Warrior (Navy SEALs Romance Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

make it. He's on call, so he might have…”
    The bell tied to the door clanged against the glass when Mike pushed it open, then let it fall shut with another loud clang. He looked around the diner for a couple of seconds, then his face lit up when he saw Emily looking at him in relief.
    “Hey! I wasn't sure you'd still be here!” he said, sliding into the booth. He tapped Emily's books. “Good thing you brought something to keep busy; at least it wasn't a total waste of time.”
    “Are you kidding? This burger was incredible! It was worth eating alone,” she said, raising an eyebrow and hinting that her feelings had been hurt. She couldn't keep torturing him, though, not after seeing the crestfallen look on Mike’s face. “Speaking of eating alone, I don't want to sound pushy… But was everything okay?”
    “Yeah, we just had to go out and get a bunch of drunks who ran out of gas. Without any power, they just kept drifting. They'd actually been out there for a good long while without shade or water, so they were lucky we got to ‘em when we did.”
    “I can't imagine. It must be terrifying to be stranded out at sea, hoping someone has noticed you're missing.”
    “Luckily, they always seem more grateful than afraid. I guess it’s the alcohol, it seems to take the edge off,” he answered, laughing nervously. “So where are you from that you've never had a burger this good?” he asked, only looking away long enough to signal to the waitress that he'd have the same.
    “I’m from Las Vegas originally, but I went to school in Florida. There aren't a lot of ocean mammals in Vegas, or oceans either, for that matter. After I finished my degree, I headed out here for a research opportunity and a professorship.”
    Emily stopped just short of telling him that academia wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Instead of inspiring students to save the oceans - and therefore, the planet - she’d ended up teaching a freshman level science class to incoming students. Hers was the class they took when their degrees didn’t require anything more than one token science credit, and their participation reflected it.
    “That sounds great! It’s a pretty long way to go to school, but man, what an adventure.” Mike’s optimism was infectious, and Emily soon asked him about himself.
    “Well, I told you, I work in search and rescue. I’m actually part owner of a company my Navy buddies and I started after we left field work,” he explained, beaming at the waitress who appeared with his food. He pushed the plate towards Emily, offering her some of his fries, but she shook her head. “So, that’s about all there is to tell. We have a really great team, we have this incredible old beach house as our office and launch spot, and our contract with the city keeps us pretty busy.”
    “That sounds really exciting. Did you always want to do this kind of work?” she asked before taking a drink.
    “Kind of, I guess. My buddies and I were SEALs first, and when we stopped doing that, we started this company since it was right in line with our training and experience. It’s still the same kind of adrenaline rush, but at the same time, it’s still saving people and being the good guys.”
    “So you’re a real cowboy hero type, huh?” she teased as she plucked one of the crispier looking French fries from her plate. “I’ve heard stories about guys like that.”
    “Good stories, I hope. Nothing too scary?” His bright smile was unsettling, and Emily had to look away from his rugged good looks to get a grip.
    “You could say that. I guess I’ve just always looked at guys like you as risk-takers, impulsive types who act before they think. It seems like a frightening, thrilling way to live.”
    “Lemme guess, you’re gonna tell me that you’re one of those analytical types, the kind who’d rather read about the adventure than actually have one of your own?” Mike was clearly teasing, and Emily felt no unsettling feeling