The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5) by Makenna Jameison Read Free Book Online Page A

group of dudes at the nearby table.  They hastily went back to their drinks, and Matthew felt a certain sense of male pride building inside him.
    Hell.
    If he’d acted like any more of a caveman, he would’ve beaten his chest and hauled her over his shoulder, taking her away from other men’s prying eyes.  Taking her somewhere and proving that she was meant to be his.
    He glanced back at Brianna, and his heart stuttered slightly as he caught the expression on her face.
    “Right,” she said, looking slightly forlorn.  “Well, I’ll take Beckett out for a beer sometime.  Eventually.  It’ll just be hard with the wheelchair.  He’s still getting used to it of course.  And I know he’d love to spend time catching up with you….”
    Her voice trailed off, and Matthew suddenly wanted to do anything to take the sadness out of her eyes.  This was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to spend time with Beckett’s family while he was here.  Matthew couldn’t stomach it.  Seeing Beckett’s parents in distress was hard enough earlier, but to see Brianna upset?  He didn’t think he could bear her tears.
    She hastened a glance up at him, and Matthew could see moisture in her eyes.  Holy hell.  His chest clenched uncomfortably, and he watched as her lower lip trembled.  Seeing her sad almost felt like his own damn heart was being ripped right out.
    Going against his earlier notion to refrain from touching her, he rested his hand against the small of her back.  His hand practically splayed across the entire expanse, and something stirred inside him at the rightness of having Brianna there with him.  Of feeling her delicate blouse beneath his rough fingertips.  It was the only thing separating her soft skin from his touch.  He shook his head, telling himself he was crazy.  This would never end the way he wanted it to—with Brianna writhing beneath him, crying out his name—so why even pretend she was his to take care of?
    Tonight he would, he decided.  He wouldn’t take her to bed, obviously, but he’d try to take her mind off the situation.  Maybe talk about that marketing job she loved so much, or her fancy pants MBA.  Brianna had always been whip smart, and even as a kid, he’d known she’d make something of herself.  Not that he was doing so bad himself as a SEAL, but hell.  He’d never be climbing up the corporate ladder like she was.  Trudging through the desert and battling insurgents was more his line of work.  Jumping out of airplanes?  Yes.  Giving PowerPoint presentations in a boardroom to a bunch of suits?  Not a fucking chance.
    “Let me buy you a drink,” he said, guiding her toward the crowded bar.
    He could see why she liked the place—it was more of a covered deck with views of the ocean than enclosed building.  Waves crashed in the distance, “Margaritaville” cranked over the speakers, and the salty air soothed his soul.  Laughter filled the space around them as they weaved their way through the crowd, the sounds of ice clinking in glasses mixing in with snippets of conversation.
    Someday—one day far, far off in the future—he wanted to own a place down by the water.  Maybe here, maybe back in Virginia Beach.  Just anywhere he could feel the sand beneath his feet and the ocean breeze on his face.  And hell if he couldn’t see a woman like Brianna right there with him.  Imagine that.
    “I’ll have a rum and coke,” Brianna said to the bartender.  Matthew ordered a beer and guided her toward a vacant stool.
    “There’s only one seat,” she protested.
    “I’m fine,” he assured her.  Hell, after beating feet all over the damn planet, he sure the hell could stand here at the bar next to a pretty lady for an hour or two.
    A college-aged girl in a skimpy dress and sky-high heels bumped into him as she walked by, and she turned to apologize.  “It’s fine, darlin’,” he said.  Brianna stiffened from her perch on the stool, and Matthew raised his