Free To Dare a SEAL (Sin City SEALs) by Sara Jane Stone

bedroom or on the battlefield.
    The women he met at Bottom’s Up saw his smile and stopped listening to his words. When his charming face deployed along with the rest of him, so did their interest. He had two failed relationships to prove his theory. And Natalie—she didn’t even pretend to trust his smile.
    “You care,” Cade said firmly.
    “Yeah, I do.” Jack lifted his beer to his lips and turned his attention to the woman in the black and white bikini. He watched as Lucia moved to Natalie’s side. The visible reminder that someone had taken a knife to Cade’s fiancée was impossible to ignore in the bright sunlight. Shit, Lucia wasn’t even his, but he wished like hell he could erase her pain.
    And he had a feeling Natalie did, too.
    “Cade, does Natalie ever talk about what happened? To Lucia?”
    “No.”
    “Does she ever say anything about her parents’ accident?” Jack asked.
    His teammate’s brow furrowed. “Not much. I know Natalie holds a grudge against the past.”
    That makes two of us .
    Jack drained the rest of his beer.
    “Why?” Cade asked.
    “We saw an accident on the road yesterday,” Jack explained. “It spooked her.”
    “And you asked her about it?”
    Jack nodded.
    “Shit,” Cade cursed softly. “If you push her on that, she’ll push back. Natalie doesn’t open up and let people in. And we’re talking about the same woman who made a deal with me to keep you from tossing stupid pick-up lines at her night after night.”
    “Yeah, she made it pretty clear she hates my lines.” Because unlike the other women he’d met in her bar, Natalie actually listened to him. And now she was headed straight for him—or Cade, the man she counted as a friend.
    “Stop using them,” Cade said.
    “That’s your advice?” Jack didn’t turn to his teammate. He kept his gaze fixed on Natalie as she walked around the pool and came in their direction. The sway of her slim hips, her determined stride—she might not have the smallest bikini, but damn if she wasn’t the sexiest woman at the Greek god’s poolside oasis.
    “I’m not giving you advice on how to talk my best friend into your bed,” Cade said, then turned his attention to Natalie as she got within speaking distance. He held out an arm and drew her into his side. “Glad you made it.”
    She rose on her tiptoes and kissed Cade’s cheek. “Mufasa’s here and he’d love to see you later.”
    “I’ll smuggle him out for a walk around five,” Cade said. He nodded in Jack’s direction. “I heard our friend here wrapped our pup in towels and carried him. He pretended our dog was a child.”
    She turned to Jack, providing an up-close view of the swimsuit that threatened to shred his nerves. “Easier than dropping out of a helicopter?”
    “I don’t know about that,” Jack drawled. “Mufasa isn’t exactly light.”
    “Cade, it’s a good thing you’re taking him out next. But if you don’t want to carry him, I’d suggest borrowing one of the large linen bins by the catering area at the end of my hall,” she said as she held out her room key to her friend. “May I borrow the best man?”
    “He’s all yours.” Cade accepted the key and released his hold on Natalie. “But try to bring him back in one piece.”
    “A SEAL should be able to keep his head above water at the swim-up blackjack tables.” She turned and started walking toward the pool that featured tables smack in the center.
    “You want to gamble with me?” Jack called after her.
    Natalie stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, yes.”
    Those lips, that smile…
    He’d risk a helluva lot to keep her looking at him just like that while she was on her knees, her mouth ready and willing to take him—
    “There’s a ten dollar minimum,” she said. “First one to double their money wins.”
    She’d set the limit at twenty bucks. Oh, she was willing to play. But she sure as hell wasn’t putting it all on the line. Not yet.
    “What’s the