Free Protected by a SEAL (Alpha SEALs, Book 6) by Makenna Jameison Page A

Chill out.”
What did she care? He’d see her safely home and be on his merry
way.
    “Ella,” Brent said. They way her name
sounded in his deep voice sent shivers racing down her spine. Or
maybe it was just the cool ocean air. Blue eyes blazed down at her.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
    “Right, I got it,” she assured him. “I won’t
pry into your life if you won’t pry into mine.”
    He narrowed his gaze, and she neatly changed
the subject. “You guys have early training in the morning?”
    His eyes met hers, but he didn’t say
anything. “I haven’t told Brianna I have to leave sooner than
expected,” Ella explained. “If Matthew’s gone at the crack of dawn
for PT or whatever you guys do, maybe we can have some girl time
before my flight. You know, grab breakfast or something. And I have
to get Kenley’s key back to her.”
    “You didn’t tell Brianna you were
leaving?”
    “I wasn’t planning to fly out for a few more
days. New job lead,” she said without elaborating.
    It wasn’t so much a new job as an old job
that she now dreaded returning to. It wasn’t exactly Brent’s
concern though. He was probably too busy saving the world to pay
any attention to her problems. Why worry about her when there were
entire damn countries in trouble? Of course she didn’t know for
sure where his SEAL team deployed, but she wasn’t a fool. There
were plenty of terrorists and insurgents in the Middle East
declaring war on the Western World. Plenty of drug cartels in Latin
America smuggling their goods stateside. Plenty of bad guys
everywhere.
    “Is that who was texting you so much
earlier?”
    She looked up at him, surprised he’d
noticed. “Sort of.”
    “You didn’t seem too happy about it. Tell me
what’s going on.”
    “It was nothing I can’t handle,” she
mumbled.
    A group of drunk college guys came pouring
out of a bar they passed, and Brent tugged her to his side,
preventing one of them from accidentally knocking her over. She
tensed up in surprise at the feel of Brent’s arm around her
shoulders and his hard body against hers. Damn. The guy probably
didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. And the solid weight of his arm
around her felt way too good.
    “Jackasses,” he grumbled. “Are you okay?” he
asked, shooting them a glare over his shoulder.
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” she added as an
afterthought.
    They walked a few more steps before Brent
released her. She felt an immediate loss at the sudden lack of
contact between them but shook her head, telling herself she was
being foolish. This wasn’t even a date or something, just a friend
giving her a ride home.
    Right.
    Like Brent had lots of female friends.
    “I’m right over there,” he said, taking her
hand as he tugged her across the street.
    She jolted in surprise at the feel of his
large hand wrapping around hers. Was he…holding her hand? Just
hurrying her along? Did it even matter right now? His hand was
warm, with thick fingers that carefully held her own. He could
crush her in an instant if he wanted but was surprisingly gentle.
Careful. And she liked being linked to him, like it was the two of
them against the world.
    Which was crazy, because a man like him
didn’t need someone to face his battles for him.
    “Here we are,” Brent said, dropping her hand
and gesturing to a hulking motorcycle parked beside the curb as he
released her. She knew exactly nothing about motorcycles—but the
shiny chrome, expensive-looking tires, and huge cylinders screamed
speed and danger. Which pretty much seemed right up Brent’s
ally.
    And totally not hers.
    “Uh….”
    “You can wear the helmet,” Brent said,
pulling it from some compartment on the back. “I wasn’t exactly
expecting company tonight. Not that I mind,” he added, flashing her
a grin. “I kind of fucking love the idea of your body pressed tight
against mine.”
    “Well….”
    His eyes flicked up to hers. “Have you ever
ridden