SEALs of Summer 2: A Military Romance Superbundle (85 page)

“Shall we?” he asked Reganne as he rose to his feet.

“Sure.” She stood and together they walked to the deck. Grey handed her a paper plate and plastic silverware wrapped in a napkin.

“This is quite the spread,” Reganne commented as she scooped some spaghetti carbonara onto her plate.

A woman who wasn’t afraid to eat. He liked that. Nothing like taking a woman to dinner and having her order a salad because she didn’t want her date to know she actually ate real food.

Grey helped himself to a steak, grilled to perfection, his mouth already watering. Tag knew his way around a grill. He noticed Reganne biting her lip as she debated whether to have a burger or steak.

“Darci puts her own seasoning in the burgers,” he told her. “She won’t tell anyone what it is and you won’t be sorry for trying one.”

“That settles it, then.” Reganne choose one of the burgers and proceeded to top it with condiments.

Darci breezed by, saying over her shoulder, “Don’t forget to try the Chocolate Sheet Cake. Reganne made it herself.”

This sexy pediatrician baked, too? Although she didn’t seem too happy about Darci sharing that little tidbit. She tossed Tag’s wife an exasperated look before glancing at him. Grey quirked an eyebrow.

“I like cake.” He grinned.

She returned the smile and his world turned on its axis. Their gazes held for a few seconds before someone nudged him from behind.

“You gonna move or stand there all day?” Mikey asked, reaching around Grey for a roll.

Moment broken, Grey elbowed Mikey, who huffed out a breath on impact, then laughed. Good-natured Mikey. He didn’t think he’d ever seen the man down.

Reganne moved to the end of the table, where she put a slice of watermelon on her plate. Grey finished filling his, making sure he didn’t miss the sheet cake, then walked with her back to their chairs.

“Would you like to move closer to the others?” He’d moved his chair into the shade after the game and now realized how secluded they were.

“No, this is fine.” Reganne sat down, balancing her plate on her knees.

They ate in silence, not uncomfortable, as he’d expected. He wasn’t one for small talk, never had been, and that usually led to uncomfortable pauses in conversation. Part of the reason he didn’t go on many dates.

Everything on his plate tasted amazing. And not only because he’d just got back from deployment. His friends knew how to cook. Cutting his fork through the chocolate cake, he lifted it to his mouth and tasted a bite. Rich chocolate burst on his tongue. Moist, delicious, perfect. Reganne the pediatrician was one hell of a baker.

“This is the best cake I’ve ever tasted.”

Reganne glanced up from her plate, delight shining on her face. “Really? The recipe was given to me by the grandmother of one of my patients. I’ve never made it before today.”

A woman who took risks. He liked that, too. In fact, he liked many things about Dr. Reganne McCain. He hadn’t felt this comfortable with a woman in…well, ever. Her laid-back manner made her incredibly easy to talk to. He’d bet her patients loved her.

“Well, it’s a keeper.”

She smiled. Soft and pretty. “Thank you. I took a big risk bringing an untried recipe to a party.”

A gentle breeze brushed past, lifting a strand of her auburn hair and blowing it across her cheek. Grey stopped himself from reaching over and tucking it behind her ear just so he could touch her.

“Let me take that for you.” He rose and held out a hand for her plate.

“Thank you.”

“Want another beer?”

She laughed. “I don’t think I should. Might tell you my social security number and code to my security system.”

Grey chuckled. When had he smiled or even laughed so easily? “Your secrets would be safe with me. How about iced tea or soda?”

Something crossed her face before she masked it. Regret? No, he must have read it wrong. She seemed very well-rounded. Regret didn’t suit her.

“Iced tea sounds good.”

“Be right back.”

He tossed their plates in the trash and poured a cup full of freshly made sun tea. Deuce grabbed a beer out of the cooler, quirking a brow at him. Grey nodded and he tossed him a bottle.

“I hear Darci is playing matchmaker again.”

Grey popped the cap off his beer. “Yeah, I’m this month’s target.”

“She’s pretty. Educated. Not much there not to like. Looks like the two of you are getting along all right.”

Better than his buddy knew.

Donovan clapped him on the shoulder. “Let it play out. See where it goes. You really do need to get out more.”

“Darci put you up to that?”

Deuce grinned. “My lips are sealed.”

As Grey walked back to where Reganne sat, legs crossed, face lifted to the warm breeze, he wondered if Deuce was right. Maybe he needed to get out more. Date instead of having one night stands, which lately had been few and far between.

Reganne was the type of woman you dated. Took to fancy restaurants and operas. A shudder worked its way through him. Opera. Damn. For her, he’d suffer it.

What the hell was happening to him?

‡

A
s Grey walked
back toward Reganne, he saw her go rigid in her chair. He followed her gaze to the beach but saw nothing except beachgoers. Nothing out of the unusual. Something spooked her, though, because the color had drained from her face.

She stood as he approached. “I have to go. I’m sorry.”

Setting the drinks down on the ground, he touched her arm, causing her to jump. He immediately dropped his hand. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her waist. “Nothing. I’m just tired. Too many long hours at the office. I think I’ll say my goodbyes.”

Her forced smile didn’t convince him one iota. “Let me walk you home.”

“No. Thank you. I’m only a few doors down.” Her gaze strayed once again to the beach.

“I insist. Come on. I’ll say your goodbyes for you later.”

After a moment’s hesitation she nodded. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

“I’m this way.” She began walking toward the less populated area of the beach.

Grey checked his stride to match hers. Tension radiated off her in waves. What the hell had she seen on the beach?

They walked in silence about a half-mile until they reached a stilted beach house. Beige with white trim. Small, elegant, with an ornate white staircase leading to a covered porch with matching railings. It suited Reganne.

“This is me.” She stopped at the bottom step, her hand on the railing. “Thanks for walking me home. Sorry I cut out on the party.”

“I was heading out soon anyway.”

She nodded, still not quite her friendly, open self she’d been at the party. What had caused the change?

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your friends.”

Dismissed. Something made him want to hang around and not leave quite yet. Despite her change in attitude he still wanted to spend time with her. He liked talking to her. Enjoyed her company. Wanted to know more about her.

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t walk you all the way to your door?”

At her surprised look, he nudged her up the steps, doing his best to keep his eyes off her perfect backside.

Reganne opened the door, quickly putting the code into the security system. Something flitted across her face as she made a fast scan of the room.

“Something wrong?”

Her lips pursed. “No. Just a feeling.” She turned to him with a smile that didn’t convince him she was fine. “Thanks again for walking me home.”

She started to close the door, but he stopped it with his hand and saw panic flash in her eyes. What the hell? He dropped his hand.

“What kind of feeling did you have?” He’d learned to always trust his instincts. They rarely steered him wrong. Had saved his life a time or two in the field.

“It’s nothing.”

Not a very good liar. “How about I come in and take a look around?”

“There’s no need for that. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He waited.

“That’s very kind of you, but I’m fine. Everything’s good here.”

Smart and stubborn. “How about this. I give you my number so you can call me if anything changes. Day or night.”

Some of the tension eased from her delicate features. “You aren’t going to leave until I agree, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Wait here.”

She disappeared inside the house only to return seconds later to thrust a pen and pad of paper at him. He wrote down his number and handed it back.

“Call anytime.” He gave her a two-finger salute and turned to leave.

He cast a glance over his shoulder when he reached the bottom step to see Reganne watching him, the paper clutched to her chest. Busted, she ducked inside the house and closed the door. Grey whistled on his way back to the party.

*

Reganne locked the
door and set the security alarm. Heart fluttering, she stared down at the bold script written on the girly pink stationary. It had been a long time since a man had given her his number. Even longer since she’d wanted one to. Especially a tall, gorgeous Navy SEAL with eyes the color of clouds after a thunderstorm. The most unusual grey she’d ever seen. So intense. As if she was the only one at the party. He hadn’t even noticed the blond bombshells walking on the beach.

The last man to give her that kind of attention…

No. Not going there. She’d left that life behind ten months ago when she moved here. All the precautions she’d been instructed by the police department had been taken. She changed her number to an unlisted one, deleted her social media sites and cancelled her credit cards. Changing her name hadn’t been an option due to her profession, but she kept her practice low-key, disguising herself in an office with two other doctors.

Leaving her friends and patients had been the hardest thing she’d ever done. Harder than coming out of a coma to find the man that put her there standing over her bed.

A shudder worked its way down her spine despite the warm temperature inside the house. She rarely used the air conditioning, preferring to open the windows and let the salty ocean air soothe her.

Until today, she hadn’t had a reason to keep the windows closed. It had been so long since she’d been able to keep them open she couldn’t bear to be closed in again.

Carsen’s face flitted across her vision. Reganne squeezed her eyes closed. Opened them. Looked around the empty room.

He wasn’t here. She’d taken precautions to make sure he didn’t find her. The man she’d seen on the beach couldn’t possibly have been him. No matter how much he resembled her former fiancé.

Tears sprung to her eyes. Damn it. The past few months had been so good. She’d actually stopped looking over her shoulder and allowed herself to make friends. No dates, but after meeting Grey she wanted to.

He may be a little intense, but she didn’t get a negative vibe from him. Then again, she hadn’t with Carsen either. Well, not in the beginning. Hindsight being twenty/twenty, she realized now the signs had been there and she’d ignored them. Or, made excuses for them. Writing them off as something else she could wrap her head around.

God, was she fool enough to risk another relationship? Because going through that again made her want to run far, far away.

Honestly, what were the chances of Carsen finding her? Would he even want to after what she’d done?

No, probably not.

Feeling a little calmer, Reganne walked into the kitchen and hung Grey’s phone number on the fridge using a magnet that looked like a flip-flop. As with every other day since she’d been here, she fought the urge to close and lock all the windows. As a precaution, she’d had motion detectors put outside the windows that would set off the alarm if someone approached. That helped her feel safe in this beautiful place.

Reminding herself she had no reason to do so, she headed upstairs for a shower. She didn’t live like that anymore. Not even after the scare she’d had today. Which was simply her mind playing tricks on her as it had hundreds of times in the past.

Carsen didn’t know where she was. She would hold onto that with all she had. Because going back was not an option.