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

eyebrows.  Was she upset he was flirting with another woman?
    The bartender brought over their drinks, and Brianna took a tentative sip of her rum and coke.  Hell, she’d need a few more of those if he wanted her to relax and forget about things for the evening.  He took a swig of his beer and leaned over to talk to her above the blare of the music.  Her floral scent accosted him, invading his senses and making his mouth water with desire, but it was too late to pull away now.  Her green eyes met his, and suddenly he felt lost in her again.  Helpless to some imaginary pull she seemed to have.  Would always have.
    “Think your parents were upset that we left?” he asked, his voice gruff.  He straightened up slightly, watching as her blonde hair rustled slightly in the breeze coming off the water.
    “They were glad your folks came over.  It’s been a lot dealing with Beckett’s injuries, flying back and forth between here and Walter Reed.  I think they were happy for the company.”
    “It’s been hard on everyone.  Your folks especially.  Mom couldn’t wait to hustle us over there tonight though,” he added with a chuckle.
    “Yeah.  I got the impression they were trying to push you and me together.”
    Matthew leaned against the bar and raised his eyebrows, his heart beating faster.  Brianna looked flushed sitting on the barstool beside him, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol, the crowd around them, or the idea of the two of them together.  Which was absurd, anyway, because she was Beckett’s sister.  Besides, he was leaving again in two days, and who knew when the hell he’d return.  He wasn’t about to start something up that he could never see through.
    He raised his beer to her.  “To our mothers, darlin’,” he said with a wink.
    She turned an even deeper shade of pink but toasted him.  Interesting.
    “So tell me about this marketing position you have.  Last time I talked to Beckett, it sounded like you were pretty hot stuff.”
    Brianna laughed nervously and shifted on the barstool, crossing those long legs.  The dark denim hugged her curves, and his mouth watered at the thought of her legs wrapped around him as he drove into her.
    Making her come.
    What the hell was wrong with him?  This was Brianna.  He’d never so much as kiss her, let alone have her in his bed.  Beneath him.  Begging.
    He shifted as his cock hardened.
    “Oh, Beckett was just bragging.  Most of the other MBA candidates in my graduating class have entry-level marketing positions.  I was managing this account, but….”
    “But what?” he prodded.
    “I don’t want to bore you with the details,” she said, flitting her hands nervously.  “Tell me about you.  You’re up in Virginia now or something?”
    “Little Creek,” he agreed.  “The Naval base near Virginia Beach.”
    “And, uh, will you be stationed there long?”
    “Hopefully so.  My team is the best—one of the best,” he added, thinking of Beckett.  “A few of my buddies are even coming in for Beckett’s homecoming.”
    “Wow, seriously?”
    “We’re SEALs.  He’s a SEAL, and he’s like a brother to me.  Those guys have my back, on and off the battlefield.  It’s an honor for them to be there to show support at his homecoming. Lots of guys in his condition, well….”
    “They don’t survive,” Brianna said quietly.
    Matthew shook his head.
    An upbeat song came blasting over the speakers, and Matthew decided he’d had enough of the somber mood.  Plucking Brianna’s drink from her hand, he ignored the surprised expression on her face and helped her down from the barstool, his large hand closing around her slender waist. Wordlessly, he led her over to the dance floor, loving a little too much the way her small hand fit in his.  Like it freaking belonged there or something.
    Other couples were happily laughing and swaying to the music, and it was about damn time the two of them let loose and had a little