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

before?”
    “No,” she said, swallowing as she again
gazed at the massive Harley. One wrong turn and that thing looked
like it could fall over and crush them both. Or slide into a skid
and give them massive road burn and a few broken bones. And that
was the best case scenario.
    The cab she’d suggested was sounding better
and better.
    “It’s safe,” he assured her. “I’ll take it
nice and slow. Never been in a crash yet.”
    “How comforting.”
    Brent raised his eyebrows.
    “The whole ‘yet’ part wasn’t too
convincing.”
    Brent laughed, a deep hearty sound. It was
the first time she’d ever heard him laugh like that. And it
sounded…good. Warmth seeped through her as the rich sound filled
the air. Brent usually had a scowl on his face or a woman at his
side—according to Brianna, at least. She hadn’t seen him so much as
look at another lady all night. It seemed that everyone on the SEAL
team talked about his reputation though. Maybe he was just taking a
night off from his womanizing ways—or more likely, maybe she was
just cramping his style. What would it look like for him to ditch
her for an easy lay? His friends would no doubt give him shit for
it. Not that he seemed to mind flirting with her all night.
    “I’ve never exactly had to convince a woman
to climb on.”
    Holy hell.
    Ella flushed at the innuendo, and she felt
an unexpected pooling of moisture in her panties as her nipples
tightened. Climbing on Brent was something she’d never do. Jesus.
But suddenly images of Brent sprawled out beneath her on his bed
filled her head. All those pounds of muscles beneath her sounded
way too tempting. And the idea of him inside her? Mind blowing. All
that strength and power focused on her wasn’t something she could
handle. Even if he was an expert in bedroom activities. He’d
probably laugh if he knew how inexperienced she was. Even if she
wasn’t exactly saving herself for marriage, she would never fall
into bed with a man like him. She couldn’t be just another notch on
what were probably hundreds on Brent’s bedpost. He’d probably enjoy
showing her a good time, but as for making her feel like something
other than every other woman he’d been with? Not in a million
years.
    Brent’s gaze softened. “I promise you’ll be
safe.”
    “I can just get a cab.”
    “In the middle of the night? Hell, if you do
that, I’m still following you home. I told the others I’d take you.
And sweetheart, I’m trained by the U.S. Navy. I can drive all sorts
of hazardous things without issue. This motorcycle is nothing.”
    Yes, he probably could. And she was sure he
loved speedy cars, noisy guns, and fast women. What had made her
think he’d drive her home in some sort of safe, reliable vehicle?
He was a far cry from her last date in just about every way. Older
guy? Check. Bad-ass career? Check. Been around the block, oh, a
million times? Double check.
    He wouldn’t try to grope her though. Or
demand anything for driving her home.
    Yeah, despite his protests, he was a decent
guy.
    “I’m staying at Kenley’s place.”
    “I know. We’ve all been there before—it was
the last place Lexi was seen before she was kidnapped.”
    “Lexi was kidnapped?” Ella asked in horror,
watching as anger briefly flashed across Brent’s face. “Is that how
she and Christopher met?”
    She’d heard some of the stories about how
the guys on the SEAL team had met their women, but she was sure all
Brianna had mentioned was that Lexi and Christopher were old
college sweethearts or something. Rebecca had been stalked by a
client’s ex-husband around the time she met Patrick, and Kenley had
been in some sort of car accident when Mike came to help her,
driving up and down the highway until he located her car off in the
woods. Ella’s own life must look pretty boring in comparison.
    “Nah. Lexi’s a hacker. On the Defense
Department’s payroll. Some asshole was trying to make a buck,
stealing Top Secret information