Free SEAL for Her Protection (SEALs of Coronado Book 1) by Paige Tyler Page A

“Considering we’ve got enough food for an army—or I suppose navy would be more appropriate—I definitely won’t turn down the help, but you could have hung out with the other girls.”
    Hayley closed the door behind her. She didn’t know what was in the Crock-Pot on the counter, but the aroma made her mouth water. “I don’t mind. Tell me what you need me to do.”
    Melissa opened the fridge and took out a big bowl of potato salad and set it on the counter. “It’s nice to see Chasen finally bring a date to one of these cookouts.”
    Hayley did a double take. “I would have thought a guy like him would have to beat the women off with a stick.”
    Melissa came out with another bowl, this one filled with macaroni salad. “Lots of women think they want to date a SEAL, but most of them bail when they realize it’s not what romance books and Hollywood makes it out to be.” She reached into the fridge again for ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and relish, placing them on a wooden tray. “SEALs deploy—a lot. The first time their hot new boyfriend gets a call in the middle of a date and tells them he has to leave on a mission and that he has no idea when he’ll see her again, it gets real—fast. And when they’re not deployed, they’re away doing training. The kind of training that frequently leaves them so exhausted and sore they barely want to get off the couch when they get back, much less go anywhere. Not everyone can handle that kind of life.”
    Maybe Melissa hadn’t meant it like that, but it sounded like she was warning Hayley off Chasen. Or protecting him. Yeah, that made more sense. After seeing Melissa with him and his teammates, Hayley got the feeling Kurt’s wife was kind of like the mama bear around them. Her job was to protect the cubs. It was hard to imagine Chasen and the other big, buff guys on his team as cubs, but the concept still applied.
    “You and Kurt seem to make it work,” Hayley observed.
    Melissa’s lips curved in a small smile. “I knew what I was getting into when I married him because I came from a Navy family. My dad wasn’t a SEAL, but he was gone on float a lot more than he was home.”
    Hayley nodded. “I know it’s not quite the same thing, but I have an idea of what it’s like. I’ve done field assignments to a lot of bad places, most of them with little or no notice. I’ve had guys I was dating break up with me when they realized I’m that kind of journalist.”
    Melissa regarded her thoughtfully. “I guess the shoe fits on both feet. Maybe you two are meant for each other.”
    Hayley laughed. “Whoa! Chasen and I have been on a total of one date. Well two, if you count today. Let’s hold off on the fairytale wedding until we figure out if we even like each other first.”
    Melissa picked up the bowls of potato and macaroni salad with a small smile. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. I saw the way he looks at you. And the way you look at him. Trust me, it’s going to happen between the two of you, and when it does, you’d better be holding on to your socks or he’s going to knock them off.”
    Hayley was all about getting her socks knocked off, but she wasn’t rushing into any kind of serious relationship even if Melissa was right, no matter how great a catch Chasen was. But Melissa was already out the door with her bowls of food. Hayley picked up the tray of condiments and followed.
    As Melissa predicted, the football game was finishing up. Chasen jogged up the steps to the deck as Hayley set the tray down on the table. He slipped an arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. The mere touch of his lips on hers sent tingles racing through her, and it took her a moment to catch her breath.
    “Who won the game?” she asked.
    Chasen grinned. “We did. Smoked ’em.”
    “That’s only because we let you win,” Nash said as he came up behind them and punched Chasen in the arm. “We wanted you to look good in front of your new girlfriend because