SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,48

But he had no problem with waiting. He wanted to date her and get to know her more before they finally made love. Whether that took weeks or months didn’t matter—he already knew he’d wait however long she wanted.

The fact that she’d be in his bed though left him harder than steel. A deep satisfaction rolled through him. His woman was here. Safe. And he’d do everything in his power to protect her and keep it that way.

Hailey had used some sort of floral shampoo, and the scent was sexy as hell as she got closer to him. She’d put on some soft-looking shorts, and seeing her bare legs was sending his mind wandering to all sorts of places it shouldn’t.

It might’ve been a little early to get ready for bed, but he knew she was sick and exhausted. Hell, he was still a little wiped out himself from just getting back from his op. Still, he needed to get back on California time since he’d be back on base in a few days. Staying up late with Hailey wouldn’t be any sort of hardship.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked, looking down at her.

“Only if you like chick flicks,” she teased.

Grayson’s lips quirked. “Hell, with you here in my apartment, I’ll watch whatever you want.”

She sank into the sofa, relaxing. “You don’t have any tea, do you?”

His smile faded. “No, I should’ve grabbed some when I was buying groceries earlier. Soup, tea—that would’ve made sense because you’re sick. I’ll go out and get some.”

“Grayson, no,” she said, grabbing his forearm before he could go. “I’m fine.”

He looked down at her, her hand still resting on his bare arm. Her skin was soft and smooth, gentle against him. Her hand looked so small and feminine against his muscular arm, his chest ached. She was so much smaller and more fragile than him, it appealed to all his base instincts. He certainly had preferred petite women in the past, but Hailey here sent all his protective instincts roaring to life.

He wanted her. Not that anything was about to happen, but his body immediately responded to her touch.

“I want you to be comfortable here,” he said. “I can run out and pick up a few more things. I’ll have one of the guys come by to wait with you so you’re not here alone.”

She took her hand away, and he instantly regretted the loss of her touch.

“I am comfortable,” she assured him. “We can just get some tea next time we go out, or I’ll grab some if I run any errands. I don’t have a car….”

“I’ll drive you if you need to go anywhere.”

“Well, you’ll be at work in a few days. I can take a cab. I’m planning to buy a car soon anyway. I sold my other one before my year in Bagram. It seemed silly to store it and then have it moved across the country.”

“I can go car shopping with you sometime if you want. Are you comfortable to test drive one with your injured ribs?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Not yet. I want to wait another week or two. I’ll just take a cab or use public transportation.”

“Hell no. I’ll drive you,” he countered. “And before we pick a movie, I wanted to let you know that I just got off the phone with T-Rex. Troy,” he quickly added.

“T-Rex?” she asked, her lips quirking.

“Every guy on the team has a nickname,” he said with a chuckle. “Blake is Raptor, because he can move in on the enemy totally unnoticed. He’s legendary at getting in to places sight unseen. And Troy’s nickname T-Rex came about because of Raptor. He can be a scary son of a bitch—only to those who deserve it though.”

“So what’s your nickname?” she asked.

“Ghost,” he said.

“Let me guess—because of your haunting good looks,” she teased.

Grayson chuckled, moving closer to her on the sofa. “Something like that. Nah, I just was always good at moving around places unnoticed,” he said modestly. “We’re all trained to blend in to our surroundings, to be aware and alert. I can move through areas without being detected—grab whatever we need, get out, and nobody even knows I was there.”

“You are observant and intuitive,” she said. “Look how you managed to find me.”

“We have to be in my line of work. But what I was saying about Troy is that the team is going to come over tomorrow. Hopefully the texts you’re getting are nothing to