“Maybe I’ll just head back,” she said as they walked toward Matthew’s pick-up truck.
A car honked in the street, and she briefly glanced up, watching them speed away. This kind of spring night had everyone racing around, enjoying the beautiful night. It made her antsy for something—anything. Soon enough she’d be back to reality.
“You don’t want to play pool?” Brianna asked, concern etching across her face as she looked over at her. “I thought you wanted to come with us tonight.”
Ella shrugged. “It’s been a busy week. I might just call it a night. I can always walk down to the beach or something.”
“Come for a little while,” Matthew insisted. “I promise to drive you home as soon as you want to leave.”
“Well….”
“Yeah, come with us!” Brianna said. “You’ve only got a few more days in town. You don’t want to sit around Kenley’s apartment by yourself all night.”
“Just for a little while,” she conceded. “And don’t worry, Matthew. I can always catch a cab back.”
“No way, darlin’. The second you’re ready to leave, we’ll drive you home.”
“They should clone you,” Ella joked.
Brianna grinned. “He’s a great guy. But it did take him a lifetime to ask me out.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, ladies,” Matthew joked, opening the truck door so the women could climb in. “And are you kidding me, Bri?” he asked with a wink. “Your brother would’ve killed me for asking you out.”
“Maybe,” Brianna agreed flippantly as Ella laughed. Brianna slid to the center, and Ella climbed into the passenger seat beside her. Matthew rounded the truck and then climbed in beside Brianna. “And about that whole lifetime thing—you were worth the wait.”
Brianna beamed beside him, and Ella couldn’t help but smile. Brianna and Matthew had grown up together, and although Brianna had apparently been in love with him for most of her life, it was only recently that they’d connected. And now they were engaged. And expecting a baby. The speed with which everything had happened for Brianna and Matthew was mind-boggling. But when you know, you know, Ella supposed. And it’s not like they just met. Brianna had fallen quite literally for the boy next door.
She relaxed into her seat as she watched the people walk down the crowded sidewalk. A group of what had to be college students walked by, and Ella couldn’t have felt more different from them. She could never afford to be that carefree. Thoughts of returning to Florida loomed in the back of her mind, and she tried to brush it aside. Tried not to let it ruin her evening. She might as well enjoy her time here. She never took vacations, and this was as close as it was going to get to a real vacation for her. Then she’d be back to college and work and…Frank
She shuddered.
“Are you cold?” Matthew drawled, turning up the heat in his pickup as he pulled onto the busy road leading down the main strip of Virginia Beach. Pedestrians dashed between cars as they stopped at a red light, and bass thumped from the stereo of a passing car.
“I’m fine,” Ella said.
“Where did Brent disappear to?” Brianna asked as she snuggled against Matthew. “He was alone at the bar earlier and then vanished. He didn’t even have a woman with him.”
Matthew pulled off the main drag, avoiding some of the traffic, and sped up as they headed toward the pool hall. “He’s meeting us there,” Matthew said. “Took off on his Harley. Mike and I were ribbing him for sitting there drinking alone. Usually he’s got women around him like flies drawn to honey.”
“Tell me about it,” Brianna said.
“He was watching Ella, earlier,” Matthew said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry—I told him to stay away.”
Ella glanced over at Matthew’s profile in surprise and felt a strange warmth pooling inside. It was nice to be the object of someone’s attention, she supposed. She pictured Brent’s dark cropped hair and piercing blue eyes. According to everyone else, the guy was a real womanizer, but she sensed something else there beneath that façade. A sadness that she could relate a little too well to. And a protectiveness that she found comforting, despite his sometimes brash, arrogant demeanor. He’d stood up for her, which she couldn’t say about a whole lot of other people in her life. When she had no one aside from her friends on her side, it had felt good to have a man she didn’t even know literally step in front of her, shielding her from her boss’s angry words.
Too bad it didn’t mean anything in the long run. Any of the guys on their SEAL team would stand up for someone who needed help. Help a woman in trouble. It was practically engrained in their DNA to serve and protect. One moment in the back of a bar didn’t mean she suddenly had a man on her side.
Not that she needed a man’s help.
Or Brent.
Ella was on her own, just like always. She’d have to deal with her work situation with Frank by herself and somehow figure out a way to make ends meet and finish her final year of college. A guy like Brent who had a hotshot military career and who’d been with countless other women would never have time to worry about someone like her.
Chapter 3
Brent eased off his Harley, stashing the helmet and sauntering down the street to the pool hall. A car honked, and a group of co-eds waved at him as they whizzed by. He smirked and shook his head, continuing on his way. He might’ve known one of them—hell, it was possible he knew them all. And also just as likely they’d spotted a man in the military and just wanted to grab his attention. Normally he relished that sort of thing. Lived for female attention. Hell if he wasn’t off his game tonight. He’d blown out of Anchors like the place was on fire and sped off into the night without so much as a goodbye to his buddies. Nothing felt better than the wind whipping by him as he raced through the darkness with the moonlit sky above him and his Harley between his legs.
Well, bedding a woman was more exhilarating, he thought with a smirk. And exactly why he usually took a new lady home every night.
Tonight he just didn’t have the patience for that game though.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins, setting his every nerve ending on fire. After the brutal workout today he should want to crash, but it had just the opposite effect. He wanted more. Needed something to quell the burst of energy and anger roaring through him.
As he’d raced down the highway on his Harley he’d even gotten pulled over by one of the Virginia Beach cops, but it was a dude he had met when Christopher’s girlfriend Lexi had been kidnapped months ago. They’d worked together to track her down, so the officer had let Brent off with a warning. This time.
Fuck this shit.
What he really needed was to ride off in the middle of nowhere, where no one could bother him. He needed to be somewhere that the memories weren’t always chasing him down. Where he could take a moment and just fucking breathe for a change.
His phone buzzed as he crossed the street, and he pulled it from the pocket of his leather jacket. He wasn’t surprised to see his brother Brock’s name flash across the screen.
Thinking of coming down this weekend. You game?
Brent clenched his fists.
What was worse—spending the anniversary of his sister’s death alone? Or spending it with his brother? He’d prefer to ignore the damn day all together. Forget that shit ever happened, maybe even drink himself into oblivion. But ignoring it sure the hell didn’t change the past. And his SEAL training prevented him from over-indulging and really forgetting. Not that he’d actually partake in that type of escape—not when his own father had been a raging alcoholic.
A couple of drinks were okay to take the edge off, but a whole damn bottle? Not in a million years. He and his brother could go on the prowl though. Find a couple of pretty women to take back to his place and spend the night with. Hell, maybe they’d even trade. Lots of women would love to sleep with both a cop and a Navy SEAL. And the next night they’d go out and do it all over again.
He quickly thumbed a response to hi
s brother.
Yep. Unless duty calls.
Brock would understand. As a SEAL, Brent could be called up to deploy anywhere, anytime. It wouldn’t be the first time duty to his country came before friends and family. And if they did buzz out on an op, it sure the hell wouldn’t be the last. Just another damn reason he was better off on his own.
Brock’s response came a moment later.
Roger that. Just had drinks with a pretty blonde. Chick’s got a thing for cops.
Brent smirked and thumbed a response.
And she’s interested in your sorry ass? There’s gotta be better looking guys in the NYPD.
His phone buzzed with his brother’s reply.
Spectacular tits and smokin’ ass. Gotta go hit a home run.
Brent chuffed out a laugh and slid his phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket. No sense in texting his brother anymore when the guy was about to score. Man code and all that.
He pushed open the door to the pool hall, nodding at some guys from base that he recognized. The low-lit room held the scent of stale cigarette smoke and booze, and rock music played over the sound system. The unmistakable sound of the crack of the cue ball making the break shot filled the air, and suddenly Brent was itching to grab a cue and sink a few balls. Forget about the rest of the world for a few hours. Maybe even place a friendly little wager with some of his teammates. He could smoke them at pool with one hand tied behind his back, but that didn’t mean they didn’t like trying to beat him.
Hell, they used to all hang out here some nights, playing for hours. Their lives had done a complete 180, but it was better this way. They could have their notions of happily-ever-after, and he could have reality. The cold, hard truth.
Brent was alone. Always had been. Always would be.
He strode toward the cashier, taking in Evan and Alison standing there. “Flip,” he muttered, addressing his teammate by his nickname. His gaze slid to Allison, who was holding her stomach and looking pale. Worry instantly coursed through Brent. She may have been Evan’s girlfriend, but he didn’t like seeing any woman in pain.
“Ali’s not feeling well, so we’re gonna split,” Evan said. “Can you tell the others we had to go?”
“Everything all right?” he asked in a low voice. He eyed the slight swell of Alison’s stomach. She’d been sick a few weeks ago, too, when Brent, Evan, and Matthew had been down in Florida. He’d always thought morning sickness was reserved just for mornings, but as some of his SEAL team could attest, that was a load of bullshit. Then again, fatherhood certainly wasn’t in the cards for him, so what the hell did it matter. Evan would take care of Alison, but it sure wasn’t something Brent would have to contend with. Ever.
“Just morning sickness again,” Evan said.
“More like morning, noon, and night sickness,” Alison grumbled. “I may be a nurse, but damn. This pregnancy is already kicking my ass.”
“Sorry baby,” Evan said. “Let’s get out of here.”
Brent eyed his friend but didn’t say a word. Normally he’d give Evan shit for knocking up his girlfriend, but since she was sick? He’d have to bust his balls some other time. And hell. At the rate they were going, next year he’d be lucky if he saw any of the guys off base ever again. Now that they were coupled up and popping out kids, he’d be shooting pool and hitting up Anchors alone. They barely saw their SEAL team leader Ice, who had a young son. No doubt the rest of the guys would follow in his footsteps.
The rest of their group came walking in a moment later, Ella trailing behind the two other couples. Matthew and Mike each had their women tucked protectively beneath their arms, and the couples laughed at something Mike said as they approached the cashier. Matthew pulled out his wallet to pay for Brianna and himself, and Brent watched Ella glance at the prices posted above the cash register. Her lips parted slightly in surprise, and Brent had the sudden urge to go to her and sink his teeth into their rosy plumpness. Tugging. Teasing. Then backing her against the wall and kissing her the way she deserved to be kissed.
Fully.
Completely.
Until she had no question that he wanted her.
He muttered a curse. He had no fucking business being interested in someone like Ella. Hell, he must’ve been at least a decade older than her. He’d seen shit she’d never dreamed of. He’d joined the Navy when she was just a kid. And she had her whole life stretched out before her—a life that wasn’t here in Virginia. The Navy had sent Brent all over the world. Ella had her degree to finish down in Florida. She probably had family there, maybe even a boyfriend—not that she’d mentioned one.
“I think I’ll just watch you guys,” Ella said to Brianna. “I probably won’t stay too long.” Brent’s gaze shifted between the two women.
“You don’t want to play?” Brianna asked, turning to her friend.
Ella hesitated, pulling her wallet from her purse, clutching onto it tightly. “Well….”
Shit.
She was a college student who had just quit her job. Maybe she was embarrassed to let the others know she didn’t have money to spare. Hadn’t Brianna paid for Ella’s flight up here or something? Because Ella was helping her move?
Brent remembered all too well the days when his mom barely had enough money to put food on the table. With three growing kids, two of them teenage boys, someone had always been hungry. She’d done her best, but Brent sure the hell knew what it meant to go without.
“Let’s order some wings from the bar,” Matthew drawled as he got his change from the cashier.
Brianna wrinkled her nose. “Those are way too spicy for me right now. Let’s just get some fries. And a Coke for me. What do you want, Ella?”
“Oh, I don’t need anything,” Ella said, her voice soft. “I’m not really even that hungry.”
“You only had a salad at dinner,” Brianna protested.
“I just—”
Brent detected the faintest hint of a blush spreading across her cheeks. It was almost as pale pink as that top she had on, and for a moment he wondered if that hint of a flush spread everywhere. Down her chest. Across her breasts.
He stepped forward, unexpected concern coursing through him at her unease. “Two hours,” he said to the cashier, pulling out his wallet. “For both of us.”
Ella’s blue eyes flashed toward him. “You don’t have to pay for me. I’m just going to watch everyone else play a few games then head out.”
Brent watched the subtle swell of her breasts as her chest moved up and down, as if she were flustered. A tempting little gold pendant hung between them, and he longed to go over and suck it into his mouth, teasing her. Then kiss his way across her cleavage, tug down her little top, and lave some attention on those gorgeous breasts.
Clearing his throat, he met her curious gaze. “You’re here all alone. I insist.”
“She’s not going home with you,” Matthew laughed, pulling Brianna closer. “So don’t get any ideas.”
“Cobra take home a one-night-stand?” Mike asked with a smirk. “Never.”
“You guys are terrible,” Kenley said, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure even Brent can play pool with a woman without sleeping with her.”
“You’re assuming a lot,” Mike laughed.
“It’s just a game of pool,” Brent said, his voice steel. “Of course Ella’s not coming home with me.”
Ella looked taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered. Hell. Did that pretty little thing want to come home with him? Not that he’d suggest it. She was leaving in a matter of days, and Matthew and Brianna would kill him for even touching her. Hell, Mike and Kenley probably would, too. And despite her sweet curves and appealing innocence, he felt uncharacteristically protective toward her. A quick lay wouldn’t work with a woman like Ella. And wasn’t that the crux of it—because he excelled in wham, bam, thank you ma’am. And they fucking loved it.
“Thanks for offering,” Ella said, “but I really don’t even know how to play pool.”
> “We’ll teach you, darlin’,” Matthew said. He suddenly looked around, confused. “Where did Evan and Ali go?”
Brianna sighed. “They left already because she’s feeling sick again. Which means with my luck, I’ll probably be sick forever, too.”
“Only nine months at the most,” Ella pointed out.
“Ha, ha.”
“But you get a cute baby at the end,” Ella retorted. “Keep your eye on the prize.”
The others laughed as Brent raised his eyebrows. That was just further proof she was all wrong for him if she wanted kids and a family someday. What woman didn’t want that? Not that the dudes on his SEAL team seemed upset that their women were pregnant. Hell. Soon there’d be a bunch of little Matthews and Evans running around. The other men, too, at the rate they were going. Patrick had managed to stay in the SEALs despite having a young son. Didn’t mean it worked for everyone though.
“Hell,” Matthew said. “I guess it’s just the six of us then. Ladies verses men? Or couples against… you two?”
***
Ella flushed. The idea of her and Brent as a couple was absurd. They’d been thrown together this evening by circumstance—the two odd ones out. Besides, according to Brianna, he never even dated the same woman twice. The idea of him in a relationship was laughable at best. And as for her? Well, she certainly didn’t have the time or energy to date a guy that lived down the street from her, much less someone who was several states away. Not that Brent was exactly the dating type.
The last “date” she’d gone on had been with a guy in her English Lit. class. They’d grabbed Mexican from a nearby restaurant, and when he’d driven her home that night, he’d tried to cop a feel in the front seat of his Honda Civic. It turned out that he’d seen her working in her skimpy outfit at the cocktail lounge and seemed to think that meant she’d put out. She’d slapped him across the face, and he hadn’t been back in class Monday morning. Or ever again. She and Brianna had gotten a good laugh about it much later, but it just went to show that it wasn’t worth getting involved with anyone at the moment. She had too much on her plate to waste time with the wrong type of men.
Protected by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs, Book 6) Page 3
