Free Her Firefighter SEAL by Anne Marsh Page A

She looked cute and sexy as hell in his old gym clothes.
    “I’m lonely,” she admitted, and then she turned to look at him. “And I think you are too. So why can’t we be less lonely together?”
    “Less lonely means more naked?”
    She grinned. “It was the first plan that came to mind, and we used to have awesome sex.”
    “It’s a perfect plan,” he said gruffly. “But there’s one thing we need to be agree on. I can’t be Will.”
    “All I need you to be is Kade.”
    He could do that much.
    “And—” She hesitated.
    “You just told me to take my clothes off,” he pointed out. “Whatever you’re thinking now, just say it.”
    She looked amused. “Surely I didn’t shock you?”
    He wasn’t stupid. Yes wasn’t crossing his lips. Ever. “I am pretty unshockable.”
    “Which is why you fell out of the boat when I kissed you.”
    That wasn’t exactly how it had happened, but she could tell herself whatever version of events she wanted if he got another kiss.
    “If we get naked—”
    “When,” he said, interrupting her. “You can’t order me to get naked and then take it back. I’m a weak man and you’ve made me promises.”
    “Good to know. When we get naked, I need to know that you’re doing it for me and not because Katie asked you to do something for me.”
    He raised a brow. “Are you accusing Katie of pimping me out?”
    She sighed. “You know what I mean. She’s worried about me. I get that. In another month, another year, I’ll even appreciate her concern. I just need you to tell me that whatever the two of us do, it has nothing to do with Katie.”
    “Katie has absolutely, positively nothing to do with us getting naked. She’s a friend, a good friend. I owe her one for everything she’s done for me.”
    Abbie didn’t look entirely convinced. “You always think you owe people.”
    Because he did.
    “Sweetheart, I have a balance sheet that’s operating in the red.”
    She was silent for a moment. “So what do other people owe you ?”
    “Nothing,” he said, sliding fried fish onto a paper plate and handing it to her.
    “You served as a SEAL. I don’t think the correct answer is nothing .”
    He nudged her shoulder with his. “How did we get from when can we have sex to death and dying? Because I’d rather talk about sex.”
    Death—and not sex—had been a big part of his SEAL days, especially those last three months in Khost. He’d seen people die, he’d lost friends. And yeah, he’d pulled the trigger and killed people. No matter what label he slapped on those people—insurgent, dangerous, murdering bastards—he’d killed them. He was okay with that, but not everyone was.
    The smile Abbie gave him looked more fragile than he liked. “More sex, less death. I’m in full agreement with you there. Was it really bad in Khost?”
    “I did my job,” he said. “Eat.”
    “You’re distracting me.” She stole a bite off his plate. “And I’m going to let you.”
    Thank God. Her eyes were warm and more than a little bit sad. “You don’t like to talk about death and dying either,” he pointed out.
    “It’s not the same thing,” she said.
    It really was. Like Abbie, he’d lost vital members of his team, people he cared about and worried about and fought for. Unlike Abbie, however, he hadn’t been part of a team of two, and he’d worn a uniform. He had a feeling the emotions were the same though, although he’d never wanted to have sex with any of his fellow SEALs. He grinned. That would have complicated the shit out of his missions.
    “I don’t do love and happily ever after,” she said eventually. “That’s not my thing anymore.”
    She was back to the “let’s have sex” idea again. He had a feeling she’d change her mind someday. She’d meet some nice guy—a nice guy who wasn’t him—and she’d realize that Will was part of her past and it was time to get on with her future. Kade was just a pit stop on this journey she was on.
    “I