AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her chin rose and she smiled, her hand going into the air like she was a schoolgirl answering a question. Oh, fuck. It dawned on him like a kick to the head. She was the ambassador’s daughter. He’d insulted the ambassador’s baby girl.
“Here. I thought you left without me,” she said, her shaded eyes going right to him, even though she couldn’t possibly see through the tinted glass.
“You insulted the ambassador’s daughter?” Jae “Flash” Shaw said. “Oh, man. Nice going, boy scout.”
Everyone broke into laughter, and Matthew “Easy” Hitchcock nudged him. “This might be a good time to apologize.”
“How was I supposed to know that the ambassador’s daughter looked like a sex kitten?” Shark said, annoyed at himself and the situation.
Just as he was commenting on Easy’s statement, the door opened. She was standing there, and it was impossible to believe that she didn’t hear what he had said.
She took a breath, and with enough sass to stir his humor, said, “Well, this sex kitten is hotter than hell, and I’m talking about body temperature, not my attributes. Shove over and allow me to plant my shapely ass into a seat and soak up some of this air conditioning.”
Smirks and barely held-back laughter filtered through the limo as they all moved over one seat so she could get inside.
The driver was also holding back a smile as he closed the door. It took a moment for him to stash her suitcases in the trunk, then he was back behind the wheel, and they were off again.
Her beautifully arched brows rose. “Water?”
All of them fumbled for a bottle, but Shark came up with one. “Dr. Towson.”
She took the bottle and removed her shades. Her eyes were dancing, and Shark was immediately taken aback. Any other woman who had been treated like her would have been pissed, not only by his shapely ass comment but his princess nickname. But not her. She had the kind of sense of humor he lacked.
“You can address me as Princess Towson, or Dr. Sex Kitten. Whatever your preference,” she said breezily.
The guys laughed. She meant to break the ice and let bygones be bygones. That was clear to him. She was spontaneous, happy, unself-conscious, and lively—all the things that he was not.
“Dr. Towson,” Shark said again, removing his Oakleys, his tone subdued.She breathed in a sharp breath. “I apologize for my rude comments. Please forgive me.”
“You’re forgiven, but I have to say, you spiced up a rather mundane day. No one’s ever called me a sex kitten or a princess…well, at least, not to my face.” She smiled warmly and he was caught in that magnetic orbit, her husky voice affecting him on a basic level. He experienced an odd, flustered feeling when he met her sunshot amber eyes and realized how intently she was watching him. Her eyes were gleaming with an amused challenge, as though she were silently daring him to debate the issue in front of everyone.
“Maybe they figured you already knew it,” he murmured.
She threw her head back and laughed, the sound had a husky timbre to it. Shark experienced a sudden effervescent sensation that made him catch his breath. She was so captivating, so full of light and joy, the feeling turned into an intoxicating rush.
She riveted her full attention on him and gave him a guileless smile, shrugging sheepishly. “Good point. No hard feelings.” She looked around the limo. “So, you’re the guys who were sent to protect us.”
“How did you know that?” Angelo “Bondo” Zane asked, he was their second in command and their senior chief.
“My dad told me this morning before I got on the plane.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Easy said, “are you here for a vacation to visit your dad?”
“No, it’s not a vacation. I’m a seismologist, and I’m here to study the island for seismic activity for two papers I’m writing and a poster I’m submitting to the Santo Domingo Earthquake Conference in about three weeks, and the World Conference on Earthquake Engineering right after in Milan.”
“That’s impressive. Where do you work?” Christian “Brawler” Beckett asked.
“Old Dominion University. I just received an assistant professor’s position there.”
“Our neck of the woods,” Shane “Twister” Reeves said.
“Oh, you’re based out of Norfolk?” she asked.
“Virginia Beach actually, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story,” Kade “Dagger” Hollis said.
“So, you’re a SEAL Team?”
“Hoo-yah!” they all replied.
