Mike’s gut twisted. It was true, when out on deployments, he wouldn’t physically be there. And he might not readily be able to contact her at every moment. But hell, Mike would do whatever was in his power to make sure Kenley always felt safe and secure. Hadn’t he driven out in the rainstorm last night looking for her after she called? Hadn’t his friend hacked into the cell networks to pinpoint her exact location? And hell, lots of couples had long distance relationships. Maybe that wouldn’t work for an entire lifetime, but was she really not willing to give him a shot at all?
It figured. After all the women chasing after him over the years, the one who’d caught his attention was also the one who wanted to slip away. The hell with this.
“So we spend one spectacular night together, and that’s it?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“Say you felt what I did,” he said, rising from his chair and kneeling down in front of her. They were exactly at eye level now, and he nailed her with a gaze.
“Mike….”
She looked so lost, he wanted to envelop her in his arms. Promise her that he would be there for her. “You didn’t feel anything?” he asked, leaning in slightly closer as her breath hitched. “Not even when you came on my fingers or my tongue? When my cock was buried so deep inside you and you screamed out my name?”
Her lower lip trembled. Hell. He wasn’t trying to make her cry, just to make her admit that she felt something for him, too. That they weren’t just some one-night-stand.
“If I kissed you right now, you’re saying it wouldn’t mean anything to you?”
“Don’t make this harder than it is,” she pleaded.
He lifted a hand to her face, and his thumb skimmed over her lower lip. He leaned in slowly, ready to kiss her sweet lips once more.
“Stop,” she said, pushing her good hand against his chest. “Just stop.”
Mike froze, his chest tightening.
“I should go,” she whispered, scooting her chair back and rising.
“Kenley—”
“I have to go!”
“Let me get your things,” Mike conceded, rising to help her. She didn’t have much—just her purse and the clothes she’d been wearing last night. She couldn’t exactly go home in her cut up blouse. Kenley seemed to realize the same thing and glanced down at the shirt she had on—one of Mike’s tee shirts. “You keep it. You need something to wear home.”
She nodded uncertainly, tears welling in her eyes. He’d let her go now. She was spooked. Scared. But that sure the hell didn’t mean he was willing to let her walk out of his life for good. Not when she just may be the best damn thing that had ever happened to him.
Chapter 15
Kenley glanced around the coffee shop from a table in the back an hour later, inhaling the scent of freshly roasted beans. There weren’t many people here this morning—many of the tourists had gone home after the weekend, and the locals were at work. There were some cute grandmotherly types seated a couple of tables over and a young couple, but she and Lexi mostly had the place to themselves.
Kenley wrapped her sweater around her shoulders, chilled despite the hot drink she was sipping. Her whole world felt off-kilter after the past twenty-four hours, and settling in with her best friend for some girl talk was exactly what she needed.
“Wait, so what happened?” Lexi asked, confusion clouding her face.
“I left,” Kenley answered simply.
“You left him right there in his kitchen?”
“Well what was I supposed to do? We spent a night together. Mike seemed to think that meant we should start a long distance relationship or something. I mean we barely even know each other! We’ve never gone out on a date. We’ve never spent a day together just hanging out, seeing what we have in common. Yes, he helped me, and I’ll be forever grateful for that. But that doesn’t mean we’re a couple now.”
“He was really worried about you,” Lexi protested. “Christopher had him on speaker phone when we were trying to locate you, and that man was in a near panic.”
“He was worried, I know. I get that he’s a decent guy most of the time. I mean he’s still a bit too cocky for my taste, but he can be sweet.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“He’s the kind of guy that always has a woman around. I saw him at the bonfire; I’ve heard stories about all the guys on the SEAL team. I’m not anything special to him.”
Lexi’s eyes softened. “Sweetie, of course you’re special.”
Kenley rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you to patronize me. I’m not anything special to him. Mike’s the kind of guy that’s been with dozens of women. Trust me when I say he knows his way around a woman’s body—holy hell.”
Lexi laughed. “Whoa, slow down. What exactly happened last night after he found you?”
Kenley leaned in closer, whispering a few of the details so that the other patrons in the coffee shop didn’t hear them. Because that was all she needed, somebody’s grandma knowing all about her sex life. She took a sip of her café mocha as Lexi’s eyes grew wider and wider.
“Well, we can’t say he isn’t thorough,” Lexi teased.
Kenley nearly spit out her coffee. “Shhh!”
Lexi laughed. “And you’re willing to give up all that just because you think he wouldn’t be willing to give up the single life for you? Because you’re going home in a week or two? He wouldn’t suggest seeing you again if he didn’t mean it.”
“It’s not just that,” Kenley admitted. “Even if, say, something did start up between us….”
“I’d say it already has.”
Kenley glared at her best friend. “The point is, Mike wouldn’t be around. I dealt with that all the time growing up, and I just don’t want that for my future. What if we had kids? Then their dad would just be gone half the time? I lived that life, and it sucked.”
Lexi raised her eyebrows. “So you’ve considered having kids with the man, but you won’t date him. Interesting.”
Kenley blew out an exasperated sigh. “You know what I mean.”
“Don’t you think you’re putting the cart before the horse? Maybe the long distance thing won’t work for you. Maybe you’ll meet someone else. Maybe the whole thing will fizzle out in a month or two. But don’t give up on your entire future without even giving him a shot.”
“You seem pretty confident.”
“Kenley, I’ve never seen you look at a man the way you do Mike. Ever. And the way he rushed off to find you like that in the middle of the rainstorm? That man cares about you. So what if he’s been with a hundred women in the past. I assure you he doesn’t bring them home with him. Or cook them breakfast in the morning. Or, what, offer to get your car fixed for you? Guys just don’t do that for women they have no interest in.”
“I don’t know….”
“Hey, he already slept with you. Multiple times from the sounds of it.”
“Lexi!” Kenley hissed.
She laughed and took a sip of her latte. “I’m just saying, he wasn’t doing all that to get you into bed. He already had, you know? He cares about you.”
“We barely know each other,” Kenley muttered.
Lexi shrugged. “You guys have chemistry. A connection. You can’t fake that, and you can’t fight it either. And even if you claim you’ll never see him again, that’s not going to happen. Christopher and I will be planning our wedding. You’ll have to see Mike at some point. And do you really want him bringing some other woman along as his date?”
Kenley’s stomach dropped at that image. No, she didn’t want Mike kissing, dating, or sleeping with any other women. But that didn’t mean she was ready to fall head-over-heels for him either.
***
Mike cursed as he pulled onto base just before noon. Christopher was getting out of his pickup truck a few spots down, which meant Mike would have to deal with another round of twenty questions. Fucking perfect. After the way Kenley had blown him off this morning, he wasn’t
in the mood to talk to anyone. Hell, the very first time he’d cared about a woman enough to bring her home, she up and bails on him at breakfast? Weren’t women supposed to like that sort of thing? Usually Mike was the one running out the door the morning after, offering his excuses. It twisted his gut to be on the receiving end of that kind of brush-off.
“It’s gonna be a long day, man,” Christopher said, slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder. “I’m psyched for some night ops training though.”
“No kidding,” Mike grumbled.
“So is Kenley doing okay after the accident? Lexi left earlier to meet her at a coffee shop. I figured she’d be spending the whole morning with you.”
“So did I,” Mike said as they fell in step beside one another. “Kenley didn’t exactly like my suggestion of seeing each other when she went back to Arlington. You’d think most women would be thrilled a guy didn’t want to blow them off after one night.”
Christopher chuckled. “Maybe she doesn’t want to do the long distance thing?”
“That’s part of it. I don’t think she likes the military thing either.”
“But she stayed at your place last night?”
“Yep.”
Christopher raised his eyebrows expectantly.
“Not gonna lie, man, it was pretty fucking spectacular. Not enough to convince her to give it a go another time though. Hell, I’ve never even taken her out on a date. We’ve been together in all these group situations—the bonfire, the pool. And without going into details, let’s just say the chemistry between us is off the charts.”
“So ask her out. On a real date—dinner, flowers, the works.”
“Pretty sure she’d turn me down, man,” Mike said.
“She still arguing with you half the time?”
“Not last night, no. That was the first time she let her guard down and I got to see the real Kenley.”
“Foreplay, man.”
“What?”
“All that fighting you were doing was nothing but foreplay. No wonder last night was so spectacular. Trust me, after ten years of Lexi being angry with me, when we reconnected this summer? Fucking amazing.”
Mike laughed. Christopher and Lexi were hardly the same as him and Kenley. They had a history together. He’d had but a few encounters over the past month with the woman he was falling for. Yes, he wanted more—much more. But if the woman wouldn’t give him a damn chance….
Patrick nodded at them in greeting as they walked into the locker room. “What’s fucking amazing?”
“Just the woman of his dreams,” Christopher snickered.
“Kenley bailed on me this morning,” Mike said, stuffing his gear into his locker. “As in she couldn’t get out of my place fast enough.”
“So she spent the night.”
“Yeah. She doesn’t like that I’m a SEAL though. Or that we live four hours apart.”
“You’re not going to be a SEAL forever,” Patrick pointed out. “None of us will. And hell, who knows what’ll happen next month or next year?”
“That’s true enough,” Christopher agreed. “If she works up in Arlington, and things did somehow work out for you, you could get a job at the Pentagon.”
“Somehow work out?” Mike mumbled. “Hell, things barely even got started.”
“You could find her again in ten years like Christopher did with Lexi,” Patrick said with a smirk.
“Best thing to ever happen to me,” Christopher admitted. “I wouldn’t suggest waiting ten years to chase after her though.”
Mike blew out a breath, slamming his locker shut as the men headed to the weight room for some PT. “Maybe I don’t want what you guys have. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“Right,” Patrick chuckled. “Then why the hell do you look so damn miserable?”
Chapter 16
Kenley stood outside her favorite bar in DC two weeks later, waiting for Lexi. She tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the masses leaving work. Men in business suits, men in khakis and polo shirts all streamed by. They were attractive, yes, but not one of them caught her interest the way that Mike had. She’d been back for only a few days, her assignment down in Norfolk complete. She hadn’t seen Mike once during her remainder of time there. He’d texted her the day after their argument to make sure she was okay, but after the brief message she’d sent him back, she hadn’t heard from him since. Not that she expected to. He probably wasn’t used to women blowing him off. Besides, those guys had a parade of women around them all the time. The second she’d walked out his door he was probably already moving on to the next willing and available female.
Ugh, she thought with a groan. If only the sex hadn’t been so off-the-charts spectacular. Then maybe she could move on with her plan of finding a stable guy to settle down with. Memories of Mike’s hard body moving over hers were giving her little incentive to find a “safe” guy though. She doubted anyone would ever get her as worked up as him. She almost wished she’d returned to his apartment before she left for one last night together. Her face flamed just thinking about it.
Jesus, he’d seemed to get just as turned on as her by making her come over and over in his bed. Other guys were more about seeking their own pleasure. But with Mike? She’d felt like a goddess he was worshipping. And who wouldn’t want to be basking in all that attention of a sexy Navy SEAL?
They argued half of the time they’d been around each other though. Maybe not that last night, but it’s not like they’d gotten off to the best start. Which only further confirmed that things between them would never work. Maybe the distance wasn’t as big a deal as she claimed—it wouldn’t be forever. After all, Lexi was moving down to Virginia Beach to be with her man. That type of life would never work for her though.
“Kenley!” Lexi called out, rushing down the block. Her jet black hair swished around the sleek suit she was wearing, and not a few pairs of male eyes slid her way. Of course. She was stunning and beautiful. Kenley was more petite and cute—but not exactly the type of women men chased down the street after. Not that Mike had been complaining.
“Hey! You made it,” Kenley said. “I’m in desperate need of a martini.”
“Me too. The first week back after my month off is killing me. I didn’t think I’d be so tired after only a couple of days.”
Kenley dragged Lexi inside, and they fought their way through the happy hour crowd to snag some space at the bar. A young bartender approached, and they each ordered drinks. The bartender’s gaze quickly swept over Kenley, taking in the deep v-neck of the navy blue wrap dress she had on. Without the blazer she’d worn to work covering her, her ample cleavage was on display. She warmed slightly at his appreciative glance but found herself strangely wishing Mike could see her in it instead.
Not that she planned to see him again. Ever.
“Any word on the new job?” Kenley asked, stirring the olive around in the martini the bartender placed in front of her. Holy crap. Had he written his phone number on the napkin?
Lexi caught sight of it too and giggled. “Picking up men in crowded bars? Mike wouldn’t be too happy about that,” she teased.
Kenley flushed. “Mike can date whoever he wants, and so can I.”
Lexi raised her eyebrows. She took a sip of her Merlot and watched Kenley, waiting expectantly.
“Okay, so I don’t plan to actually call the bartender. Please. But that doesn’t mean anything.”
Lexi shrugged. “Sure. And as for the new job, not yet, but you know how the government works—at a snail’s pace.”
Kenley eyed her best friend suspiciously. Why was she bringing up Mike tonight anyway? They hadn’t even talked about him once since the coffee shop a couple of weeks ago—Kenley had made it very clear that that conversation was over. For good.
“And you’re doing okay on your own?” she asked, changing the subject. “You’re still more than welcome to stay at my place if you want.”
“I’m fine. It’s strange, but being back h
ome, I don’t have as many fears.”
“It makes sense. You’re back where you’re comfortable.”
“Speaking of comfortable, I just noticed your cast is gone!”
“Just got it off this morning,” Kenley said, grinning. “I can’t say I miss it.”
“Yeah, I bet that’s a relief. So did your parents ever get back from that cruise?”
“Not yet. It’s a month long. I did finally reach them via email, and get this, all my mom said was ‘Glad you’re okay, sweetie.’ You’d think running off the road and breaking my wrist would’ve justified a phone call or something.”
“I’m sorry, hun. I don’t think they’re ever going to change.”
Kenley shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m used to it by now. I mean they supported me financially when I was younger, they just weren’t ever around.”
“That sucks, sweetie.”
“Yep.” She drained the rest of her martini. No sense in lingering on the past now. She hadn’t exactly had a bad childhood, just absentee parents. There was always food on the table, a warm place to live, a nanny to take care of her and her sister.
“Oh!” Lexi gasped, glancing toward the bar entrance.
“What?” Kenley asked, swiveling around on her barstool. Only one thing could light up her best friend’s face like that, but the chances of Christopher walking through the door were slim to none. Her stomach dropped when she caught sight of Mike standing beside Lexi’s fiancé. He cleaned up nicely, in khaki pants and a button down shirt. It did little to conceal the pounds of muscle that lay beneath, and he scanned the room, his chiseled features drawing the attention of many of the women.
His blue gaze locked with hers, and her heart pounded furiously in her chest. He’d come for her. Driven all the way up here to…what? Talk? Ask her on a proper date? Drag her off to bed? She flushed as he took a step closer. The way his gaze ran over her torso felt like a caress. Shakily, she stood up as Lexi whispered that she’d pay for their round of drinks. Christopher was already moving toward Lexi, but Kenley brushed past him, hurrying toward Mike, who was rooted by the door.
A SEAL's Seduction (Alpha SEALs Book 4) Page 12
