Free Shooting the SEAL (Saving the SEALs Series Book 1) by Leslie North

the only thing rising. However, he had to focus.
     
    Last night had been a great excuse to stay with her, but he was starting to wonder if he’d let things go too far. He wasn’t much on entanglements—he liked girls, but he also liked the ones who were in it just for fun.
     
    Anna…well, Anna was the type of girl you could get way too serious about way too fast. Pouring himself some coffee, he wandered around her apartment and looked at her photographs. They were all black and white, and he found himself pulled into the images, wondering about the people in them—she was too damn good at getting under the surface, at showing more than anyone should see.
     
    He caught wonder on a kid’s face; the delight of an old woman as she bit into a candy bar—Anna was an optimist. He looked at the photos and he didn’t see someone who was mixed up in anything shady. So why had the place where she worked been targeted? Why had her car broken down last night? Why had someone been outside her place?
     
    “Morning.”
     
    Gage turned and smiled. Anna stood in the doorway to her bedroom and bathroom, her hair pulled back again, a light sweater in a blue that matched her eyes topped jeans and boots. She didn’t wear much makeup— didn’t need it , Gage thought. Those eyes sparkled no matter what—those bright, intense eyes.
     
    He lifted his coffee mug. “Hope you don’t mind?”
     
    “Coffee made for me? Never! And I’ve got some bagels in the freezer.”
     
    He followed her over to the counter. “Freezer? How about cold pizza?”
     
    “Breakfast of champions,” she said and grinned. They’d left the pizza box out and Anna peered inside. “Or maybe not. From the tomato sauce paw print, it looks like Romeo got the last slice. How about eggs? I do a mean veggie omelet, even if the mushrooms are canned.”
     
    He agreed to it and sat down. Anything to stay with her. He asked if she’d called about her car. She had—it was going to take all day to repair what seemed to be a broken belt. Anna frowned. “Which is weird, because Ginny just went in for a tune-up two weeks ago and they checked everything. I mean, I know the snow—and the salted roads—are hard on cars, but Ginny’s always been reliable.”
     
    Gage didn’t think it was odd. Belts were the easiest way to disable a car when you wanted it to start but not go far. A few cuts—the car would start, would get out of a parking garage and would stop on the street. It was something he’d have done, which made him wonder about just how easy it was to get access to that parking garage. He sipped his coffee and said, “Maybe she’s showing her age.”
     
    Anna slipped a plate in front of him. It smelled great. Mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes slipped out of the omelet. Gage dug in. Around a mouthful, he told her, “Okay, you can do breakfast anytime.”
     
    She smiled and waved a fork. “The least I can do to thank you…for everything.”
     
    He sat up. “Hey, last night…totally my pleasure. But I don’t want it to just be one night. How about dinner tonight? Or lunch? Or breakfast tomorrow, my treat?”
     
    She shook her head. “You really don’t waste time.”
     
    His smile fell. “Hard to tell how much time any of us have. What do you say?”
     
    She smiled and shook her head. “How about tomorrow? I’m contemplating a soak in the bathtub and a night of reading.”
     
    Finishing up his omelet, he sat back with his coffee. “How about I come over and scrub your back?”
     
    She took the plates to the sink, rinsed them and slipped them into the dishwasher. Coming back to him, she tipped her head to the side. “Okay—dinner. I should be off about five. Pick me up at the office and we’ll set a new date for another shoot? How’s that for a deal? Now—you need to scoot, and so do I or I’m going to be late for work.”
     
    Standing, he stretched across the counter and brushed his lips across hers. “See you tonight for dinner.