SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,5

he didn’t know if he should haul her out of there or get her under a table for more cover.

“You’re safe,” he said gruffly, inhaling a whiff of her vanilla scent as he covered her with his body.

She would be safe. No matter what the hell happened next, he’d protect her. Shield her with his body, carry her the hell out of there if she was injured. The problem was, they didn’t know what else was coming. His gaze swept the cafeteria, searching for any threats. The siren was still wailing outside, but a beat later, it abruptly stopped.

Just then, a soldier came running into the chow hall. “There was a suicide bomber at the checkpoint! Multiple injuries!”

“Shit,” Grayson muttered. He exchanged a glance with Blake across the cafeteria, wondering if his SEAL team leader was thinking the same thing. Sayed was probably close by. He wanted to see the carnage of his destruction. He’d abandoned the camp they’d been surveilling, perhaps, but he was probably hiding in the village like they’d suspected.

There’d been the seven servicemembers killed earlier in the week and now this. He was attacking them. Killing and injuring Americans. And this was just the type of fucking thing he’d pull.

Suddenly, the fire alarm sounded in the building, and Grayson stood, pulling Hailey to her feet. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking down at her as she wobbled slightly in his arms.

She nodded, but her voice shook. “Yeah, I’m fine. Wow.”

“We have to get out of here,” he said. “This is a large building and could be a potential target. They’ll lockdown the base after that explosion, but we don’t know what else is going on. Why don’t I get you back to your housing? You’ll be safer there than in here where it’s just a large open room.”

His SEAL team came moving toward them, all of their faces tense. “I’m going to walk Hailey back,” Grayson told the others.

Blake nodded. “We’re going to see if we can assist at the gate. I have a feeling the general might want a word, too.” His gaze landed on Hailey, and Grayson knew he didn’t want to say too much in front of her. But if this was indeed Sayed’s work, it would make their op in the morning all the more important. They didn’t know if anyone had been killed in the explosion, aside from the suicide bomber, but there most certainly had been injuries.

“I’ll meet you there as soon as I escort Hailey back,” Grayson said.

“Let’s move out then,” Jackson said, his voice deadly.

“Are you sure we should go outside?” Hailey asked, looking worried. People were rushing by them, dinners long abandoned and forgotten. His SEAL team probably made an imposing sight standing there close to the doors. They might have been wearing the same camo as everyone else, but they were big. Muscular. Intimidating. And right now, each of the men looked like they’d harm anyone who got in their way.

Grayson’s gaze softened. “The patrols will be ramped up after this. The base is on complete lockdown. I know you’re scared, but you’re safe with me, sweetheart. Let me get you back to your room.”

Sweetheart.

He’d just met this woman moments ago.

Somehow it fit though. She was trembling slightly beside him, and he needed to get her somewhere safe before he got to work with his team. He wasn’t about to leave her standing alone here scared and frightened. For some reason he felt protective toward this woman. Responsible for her. It was strange as hell since he hadn’t even laid eyes on her before this afternoon, but something in his body responded to her on a primal level.

“Okay,” she said quietly, her voice barely audible above the fire alarm. But it was the look of trust in her eyes that slayed him. She was trusting him to get her out of there safely, to get her back to her own building. She didn’t know him either but apparently felt safe with him. Trusted him to protect her. Grayson felt male pride swell within his chest when she looked at him that way.

He rescued people all the damn time with his SEAL team, from situations far more precarious than this. It felt imperative that he get her back though, that he protect her from any other danger. He could handle anything that happened to himself, but knowing that she could be in danger?

There was no fucking way he’d leave her in here alone.

Dinner would have to wait