SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,4

I saw you standing behind Blake in line and wanted to come over and introduce myself.”

“I saw you guys earlier,” she said.

“Yep. I saw you, too.”

She flushed slightly, and he grinned. “You’re hard to miss around all the military guys here. And you were definitely the prettiest person in the general’s office.”

“There were only a few women in there,” she said wryly. “I work for the Defense Department.”

“I figured as much. You’re not in uniform.”

“Right,” she said lightly. The line moved forward, and Hailey reached for a plate of lasagna. He noticed a few bracelets dangling on her delicate wrist and wondered if she had any other jewelry on. He didn’t normally notice little details like that on a woman, but for some reason with her, he was fascinated.

As she brushed her hair back behind one ear, he smiled. She had two earrings—a modest diamond stud and another understated earring right above it. He liked that she was simple and relatively classic—the last woman he’d dated had been flashy and loved getting attention. It was fun for a few dates, but that had quickly fizzled out. She’d flaunted her body and loved male attention, but after they’d slept together a few times, that was it. All the excitement had worn off, and they didn’t have much in common.

Besides, Hailey was naturally beautiful. She didn’t need revealing clothes or tons of make-up like Shawna had. The camisole she had on beneath her shirt revealed just a hint of her creamy skin. Strangely enough, he was more intrigued by her than women who flaunted their bodies.

“Good choice,” he said as she set her plate of lasagna on her tray, not concerned in the slightest that she’d never really answered his question about what food he should order. “I’ll have that as well,” he told the young woman working there. She handed him a plate, and Grayson stuck it on his tray, keeping beside Hailey as they moved through the line.

“So, do you have a boyfriend?” he asked. “I figure I better ask before embarrassing myself further.”

Blake chuckled in front of her, turning around. “Subtle, he’s not. You need me to tell this guy to leave you alone?” He raised an eyebrow, and Hailey looked startled at the serious expression on his face.

“Thanks, but it’s fine.”

Blake nodded, glancing between the two of them. “Gray’s a good guy.”

With that he took his tray and followed the rest of his team over toward a table, leaving the two of them standing alone. There was a slight lull in the line, with another group just walking in the cafeteria doors. Grayson only had a moment or two. She was about to take her tray and walk off somewhere, and then he’d be stuck making googly eyes at her from across the cafeteria while his buddies ribbed him for getting shot down.

“How long are you here for?” he asked.

“Just until I finish my dinner,” she joked, and his lips quirked. “One more month. How about you?”

“Not sure. Probably no more than a week.” She nodded, some sort of understanding flashing in her eyes. Grayson wondered if she suspected he was Special Forces given that he wasn’t here long and had already met with the general. He could’ve been at Bagram for any number of reasons, but Grayson got the idea that she knew more than she let on. “I’d love to get to know you while I am here though. What do you say? Join me for dinner?”

She paused, and just as Grayson was ready to say something else to convince her, a siren suddenly sounded on base, and chaos erupted in the cafeteria.

“Incoming!” someone shouted. They heard an explosion outside, and Grayson instantly pushed Hailey to the ground, his large body covering hers. She cried out in surprise but didn’t fight him, just curled up beneath him while he shielded her with his body, their trays of food knocked to the floor.

Grayson glanced up as chaos erupted around them. Chairs were knocked over from where people had dove for cover, food and drinks were spilled on the floor. He noticed Blake and the other guys had taken cover with the group of female soldiers they’d spotted earlier, no doubt also trying to shield them from harm.

He braced, wondering if there was another bomb or potential rocket attack. Had that been it, or was it a distraction from something else?

His large hand smoothed over Hailey’s hair, trying to soothe her. She was trembling beneath him, frightened, and

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