Dagger's Edge (SEALs On Fire) by Brenna Zinn Read Free Book Online Page B

until I knew you would be back.”
    Little did the weathered sailor know, Dagger felt much the same way. As much as he loved his mother, Brice’s family had become his own. And despite Butch’s grumpy demeanor, Dagger loved being around the old man. Butch had taught him everything he knew about boats, motors, and fixing engines. Dagger had looked forward to coming to the island as much for getting away from his difficult life in Wisconsin as to spending time with his “other” family.
    “There’s two points in what I’m trying to tell you,” Butch continued, his expression more serious than Dagger had ever seen. “The first is don’t make the same mistake I did. Find someone to love and grow old with. Life is a long journey that’s not meant to be traveled alone.”
    Dagger glanced at the marina office. Somewhere inside those white cinderblock walls, the girl he grew up with was working. The same girl who had frustrated and confounded him for as long as he could remember. His red-headed beauty with the sassy mouth and brilliant mind.
    Could he be content with one woman for the rest of his life? Settle down in one place and have a family? Could he do what his father hadn’t done?
    He had to be certain. Inflicting the kind of devastation and hurt his father had on him and his mother was absolutely not an option. He’d never want to cause the ones he cared for, the ones he loved, that kind of unspeakable pain. He’d suffer through a lonely life of his own before he’d commit the same sins of his father.
    “You said there were two points?”
    The old Chief nodded, then took off his faded denim cap and scratched the top of his prickly head. “I want to make you a proposition I hope you won’t refuse.”

Chapter Six
    Lips swollen, tired as all get out, and everything between her thighs and her belly button screaming from soreness each time she moved, Mia had never been happier. Unfortunately, between her and Dean, she seemed to be the only one who felt this way. Since picking her up at the marina his mood had been sober. Quiet and contemplative, the big SEAL had spoken no more than a dozen sentences during their dinner overlooking the Atlantic’s crystal clear water. While they walked on the beach and watched the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico, he’d only grumbled something about dock occupancy, making no sense whatsoever.
    Maybe she had made a mistake. Pushing herself on him, manipulating him until he finally broke down and had sex with her may not have been a good move. Not when the consequences meant losing the friend she’d had since childhood. For someone who was supposed to be so smart, how could she be so stupid and shortsighted?
    Yet, this morning in bed, he had seemed genuinely happy, too. Had she read him wrong?
    Most likely, he had a change of heart about what had happened last night as he spent his day hanging out with the other guys from Team Arapahoe, or whatever he had ended up doing. It wasn’t as though he’d shared with her what he had done all day long. Based on his mood, she certainly wasn’t going to ask. Whatever was going on, his silence and her uncertainty was about to drive her nutty.
    When they stepped into her house, her anxiousness grew, tightening her chest until breathing required a concerted effort. Now that he had delivered her safely home, was he going to leave? Was this their last good-bye?
    “Dean, if you don’t say something soon, I’m going to lose my mind.” To her dismay, her voice came out tinged with frustration. Not exactly the nonchalant she had strived for.
    He shifted his large frame backward, an expression of confusion masking his handsome features. “What?”
    “You’ve been quiet all night.” Mia tossed her keys and purse on a coffee table. “Where’s your head at?”
    “Oh,” he muttered, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Sorry. Have a lot on my mind.”
    His blue eyes still maintained a faraway look. His hulking body might be in her living room,