s lifetime.”
She laughed. “Tell that to Michael. See what he says.”
His dark, serious gaze never wavered. “I just might do that.”
Oh, my, Kelly thought. Greg Keith might be confined to a wheelchair, but he could definitely give a woman a run for her money. If he reported their encounter to Michael the way she intended, she’d have to reciprocate by finding him a woman who’d be up to the challenge.
Michael was still in a daze when he got back from Washington. The admiral had been extraordinarily persuasive. Michael had left his office with a promotion to lieutenant commander and a job in the counterterrorism intelligence unit, working out of Boston. Being able to stay close to his family had sealed the deal. His days of fishing were pretty much over. He’d enjoyed the work, but he couldn’t honestly say he regretted the dramatic turn things had taken during his Pentagon visit.
Now he just had to get Kelly on board. En route to her place, he took three detours: one to a jeweler’s, one to a florist’s and one to Greg’s office to resign.
Greg took one look at the bouquet and grinned. “For me? You shouldn’t have.”
“Very funny.”
“I don’t suppose those are for Kelly Andrews, are they?”
Michael froze in place. “What do you know about Kelly?”
“She stopped by