SEAL for Her Protection (SEALs of Coronado Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

on that black-ops modified SH-60 Seahawk, he’d had the most insane urge to kiss her before the bird whisked her away to someplace safe. He hadn’t done it, of course, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been thinking about her ever since.
    He still couldn’t believe he’d run into her at the press conference for the new SEAL campus. What were the odds of that? He’d known her name when he and the guys had gone to Africa to get her out, thanks to the briefing beforehand, and he knew she lived and worked in San Diego. But still, the city was a big one. It was crazy to even run into her. When he’d spotted her in the crowd, he’d known he couldn’t let her get away without at least talking to her. Unfortunately, he’d been on the other side of the pavilion then, and by the time the press conference ended, she’d disappeared into the crowd. It had taken him damn near twenty minutes to find her, but the effort had been worth it.
    The funny thing? He’d almost volunteered for a weeklong training session in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with one of SEAL Team 5’s other platoons to avoid the dog and pony show he knew the press conference was going to turn into. Thank God he hadn’t or he wouldn’t have a date with the beautiful Hayley Garner.
    Now, he had to hope the world could hold off on another crisis so he wouldn’t have to go wheels up before Friday—or even worse, in the middle of the date.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    H AYLEY WAS STILL thinking about Chasen as she walked into her apartment that night after work. Leaving the office before the sun set still took some getting used to, but that was another of her editor’s requirements in exchange for not taking a vacation. She had to go home by five every day. Since she could work from pretty much anywhere, leaving early didn’t really stop her from doing her job, but she hadn’t pointed that out to Todd.
    Dropping her keys on the table inside the entryway, she flipped through the mail she’d picked up on her way in, tossing it down too, before going into her bedroom. She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, making it all the way into the kitchen before she felt a familiar prickling sensation all over her body. She tensed, a water glass poised under the ice dispenser in the fridge, and looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see someone standing there. But her apartment was empty.
    Cursing, Hayley shoved the glass against the paddle hard enough to break both of them. Luckily, they were sturdier than they looked and cubes dropped into her glass instead. Ever since she’d gotten back to the States, she felt like someone was watching her. At work. In the car. In the grocery store. At home. Especially at home. Her skin crawled every time she got undressed or took a shower. She’d even started sleeping with a nightlight. Not that it helped. She hadn’t gotten much sleep since getting back. It made her wish she had a dog. Unfortunately, the long hours and constant assignments overseas for weeks at a time made having a furry friend for company difficult.
    Ignoring the urge to look over her shoulder again, Hayley turned on CNN and tried to focus on what the anchor was saying about the upcoming presidential election as she made dinner.
    She knew everything she was feeling was due to what had happened in Africa. The door of the room where she’d been held had a small window and one of her captors had watched her through it 24/7. She hadn’t even been able to use the bathroom in private. Not only had it been humiliating, but terrifying, too. She’d been too afraid to sleep, sure if she did, one or more of them would come in and rape her—or worse. That’s where this stuff was coming from.
    She knew Todd would insist all this paranoia was a sign she was suffering from PTSD, but that was baloney. She didn’t have PTSD—that happened to soldiers in combat. She was simply tense after going through a tough situation. She had no doubt it