Hot SEALs: SEALed For Life (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Donna McDonald

  Something tugged in his gut as their gazes locked. He badly wanted to cover her lips with his and to tell her it would be okay.

  Melina let out a ragged breath. “Just pull the edges together and put a few small band-aids over the cut to keep it closed. I’ll be careful for a few days until it heals shut. If it starts to bother me, or doesn’t look like it’s healing, I swear I’ll get it looked at on base.”

  Gower scooped a hand under her leg again as he continued to dab at the wound. He wanted to make sure it was completely cleaned.

  “Maybe I should come back by tomorrow and check to see how it’s doing.”

  He grinned when Melina snorted at his offer.

  “Yes. I know it’s a bit of an obvious ploy, but it’s all the game I’ve got at the moment. I’d like to see you again. Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

  He looked up then and met her surprised gaze.

  “You look stunned. Let me clarify, Gunny. I’m asking you out—like on a date.”

  Gower saw something hopeful flicker in her eyes before they dropped to her leg. He tightened his grip on her—tightened it with intent. “Come on. Talk to me. Are you still dating Chris?”

  His answer from her was another snort… and then more silence. He waited another full minute before saying anything else.

  “Melina—either tell me to go to hell or tell me I can come back,” Gower suggested. “I’m a big boy. I can take no for an answer. Plus I wouldn’t want to cut in on someone else’s girl. That’s never been my thing.”

  Melina shrugged, then shook her head. She wondered what kind of stories Gower might have heard, but decided it was better not to ask. Retirement was too close and she’d hate to get evicted from the Corp for taking out a gossiping SEAL.

  “Chris and I are nothing but friends. I don’t care what he’s said otherwise. We broke up months ago. But that doesn’t mean I want to date you.”

  “It doesn’t mean you don’t either,” Gower declared. He tossed the soiled gauze into the trash can. “I know we’re both feeling the same attraction. It’s in the air. So can I come back to see you or not? I want to be invited next time.”

  “Stop nagging, Beckett… and don’t rush me,” Melina ordered softly. “I’m… thinking about it… you, I mean.”

  Gower felt the corners of his mouth lift at her show of indecision. “Then I guess I’ll get the band-aids while you make up your freaking mind. It’s not like I’m ready to chew a nail or anything. Oh wait… I am. Patience isn’t easy for me.”

  When he went to stand, a set of very strong fingers grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him back to his knees. He was dragged between her legs. Their mouths met naturally, barely releasing the tension. To get closer, he slid both hands under her thighs and pulled her legs gently around him as they kissed.

  Melina broke the contact she’d initiated first, but with a frustrated groan that found an echo inside him. When his eyes opened and met hers, her now quivering fingertips traced his wet lips. He moved until he could kiss her palm.

  His pants were uncomfortably tight now. His voice was rough when he finally found it. “I see you’re skilled in more than hand-to-hand combat. That’s a pretty talented mouth you got there, Angel.”

  “Stop with the military references,” Melina whispered. “Kiss me again, Beckett.”

  Gower smiled at the demand and put both hands around her waist. This was the chance he’d been waiting for.

  “Watch your hurt leg,” he warned. Then he kissed her hard, his tongue breaching the seam of her lips as he explored the neediness he found. He swallowed her gasp, his mouth hungry for hers. In fact, he was starved. Melina’s responsive lips on his were just the feast he needed.

  A firm hand on his chest pushed him off her. He was breathing hard. But then so was she. He wanted to protest the distance so badly it stunned him.

  “Damn,” he said roughly. “That was… outstanding.” Another flat-palmed punch to his chest nearly robbed him of breath. “What the hell was that for?”

  “I said stop with the military references,” Melina exclaimed.

  Gower rubbed his chest and grinned. “Damn it. It wasn’t meant to be one. Kissing you was outstanding. The Marine reference was… accidental.”

  “Oh…” Melina said before laughing.

  Gower mock glared. “Damn woman. You hit like a girl… a really strong, really mean girl.”

  He kissed her hard one final time when she huffed in response to his complaining, then rose to his feet. Sorting through Melina’s first aid supplies, he finally found a few band-aids of similar size. “Well, at least your leg is not bleeding anymore. Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Instead of stooping, Gower bent over her lap this time. He grinned when Melina held out her leg. Four band-aids later, the gash was nearly invisible.

  A small head suddenly appeared around his thigh as Dillon leaned over Melina’s leg to inspect the band-aids.

  “Did it hurt when Dad cleaned your cut?”

  “Yes,” Melina said, grinning. “Didn’t you hear me yelling?”

  Dillon shook his head. “No. But I saw Dad kissing you better.”

  “Oh… I…” Melina looked from Dillon to his grinning, eye-rolling father. “Yes, he was kissing me… better.”

  Dillon lifted a shoulder. “Dad kisses me goodnight. My mom used to do that too. Do you like it when Dad kisses you?”

  Melina sighed and nodded. She refused to look at Gower… or to answer directly. “It’s a little different between me and your dad.”

  “Oh I know,” Dillon supplied wisely, nodding his agreement. “You’re a girl… even if you are a Marine hero who kicks butt.”

  “Out of the mouths of babes…” Gower declared loudly.

  Melina cleared her throat. She needed time to think… and to figure out what she wanted from Gower… if anything. “My wound is all fixed now. I think it’s time for you to leave, Beckett.”

  “Okay. Can I come back tomorrow? To put new band-aids on?”

  Melina drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. If he returned, he’d probably want to kiss her again and she’d probably want him to. But kissing him again would only bring her more trouble.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she admitted aloud.

  Gower chuckled. “I think I’ll take that as a definite maybe which in my experience with reluctant women can sometimes be as good as a yes. Tell you what, you can think about things tonight and throw me out tomorrow if you decide you don’t need me to kiss your boo-boos better after all.”

  “Kiss my boo-boos better? Is that more innuendo?” Melina asked, glancing to see how Dillon was reacting to the strange vibes between her and his father. The boy was looking around the small bathroom like he’d never been in one before.

  Gower smiled at Melina’s apprehension. “I just wanted to be sure you knew kissing boo-boos was part of my medic service, and that I was a natural. Though I think you might have started figuring that last part out already.”

  Melina shook her head. “I’ve figured out you’re naturally arrogant, if that’s what you mean. No wonder you were a SEAL.”

  Gower nodded, fighting his grin. “True, but being confident usually gets me what I want. Check with me again tomorrow. I’ll tell you how I did.”

  Melina’s reluctant laughter broke loose and filled up the bathroom.

  Chapter 6

  When the doorbell chimed, Melina pushed herself out of the chair and walked to it without the crutch. She’d been doing small stints around her house all morning. The cast was due off later in the week. She didn’t want to be limping in front of the base doctor and risk him changing his mind about removing it.

  She peered through the privacy port in the door and sighed as she saw who it was. Part of her—the woman part that hadn’t been attended to in far too long—was thrilled to see the attractive male waiting to be invited inside. The other part said that encouraging a man so much younger than her was crazy—no matter how w
ell he kissed. But he was here and chances were he knew she was too. SEALs weren’t programmed to stop at obstacles any more than Marines were. He’d just keep knocking.

  Sighing once more, Melina accepted her fate. A fragrant white bag shaking in front of her eyes blocked her from seeing Gower as she swung open the door.

  “Lunch,” a sexy voice behind the bag declared.

  She held out a hand and motioned him inside. A nice back with wide shoulders passed by her. He set the bag of food on her coffee table and smiled as he sat down on her couch.

  “Make yourself at home,” Melina said. She heard her sarcasm, rolled her eyes, and swore. “Shit, Beckett. I’m sorry.”

  Gower just snickered at her grumpy apology. “How about this? Hi Gower. Good to see you again. Thanks for bringing lunch.”

  “Can’t do it. Too warm and welcoming for my mood today,” Melina declared, limping back to the couch. “I woke up covered in blood this morning. You didn’t put the band-aids on tight enough.”

  Gower snorted as he watched her slow progress back to where he sat. He patted the area next to him. Glaring, Melina wedged herself between the couch and coffee table before lowering herself down to sit. His gaze ended glued to her ass as it passed by his face. Her gaze ended up shooting fire at him when she caught him.

  “In case you were wondering… yes, I’m still interested in you,” Gower declared, grinning at her accusing glare.

  “Do you think I’m that desperate for a man?” Melina demanded.

  Gower frowned over the comment. “No. I was admiring your ass because you have a nice ass. Where in the hell did that insecurity come from?”

  Melina ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “I don’t know. You confuse me. Maybe if you didn’t stare at me all the time, I might not over-react.”

  “I don’t confuse you,” Gower denied, digging a sandwich wrapped in white waxed paper out of the bag. He handed her the peace offering, nodding when she took it. “You know exactly who and what I am. I think your interest in me as a man has you spooked. Is this about our age difference? How much older are you?”

  “How the hell should I know? Did you think I called someone yesterday to ask questions about you behind your back?”

  Gower grinned. “Well, a guy can hope… even though I’d really rather Chris and the team not know about us just yet. Your approval is going to be way easier to get than theirs.”

  “Us? What us?” Melina asked sharply. She began to unwrap the sandwich. “There is no us. You met me yesterday.”

  Gower dug his own sandwich out of the bag. “I also kissed you yesterday… and you kissed me back. In fact, you kissed me first—technically.”

  Instead of answering, Melina bit into her sandwich. She chewed, swallowed, and went back for another bite. Turkey on whole wheat was her favorite. She glanced at the man who was devouring his sandwich as well.

  His jaw was clean shaven today. The lines on his face were few. Compared to her, Gower Beckett was a freaking kid.

  She shook her head over the unfairness of life that she couldn’t match him in age at least, and took another bite of her sandwich before responding. Then she decided she might as well solve the mystery and put the natural distance between them that should have always been there.

  It was just hard not to regret what she had to say.

  “I’m a lot older. I’m forty-one,” Melina replied sharply, her tone as unapologetic as she could make it while sitting next to a hot guy.

  “Well, you don’t look it. Nor do you act like your life is over, which is what some people do as they age,” Gower said, crumpling up his now empty food wrapper. “I’m thirty-one… so there’s only a decade between us. It’s not like you could be my mother.”

  Melinda snorted. “Yes. Thank God I could just be your older aunt or something.”

  Gower grinned at her complaining. “No worries. I’d still want to have sex with you even if the difference in our ages was two decades.”

  A laugh escaped around her last bite of sandwich. “Of course you would, Beckett. You’ve got a dick. All dicks work independent of their owner’s brains, don’t they?”

  “Are you stereotyping again? Man, that’s a bad habit, Melina. You’re going to have to adjust that kind of thinking out in the real world.”

  Melina laughed softly at his advice. “Why? Are you saying I’m wrong?”

  Gower chuckled. “No. You’re right about man parts in general. But as the owner of the brain attached to mine, I do have some redeeming qualities.”

  “Yes. You obviously know where to buy a good sandwich,” Melina declared, wadding up her food wrapper.

  “Ah… praise at last. Reluctant praise—but I’m desperate here,” Gower sang out. “Wish the praise had been for my kissing talent. Your lips would already be locked on mine in hello.”

  Sighing, Melina turned to meet his serious stare. “Do you really need to be told you kiss well? You don’t seem like the insecure type to me.”

  Gower reached out and put a hand on her face. He held her gaze. “I need to hear you say it. This is not just some random flirtation, Melina Angel. You’re too special a woman for me to offer something casual and meaningless. And I’m sincerely hoping you’re interested back.”

  Melina leaned back on her couch and sighed again. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. Thanks for feeding me, Beckett.”

  “You’re sidestepping what we were just talking about. Is it that hard to admit?” Gower asked, leaning back and grinning at her stare.

  “Damn it. Okay. I am interested in you,” Melina said finally. “But I don’t jump on a guy every time I feel this way. I outgrew the impulse to make a fool of myself years ago. Can’t we just be friends?”

  Gower crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling, pretending to give her question some serious thought.

  “Sure. We could be friends… probably will be friends. People who survive a fight together usually become friends, don’t they? The difference here is that I don’t just want to take care of you. I’ve learned to read wanting more from a woman as a good signal and not have a panic attack when I start to care. Last time I felt this way about a woman, it was for someone who didn’t want to live a military life with me. Luckily she kept our child even though she didn’t keep me. Now I’m feeling it again with you, and I know you may never leave the military until they put you in hole in the ground. Both extremes are just my bad luck with females… but hey… I’m trying to make the best of my attraction.”

  Melina looked away, wishing he was truly a kid. But it was obvious he wasn’t. “Not that it makes any difference to this discussion, but my time in the military is up. I’ve actually been thinking about getting out.”

  “Really?” Gower asked, startled to hear it, even secretly glad given his interest. “I heard you were a lifer.”

  Melina lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “What does that mean? The option to stay in for another three years isn’t sounding as good to me as it used to. I admit that I’m trying to decide if there really is life after Uncle Sam.”

  Gower scooted closer until his hip lined up with hers. “I wasn’t exactly ready to leave when I left, but I’d never intended to stay in forever. There was always a career conflict going on inside me… like I was meant to do something else only I didn’t know what. Don’t get me wrong—I’m glad I served my country. But it wasn’t hard to see raising Dillon was what mattered most when I had to make the call. If I had a job out here that I liked, truthfully I’d be as content as a person could be.”

  “See? You don’t need me. There wasn’t anything about a woman in that contented scenario you just described,” Melina teased.

  Gower laughed. “Most of the women I’ve dated over the years weren’t into active duty military men. I doubt they would be interested in an unemployed civilian either. And as I’ve explained… I’ve haven’t really felt like dating in the last year.”

  Melina smiled. “We both know your unemployed status is temporary. Plenty of w
omen would probably love to be part of your civilian life, Beckett. I see lots of lonely women hanging out at the bars around base all the time. Looking like you look, I bet you could waltz into one of those places and pick up whatever lady flavor you wanted today.”

  Gower snickered at her efforts to discourage him. “You really think I look that good? Thanks, Gunny Angel. I think you’re real cute too, right down to your exceptional ass.”

  Melinda nearly choked on her outrage. “You know—you absolutely reek of desperate male when you say that shit.”

  Gower laughed and turned, covering her front as he twisted his body. He turned her face the short distance needed to put his lips gently on hers. Then he let go and relaxed back against the couch. Patience was not his best trait, but the woman beside him seemed to require it. He supposed he would learn if it lasted.

  “Maybe you’re right. What flavor are you, Melina Angel? Tell me and I’ll tell you what lady flavor I want today.”

  Melina bit her lip and tasted his kiss again. Her sigh was loud. “I’m plain vanilla ice cream, Beckett. You seem more like one of those pistachio loving men to me. We would never work.”

  Gower chuckled. “Pistachios? Those are green, right? Never liked them. Love vanilla ice cream though. You can put whatever you like on top of it if you want something different. It’s really the most versatile flavor… and highly underrated, in my humble opinion.”

  Melina ran a hand over her eyes, then scrubbed both of them down her face. “Let me clarify. Sex with you would be a very bad idea. My brain is screaming out warnings every time I look at you.”

  Gower bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling as he nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right. I mean… what if you liked being with me? I don’t know if I could handle an experienced woman like you making all kinds of sexual demands. It might be too much pressure, even for my independently thinking dick.”

  “Now you’re mocking me,” Melina stated.

  “Only a little,” Gower agreed. Reaching out, he ran a hand gently over the wound on her thigh. “Leg still hurt today?”

  Melina shrugged. “Only when some stupid, good-looking bastard runs his hand over the wound.”