SEAL's Embrace - Makenna Jameison Page 0,8

quirked as she looked up at him. “I am busy, sweetheart. That doesn’t mean I won’t have time to swing by later on. I mean, unless all hell breaks loose. If the general’s in a piss poor mood, that should clue you in. Then just know that I didn’t stand you up. I am here for a job with my teammates, but I’ll do everything in my power to come by when it’s over and check on you so we can make plans.”

“Okay. Be careful,” she said quietly.

It was silly. Of course he had a dangerous job. He was a soldier. Or possibly a sailor. She never had determined that actually. And now they’d arrived at her building. He needed to go help out and do whatever it was he did. She needed to get inside and stop keeping him from his job.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he assured her. “My team is well-trained, and believe it or not, we’re used to dealing with dangerous situations like this. You’re sure that you’ll be okay?” he asked, his voice deep.

Her heart fluttered slightly as she looked up at him. It was silly. She didn’t need to develop a crush on a man she’d never see again. She didn’t doubt his word on stopping by tomorrow, but after this week?

He’d be gone. Flying back around the world and off on whatever other missions he had. He might be interested in her right now, when she was literally standing right in front of him, but she knew nothing would ever come of it. He’d fly home and forget about her, and this night would probably be the most exciting thing that happened to her all year.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Grayson continued in a low voice when she didn’t immediately answer. “I’d like to get to know you more. You were the prettiest woman in there.”

“There were hardly any women in there,” she teased.

Grayson reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping his hand there just a beat too long. Electricity coursed through her, and she shivered. “Go inside, Hailey,” he said softly. “I need to know that you’re safe. I’ll come by tomorrow.”

She nodded, unsure what else there was to say. It felt intimate standing there in the darkness, even though she hadn’t even met him more than thirty minutes ago. He’d walked her back like they’d actually been on a date or something. Like it was a perfectly normal thing to do here on base in the middle of Afghanistan.

He hesitated a moment, watching her, and she got the feeling he didn’t want to leave either. Grayson had a slight woodsy scent to him that was masculine and appealing. She didn’t want to move away from the warmth and safety that she felt standing there with him, but that was foolish. He wasn’t her boyfriend. She barely even knew him.

It was silly to feel sad about leaving a man she didn’t even know. “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight,” she said quietly. “Be careful.”

“I will be, sweetheart. Stay safe.”

He turned and walked off quickly without another word, suddenly all business. She watched him for a moment, looking at his broad shoulders and the way he filled out his uniform, then turned and walked into the building. Despite being surrounded by people, she suddenly felt lonelier than she had in years.

***

“Who was that?” her friend Kim asked as Hailey walked inside. A small group was standing around by the front doors talking, looking over in the direction of the front gates. They couldn’t see what was happening from where their housing was located, but that didn’t stop the tension coursing through the air.

Hailey smiled, shaking her head as she walked over. She shouldn’t be smiling at all given what had just happened, but Grayson looking at her the way he did had butterflies filling her stomach and heat coursing through her. “A guy I just met. He was standing in line behind me in the cafeteria and then practically tackled me to the ground when the sirens went off.”

“Holy hell. He was hot,” Kim said, waggling her eyebrows. “I need to find me a Superman type, too.”

Hailey laughed as she looked at the other woman. Kim was an Army reservist who also worked for the Defense Department. She was only here for a few weeks on TDY, but they’d met when they were both working in Arlington. She was tall and slender, with dark wavy