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

Have fun.”
    “I will. You too. And let me know what
happens, okay?”
    “Will do.”
    The evening sun cast an orange glow over
the well-lit rotunda of the Capitol Building as Vi strode along Pennsylvania
Avenue. She had to admit that there was a certain appeal to living in
Washington, DC that was similar to when she had lived in New York City.
    In her twenties, when she was still
struggling in her first job after graduating from Columbia University, she
remembered walking along 34 th Street and looking at the Empire State
Building looming above her, lit up like a beacon against the night sky. Even
living on a paltry salary, crammed into an apartment with three roommates in
SoHo, there was a feeling of accomplishment just being able to say she was
making it in New York on her own.
    DC was something like that, and she was
anxious to find herself a home in the nation’s capital. All the buildings were
so full of history, laced with rich, colorful tales. She could have a casual
lunchtime walk alongside the same iconic structures that she seen in her
textbooks in elementary school.
    Pressing her palms against the revolving
door that led to the restaurant, her eyes searched through the glass for his
familiar face. It had been five months, but she imagined she’d recognize him
easily, even though last time she saw him she had been seeing double.
    Glancing at her watch, she walked up to
the hostess. She was early, but saw no need to wait standing in the chilly
lobby. As she followed the woman to a table for two by the window, she could
feel a few glances sent in her direction. As a TV correspondent and not a host,
she wasn’t as recognizable as some of the bigger names on the network. But
there were always a few people who knew who she was.
    Yet she didn’t command half the attention
as the man who walked in ten minutes after her. When Joe entered the
restaurant, it was all Vi could do to suppress a schoolgirl sigh. Still in his
uniform, hat tucked under his arm, his image nearly rendered her speechless. “Joe,”
she finally managed to say as she stood to greet him with a hug. She nearly purred
at the feel of his taut muscles underneath his uniform jacket.
    He brushed her cheek with a light kiss
that sent a tingling sensation down to the marrow of her bones. “You look
beautiful as ever, Vi.” He slid her chair out for her to sit down again. “Sorry
to make you wait.”
    “I was early.” Vi couldn’t pull her eyes
from him. His eyes were magnetic, light blue with a dark cobalt around the
border of his irises. Tiny lines around his eyes only seemed to lend him more
authority.
    And his body… she bit her lip wantonly. No,
the men she hung around with at work certainly weren’t built like SEALs. No
wonder she had thrown herself at him at the wedding. Seeing him again, she
almost felt vindicated.
    “Want a bottle of wine?” he offered.
    “No,” she was quick to respond. “I’ll
just stick with my tea. I don’t need you driving me home again tonight like
last time.” Or do I? By God, she had forgotten how sexy this man really
was.
     “In that case, I’ll have a beer. Sorry
about the khakis. I came straight from my briefing.” His laugh, low and warm,
made her heart palpitate. “Of course, I recall you prefer me in a uniform.”
    Lowering her gaze to her tea, Vi shook
her head, pulling the bag out of the steaming cup. “I’m sorry about that. Look,
I’d love you to go, no matter what you wear.” Or don’t wear, the thought popped
into her head as she tried to shake the image of him naked out of her brain. What
was the matter with her? Sure, it had been almost a year since she’d had sex,
but still…
    “Don’t worry about it. I kind of like the
idea. I’d love to meet your ex and intimidate the hell out of him in all my
SEAL regalia. He sounds like a lowlife, if you don’t mind my saying.”
    “I don’t mind at all. I’ve been hearing a
lot of that now, living with Maeve and Bess. But they use