SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,56
the beach in Arlington, so being a short drive isn’t bad at all.”
“You’re always welcome to stay at my place,” he said with a wink.
She flushed, smiling back at him. Grayson had been nothing but the perfect gentleman while she’d been there. It was a strange arrangement, to be sure. She was practically living with him and they hadn’t even gone on a real date or kissed yet. She was attracted to him though, especially now that she was feeling better and not exhausted all the time.
“I’m glad you’re finally over that flu or whatever you had,” he commented, apparently thinking the same thing she had been.
“Me too. It’s nice to get out and do something—not that I didn’t like your apartment.”
He shrugged. “It’s pretty basic, I know. Nothing fancy, but I love being close to the water.”
“Where’s your surfboard anyway?” she asked.
“I rent a small storage area. They’ve got garages for rent, too, but I didn’t need a ton of space. I’ve got a couple of surfboards, a jet ski, and some stuff like that.”
“So you’re an adrenaline junkie,” she teased.
“I take it you’re not?”
“Nope. Not at all. Oh, that smells amazing,” she said as the waitress brought their food over. Her chicken fajitas sizzled, and Grayson’s steak burrito was so big it looked like it could feed three people. Her mouth watered just smelling the amazing aroma.
“I had lunch with a few people at the Pentagon last week, but that doesn’t exactly count as eating out.”
“It sure doesn’t,” he said with a chuckle.
“This looks incredible. And this place is cute,” she said, looking around the colorful restaurant. Blankets and sombreros hung from the walls, mariachi music played, and the margarita she was sipping was a bit strong but amazing.
“They do try to attract the tourists here,” he said, nodding toward the kitschy décor. “But the food is awesome.”
“I can’t wait to try the fajitas,” she said.
“I’m just glad you like Mexican.”
They dug into their meals, talking and laughing for the next hour. “God, I wish everyday was this fun,” she mused. “I haven’t felt this relaxed in—well, a long time.”
“Me either, sweetheart. I’ve got to be back on base tomorrow, and I know you’ve got to go into your new office. Speaking of which, I usually head in early for PT with the team. I talked to my commander, and he’s fine with my coming in later tomorrow so I can drop you off. I’ll work out a schedule with the guys so we can give you a lift the rest of the week.”
“Oh, I don’t want to put anyone out,” she said, frowning. “I can probably grab a taxi or something until I buy a car.”
“Not a chance. It’s no trouble,” he assured her. “We talked the other day and want to make sure you’re safe. I know you got a new cell number yesterday, but you’re still getting texts to the old one. This isn’t over.”
“It’s creepy as hell,” she said with a shudder.
“Agreed. We’ll get to the bottom of it,” he said, clenching his jaw. “There’s a major investigation going on because of everything that happened in Bagram. The CO is keeping us apprised of the situation, even though we’ve had the past few days off because of our last mission.”
“I’ll talk to my new office tomorrow and explain what’s been going on,” she said. “That reminds me—can we stop by the storage area for the moving company today? My work clothes in Bagram were ruined, so I don’t have much with me in that one suitcase. I can get a box of my older clothes from there. It’ll tide me over until I can do some shopping.”
“Sure thing,” he said, taking the bill from the waitress as she came over.
Hailey reached for her purse, but Grayson stopped her. “Lunch is on me,” he insisted.
“But you said this doesn’t count as our date.”
His hazel eyes twinkled as he grinned at her. “It doesn’t, because I’m still planning to take you out to dinner one night. But there is no way I’m letting a woman pay for my food.”
“I don’t mind,” she insisted.
“I know you don’t, but I don’t mind either. Let me treat you to lunch, sweetheart.”
“Okay. But I’m making you dinner tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m feeling all better, and you’ve been taking care of me the past few days.”
“Well, I won’t turn that down,” he said with a grin. “But only if you let me help a little since it’s my