He reached out and took her steaming cup of coffee, setting it beside her on the counter. Then he stepped closer, crowding her, so that her breathing hitched as she looked up into his gray eyes. “I want you here all the time, Sarah,” he said, reaching out and caressing her cheek. The rough pads of his fingers sent shivers racing down her spine. Those hands had explored every square inch of her body last night, and her skin heated just remembering it. “I want you here in the morning and here at night and all the other times in between.”
“Well, I do have to work some of the time,” she teased.
“Damn it, woman,” he muttered. “I’m trying to ask you something here.”
She reached up and lightly ran her hand over his chest, loving the feel of his muscles beneath her fingers. “Well, I do like your swimming pool, and the way you buy vegetarian food for me even though you grumble and complain about it….”
“I don’t want you to just move in, baby girl. I was waiting for the right moment, but hell. This has been sitting in my nightstand for a month, and there’s no time like the present. When I got up this morning, I knew it was today.”
She gasped as Ryan suddenly knelt down, folding his large body before her, and pulled a small box from his pocket.
“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Is that…?”
Her voice trailed off, and Ryan’s lips quirked. “It is. Holy hell, Sarah, I never thought I’d see you speechless.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” she said, feeling slightly faint.
“Sarah Foster,” he said, taking her hand in his, “I know this isn’t a fancy romantic dinner or weekend away, but hell. I don’t want to wait any longer. I want you to make me the happiest man in the world because I can’t imagine living life without you. Will you marry me?”
“Ryan,” she whispered, tears smarting her eyes. “It’s gorgeous.”
Ryan’s eyes filled with warmth, and he slid the ring on her finger, holding her trembling hand in his. “Don’t worry, it’s ethically sourced.”
She let out a shaky laugh, tears rolling down her cheeks. “You know me too well,” she whispered as Ryan stood up and thoroughly kissed her.
“So that’s a yes?” he asked, cocking a brow.
“It’s a yes,” she said, grinning up at him.
“Well thank God,” he muttered. “Nothing like making a man sweat it out. I’ve led men into battle, but that was the damn scariest thing I’ve ever done.”
Sarah giggled, playfully swatting at him. Ryan glanced at the clock on his stove, and then slowly began to untie her robe, moving even closer. “How hungry are you anyway? I don’t have to leave for base for an hour,” he said, planting kisses across her bare skin. The scent of his woodsy soap and aftershave filled her senses, and she trembled slightly as he kissed her again. “I can think of better ways to spend my time than eating breakfast.”
Her robe fell to the floor, and he growled in approval, caressing her bare skin.
“I can eat later,” she murmured, watching as his large hands slid over her breasts.
“I love seeing you naked, with nothing but my ring on your finger,” Ryan said huskily.
Ryan’s hot lips were on hers in the next instant, and he carried her down the hallway to his bedroom and made love to her until she was nearly late to her first appointment.
Chapter 4
Ryan strode into the bullpen on base, adrenaline pumping through him. He wanted to shout out to the world that Sarah and he were engaged. But although he was thrilled that she’d agreed to be his wife, he wanted to tell Patrick first when they were alone. Although Sarah’s brother was his subordinate, he respected the man. No sense in shocking the hell out of him by announcing it to the entire team.
And this sure as hell wasn’t the right time anyway.
The team had landed moments ago, and rather than heading home to their women and children, he’d dragged them into the bullpen for a briefing.
Ryan logged in and pulled up the latest SITREP on his laptop, frowning. “God damn it,” he muttered to himself as he scanned over the information.
The men on his team had just returned from Mexico City, where they’d tracked down a missing American teenager. She’d been kidnapped from a nightclub in Miami and then sold to the highest bidder. If her father hadn’t had connections to the Secretary of Defense, there was no way in hell a SEAL team would’ve gotten involved. She probably would’ve disappeared right off the map, with the Mexican government unwilling or unable to do anything to find her.
They still hadn’t found the second missing woman who’d been with her, and his blood boiled with the knowledge that she was still out there somewhere.
His gaze slid over the latest update.
Two prisoners escaped from a Mexico City jail and probably had inside help. Officials were likely bribed by the sex-trafficking ring to look the other way. They’ve been on the run for twelve hours. In addition, a possible location has been determined for the second missing American.
Ryan quickly read over the rest of the report as the men filed into the room and grabbed chairs, looked slightly exhausted but clearly happy to be home.
Debriefings were par for the course after a mission, but he’d planned to bring the team in tomorrow until he’d gotten the most recent update.
“Sir,” Patrick “Ice” Foster said with a nod as he grabbed a seat by the front of the room. He scrubbed a hand over the scruff on his jaw, looking alert despite the fact they’d just returned from an op.
Ryan remembered those days well, when adrenaline would pump through him before and after a mission. It would take a few days of downtime to get back in his regular routine.
Time that his men hadn’t even had yet.
Ryan nodded at Patrick, watching the other men sit down. Evan “Flip” Jenkins looked wiped out, and Ryan knew he was a first-time parent and had a baby at home with Alison. He probably wasn’t getting much sleep on a regular basis anyway.
Hell, half of the team had kids now. They were all in relationships and had families and loved ones.
Which meant they all had to be careful given the latest update.
“Good morning, gentleman. Congratulations on another successful operation,” Ryan said after the men had all been seated. “The victim was reunited with her family in Miami earlier this morning. Job well done.”
Patrick nodded. “She was in bad shape when we found her, sir. She’s been through quite an ordeal,” he ground out, clenching his fists.
Ryan nodded, knowing the gravity of the situation. The teenager would need a lot of time and therapy now that she’d been rescued to move past the events of the last few weeks. She’d likely been repeatedly raped while in captivity, and although she’d been sold to one man, there was no telling whether or not her kidnappers had attacked her as well.
His blood boiled at the thought of harm coming to such an innocent young woman.
And to know another teenager was still out there? That hundreds of women and children went missing each year? It was a hell of a mission for his men to get involved with, and the only thing he regretted was that they couldn’t do more.
“I know you just got back and are eager to get home to your families, but I just received word this morning that two prisoners you rounded up during the operation escaped from the jail in Mexico City,” he said.
“Shit,” Christopher “Blade” Walters, the computer expert on their team, muttered. “What kind of lax security do they have down there?”
There were other low murmurs as the men processed this information.
Ryan nodded. “It’s believed that officials at the jail were bribed to look the other way and let the men escape—they were two of the ringleaders and likely could pay a hefty sum for their freedom. But that’s not what’s most concerning.”
Patrick raised his eyebrows, and Ryan continued. “It’s possible one of the Mexican military members assisting in the operation gave them your names.”
“Our real
names?” Brent “Cobra” Rollins asked, his dark eyes flashing. “Fuck, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“It’s not like we were under cover or something,” Christopher said. “Sure, they don’t blast our names and faces on the evening news, but our allies have seen us. They know our names, faces, everything.”
“What’s your concern?” Patrick asked, meeting Ryan’s gaze. “That they’ll come after us? Little Creek is pretty goddamn far from Mexico City. We already killed a huge portion of their operation there. It’s most likely they’ll just start over and not worry about our sorry asses. Especially if they can pay off the Mexican government and police to simply look the other way.”
“It is,” Ryan agreed, “but as you said, you ruined their operation. This was a multi-million-dollar business for them. They had people feeding them women from several parts of the U.S. It wasn’t just some local, low-level deal. If they wanted to track you down, they already have men in the States who could do it.”
“You think they were given our names with the purpose of hunting us down?” Evan asked doubtfully. “Because we go after the bad guys all the time—we’re in and we’re out, and they sure as hell don’t come looking for us.”
“They don’t usually know our names,” Patrick interrupted.
“Affirmative. And it’s not you that I’m concerned for,” Ryan said in a clipped tone.
Brent crossed his arms, his gaze flickering around the room. “It’s a sex-trafficking ring. You think they’ll come after our women.”
There were mumblings amongst the men as Ryan nodded. “Their entire business is women. They have your names—your real names. It’s not that hard to find out where military bases in the U.S. are and to start looking for you. If they wanted revenge, they’ve got it.”
“And what happened to the jackass military guy who tipped them off as to who we are?” Matthew “Gator” Murphy drawled, looking irritated.
“Nothing,” Mike “Patch” Hunter said. “That’s the whole damn problem. The system is corrupt.”
Ryan nodded. “There’s too many dirty players down there. I wanted to debrief on the op today and to share information on the other missing woman. But first, tell me what you know about the men who escaped—what you learned when infiltrating their territory. These guys have contacts down in Miami. They could send someone up this way if they wanted. It’s not a guarantee that something will happen, but I am going to insist that everyone be extra careful.”
“There are much easier targets than coming after us or our women,” Mike said.
“There are, but we need to consider the possibility,” Ryan said. “We’re well-trained, but you need to warn your families to be on alert until this blows over. The likelihood is they’ll forget and move on, as Ice already said. They’ll start up another damn sex-trafficking ring that the U.S. will have to bust. But they have your names—if they wanted to, they could track you down.”
“The world would be a better place without these sickos in it,” Brent spat out.
Ryan grunted in affirmation, knowing Brent had dealt with violence toward women in his own life. His sister had been murdered by a jilted ex-boyfriend years ago, and his girlfriend Ella had been kidnapped by her sleazy boss’s contacts. Brent had rushed down to Florida to save her.
“The Delta team is back from their op,” Ryan said. “I’ll notify them to be vigilant around base as well. Let’s be blunt here—it’s concerning that a dirty military member shared your names. We’re not sure how high up this goes.”
“Motherfuckers,” Mike muttered. “We should’ve just taken them out instead of bringing them in for questioning.”
“No,” Patrick interrupted, shaking his head as his steel blue eyes flashed with anger. “If other women were helped because we kept them alive and questioned them, then it was worth it.”
“Agreed,” Ryan said. “I know you’ve been up for hours and are ready to get home. Let’s go over any new information you can tell me about the men who’ve escaped and get you on your way. I’ll keep you apprised of the situation on the other missing woman. It’s possible you or the Delta team will be sent in to retrieve her since she’s an American citizen and we’re already involved. In the meantime, let’s wrap this up and get you home to your families.”
“I’m game for that,” Patrick said with a wry smile.
Ryan smirked. Patrick and Rebecca were newlyweds themselves. And if there was one thing he knew about his men, it was how protective they were of their women. No doubt they were all eager to get back to their families.
Sarah was at work for the day, but he couldn’t wait to see her tonight. They hadn’t had nearly enough time together this morning before he’d rushed back to base, and he wanted to spend the entire night celebrating their engagement.
The sooner they wrapped up the sticky mess from this last op, ensuring their families were safe and rescuing the second woman, the better off everyone would be.
Chapter 5
Sarah snapped a posed selfie, her new engagement ring sparkling on her finger, and texted Morgan right before she headed to work. Her best friend was seriously going to lose her mind after seeing the picture.
And the best part?
Aside from getting married to the man that she loved, Sarah would be moving here to Virginia Beach permanently. She’d be closer to her brother and his family, closer to her best friend—it was like all the missing pieces of her life were falling into place.
And shoot.
She hadn’t even realized what she’d been missing out on until Ryan had swept her off her feet all those months ago. When she’d opened the door that one night to find Ryan telling her the news that Patrick had been injured? That had been it. He’d pulled her into his arms, and she’d never wanted to be anywhere else ever again.
Humming to herself, she drove along the main drag of Virginia Beach toward her office building. It was faster to head from Ryan’s house directly there, but she couldn’t resist the allure of the ocean. Rolling down the windows of her Mini Cooper, she let the salty ocean air blow through her car.
Her long hair was tousled in the breeze, and she tucked it behind one ear, feeling the three tiny studs there. Briefly, she wondered if she should shock Ryan by getting something else pierced one day. Part of her wanted to see the expression on his face as he slowly undressed her and spotted nipple rings or something.
Hmmm.
Maybe someday.
She inhaled the scent of the Atlantic. It was a perfect day, with clear skies and sunshine, and she was literally about to burst with happiness. Probably the only thing better would be if she and Ryan didn’t each have to rush off to work.
But a wedding meant they’d have a honeymoon, too. And she loved the idea of running off to Mexico or somewhere exotic where they could make love all day and night, lost in one another.
Sarah was still smiling when she pulled into a parking spot twenty minutes later and glanced down at her phone.
Holy shit. He proposed?!?!
Pushing the button to call her best friend, Sarah grinned as Morgan picked up.
“You’re getting married?!” Morgan shrieked. “Oh my God! This is crazy! I almost dropped my coffee when I saw your text.”
“We are! We’re getting married. Ryan just surprised me this morning by pulling out a ring and asking me to marry him.”
“Holy shit,” Morgan said.
Sarah giggled. “Well it’s not like we’ve never talked about it before. And God knows I’m there at his place all the time anyway, but this makes it official! No more living with my boyfriend most of the time and driving back to my place one night a week—we are officially getting hitched.”
“Well, it must have been a very good night then,” Morgan teased.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Sarah said with a snort. “If you’re into understatements of the century.”
“Good lord, the man is infatuated with you. And good for him, too—he’s so strait-laced, he needs someone to
bring out his wilder side.”
“Well, he’s not that strait-laced,” Sarah said, remembering how he’d bent her over the lounge chair and taken her from behind by his pool. Sure, he followed military protocol on base and was stern and serious when out in public, but she loved the other side of him when they were all alone.
He was commanding in bed and an attentive lover. He was protective and possessive at times, but she actually loved every minute of it. She also loved that she could shock the hell out of him, too, but they balanced each other out in the best way possible.
“Uh-huh,” Morgan said. “Commander Hottie and my best friend. I might just have to reconsider never dating military men again after how happy he’s made you.”
“Girl, you just might,” Sarah said. “Let’s chat more later, okay? I just got to the office and my first patient is coming up.”
“Is he home today?”
“Ryan? No, he had to go into base.”
“Then we are one hundred percent meeting up for drinks again tonight. He can screw your brains out later—I need details, hun. And I’m dying to see this ring.”
“Sounds good. I’ll text you later on.”
They said their goodbyes, and Sarah climbed out of her car, shutting the door. “Good morning, miss physical therapist!” a man sitting on the park bench called out.
Sarah did a double take, realizing it was the same man who’d asked yesterday if she was a nurse. His dark hair was slicked back, and he had a cup of coffee in his hand again.
“Good morning. Is this your bench now?” she joked. “I’ve never seen you here before, but this is two days in a row.”
He chuckled, his gaze sliding over her. “I’m just visiting town for a couple of weeks. What can I say? I enjoy a little fresh air with my morning coffee.” She detected the faintest hint of an accent, and she wondered if he was from Mexico or somewhere in South America.
“Kind of like an extended vacation?” she asked. “That would work for me.”
“Something like that,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
SEAL Ever After (Alpha SEALs Book 15) Page 3
