Thanks to hours spent on the water, her skin was tanned a light cognac. Her blue eyes glittered in the rays of hard subtropical sun slanting down through the fronds of the palm tree overhead. And she’d paired her red bikini with a tank top that read:Key West… Nearly perfect. Far from normal.A simple silver bracelet with abalone charms in the shapes of sea life was her only jewelry.
The charms tinkled quietly when she lifted a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. For the billionth time, he noted the simple grace and purity of her movements. They reminded him of the weeping willow that grew next to the cattle pond on his family’s land, how it would sway when the wind preceding a summer shower swept over the plains.
Sensing his scrutiny, she darted a look his way. The instant their eyes clashed, heat stole across his skin. The devil in him had him winking at her, but he wasn’t sure she saw. She’d quickly returned her attention to the group.
Oh, she saw,he thought a moment later when a wash of pink that had nothing to do with the cloudless morning they’d spent diving down on the wreck stained her cheeks.
She tried to act as if she was immune to his charms, as if keeping him in the Friend Zone didn’t cost her a moment’s work. But he’d spent the better part of his thirty-four years studying women, and he recognized the subtle signs they gave when they were attracted to him.
Chrissy? She wasn’t a subtle sign. She was blinking neon.
So why the hell weren’t they upstairs in his bedroom knocking boots…er…flip-flops, as the case may be?
Simply put, because he’d screwed the pooch. Royally. And it didn’t matter she’d since forgiven him for The Night That Shall Not Be Named, or that it’d been an honest mistake to begin with, she still—
“Damn, man.” Romeo pushed away from his languid lean against the palm tree to clap a hand on Wolf’s shoulder. Hitching his chin toward Chrissy, the flyboy added, “You went and caughtallthe feels. Admit it.”
Wolf hated being obvious.
Then again, he’d read somewhere that,“Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway.”
So, fine. He was being obvious.At least I ain’t the only one.
“I’ll admit I caught feels for Chrissy,” he muttered from the corner of his mouth, “whenyouadmit you’re catchin’ feels for Mia.”
He shot a finger gun toward the woman gesturing excitedly and saying, “I know you’re all disappointed not to have found theSanta Cristina’scargo. But stop for a moment to appreciate what youhavefound. This site is a time capsule. We’re getting a firsthand look at what life was like 400 years ago aboard a sizable sea-faring vessel.”
According to state and federal law, when a salvage crew stumbled upon a wreck, they were required to bring in a marine archeologist to catalog the site and oversee the excavation.
Enter Mia Ennis. A strawberry blonde with a penchant for avocados and expensive skincare products.
Two hours after they’d hauled up the first of theSanta Cristina’sbronze deck cannons, they’d contacted the state of Florida to report their find. Thirty-six hours later, Mia had landed on their doorstep with bags in hand. In the nearly four weeks since, she’d not only become part of their crew, she’d become part of their family.
Wolf supposed that was inevitable given they were military men, honor-bound to protect those softer than themselves. And Mia Ennis? She was the gentlest, most soft-spoken woman he’d ever met. Not to mention…there was a broken quality about her.
He wasn’t sure what tragedies marred her past, or if her quiet disposition was simply a part of her nature. He just knew the only time she raised her voice much above a whisper was when she talked about the excavation site. And the only time her eyes lit with an inner fire was when she was inspecting the artifacts they hauled up from the sea bed.
Or when she looked at Romeo.
There was no mistaking the way her cheeks heated and her pupils dilated whenever the sailor-cum-pilot-cum-salvor entered the room.
Speaking of the sailor-cum-pilot-cum-salvor…
“Maybe Iamcatching feels for the marvelous Mia Ennis,” Romeo admitted with a laconic half-smile. “You think she’d be interested in a former fighting man like me?”
Wolf considered the marine archeologist for a few seconds more before whispering to Romeo, “Actually, I think she probably only dates men with IQs in the double digits.”
Navy SEALs never passed up an opportunity to feed each other heaping helpings of shit. And it didn’t matter that neither he nor Romeo wore the gold Trident pin of the brotherhood anymore. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL.
“Guess that counts us both out then, eh?” Romeo winked, not one to be outdone. “It’s just as well,” he added with a dramatic sigh. “She’s too good for me anyway.”
“You’ll hear no argument from me on that score,” Wolf agreed gamely.
“Would y’all shut the fuck up?”
LT Anderson was no longer their superior, yet they snapped to attention at the sound of his snarl. Old habits were hard to break. Old training? That was even harder.
“He started it.” Wolf hooked a thumb in Romeo’s direction.
