Free Bride Protector SEAL by Elle James

couldn’t make her feet move.
    “Look.” Swede gripped her hands and squeezed hard. “Whatever this is, whatever we’re feeling right now, isn’t real.”
    Allie’s chest tightened, and her eyes stung. “Of course, it isn’t,” she agreed, though her body felt otherwise.
    “You’re getting married on Saturday, and I’ll move on to my next assignment. Let’s not make this any harder than it has to be.”
    She nodded, knowing what he said couldn’t be truer, even though she still wanted to feel his lips against hers. “You’re right.”
    Swede stepped back, his arms falling to his sides.
    Allie pasted a smile on her lips and forced air past her vocal cords. “Thank you for the dance. If you’ll excuse me…” She made a beeline for the ladies’ room. Once inside, she stood in front of the mirror, staring at the face of a woman who was engaged to one man and lusting after another. Her mother and father had raised her better than that. She ran cold water from the tap, stuck her hands beneath the spray and then splashed her cheeks with her wet hands.
    “Hey.” Sadie entered behind her and slipped an arm over Allie’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
    Too disturbed to come up with a lie, she shook her head. “I don’t know.”
    “You look a little flushed.” Sadie ripped a paper towel from the roll, wet it and squeezed out the excess before patting Allie’s face with it. “For a moment out there, I thought you and Swede were going to kiss.”
    Allie met Sadie’s gaze in the mirror. “The bad part about it is that I wanted to,” she admitted.
    Sadie sighed. “Baby, are you sure Damien’s the right man for you?”
    Throwing her hands in the air, Allie spun and paced all three steps across the room and back. “I’m getting married on Saturday. No man I just met is going to derail my plans.”
    Sadie held up her hands. “Okay. You’re getting married on Saturday.” She tossed the wet paper towel in the trash and tore off a dry one. “If it’s Damien you’re determined to marry, then you have to stop drooling over your bodyguard.”
    Again, Allie’s gaze met Sadie’s in the mirror. Her shoulders slumped, and she nodded. “You’re right. It’s not right. I need to go home, get a good night’s sleep and wake up with the right frame of mind.”
    “Don’t forget, tomorrow we pick up your wedding dress,” Sadie reminded her.
    Allie’s chest pinched. Instead of being giddy with excitement, like a bride should be, she dreaded going. She needed to call Damien. Maybe hearing his voice would help get her back on track. He was the man she was going to marry on Saturday. This was only a case of cold feet. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped out of the bathroom and ran into a wall of muscles.
    Sadie squeezed by them and darted back into the bar room.
    Some friend she was.
    Swede’s arms came up around her and crushed her against his chest. “Are you all right?”
    “Yes.” She nodded, and then shook her head. “No. I need to go home.”
    “We’ve only been here twenty minutes. Are you sure you don’t want to stay and visit with your brother?”
    “No. I’m tired and have a big day ahead of me.” She stepped back. “If you want to stay, I can see if Bear will take me back to the ranch.”
    Swede’s jaw hardened. “I’ll take you.” He hooked her elbow in a tight grip and led her back to the table where they said their goodbyes and then left the tavern.
    Once outside, Allie sucked in deep breaths, hoping the fresh Montana air would clear her head.
    Swede opened the truck door for her and handed her up into the passenger seat. The touch of his fingers against her elbow shot electric currents throughout her body and left her tingling. This couldn’t be. Maybe she’d had too much to drink. Then she remembered, she hadn’t had a chance to order a drink.
    As she watched Swede walk around to the driver’s side, Allie moaned softly. She needed to talk to Damien. What she was feeling