Two Weeks With a SEAL (The Wakefield Romance Series) (3 page)

My cell phone plays ten
seconds of Luke Bryan's "Drunk on You", telling me I had a text and I
swiped the touch-screen to see that it was from Dana, stating that the chicken
was in the oven. She was too cute and I send back an "Ok" with a
winking smiley face, knowing she will giggle when she reads it and I turn my
attention back to trying to pick some clothes out. I'm short, about five foot
three, and I have what I like to call a 'honky-tonk' butt, my hips and big butt
being the only noticeable feature on my body because I have A cup boobs, and I
like to wear tight jeans to show off my curve. Settling for a dark pair of
skinny jeans, I pull on a pair of tall socks and a blue sweater with a deep V,
matching it with a white tank underneath. Rummaging through a plastic tote of
shoes, I find my old cowboy boots and tug them on my feet as I hop into my
attached bathroom. I scrub my face clean with scalding hot water, removing the
stress and makeup from the day, noticing as I wipe my face dry that I'll need
to dye my hair soon. I keep my hair black because otherwise it’s the same color
as my father's, and personally I don't like people telling me that I remind
them of him.

Lining my bluish-grey
eyes with black eyeliner, mascara and blue eye shadow, I grab my jacket, purse
and lock the door, getting into my truck at 6:35, tearing out of the driveway,
spraying the loose gravel onto the lawn. I cranked up the radio, rocking out to
Miranda Lambert as I drove through the main part of town, idling at the stop
light in front of Muncy's Pub, spying that Duke's lifted Ram was sitting in the
parking lot.

Wouldn't you know that
he was outside on the balcony as I looked up, catching his eye and he waved at
me. "Damn it," I mumbled as I meekly waved back, cringing at the
smile that reached his lips, stepping on the gas as the light turned green,
squealing the tires. Pushing him out of my head I hummed and sang along with
the radio, heading out of town to Byrd Drive, just off of State Route 679.

Kendall's parent's house
was the first on the right and I honk obnoxiously as I spot Kendall's
Volkswagen Bug in the drive. Chad had purchased the last eight acres on the
left side of the street, building two identical homes right next to each other,
his mom's the very last home on the street. His house had sat pretty much empty
for the last four years, only having the necessities of furniture and
appliances, but he never came home that much. I parked next to Dana's Malibu,
straightening my sweater and running a shaky hand over my thigh as I slammed my
door shut.

"You still driving
that loud rust bucket," the smooth voice greeted me making my eyes snap up
from their position on my feet, meeting Chad's light blue eyes. He took my
breath away and for a second I was frozen. His hair was pulled back like I
remembered, his face adorned with the same grey streaked stubble, a crooked
smile on his lips. He was in his MARPAT [Camo] work uniform, the digital green
and brown patterns covering his perfect physique. I found my legs once more,
slowly walking towards him as he stood in the open doorway leaning to his
right, his arms crossed over his chest, a smile creeping to my lips as my face
blushed uncontrollably.

"It runs perfectly
fine," I defended my vehicle, Chad giving me a slight chuckle as I
ascended the stone steps coming to a stop with my face at the level of his
chest. I smiled up at him and for a split second I could see a hurt pass
through his eyes, but he shook it off and took the offered loaves of bread from
my hands. Stepping to the side, his hand met the small of my back as I walked
inside, sending lightning bolts throughout my body and I had to shake it off as
I shrugged out of my jacket. Chad took my jacket without a word, putting it in
the hall closet and leaving me standing there as he walked towards the kitchen.
Great, it's gonna be awkward
, I thought, slapping myself lightly in the
forehead as I followed his path into the kitchen.

The house smells
amazing. Garlic, chicken, potatoes and all sorts of other mouthwatering aromas
assault my senses as I turn into the dining room, stopping abruptly at the
sight before me. A large vase of roses sat on the table, Chad standing next to
them with a small smile on his face. "What are these," I ask in
almost a whisper, Dana's head peeking around the corner from the kitchen.

"Those are for you
honey," she smiled and I gave her a wide-eyed look, "my Chad brought
them for you." The smile she gave me told me she knew, oh yes she knew
that I had a thing for her son. I turned to Chad and noticed the embarrassment
pass through his face, a smile creeping to his lips.

"I'm real sorry
about your mom," he said, his blue eyes darting from mine to his mom. I
couldn't help the slight tears that tried to well, rimming my lashes as I
stepped up to look at the roses. Eleven white ones [which are my favorite] and
one red one, they smelled amazing and looked amazing. The first tear slipped
down my cheek, hitting my lips as I lightly ran my fingertips on the soft
petals. I wiped the back of my hand across my face, trying to not let Chad see.

"Thanks," I
whisper, but I couldn't hide the little choke, turning my face down and walking
into the kitchen. Setting my purse onto the kitchen island, I reach in and get
the Zales Jewelers box out, setting it down without a word and going to the
fridge. "Smells amazing Dana," I say, pulling out the pitcher of iced
tea.

"Thank you
honey," she takes my shoulders in a slight hug, kissing my cheek and her
Chanel perfume washes over me, making me think of my mom even more. I take a
deep breath in, my eyes closing and settling my emotions. I knew this was going
to be hard, but I didn't think every little thing would remind me of her.
Thinking about it, she was my mom. She was the woman who had been there pretty
much twenty-four seven my entire twenty five years of life, so it makes sense
that all of these things brought her to mind. I'll be okay though, I can't let
it get to me, life goes on. "Could you set the table for me dear,"
she asks, checking the chicken in the oven with a thermometer.

"Of course," I
say, setting my purse down in the spare chair by the fridge and grabbing plates
from the cupboard above it. This had been the routine for our Sunday dinners,
Dana cooking and me setting the table and doing the dishes. Not that I can't
cook, but that woman is some sort of gourmet. Her food could be served in the
most expensive restaurants out there and no one would know the difference.
Carrying the plates with salad bowls stacked on top, I almost run right into
Chad as I go back into the dining room, his hands stopping the collision by
gripping my shoulders.

"Let me," he
says, taking the plates from my grasp, his rough hands brushing along my
forearms and hands, sending tingles up into my neck, a slight shiver shaking my
shoulders. My eyes go to his and a slight smile caresses his lips and I know he
noticed my reaction, making me blush. The temperature in the room raising at
least ten degrees as the blush spread to my arms and legs. This man drove me
crazy even when he wasn't near me. The mention of his name sent butterflies
going wild in my stomach, my toes tingling, my heart racing. If he knew what he
really did to me he'd probably never talk to me again, thinking that I was
crazy.

Trying to shake it off,
I grab glasses from another cabinet, the jug of iced tea and a bottle of wine
off of the top of the fridge. Going around the table, I straightened Chad's
table setting job making him smile, placing the glasses and wine around the
table. The three of us were bringing the last bowls and plates of food out from
the kitchen when my phone starts playing Dolly Parton's "Nine to
Five", signaling that someone from my work is calling. "Excuse
me," I say, sliding in my socks like I always do across the hardwood
floor, reaching into my oversized purse and fishing out my phone.
"Hello," I say with an annoyed tone definitely evident.

"Rhea, I'm real
sorry," one of the cashiers, Kaleigh Jones, replied, "but the alarm
is going off and Jenna is off on her dinner." Awesome, just awesome. I
sigh into the phone, wondering how mall security isn't already there. It's good
to know that if we were being robbed that they were quick to respond.

"Push disarm, then
22456," I wait, the buzzing of the loud alarm right in my ear as I can
hear her punch in the numbers, "then authority," I hear her hit
another button, the buzzing stopping followed by three long beeps, signaling
that it was disarmed.

"Thank you,"
she breathed into the phone and if I could see her she would probably be
rubbing the space between her eyes like she always did when she was annoyed.

"It's okay, just
tell Jenna that she'll need to call the alarm company," I walk back into
the dining room, rolling my eyes at Dana when she gives me a questioning look.

"Alright thanks
again," Kaleigh issues and I say goodbye, setting my cell phone down as I
sit in my usual seat to the right of Dana.

"You're still
working at 'The Secret'," Chad wiggles his eyes as he makes air quotes.
They all liked to make fun of me working with bras and panties all day, but it
was one hell of a discount. I just wave him off making him laugh, his mom
hitting him in the shoulder. I love his laugh; it was rich and thick, filling a
room without hesitation.
Damn this man
, I think,
damn this man and
his irresistible qualities
.

The chicken is carved by
Chad, the platter passed around along with a bowl of mashed potatoes, collard
greens, corn bread slices, garlic green beans, chef salad and yellow rice. It
was great as always, the three of us silent just enjoying the home cooking.
Chad popped open the bottle of wine and I held my glass out to him, smiling as
he shook his head filling my glass. "So can you tell us where you were
deployed this time," I ask, knowing that ninety-nine percent of the time,
their missions were under lock and key.

His blue eyes meet mine,
seemingly searching for something as he put a forkful of chicken in his
beautiful mouth. My eyes go to his lips and I can't help but let my tongue dart
out and wet mine, as they were all of sudden very dry. Those lips had been all
over my body, searching and pleasing their way up and down, drawing moans from
my mouth and my legs quiver bringing me back to reality. I turn my attention
back to my salad, pushing the tomatoes to the side as I'm not a very big fan of
the red variety.

"We were in the
Middle East," he said, pushing the food around his plate as I peered at
him without raising my head from my plate. I knew that he probably had demons
deep inside seeing the things that he saw, doing the things that his country
bid him to do. I left the conversation at that, knowing that if he wants to
tell me, he'll tell me in time. Dana breaks the awkward silence with throat
clearing.

"So what is
this," she sets the Zale’s box on the table near my left arm. I nudge it
back towards her with a smile on my lips.

"Just open
it," I tell her, my eyes back on my plate. I knew she'd love it and she
deserved it for all the help and guidance she had given me, not just over the
last month, but for the last year. She gave me a "humpf" sound,
wiping her hands on the napkin perched on her lap and taking the box. Snapping
it open, her hand goes to her lips as a gasp slips through. I had gotten her a
rose gold set of diamond earrings. They were only a half a carat, but she loved
rose gold, and what girl doesn't like diamonds?

"Oh my," she
says, tears rimming her lashes, holding the box to Chad. "You didn't have
to," she said, reaching over and pulling me to her with one arm, hugging
me tight kissing my cheeks. I kissed her back, releasing her to sit back in my
chair, wiping at my eyes as tears threatened to flow.

"Yes I did," I
say as she takes my hand, "thank you," I almost whisper, the emotion
of everything she had done for me overflowing causing the tears to fall slowly
down my cheeks.

"I'll always be
here for you hun," she says, squeezing my hand and I smile, nodding my
head. She took the earrings out and put them on, the little diamonds sparkling
in the overhead lights. We settled back into our food, the rest of the meal
passing with conversation of work and what Chad was planning on doing over the
next two weeks. He was having some his SEAL Team members come up for a few days
to party and camp out.

"Thought we'd go
out to Randy's cabin," he said, sending me a look as we loaded the plates
into the sink to rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher. My
brother had purchased a nice cabin in the Shenandoah National Park a year before
his death, for camping and hunting, but he only had gotten to use it once. It
sat isolated among the Blue Ridge Mountains about three and a half hours away,
off of a single lane dirt road, but it was a beautiful cabin being fully loaded
with three bedrooms and a Jacuzzi hot tub. I had been up there in September to
make sure it was okay, running the water and making sure the electricity hook
up still pumped juice into the building.

"Yeah, I can get
you the keys tomorrow if you want," rinsing the plates off, I handed them
off to him, seeing a smile on his face and hearing a light laugh,
"What?" I stopped what I was doing, standing there waiting for him to
stop chuckling to himself.

"I was thinking
you'd come with us," he said reaching in the sink and pulling out some of
the dishes. Well that was unexpected; he wanted me to go with him and his
buddies? "Are the others bringing their wives?" I ask, "Because
I don't wanna be the only girl," I quickly add, trying to cover up the
part that insinuated that I was his wife, oh God.