A SEAL's Seduction (Alpha SEALs Book 4) by Makenna Jameison Read Free Book Online Page B

of all the ways his powerful body could move over her left her feeling uneasy.  What the hell was wrong with her?  She didn’t want to sleep with him.  She didn’t even want to walk back to the bonfire with him.  But Lexi had invited her tonight.  Now that she had something to keep her warm, what excuse did she have for bailing out early?
    “You warmer now?”
    “Uh, yeah.  Thanks.”
    Mike made a low sound in the back of his throat, which she assumed was some sort of grunt of affirmation.  Glancing up, she met his gaze and was shocked to see arousal in his eyes.  Hastily, she pulled her arm from his.  Mike’s jaw stiffened.
    The man she’d seen jogging earlier on the boardwalk with his dog was coming back on the sand, barely visible in the beam of Mike’s flashlight.  His dog barked and suddenly broke free, running right toward her.  Kenley shrieked, and Mike pushed her behind him, shouting a command to the dog.  She cowered behind him, pressing against his back, as Mike’s hand gripped her waist.  Her forehead rested against his shoulder blades, and her hands splayed flat across Mike’s lower back.  She probably looked like an idiot hiding behind Mike, but at the moment she was too terrified to care.
    The jogger ran toward them with the broken leash, apologizing.  Mike released her and held onto the dog’s collar as the owner roughly tied the leash back together, providing an impromptu solution.  He apologized again and continued on his way as Mike turned back toward Kenley.
    She trembled as she watched him, embarrassment coursing through her.
    “You don’t like dogs?”
    “Not when they’re jumping on me.  Or running at me in full-on attack mode.”  Her voice shook, and she looked away from Mike’s gaze.
    “Hey, it’s okay,” he said, stepping closer.  “I’d never let anything happen to you.”
    Kenley looked back at him, puzzled.  “You barely even know me.”
    Mike shrugged.  “I’m a Navy SEAL.  It’s what we do.  Usually we’re operating on foreign terrain, not rescuing women from swimming pools or friendly dogs on the beach, but hey.”
    “Stop making fun of me.”
    “I’m not,” he said, suddenly serious.  “I want you to know you’re safe with me.”
    “Just forget it,” she muttered, brushing past him.  How humiliating.  First he’d had to come to her rescue in a swimming pool of all places, now he’d seen she was frightened of barking dogs running her way.  Jesus.  She really should just call it a night.  And make it a point of staying away from wherever he was in the future.
    Mike caught her elbow lightly, and she glanced back at him.  “How many times do I need to apologize?”
    “You don’t; everything’s fine.”
    He released her but stepped so close that she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.  No parts of their bodies were touching, but the electricity sizzling between them was enough to set every nerve ending in her body on fire.  He was tall.  Broad.  Strong.  His very presence was making her dizzy.  The flashlight beamed down at their feet, and she could barely see his expression in the moonlight.  The waves crashed against the shore, pounding in rhythm with the blood rushing through her veins.  She could hear the laughter of their friends in the distance, see the dim lights of the boardwalk they’d left behind, but at this moment, her enter existence felt like it hinged on him.
    Two military jets flew in from the ocean, the sound of them announcing their imminent appearance.  They soared over the sand where they stood, flying high above the city of Virginia Beach.  Their engines roared across the night sky, and Kenley wondered what they saw from above.  She and Mike were so small and insignificant standing here on the beach—barely anything at all.
    “They’re from Naval Air Station Oceana,” Mike commented as she watched them.  They looked so tiny high up in the air, their lights allowing her to follow their