Warrior (Navy SEALs Romance Book 5) (2 page)

“
H
ey girl
, did ya miss me?” Mike asked, dropping his backpack on the floor right inside the front door. His black lab, Misha, wagged her tail in greeting before putting her front paws on his broad chest and bumping him with her muzzle. He scratched behind her ears for a few moments before walking to the kitchen, Misha following on his heels.

He switched on the small TV that sat on the countertop, catching up on the news while he poured Misha’s food in her bowl and changed out her water. The day’s headlines ran in the background while he whipped up some dinner of leftover pasta and an extra piece of chicken he'd grilled over the weekend.

“You ready to go for a walk, girl?” Mike asked aloud after eating at the sink. The dog ambled over to the back door and waited for Mike to grab her leash and a flashlight. He clipped the end to her collar and unlocked the door, letting the lab bound off ahead of him down the walkway as far as her retractable leash would let her.

“Not so fast, girl. We're in no hurry,” he reminded Misha, pulling back on her leash slightly. She loped back towards him then paused at every fence post to smell the scent of any other dogs who’d passed by.

“This isn’t exactly what I meant, either,” he said with a tired sigh. The team had had an afternoon run that had turned into an evening rescue, just some tourists who’d taken a rented catamaran out to sea and been unable to make their way back. It had been a cakewalk once they located the family, and Mike really only had to hover overhead while Tanner took the dive in and secured a line on the boat. Knox had met them in their oversized speedboat and towed the vessel back to safety, the grateful family still onboard and along for the ride.

But as with most rescues, it was the feeling of coming down off the extreme adrenaline overload that left him so worn out.

Misha finally grew tired of updating herself with the neighborhood dogs’ scents, and trotted along the boardwalk happily while Mike used the time to stretch out his tired legs. They turned their usual corner that would eventually wind them back home, but Misha stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, staring straight ahead at something in the darkness.

“What is it, girl? You see something?” he asked as he strained to look in the same direction, his human eyes pitiful compared to what she could see. Eventually, he thought he could make out the silhouette of a car parked up ahead, its lights off and no sound coming from the vehicle.

Mike looked over his shoulder once to take note of the street lights. There was plenty of light out, even if was pretty late. His only choices were to walk past the car that had Misha so on edge, or to cut her walk short and go back the way they’d come.

Luckily, he didn’t have to make that choice. The driver’s side door opened and a small figure got out, illuminated by the car’s interior light just long enough for Mike to tell it was a well-dressed woman. She walked around the vehicle, crouched down low, and pressed the screen of her cell phone.

“Everything okay?” Mike asked as he and Misha approached. He chanced a look down at his dog and saw that she was now more relaxed, even though she sniffed at the woman repeatedly.

“What? Oh, yes. It’s just my tire,” the woman said, backing up noticeably and positioning herself so the car was between them. Mike smiled, feeling a stab of sympathy for what it must be like to be someone of her stature and in her situation.

Her smile faltered as soon as she recognized him.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to just pounce on you like that. I’m Michael, and I work for SEArch&Rescue. I noticed your car is stopped here, and it’s probably not the best time of night to be sitting this close to the boardwalk.”

Emily smiled, biting back her anger. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get the tires changed, they’re past due for it, but things have been pretty hectic at work.”

“Tell me about it!” he answered with a good-natured laugh. “You must work long hours if you’re just now headed home.”

“Are you serious?” she demanded, staring back at Michael with an angry look. Michael furrowed his brow, trying to figure out what had started her misplaced anger. She watched him intently, then realized she was hidden in the shadow of a large palm tree. Emily stepped to the side and held her arms out comically so he could get a good look.

“Oh…”

“Yeah, oh. As in, ‘oh, there’s a really good reason I never even texted you to say I’m not interested, but thanks for the dinner.’ Is that what you meant by oh?” she asked, reminding him of their one and only date a few months ago.

“Sorry about that… I just, I didn’t think you were all that interested in me. You actually seemed pretty pissed at having to be there.”

“I was pissed! I’d been arm-twisted into a date with someone who was supposed to be exactly my type, and instead I show up to find a guy who seemed pretty put out that his ‘perfect girl’ was an intellectual type. You clearly look like you prefer your women greased up and wearing a bikini!”

“Whoa, that’s hardly fair. You don’t know anything about my type,” he argued, but even he had to admit that he hadn’t been the most open-minded person on that date.

“Really? Well, whatever your type is, I’m obviously not it since you didn’t bother texting to even see if I got home okay. Which as you can see from the car I can afford on an associate professor’s salary, might have left me on the side of the road… again.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. But I’m here now, and I’m happy to take a look.” Michael smiled peaceably and Emily gestured to the car for him to go ahead.

Mike crouched down to look at the tire. He ran his fingers over the surface until he found a protruding piece of thin wire. “Yup, these things are so worn the steel belt is coming through. You’re lucky it was just a slow leak; this could have caused a serious accident. I hope your other tires aren’t this bad off?”

“Well, maybe just a little?” Emily replied, cringing slightly in embarrassment.

“You know, if it’s a money thing, the city garage has a program…”

“No, it’s not that, I promise!” she interrupted with an embarrassed laugh. “Really, I just haven’t had the time. I’ve started a new job, and it’s not going really well yet, and with the hours I’m working I haven’t had time to take it in. All the shops are closed by the time I leave work.”

“Sure, I get it. But if you’re so busy, you don’t have time for a car accident, either,” he said softly, a note of warning in his tone. “But hey, I’m just giving you a hard time. Do you have a spare? I can change this for you, but only if you promise to take some time off tomorrow and get these things changed, first thing.”

“Of course. Lesson learned, I swear,” Emily said formally, holding up her hand in oath. “And yes, everything’s in there, but I can change it. I’ve had to do it plenty of times, considering all the clunkers I’ve driven.”

“I really don’t mind. It’s pretty late, and you look like you want to get on your way.” Mike looped Misha’s leash over the passenger side mirror and started removing things from the trunk. He hauled out the spare, which was mercifully in good condition, then lifted out the tire iron and the jack.

“So what do you do with yourself that eats up all of your day?” he asked, grunting slightly at the effort of loosening all the lug nuts. “You only said you were some kind of a doctor?”

“Well, sort of. I mean, yes, I’m a doctor. Dr. Emily Stanton,” she stammered, flustered at his question. “But I teach at the university. My degrees are in marine biology, not medicine, remember? So really, no. I have no excuse other than just working myself to death to please a faculty that isn’t exactly excited that I’m here.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. I kind of remember you getting really angry about seaweed, or something like that,” Mike said, exhaling sharply when the last lug nut finally gave way and spun gently against the wheel. With all of them loosened, he fit the jack into place under the side of the car, feeling for the hole that fit it securely.

“I guess. But teaching doesn’t pay a lot, even though everyone thinks it’s a pretty glamorous degree.”

“Is that why you did it? Because it was so glamorous?” he teased, and Emily couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head.

“Oh yeah, digging through the carcasses of washed up ocean mammals is really glamorous,” she said with a laugh. Mike wrinkled his nose, but really, it sounded kind of interesting. “And what about you? You never told me what you did, other than you work with Knox. You’re out walking a dog at this hour of the night, so you’re either a night shift guy getting ready to go to work, or an independently wealthy playboy with nothing better to do?”

It was Mike’s turn to laugh. “Hardly. I work insanely long hours, but it’s a really interesting job doing something that makes a great deal of difference. We just had a late day today, so poor Misha here is just getting her walk. There.”

Mike stood up and brushed his hands together before reaching for the leash. He surveyed the work, then nudged the small road spare with the toe of his sneaker to test its air.

“That should at least get you to work in the morning so your terrible boss doesn’t come down too hard on you, but these things are only rated for fifty miles, and that’s if you’re going pretty slow. Take it easy out on the roads, and get these things changed tomorrow, if you can.”

“I will,” she answered, smiling gratefully. “Can I, I don’t know… pay you for your trouble?”

“Of course not,” he answered, returning her smile. “What kind of jerk would I be if I’d just kept walking past?”

“I thought you might say that, but I still had to offer.”

“I tell you what, you can pay me after all. How about dinner?” he asked without thinking. The shock on her face at his request mirrored the way he felt. What was he thinking? He’d never just casually asked someone out like that, not when they’d already bombed at one date. He also had that other consideration to think of, the one where his job meant he could die the next day. The next hour, even.

But those hero days are behind you, man
, he reminded himself somberly. He had to force a smile, even as Emily scrambled for an answer that didn’t sound too harsh.

“Um, the thing is…” she began, but she found she didn’t have the words to finish.

“I know, it’s really weird for a guy whose face you can’t even see in the dark to ask you out. And okay, yeah, the first date wasn’t the greatest. But it wasn’t the worst, either. I tell ya what, how about lunch in a nice, safe, very public place? There’s a really great diner right next to a good garage. We can kill two birds with one stone.”

“And you can keep tabs on me and make sure I actually get my tires changed, you mean,” Emily finished for him. Mike couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m not gonna lie, that was part of my plan. So how about it? Lunch tomorrow?”

Emily sighed, then cast a quick look at the freshly repaired tire and the worn out one now safely tucked in the trunk. “Sure. That’d be great. It’s the least I can do, right?”

E
mily woke
up before her alarm clock the next morning, pulled a brush through her long blond hair, then threw on her workout clothes. She’d tried running with friends back in college as a way to relieve stress, but she found that a lack of oxygen usually added to her stress level, not took away from it.

Instead, she liked to start her mornings with a quick walk, usually only going a mile or two, but keeping up a pace that let her clear her head and get her blood pumping. It also gave her a chance to cut a route close to the beach and around the jetty, the ideal stomping grounds for someone with her interest.

“Good morning, Dr. Stanton!” a child called out from a tide pool near the rocks. Emily shielded her eyes from the sun to see who had called her name, then waved at the tow-headed little girl standing ankle-deep in the water. The girl held up both hands, showing Emily the hermit crabs she’d picked up. “Don’t worry, I’m putting them back, like you told us!”

Emily gave the girl a thumbs up sign as walked out to the length of the pier for one of her circuits. The girl’s mother waved from the sand below, and gestured with her thumb and pinkie finger for Emily to call her. Emily nodded and tapped her wrist, meaning she’d call to set up an appointment with the summer camp’s outing to the tide pools.

The strong breeze that blew in from the ocean fluttered Emily’s ponytail, cooling off the sweat she’d worked up. Below the pier, the gray water churned as the fishermen’s lines bounced in the waves. What was that her rescuer had said last night? He was a search and rescue pilot?

Emily still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to have lunch with him, and she’d thought more than once since just last night about texting him to cancel. Part of her selfishly wanted to have lunch with him only so she’d have someone to eat with, instead of eating alone and uninvited in her classroom.

“Give him a chance,” she whispered to herself before looking around self-consciously to see if anyone had noticed the crazy lady talking to herself on the pier. She squared her shoulders and stood up straighter. “I’ll talk to myself if I want to. It’s not like anyone else is jumping in line to talk.”

“I’ll talk to you, sweetie!” a crackly voice called from under a wide-brimmed fishing cap. “Whatcha wanna talk about?”

Emily stepped back in surprise, then laughed when she saw Mrs. Romero sitting up on a folding stool, her line cast over the side of the pier and disappearing into the waves far below.

“You caught me arguing with myself! How are you doing today?” she asked, coming over and leaning against the railing near her neighbor.

“I’m fine, but it looks like you’re not doing so hot.”

“Why do you think so?” Emily asked, checking out her clothes and feeling her flushed face with her hands.

“Because you got one of those donut tires on your car! What happened, someone steal your wheel?” the old woman asked, giving her reel a quick crank.

“No, just a flat tire. I’m getting it fixed later today. But how about you? Any luck out here this morning? I’ve heard you have to get here before sunrise to get a good spot on the pier.”

“That may be true for some folks, but those who cast around here know to stay outta my way when it comes to my fishing!” Mrs. Romero said, laughing and showing a gap-toothed smile. “But speaking of getting up bright and early… I happened to let my cat in last night and saw you talking with a very handsome young man.”

The old woman stared directly at Emily, the wrinkles around her eyes giving away her humorous mood even as her dark brown eyes bored into the younger woman’s. Emily felt herself blush slightly, not from being caught in the act but from being put on the hot seat.

“Oh, that. That was just my Good Samaritan. He showed up as I was getting out of the car to inspect the damage, and luckily he was able to change it. Don’t worry, I already got a good chewing out for driving on those tires long past the point where it was safe!”

“Good! But you’re a smart and capable woman. You shouldn’t have to wait for a man to tell you to get your car checked, you should know better,” Mrs. Romero said, wagging her finger at Emily in mock anger. “You have a good head on your shoulders, now use it to look after yourself. What if those tires had caused you to have an accident? Or what if you’d broken down in a bad neighborhood instead of near the house? Or what if that man who came along wasn’t such a Good Samaritan, and instead he…”

“All right! I get it!” Emily said with an appreciative, apologetic laugh. “You’re right. I’ll do a better job of looking after myself.”

“I know you will, carina. It’s just that you’re one of those rare gems, and we wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. Now go… finish your walk in this lovely sunshine, and get busy today!” The woman patted Emily’s cheek like only a true grandmother could do, then turned her attention back to her oversized fishing rod. She turned back to call over her shoulder, “If I catch anything good, I’ll have it ready for you when you get home… but only if you promise to come home at a decent hour! If you work too long, I’m giving your portion to Mittens!”

“I’ll be good, I promise!” Emily called back as she moved on, matching her stride to the pounding of her heart.

Who needs snooty academics who are too good to talk to the new professor when you have wonderful people in your life--people like Clark and Mrs. Romero--who genuinely care?

Emily made it home, had a quick bite to eat, and showered before heading to work. A note on her car’s windshield told her everything she needed to know about this mysterious man she’d reluctantly promised to meet for lunch:

Forgot to mention it last night, if I stand you up it only means we got an emergency call. I’d try to let you know either way, but just didn’t want you to feel like I’d ditched you. Fingers crossed nobody needs saving today!  --Mike

Emily smiled and tucked the note into her briefcase. She looked around cautiously for a moment, wondering if Mike was still lingering somewhere nearby. The thought was unnerving, but she reminded herself not to judge him too quickly.