Page 2 of SEAL's Temptation
His fists clenched.Her brother didn’t like that she took dangerous volunteer assignments, and Ryan could understand the concern.The more he got to know Avery, the more he wanted to keep her safe.Wrap her up in his arms and shield her from the world.She might not be his, but that didn’t stop the protective feelings coursing through him.
“Well, I’m sure you’re already aware, but Aaron wasn’t too thrilled we’ve kept in touch,” Ryan gently reminded her.
Avery shrugged.“He wouldn’t be thrilled with any guy I dated—not that we’re dating,” she quickly added, a cute-as-hell flush coming over her cheeks as she sheepishly glanced back at him.Avery was only a couple of years younger than Ryan—old enough to make up her mind without her brother butting in.
They’d come to a fork in the trail, Avery pausing in front of him.Ryan’s hand landed on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.“If you lived here in Oahu, we’d absolutely be dating.”
A beat passed, and he wondered if he’d shared too much, but as she looked over at him, her eyes were dancing with amusement.“Definitely,” she sassed.“After all, it’s hard to resist me.”
Her cheeks were still pink, and he felt something in his chest clench.How she could be bold yet bashful at times made his curiosity pique.Maybe that’s what had drawn him to her in the first place.She’d been confident, showing up at a group gathering not knowing anyone but her brother, yet had flushed at Ryan’s attention.Plus, she’d looked damn pretty in a sundress that showed off all her feminine curves.
He’d met her and immediately wanted to know more.
“Yep.That’s what I told your brother,” he joked.“Avery is irresistible, so don’t even try to keep me away.”
“You did not.”
He pressed his lips together, trying not to smile.“I could.”His voice was husky.Low.He could smell Avery’s light floral scent, his libido rising at her closeness.His hand was still on her bare shoulder, and it would take nothing to turn her toward him and taste those lush lips.Instead, he nodded toward the left, trying to ignore the electricity sparking between them.The draw that made it impossible for him to stay away.“Let’s head in that direction,” he said, his voice gruff.“There’s a pretty waterfall up ahead.”
“Do you take all the girls here?”she asked as they began walking again.
“What girls?”he asked with a chuckle.“I go on occasional dates, sure, but they go exactly nowhere.I’m as single as they come, Av.”
“Aaron said you guys used to all hang out at Coconuts a lot.”
He shrugged.“Sure.That doesn’t mean I was bringing home a new woman every night.Lately, I’ve only been talking to one woman anyway,” he said, not missing the flush on her cheeks as she glanced over at him.“I’m busy.We train hard, we deploy.I’ve never really had time for seriously dating someone.And to be honest, some of the silly women hanging around bars looking for a Navy guy aren’t my type anyway.I’m too old for that.”
“Yeah, I get it,” she said, falling in step beside him where the trail widened.“Casual dating is out once you reach a certain age, but if you’re busy with your career, then work seems to come first.It’s hard to pursue a relationship.I pretty much never date with the long hours I put in at the hospital.”She shifted her backpack slightly, adjusting the weight, and Ryan’s gaze ran over her slight frame.
“I’ll carry your backpack.”He’d offered before, feeling chivalrous as he’d gotten their things out of his SUV.Although she’d declined at the time, he realized she might be tired now after hiking for an hour.
“Don’t be silly,” she said.“When I volunteer with Doctors Without Borders, I haul all kinds of gear and equipment around.”
“That’s only because you don’t have me there,” he joked.
She flashed him a look, and unable to resist, he reached over and grabbed her hand.It felt delicate and small in his own, and her skin was so damn soft, he wanted to know if it felt like that everywhere.Avery looked surprised for a beat but then smiled at him, that hint of pink appearing on her cheeks again, and Ryan’s heart thudded in his chest.She was leaving in a matter of days.Flying back home and then off somewhere on assignment.He hadn’t even found out where yet.
He couldn’t deny, however, that this moment felt fucking right.
He guided her along the rocky part of the trail, which would eventually come to the waterfall.Briefly, his gaze scanned over the area, assessing.His team leader Wyatt “Wildcard” Miller had brought his girlfriend—now fiancée—here a while back.When Callie had returned alone, she’d been met by armed terrorists.It was a hell of a story, with Wyatt and the team coming to her rescue just in time.Yet despite the serene, scenic place, Ryan couldn’t help but take note of his surroundings right now.
“I don’t think Panama will be this peaceful,” Avery said.
His eyebrows shot up.“Panama?Is that your next volunteer assignment?”Aaron had told him more than once that Avery took on dangerous jobs, and Ryan was beginning to understand the problem.She wasn’t a trained military servicemember.She was a nurse.He loved that she wanted to help others, especially those that otherwise had no access to medical care, but he also hated that she was putting herself in jeopardy by doing so.
She cast him a hesitant look.“Sort of.I’ll be flying in to Panama City, but I’m not volunteering there, Ry.I’m taking the job.I’ll be providing much-needed medical care for migrants crossing the Darien Gap.”
He stopped so suddenly, she almost crashed into him.“Shit,” he muttered, his grip on her hand tightening as he caught her before she fell.“Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said, but he didn’t miss the way she briefly clung to him for support as she steadied herself.Avery’s hands on him made his pulse pound, but he was more overwhelmed by the worry now coursing through him.
“That’s dangerous as hell, Av.The Darien Gap?Damn.”
Ryan was practically vibrating with tension, but he was trying to rein in his worry so he didn’t frighten her.Imagining Avery in such a hostile environment was nearly impossible.She was innocent and good.Beautiful.A woman like her didn’t need to see the dangers of the world—not like that.She could be raped.Killed.Used as some cartel member’s plaything before being sold off into sexual slavery.He hated to even imagine the horrors she’d endure if she was captured while down in South America.
“I’m aware.If I wanted a lecture, I’d have gone to my brother.”Her voice was cool, and he didn’t blame her for being annoyed.Ryan had no say in her life whatsoever.She was a grown woman, and as he’d already noted—she wasn’t his.That didn’t stop the protective instincts that were now surging through him.
Ryan blew out a breath, shaking his head.He lifted one hand, brushing back a stray piece of her hair.Avery’s expression softened, and he wondered if he could actually talk her out of this.“I know you’d mentioned a position with Doctors Without Borders, but I didn’t realize that’s where you’d be headed.There’re other places in the world that provide medical care for impoverished populations.”
