Contract with a SEAL (Special Ops: Homefront Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

at the
white-capped horizon of the Atlantic Ocean.
    Vi Owens could be exactly what he needed
this holiday.

Chapter Two
     
    “So, tell me everything you know about Joe
Shey.” Pounding the pavement in her three-inch heels, Vi spoke curtly into her
phone, her tone all-business even though it was her sister, Lacey, on the other
end.
    “He’s a good commander. Well-liked by all
his teams. Hotter than hell, but since I’m married and my husband’s deployed,
I’d rather not elaborate on that.”
    Vi laughed.
    “I don’t know, Vi. What are you looking
for?”
    Vi clipped along Pennsylvania Avenue,
keeping up with the fast pace of the other pedestrians. They were slower here in
DC than in New York City, where she had gone to college and lived most of her
adult life. But they were faster than in Atlanta, where Vi had lived only
briefly after her ill-fated marriage. “Just right,” as Goldilocks would say. She
could get used to a pace like this, especially if she cut out her afternoon
Starbucks habit which tended to increase her speed by one mile an hour.
    “Anything that would tell me what he’s
after,” Vi answered Lacey. “He’s got the advantage right now. And you know me. I
don’t like that.”
    “No kidding. But this is dinner. Not a
business meeting.”
    “Well, it didn’t sound like that to me,”
Vi began, then filling Lacey in on the details of the so-called contract
negotiations she was about to face. “So what do you think he wants from me? He’s
not, like, into something weird or something, is he?”
    “Huh?”
    “You know…” Standing at a red crosswalk
sign, Vi glanced sideways at the people around her, all talking on their own
phones—the DC norm. “Come on, Lacey. I don’t have to spell everything out
for you, do I? Something… weird.”
    A peal of laughter burst from the phone.
“Oh, God, Vi. Have you been reading 50 Shades of Grey or something?”
    More snickering followed, making Vi
frown. “Well, what the hell am I supposed to think? I don’t know this guy. What
would you think if some totally intimidating SEAL commander told you in that daunting
voice of his that there’s something you could do for him.”
    “Ha! You wish. Sorry, hon. I think you
can leave your handcuffs and whip at home.”
    “I’m hanging up, Lacey.”
    “Don’t—I’ll stop.” She sputtered,
trying to resume a normal tone. “So, um, what might he want from you? Well, maybe
financial advice?”
    It was a thought. Vi would be the right
person for that. And why did Vi feel somewhat let down by the suggestion that
that’s all Joe Shey might want out of her. “You think?”
    “Sure. Makes sense. He’ll be your date
for the night, and you can give him some pointers on retirement or something.”
    That would figure. What more could a guy
like Joe want with her? If he had been after something more carnal, he
certainly already had his chance the night of the wedding. “You’re right. That
must be it. Your idea is a lot more plausible than what Maeve had suggested he
might be after.”
    “Oh, is that where your idea came from?”
    Vi raised her eyebrows. “Come on. You
know Maeve. That girl’s got a hell of an imagination and it resides firmly in
the gutter.”
     “Yeah, and I bet it’s getting worse
with Jack away.” Lacey giggled again. “Well, I gotta run. One of the team wives
is having everyone over this afternoon for coffee.”
    Vi felt the familiar prick of something
childishly close to envy. Lacey had always been able to surround herself with
friends within a moment’s notice. There was something about her that drew
people to her. She was approachable. She was fun. She was easy to talk to. She
was everything that Vi wasn’t.
    But at the same time she felt so grateful
that Lacey wasn’t alone, friendless, in a new city now that her husband was
deployed. Vi had spent enough time alone and friendless in new cities. It
wasn’t something she wanted for her sister. “Hey, that’s great.