Texas SEAL (SEALs of Coronado Book 3) Read online

  Lyla didn’t answer. While she and Trent had talked about his job, they hadn’t done more than scratch the surface. But heck, they’d just started seeing each other.

  “Mom, I like Trent, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same about me,” she finally said. “But that’s as far as we’ve gotten. Maybe it will turn into something else, but right now, I’m okay with where we are.”

  Her mother gave her a small smile. “I’m okay with that, too, Lyla. I simply want to make sure you and Trent have a serious conversation about what you’ll be getting yourself into if you want to make a commitment to him. I want you going into this with your eyes wide open.”

  Lyla nodded. “I am, Mom.”

  “Good.”

  Lyla chewed on her lower lip as her mother walked over to get the tostadas out of the oven. The truth was, she’d been so giddy about reconnecting with Trent she hadn’t thought too much about what a future with him would look like. She enjoyed being with him, and the sex was off the charts, so she’d definitely like to keep seeing him. Yeah, it would be hard doing the long-distance thing, but the truth was, that wasn’t the worst part of the deal.

  Trent being deployed for months on end without her knowing where he was, doing all kinds of dangerous crap, was the part that really made her hesitate. Lyla wasn’t sure she was the kind of woman who could handle that.

  Maybe her mother was right. Maybe it was time she and Trent had a serious conversation, before she let herself fall any further for him.

  Chapter Eight

  “YOU WERE QUIET on the way home. Everything okay?” Trent asked, closing the door of her apartment behind them and pulling her into his arms.

  He’d known something was bothering Lyla the moment they’d sat down to dinner with her parents. His gut told him it had something to do with whatever she and her mother had talked about while making the tostadas. He’d thought at first it had to do with Marco, though that didn’t seem right. But if not that, then what?

  Lyla melted against his chest, resting her cheek on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him so tightly his ribs creaked. Not that he was complaining. He liked being in her arms more than he ever could have imagined.

  “Mom told me some stuff tonight that made me realize there are a lot of things about you I don’t know,” she said softly.

  He pulled away to study her face. “What kind of things?”

  She lifted her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. His gut tightened. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was about to break up with him. That should be impossible since they hadn’t been together long enough to actually break up.

  “How dangerous is your job?” she asked.

  To say the question caught him off guard was an understatement. He definitely hadn’t seen that coming. But that explained her expression. He’d seen variations of it on other women he’d dated. Usually before everything went to crap.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s sit down.”

  Holding onto her hand, he led her over to the couch then took a seat beside her. The trepidation in her eyes made his chest hurt.

  “Lyla, you already know that SEALs do a dangerous job. We talked about that. Where’s this coming from?”

  She bit her lip, as if trying to figure out what she wanted to say. “My mom told me you do a lot of really dangerous stuff, and that you’re gone eight months out of the year. Is that true?”

  It took a moment for Lyla’s words to sink in. If the two of them had just been messing around and having a good time while he was in town on leave then how dangerous his job was, or how often he was deployed, shouldn’t have been an issue for her. But it obviously was, and that made him think she was starting to develop feelings for him. Maybe even the same kind he was beginning to feel for her.

  “Yeah. In general, it’s true,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “My Team and I go to craphole places all around the world and do things that should probably be impossible. But that’s what I’m trained to do, and I do it well. SEALs get the job done, but more than that, we cover each other’s backs while we’re doing it. We have a simple mantra on my Team—Everyone Comes Home. And we’ll do anything necessary to make sure everyone does.”

  She considered that for a moment then nodded. “Okay. What about the deployments? Are you gone that long?”

  He wished he could sugarcoat it and tell her it wasn’t that bad. But sometimes it was, and she deserved to know that.

  “It can be,” he said gently. “Sometimes I’m gone for three months at a time. I’ve been gone as long as seven months but as short as a week. It’s whatever the mission calls for. Now, I will tell you the other single guys and I volunteer for extra missions to give the guys with wives and girlfriends more time at home.”

  A glimmer of something—hope, he supposed—showed in her eyes. “So, in theory, you wouldn’t always be gone that long?”

  Trent winced. He knew what she wanted to hear, what she needed to hear. That being with a SEAL wouldn’t be that bad. But as much as he might want to keep seeing Lyla, it would be wrong to mislead her.

  “It could be less,” he admitted. “But if you’re considering whether you want to get involved with me, then you need to face the very real possibility that there will almost certainly be long stretches when I’m not there with you. Worse, there are going to be times when you have no idea where I am or when I’m coming back.”

  And with those words, any possibility of a future with Lyla had just gone out the frigging window. He could see it in her eyes. He was stunned at how crappy that made him feel, considering the short amount of time they’d been together. She’d clearly gotten under his skin a lot deeper than he’d imagined.

  “What kind of woman could deal with that?” she wondered.

  “Not many.” He offered her a sad smile. “Which is probably why so few of the guys on my Team are in a serious relationship with anyone.”

  Lyla considered that. “But some SEALs get married, right? Or at least get into steady relationships?”

  “Sure,” he said. “My chief has been married for over twenty years, and two of the other guys on the team—Chasen and Logan—recently met women they think are in it for the long haul. But I know it’s tough on all of them, and I can’t blame you for not wanting to get involved with a SEAL. It’s probably better we figure it out now, before either one of us gets hurt.”

  Lyla blinked. “Wait. What? I’m not saying I don’t want to try!”

  Trent stared at her. Okay, now he was confused. “But you just said you weren’t sure what kind of woman could deal with that life. Asking you to consider putting yourself through something like that is more than I have a right to do, regardless of how I feel about you.”

  She leaned forward. “Were you asking?”

  Crap. His head was spinning so fast, he was practically dizzy. “Asking what?”

  “Were you asking me to put myself through that...with you?” she clarified.

  He opened his mouth then closed it again. He needed a lifeline in the worst frigging way. “I thought that’s what this conversation was about. Whether you wanted to get involved with me beyond these two weeks of leave.”

  “Is that what you want?” she asked.

  Trent felt like he was standing naked in a minefield with no idea which direction to go. All he knew for sure was that the next step he took was going to be extremely meaningful to the continuation of his existence.

  “Well...yeah. I thought that was obvious.” When Lyla’s eyes widened, he quickly held up his hands. “But that was before.”

  “Before what?” she asked, frowning in blatant confusion.

  Welcome to the frigging club.

  “Before you made it clear that you’re not interested in getting involved with a SEAL.”

  She sat back, her frown replaced with a look of hurt. “I never said that.”

  He should just give up now because he was so out of his depth here it wasn’t funny. He’d dealt with countless l
ife and death situations as a SEAL, from ambushes to malfunctioning equipment to people with guns threatening to kill him in languages he sometimes didn’t understand, but he’d never felt this overwhelmed.

  Finally, he took a deep breath and decided to approach it from a different direction.

  “Maybe we need to start over,” he suggested.

  Lyla nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Okay. It looked like he was going to have to start. “I know this thing between us is happening fast, and maybe it’s just me, but I think we really click.”

  Lyla was silent, like she was waiting for more.

  “If I was being smart about this, I’d wait to say anything until after we see how things go on our vacation,” he continued. “But I’ve already decided I don’t I need that much time to figure out something this obvious.” He ran his hand through his hair. “This is going to sound insane, but I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a really long time. Okay, that’s not true. Actually, I’ve never felt this way about a woman. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because we’ve known each other since we were kids, but there’s this crazy connection between us, and I’d really like to see where it goes.”

  Lyla opened her mouth to say something, but he charged on. Damn the torpedoes and all that.

  “I know the idea of getting involved with a man in my line of work probably scares the hell out of you, and I’m not trying to downplay how tough it’s going to be. All I’m asking is a chance to see if maybe we can make it work. If you’re interested, I mean.” He shrugged. “If you’re not and have no interest in trying, I completely understand.”

  Trent held his breath, waiting. Damn it felt good getting all this stuff off his chest. Even if he hadn’t known it was there.

  One moment Lyla was sitting there, studying him like he was a curious exhibit at the petting zoo, and the next she was leaning forward to kiss him. He was caught completely off guard, but luckily kissing was an involuntary reaction—for him, at least—so his mouth did its thing without much guidance from his head.

  He was just about to slide his fingers into her hair when she pulled back and regarded him with a soft doe eyes that made his heart melt.

  “Yes, I’m terrified at the idea of getting involved with a man who’s going to disappear for months at a time to dangerous places I’ve most likely never heard of.” She reached up to caress his scruffy jaw. “But as scared as I am about all that, I’m more scared about walking away from something that could be special without giving it a shot.”

  Trent almost sagged with relief. He kissed her again, this time with his head fully engaged. “Does that mean we’re going to try our hands at that long-distance thing?”

  Lyla stood up and moved over to sit on his lap. “Yeah, I guess that’s exactly what it means,” she said, looping her arms around his neck. “I’ve never done the long-distance thing before, but if I can handle that, hopefully I can handle everything else that comes with being with a SEAL.”

  He glided his hand down her back, resting it on the curve of her bottom. “There will be times when things get rough.”

  She nodded. “I know. But you said something a couple days ago about not worrying about what might be, and instead focusing on what’s in front of you. That’s what I’m going to do, and let the other stuff take care of itself.”

  He touched his forehead to hers. “And while the other stuff is taking care of itself, we’ll worry about taking care of each other.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.” She tilted her head up to kiss him, slipping her tongue into his mouth to tease and tangle with his.

  He groaned as she ground on his lap. Well, on his erection, actually.

  “He woke up fast, didn’t he?” she laughed, slowly grinding her perfect ass against his hard-on. “Maybe we should take this into the bedroom.”

  He grinned. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Trent got to his feet, cradling Lyla in his arms and heading that way. The moment he set her down on the floor, she kicked off her shoes and peeled off her dress while he went to work on his T-shirt and jeans. She won the let’s-see-who-can-get-naked-first race. The view of her ass as she wiggled across the bed to grab a condom from the nightstand was so awesome, he had to slow down and appreciate it. He quickly stripped off the rest of his clothes off once she flipped back over and beckoned him onto the bed, however.

  The urge to pounce on her was unreal, but he controlled himself, slowing down enough to reach out and drag her toward him. When he had her bottom positioned right at the edge of the bed, he shoved her legs wide and dropped to his knees in front of her. Spreading her legs wide, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the delectable skin of her inner thigh. Damn, she tasted good.

  He nibbled his way down one inner thigh and up the other, avoiding the junction between them for the moment as he went back and forth, enjoying teasing her a little and knowing the anticipation would turn her on even more.

  Lyla weaved her fingers in his hair, trying to steer him exactly where she wanted him. He refused to concede control, though. Only when she was squirming on the bed did he finally relent and press his mouth on her pussy.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  He slowly traced his tongue up and down her folds and around her clit, groaning in appreciation, entranced with the beautiful view of her getting more and more excited by the second.

  “Right there,” she said as he focused solely on her clit. “Just. Like. That.”

  Trent held on tightly as she orgasmed against his mouth, her thighs and abs tensing and spasming as waves of pleasure rolled through her. He glanced up to see her cover her mouth with her hand as if trying to muffle her scream. It worked for a while, but finally the wave must have crested too high because she let it out, her cries bouncing off the walls.

  He’d never heard anything more beautiful in his life.

  When he’d wrung as much pleasure from her as he could, he gently moved his mouth away from her clit, turning his head to the side to kiss her inner thigh again. Lyla lay gasping, and Trent let her, enjoying the sighs she made as the post-orgasm tremors continued to ripple through her body.

  When her breathing was once again close to normal, he stood up and searched the bed until he found the condom she’d tossed aside earlier. He got himself all wrapped and climbed onto the bed as Lyla opened her eyes.

  “Hey there,” she said dreamily.

  He settled slowly between her legs, keeping most of his weight on his knees and elbows as he smiled down at her. “Hey yourself.”

  He shifted his hips until the head of his shaft was lodged at her very wet opening. They were so perfect for each other, there wasn’t any of the normal fumbling that usually occurred when two people started sleeping together. They fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

  Lyla’s legs came up to wrap around his waist as he slid in deep. Her heels urged him to go deeper and faster, but he took his time. This felt too good to rush a second of it.

  Trent held himself above her, gazing at her as he went as deep as he could go. He moved slowly, thrusting gently, loving the way her eyes widened a little each time he buried his length fully inside her.

  Her legs tightening around him, Lyla clutched his shoulders and pulled him down, her nails digging in as she got closer to orgasm. He kept his movements slow and deliberate, letting the pleasure build for both of them. When he felt his climax start, it was his turn to bury his face in her neck.

  It had never felt this good with a woman. This right.

  He held off until he felt her tremble under him then he let himself go, coming with her as she cried out. He came so hard he made himself dizzy, but he didn’t slow his thrusts. He wanted more than anything for this to be the most perfect moment she’d ever had.

  Lyla stirred feelings he’d never felt before. It seemed insane to fall this fast for someone, and the guys on the team would almost certainly tell him he was crazy, but he knew better. When something was right, it was right.
/>   Lifting his head, he gazed down at her. “You’re so beautiful, it takes my breath away to look at you. It makes me wonder how the hell I ever got lucky enough to have you stumble back into my life.”

  She reached up, tugging him down for a kiss. “Maybe luck had nothing to do with it,” she murmured against his mouth. “Sometimes God takes a hand in our lives, and miracles happen.”

  “To miracles, then,” he said softly.

  “To miracles,” she whispered, kissing him again.

  Chapter Nine

  LYLA COULDN’T RESIST glancing over her shoulder as she walked across the gravel parking lot in front of the big warehouse. She should have taken Trent up on his offer to come with her to see her brother. Even in the daytime, this part of town was deserted. Why the heck did her brother have his studio in the industrial area?

  She hurried the last half dozen steps leading to the central walkway that would take her there. This was probably going to be a complete waste of time. Her brother might be back in Mexico already. She should have gone to Trent’s parents with him instead of meeting him there later. But she thought her brother would be more likely to listen if she talked to him alone.

  After dropping Trent off at the ranch, she’d driven to Marco’s apartment, and when he hadn’t been there, she’d come to his art studio. She still wasn’t quite sure what she was going to say to get him to stop this insanity before it was too late. She supposed she’d start by reminding him that if he got caught on a deal-related charge for a third time, he’d likely go to prison for life. If that didn’t work, she’d try to get him to see what he was throwing away with Dana and all he’d accomplished as an artist.

  She’d just about reached his studio when approaching footsteps made her jump. Her heart kicked into high gear as two men appeared out of the shadows between the buildings and came toward her. One of them was the guy Trent had gotten into a fight with and head-butted at Cobb’s club. There was a big bandage across his broken nose and dark bruising around both eyes. The jerk must have been there to see Marco. And she doubted it had anything to do with looking at his artwork. She supposed that answered her question about whether Marco was in his studio or not.