SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,59

I’ll have you all to myself.”

Chapter 16

Grayson took Hailey’s hand as they walked along the beach later that evening. Although she’d offered to make him a dinner of homemade lasagna, he’d insisted on waiting until she was fully better so she didn’t overexert herself. She’d playfully bantered with him but eventually agreed to make something simpler. Now they’d finished their meal, enjoyed some wine and beer together back at his apartment, and were walking along the sandy shore.

“I’ve never seen the Pacific Ocean before,” she admitted.

“What?” he asked, stopping for a moment in surprise.

“Well, I saw it from your balcony, but I grew up on the East Coast. I’ve been to the Bahamas and beaches up and down the East Coast, from Florida all the way up to Massachusetts. I’ve been to Europe a few times and of course Bagram for my work assignment. But I’ve never been out here.”

“And you just decided to up and move to California?” he asked, quirking his brow.

“I decided to ‘up and move’ to Bagram, too.”

“Fair enough,” he said with a chuckle as they started walking again. “California is a hell of a lot better than Afghanistan. I like that you’re adventurous.”

“Not compared to you,” she said. “I like to travel, but only with a carefully planned itinerary. And believe me, I researched a lot before accepting either position. I could never do what you guys do—just fly off somewhere and charge in to unknown situations and act like it’s no big deal.”

“We train a lot,” he admitted. “And we don’t just fly off without a plan. Our team works extremely well together because we drill day in and day out doing exactly that. We do PT together, review information together, and conduct multiple drills for different scenarios. I know what each of the other guys is thinking when we’re on an op. They’re like my brothers. We’ve worked together so much, we can anticipate each other’s moves. It would be harder working with guys I’m not used to being around. All Special Forces teams are highly trained, but it makes a difference when you’ve forged a tight bond.”

“That makes sense,” she said. “I could tell you were all close even back when we first met.”

“We have to be,” he admitted. “And even with all that, we’re not alone. We’ve got officers stationed at the bases that we report to, and our CO is always in communication with us.”

“There are still plenty of unknowns though.”

“There are,” he agreed.

The sun was beginning to sink over the Pacific, and they paused for a moment to look at it. The water lapped at their feet, and it was cooler than Hailey expected. Then again, it was already fall, and she’d read that the Atlantic Ocean was actually warmer than the Pacific.

“Colder than you thought?” Grayson asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I’m used to warmer water than this. Granted, I usually go to the beach in the middle of the summer, but this isn’t what I expected.”

“I guess it depends what you’re used to,” he said. “I love it, and the waves are awesome out here for surfing. Maybe when your ribs are better, I can teach you some basics.”

“Surfing basics? I like to swim but would probably be terrible at it. If you’re expecting me to be super athletic like you, you’re going to be sorry,” she said with a small laugh.

“Hey,” Grayson said, stepping closer and putting his hand under her chin. He tilted her head up, looking at her seriously with his hazel eyes. “I don’t expect you to be anything. Surf, don’t surf, whatever.” He shrugged. “I’ve got my teammates to get my adrenaline fix with. Believe it or not, I like kicking back and just relaxing sometimes, too. And even though most of today wasn’t particularly exciting, I loved it because I was with you.”

“I had fun, too,” she admitted.

His eyes raked over her, and he flashed her a grin. “And trust me, sweetheart, you’re absolutely perfect like you are. We should probably head back to my apartment,” he said regretfully. “We’ve both got to get up for work tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I am starting to get a little tired.”

“I can carry you back,” he teased.

“I think you’ve carried me enough places,” she said softly. “It’s not every day you get rescued from a burning building.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said seriously.

“I know you would.”

The breeze blew in from the ocean, and Grayson ran his hand through her hair as they stood there.