Tempting Target: Heart of a SEAL Read online

  This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons--living or dead--is entirely coincidental.

  Tempting Target copyright @ 2015 by Carmen Faye. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “Did you want to use that or were you just checking it out for size?”

  Emmy Roth had never been so embarrassed in all of her life. She had been practically drooling over the most attractive man she’d ever seen—in or out of a United States Navy uniform—since their eyes had caught soon after she got off the plane. One day she’d be able to walk over to a man like that, crook her finger, and have him follow her to the nearest flat surface…but not today. Looking at something she knew she couldn’t have made her want to tune him out altogether. She gathered her luggage, which was only a very small bag, bought herself the extra-large frozen caramel coffee drink and looked down at the list that was going to be complete when she finished her time in Hawaii. It was like her mission that she chosen to accept.

  Have a one night stand with a sexy stranger

  Wear a bikini in public

  Learn to swim

  Buy a sexy black dress (and actually wear it)

  Wear high heels

  Jump into a waterfall like they do in the movies

  Surf

  Find out who Emmy Roth really is

  This was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime, and she looked down at her to-do list to see what she could accomplish that day. It wasn’t that she’d needed it out right now, but somehow, just holding that pink piece of paper in her hand made her feel like she could actually accomplish the items that were on it. Emmy was a list maker, and if she was going to make the most of her time, she needed to have her goals set and be ready to cross them off.

  She was trying to hold too many things at once. While she was trying to juggle her bags, her bucket list, and her iced coffee drink, she ran right into the very man she’d been avoiding.

  It was like she saw the whole thing happen in slow motion. She must have squeezed the cup, as she attempted to clutch everything and make sure it didn’t drop, but it got all over the man’s tan uniform. She remembered the napkins she’d taken from the café where she purchased her beverage and reached into her purse to get them.

  “I’m so sorry. Let me get that.” She started wiping off the whipped cream and coffee.

  “It’s okay, really,” he tried to grab her hand, but she wanted to make sure she cleaned up her mess. “Really,” he said again and lifted her chin so that she could look into his face.

  She was so easy to fluster. Everyone who knew her knew that, but this man didn’t know her from the man on the moon. Emmy got sucked into his cornflower blue eyes; she saw fatigue, amusement, and… was that arousal?

  “Unf…” The slight grimace he had on his face, as he moved his hand to hers made her really notice what she was doing. Looking down she saw that the cleaning she had been trying to accomplish had ended up with her rubbing the area around his most private parts, and a large, hard shape had sprung up under her hand. Then, she found she had wrapped her hand around his girth and was slowly stroking him up and down.

  His hand looked like it was in limbo, as he tried to decide if he was going to show her the stroke he liked the best or move her hand away. This man probably thought she was a prostitute with the way she was rubbing on him and acting like a hot-pants floozy. She jumped away from him, hoping she didn’t look as surprised as she was.

  “I’m so sorry to mess up your uniform and for… ummm… the other stuff. I don’t usually molest men in the middle of a crowded airport,” she said, as she looked the man up and down. He was even bigger up close than he’d been when she’d spotted him as she exited her plane. The beverage she’d gotten was supposed to cool down her libido because looking at the body of the man in front of her made all her best bits tingle.

  “It’s alright. The coffee blends right in.” His voice was deep, and it rolled over her nerves like a calming balm—even as it kept her sexually frustrated. “My clothes have been through much worse, and I don’t think I’ve ever had such an inviting greeting.”

  “That wasn’t a greeting. I was trying to clean you up.” Her voice’s pitch seemed to jump up into the Minnie Mouse range, as she tried to explain herself. It didn’t help that after she’d wiped off of his clothes, her hand had lingered on the long, hard cock that had grown while she fumbled around. When he called her on her actions, she was almost molesting the man in public.

  “I’m kidding with you. I guess I shouldn’t, but you look like you are taking this so hard… bad pun… and we are in paradise. Loosen up.” He bent over to pick up some of the things that had fallen out of her hand.

  This man didn’t look like he would have a poetic bone in his body, but the fact that he was trying not to make her feel like burying herself under the sand—and that she’d never had the attention of a man like this—made her stop judging him. She decided to start accomplishing some of the things she wanted to do with her life. One was to break free of her anxiety. She was so fearful and had so many second thoughts about her life that she’d missed out on a lot of opportunities.

  “I guess you’re right; we are in paradise,” she said, as she snatched the pink paper with her list on it out of his hands. Hopefully, she’d taken it from him before he got a good look at what it was. That would be even more embarrassing than the one-sided fondling session she’d had with him. The expression on his face was still pleasant and not like he’d just found out he was standing next to a woman who carried around instructions on how to make her life and vacation better.

  “So we should do what people do while in paradise, right? Let me buy you a drink. Then, maybe we can get rid of the worry on your face,” he said, and she was sure then that he hadn’t seen her missive. He was sexy, built, and beautiful—and even though the first thing she had on her list mentioned a sexy stranger, she made a mental note to revise. She would have to know something about the person because she’d drive herself crazy with questions if she didn’t know a little about the man.

  “I don’t even know your name,” she said, upset with herself that she couldn’t just go with the flow. This man was definitely not going to be the sexy stranger she had a one-night stand with, but people were crazy these days. She had to at least get some information—even from a man like this.

  “I’m sorry. I’m Lieutenant Commander Matthew Perrier, but you can call me Matt.” He put out his large, strong-looking hand, and she placed hers into the warmth of his. The energy started with their combined hands but seemed to spread across her body in a pleasant rush of sensations. It wasn’t like a hot flash but a slow but steady stream that warmed her in the freezing cold of the airport.

  She was concentrating so much on the way her body was reacting to his she was almost startled when he cleared his throat. Emmy looked up at him and recalled that she was supposed to be giving him some information.

  “Oh, yeah… umm…. My name is Emmy Roth.” She could feel the flush of her skin getting hotter, and she knew that she probably looked like a red tomato, but this man made her more nervous than most—even as she was trying to appear like she met men like him all the time.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. There was something about him that she liked. Most people may not have been so nice when you spilled a large coffee on them before practically stroking
them off when you tried to clean your mess, but this man didn’t make her feel dirty or ashamed. In fact, he was trying to get her to calm down. This was going to be a great vacation; she was already learning something. Note to self: Hot men make me stupid. Good to know.

  She nodded, and he picked up her bag and his before he walked to the nearest bar. It looked like every Hawaiian-based party she’d ever attended with Tiki lamps, coconut drinks, and culturally correct music. Yet, somehow it felt more real here than at all the backyard barbeque Tiki parties she’d ever been to.

  He gestured for her to sit down, and then he folded his body into the semi-circle booth. Sliding in next to her, she was fascinated by how he fit his large frame—that had to be at least six foot five—into the small space so gracefully. It was hard to believe this was her life right now. Just a week ago, she’d graduated with a Master’s degree in accounting, and she’d found out that her great-aunt—whom she loved so much but had passed a few months ago—had left her a large sum of money so she could explore the world and find herself.

  When the waitress came over to take their orders, she brought chips and two glasses of water. Although she smiled at Emmy when she came to the table, she mostly directed the conversation to Matt.

  “What would you like, Emmy?”

  She didn’t think she’d ever heard her name sound so delicious coming out of a person’s mouth, but she was quick to come up with an answer so he didn’t think she was absent minded…or worse. “I’ll have a Blue Hawaiian.”

  “Sounds good. I think I’ll have a local beer if you have one on tap,” he said to the dark-haired woman in the coconut bikini and grass skirt.

  Emmy watched the not-so-subtle flirting that was swirling all around her and decided to concentrate on something that would be more uplifting. First and foremost, she was just happy to be off the plane and on solid ground. That was something she didn’t consider when she was planning this trip. Flying wasn’t her strong suit, but here she was in Honolulu, Hawaii, a place she’d never have believed she would be. The waitress gave Matt a thousand watt smile before she turned and walked away with a sway in her hips. Too bad Matt didn’t even see it since she could tell he was watching her.

  “So what brings you to Honolulu? Is it pleasure or business?” Matt seemed to be trying hard to make her feel comfortable by being casual. He didn’t know she had severe anxiety, so maybe she could pretend she didn’t have it either. This is what she was supposed to be doing—getting out from under her rock, having some fun, and making changes in her life to get her to move from introverted and shy to independent and free.

  “Pleasure. I’ve always wanted to come here, so after I finished college, I thought I’d treat myself.” She picked up the water and took a sip. Whether it was the company or the situation, she didn’t know, but her mouth was quite parched.

  “Congratulations on your graduation,” he said with a smile on his face.

  “Why are you here?” She had wanted to know what would bring a man like this to paradise and why was he traveling alone with no ring or other noticeable signs of being married. It could have come out a bit bluntly, but the smile he granted her relaxed her just a bit more. Being awkward wasn’t taken kindly by most people, and she was often thought of as being rude instead of just impulsive.

  “I’ve been in and out of missions for a good long while, so I had a few days off before I go back in the field, and I wanted a bit of R and R with sandy beaches and beautiful people.” He made it sound so cut and dry, but there was a weariness that underscored those words, and she wished she could help.

  The waitress was back with their drinks as if on cue from Matt’s last sentence. “Blue Hawaiian for the lady and a local draft beer for you. Would you like anything else?”

  Emmy didn’t know how that woman had made that simple question sound like an invitation to warm her bed until the morning, but that’s what it sounded like to Emmy. She didn’t want to have to sit here and watch what was going to happen with them, so she just studied her drink and looked at all the other customers in the bar. Travelers… some weary and others fresh-faced filled the seats and created a friendly chatter that she concentrated on to calm herself.

  Matt slid closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. “Hey, babe, did you want anything else?”

  She looked up at him and almost couldn’t believe what was happening. He was picking her between the two of them?

  “No… no,” she stuttered, but then she cleared her throat and attempted to present a more confident front. She placed a quick kiss on his mouth. “I’ve got all that I need.”

  The look on the waitress’s face fell a few notches, and Emmy didn’t recognize the woman inside herself that had appeared a few seconds ago. She would have bet that she didn’t have it in her to kiss a stranger, but she had more confidence in the words she’d written on her paper. The giggle that started inside her grew into laughter, and Matt joined her with his own. They both continued, as the woman walked away.

  “She was something, huh?” he said when their laughing subsided.

  “That probably happens to you all the time.”

  He sipped his beer but continued looking at her. It was then she knew that he wasn’t going to admit to that. This man carried himself in such a way that it screamed alpha male. One look at him and she was almost a soggy puddle in the middle of the floor. This man looked like he could fight, fuck, and protect without hesitation or second thought. Not that she needed the first or the third thing on the list, but she wanted to see if the second thing was right.

  “Where are you staying?” he asked in lieu of answering that question.

  “I’m at the Blue Hawaiian actually.” There must have been a nice amount of alcohol in this drink because she was feeling warm and giggly. The warmth could have come from him still having his arm around her, but she wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, she was really enjoying herself.

  “So am I.”

  “Do you have plans for the things you want to do while you’re here on the island?” She had done her research for what was exciting and fun, but she always wanted to know what other people were doing—in case there was something she hadn’t thought of.

  “In my regular life almost everything I do is planned out, so for the next few days I’ll just be doing what I want… when I want.”

  “That sounds like a great plan.” She sipped her drink and hoped that her tone and inflection of her voice didn’t match how she really felt about that.

  “You’re more of a list maker I take it?” he asked in a low voice, like he didn’t want anyone to hear it.

  “Is there something wrong with lists?”

  “Not a thing, but sometimes being spontaneous can be pretty thrilling, too.”

  She didn’t really know how to respond to that because she’d never tried it. Maybe I should add that to my list.

  He was sitting there with his arm around her in this very dim establishment, watching her like he knew exactly what kind of timid mouse she was. However, that was the whole point of trying to find herself… well, trying to find the version of herself that she could like.

  The smirk on his face taunted her, as did the fact that she would probably never be this close to a man with a body and personality like this again. In the name of spontaneity, she quickly put her mouth on his and opened just a little so she could taste him. He wasn’t responding to her advances, and she was mortified. This is what the waitress had felt, but it is possible that this is a little worse. Maybe that’s not what he meant, or I’d taken my desires and made myself think he feel this way too because he offered to buy me a drink.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, as she started to move out from under his arm.

  There was a low deep sound that came from him before he curled his hand around the back of her neck and brought her mouth back toward his. He licked her lips with a quick swipe of his tongue and growled like he liked her flavor.

  “No need to be sorry it was on your lis
t, right?” His lips crushed into hers, and it was unlike any kiss she’d ever had. Most of the first kisses that she was a part of started off slowly and were soft and sensual, but this one was a completely different animal. She could barely get her brain to replay what he’d just said, and she didn’t want to because she knew that she would be embarrassed if she did.

  The venue was dark with only a few quasi-lit torches here and there, but they were in one of the darkest spots. He brought his hand up to cup her breast, and she whimpered when he found her hardened nipple through her clothes and squeezed it firmly. She broke away from his kiss and sucked in a deep breath.

  He didn’t say anything, and she felt like she was lost in a storm.

  “Did you like that?” His voice was huskier now, and he sounded a bit out of breath. That made her feel a bit more at ease because her body felt like it was in the middle of a riot, awakened with sensations and ready to beg for more.

  Emmy nodded her head and then stared at his mouth. She wanted more, but he was just sitting there. “Yes. I did like it.” She hoped that giving him verbal consent would make him continue the onslaught of pleasure she knew he could give her.