He’d seen two longboards propped up outside the house. And suddenly, he remembered where he’d seen Carly Winters. The local paper had run a lengthy article on her a few months back when he’d been in town for training and when she’d retired her pro-surfing status.
Wow. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her in action,” he said, watching the blush spread across her cheeks again. He could think of a lot better ways to make her blush.
“She had a good career,” Carl said. “I have some old tapes I could lend you that show her competing.”
“That’d be great. From what I hear, she was amazing to watch.”
Carly threw him a strange look, somewhere between appreciation and pain. He pictured her in a bikini, riding the hell out of a wave along the swells of the ocean. Had to be a thing of beauty.
A SEAL and a surfer. There were worse combinations, and this particular one could prove to be a hell of a ride.
“She was a wonderful surfer,” Carl agreed.
Sheila changed the subject with a wave of her hand to her husband. “So, how long have you two been seeing each other?”
“Six months,” Hunt answered, figuring a nice, even number was the way to go. Besides, if he’d guessed wrong, it would be okay. Guys were supposed to screw up stuff like anniversaries and birthdays.
“So you met before she moved back here, then.”
Ah, screwed that one up. Still, he nodded, mind firmly set in interrogation mode. They didn’t need to know he wasn’t permanently stationed around here.
“Yes. He was training in Hawaii,” Carly said. And that made sense. Surfing. Hawaii.
“And you’ve been traveling, Carolyn tells us,” Sheila Winters continued.
Sounds about right…. “Yes. I’ve been overseas, so I’m looking forward to spending more time with Carly.” Where was this stuff coming from? Maybe he had an acting career after his SEAL stint?
“And he’s back just in time for the wedding,” Carly added.
Whoa. Wedding? Hell, he’d do anything for his country, and obviously a lot to help out and help himself to a beautiful stranger, but no how, no way was he getting roped into marriage. Suddenly, the kitchen shrank to the size of a cell and a strong survival urge kicked in. He was telling himself to get out, hit the open road and rock on.
Although the thought of tossing the surfer over his shoulder, before giving her parents the peace out, didn’t seem too bad.
THE WEDDING QUESTION HAD stopped him cold. Nice to know the thought of commitment could bring even a tough-guy, Navy SEAL to his knees.
Carly should’ve let him choke, but she needed him. This had gone too far, and she didn’t want to look like a bigger fool than she already was. “You remember, I told you my sister’s getting married, right?” She gave him a look with a raise of her eyebrows as she slid the plate in front of him. “The wedding’s in two weeks.”
“Right. I must’ve forgotten,” he said, and took a bite of the cake.
“I’m sure you had many other things on your mind while you were away.” Her mother took a demure sip of coffee and pushed her cake away after only a cursory bite.
This was a way for Carly to get her parents off her back. She could show up at the wedding alone, claim a last minute breakup. By then, it would be too late to pair her with Evan, and hopefully, he’d have his own date.
“There’s a party we’re throwing next week, and then there’s the rehearsal dinner, too. I need to tell the chef if we’re expecting another person, you understand,” her mother explained.
This wasn’t happening. There wasn’t enough coconut therapy in the world to help Carly now.
“Yes, I do.” Hunt finished his piece of cake and slung an arm around her shoulders. His closeness was comforting, like a protective shield. “I’m actually on partial duty for the next month, so my schedule’s pretty light.”
And it was getting worse by the second, like a complete train wreck she couldn’t do a thing to stop. Like it was happening in somebody else’s life, not hers, and she’d wake up to find out this was all a strange dream. A strange dream that included a dark blond, green-eyed, handsome man, who made her toes curl every time she looked at him.
She crossed her arms in front of her and he looked at her as if he could read her mind.
Then again, he didn’t need to. She’d written it all out on paper.
“So you’re coming to the wedding, then?” her mother repeated.
“Wouldn’t miss it. I don’t like disappointing Carly,” Hunt said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
She could imagine what was going through her mother’s mind right now. Organizing a charity event for the military was one thing, but having her eldest daughter bring a Navy SEAL to a family wedding was quite another, especially when said daughter was supposed to have her hand spoken for.
It almost made up for the fact that later on, Carly would have to explain this whole thing to Hunt. She was going to owe him big-time, and she had a sneaking suspicion about what he’d want for payment.
“Sheila, we should go and leave these kids alone. I’m sure they don’t want us hanging around.” Her father stood to leave and Hunt stood as well.
“Please don’t leave on my account.”
“We’ve got a drive ahead of us back to Vero,” her mother said. “We’ll see you both on the sixteenth for the party.”
They’d see her there, but she and Hunt would be long broken up by then, because this was a big mistake. Or maybe they’d be visiting her in a military prison reserved for erotic-fantasy writers. Either way, she was screwed.
She walked her parents to the door.
“Dinner was lovely, Carolyn. And Hunt seems like a very nice young man.” Her mother gave her a quick peck on the cheek and Carly wondered if Hunt had ever been called a very nice young man. “You will have to let Evan know about your change of plans. Perhaps he’ll realize he’s got to work a little harder to get through to you.”
Useless to argue. Obviously, Hunt’s powers of mind control only worked during direct contact. “I’ll talk to Evan. And I’ll see you guys next week.” Carly gave a quick wave as they got into their car and backed out of the driveway.
When she returned she found Hunt comfortably ensconced on her sofa, flipping through a surfing magazine. He’d kicked off his flip-flops, which didn’t look as if they belonged to any official Navy uniform, and his cell phone and beeper were strewn on her coffee table. He’d also cut himself a second piece of coconut cake and poured another cup of coffee. He appeared to be camping out for a while.
Meaning it was time for her to decide how far to take this situation. “Look, I don’t know why you did what you did—”
“Think
