Warrior (Navy SEALs Romance Book 5) Read Online Free
Author: Rachel Hanna
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?”
Chapter 4
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
“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?”
Chapter 4
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
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