SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,22

her hair earlier. But she had no makeup on, and everyone knew hospital gowns were about as unflattering as you could get.

Before she had time to worry even more though, Grayson was standing at her door, a grin on his face and bouquet of flowers in his hand.

Her blood pressure spiked just seeing him, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice since she was hooked up to a million different monitors.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said in a deep voice.

“Grayson,” she said, a flush spreading over her cheeks.

“Can I come in?” he asked, his voice husky. He was in a desert camo uniform, but she could still see his muscular physique. No wonder the nurse had said he was hotter than sin. There were plenty of military men around here, but goodness. Grayson put them all to shame. His beard was slightly longer than before, but she could still see his chiseled features and raw masculinity. It was those hazel eyes that did her in though. They practically smoldered when they locked with hers.

“Yes, of course,” she said, gesturing for him to step inside. He smiled, and his gaze tracked over her. She knew he was taking in everything. Her stitches. The hospital bed. Her entire appearance.

Grayson always seemed alert and attuned to his surroundings, but right now, that intense focus was solely on her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked happily, heat blooming across her skin. Despite being injured, lying in a hospital bed, having Grayson cross the room toward her was somehow still sexy as hell.

He set the flowers down on her bedside table and sank down into a chair beside her. “I take it the blush spreading across your cheeks means this a good surprise?” he asked, smiling.

“Yeah, absolutely. Wow. I’m just in shock,” she said with a laugh. “And I look awful.”

“No,” he countered. “You look beautiful.”

“I do not,” she scoffed.

He leaned over and took her hand, his thumb lightly caressing her skin. His hands were muscular and calloused, but he held hers so carefully, she didn’t want him to let go. Ever. He smelled faintly of soap and the woodsy scent she’d noticed a few days ago. Pure Grayson. It was masculine and arousing as hell.

And with the way he was currently looking at her? Heat coiled in her belly.

She flushed, knowing she was barely covered in her hospital gown. Her body instantly responded to his presence, and she hoped he couldn’t see her nipples pebbling through the thin material. What would it feel like having a man like Grayson kissing her, moving over her? She could barely even imagine a guy like him caressing her body, kissing her everywhere, and then making love to her.

This was crazy.

She never fantasized about men she didn’t even know. She was the type of woman who didn’t even sleep with a guy until they were seriously involved with one another and had been dating at least a month or two.

But Grayson?

She had thoughts racing through her head that she’d never entertained before.

“You do look beautiful,” he said, his voice gruff. “Your eyes are sparkling, your cheeks are pink—you’re alive and well, sweetheart. I was scared as hell when I heard that explosion, and then when we ran across base and saw your building on fire? Jesus,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I go into dangerous situations all the time with my teammates, but I was fucking terrified that something had happened to you.”

“Thank you for finding me,” she whispered.

He lifted her hand to his lips, lightly brushing his mouth over her as shivers raced down her spine. His short beard tickled her skin, and she wondered what it would feel like moving over other areas of her body.

“I wouldn’t have rested until I did,” he assured her. “Nothing would’ve stopped me.”

He lowered their hands back down but held onto hers, leaning close. “You ran into a burning building to save me,” she said in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you did that—we’d just met.”

“You thought I would leave you there?”

“No,” she countered, shaking her head. “Not leave me, exactly. But I never would’ve expected you to come looking for me. To find me in that mayhem. You didn’t even know where my room was.”

He stared at her a beat, an unreadable expression on his face. She couldn’t deny the chemistry and connection she felt with Grayson. Goodness, she’d noticed him and his team coming in her office the afternoon of the explosion. But it seemed crazy to be so attracted to