Hot SEALs: SEALed For Life (Kindle Worlds Novella) (3 page)

“That information is uncomfortably true,” Gower admitted, fighting his grin. Those were the days he liked to remember, but there were none of them now. He hung his head for a moment. Damn the woman
did
seem to know him. Why the hell couldn’t he place her?

Melina laughed at his chagrin. “Out of uniform, I’ve always been invisible to you SEALs… well except for one. And for the most part, I admit I liked it that way. Fellow jarheads don’t require their females to look like models like you guys tend to do. Ergo, I hung out mostly with Marines.”

Melina’s attention drifted to the boy who was still openly staring at her. “Hi. My name is Melina. Pardon my swearing please. I always get a little stressed fighting bad guys.”

Gower’s eyebrows lifted higher when his son rushed forward and held out his hand. He hadn’t been able to get Dillon to say hello to people he didn’t know, much less shake hands with them. He stared in fascination as she held his son’s hand respectfully and nodded at his introduction as Dillon gave his name.

“It’s okay about the bad words. Dad says them sometimes too, but he’s trying to quit. I’m Dillon Beckett. Are you a superhero?”

At Dillon’s excited last question, he heard her laugh again. Her laugh was nice… and friendly… appealing in ways he’d forgotten he could feel. But her attitude towards him was closed off and she radiated a tension she didn’t show his child. Strange woman. Interesting woman.

“Oh, I’m way better than a superhero,” Melina exclaimed in answer. “I’m a
Marine
.”

“
Really?
What’s a
Marine
?” Dillon asked.

Melina felt the corners of her mouth lift in a smile. “It’s like a Navy SEAL, only better. We don’t need to hitch rides wherever we go. We fly helicopters and give the SEALs rides.”

“Wow. Helicopters! I like helicopters. My dad’s a SEAL.”

“Yes, I know. Your father and I used to work together. But he doesn’t remember me.”

“Yet…” Gower corrected.

Melina raised her gaze to Gower’s openly curious one. The man was very good-looking, better looking than Chris even… not that Chris was still her measuring stick. But you couldn’t help noticing Gower’s blonde hair and chocolate eyes. On top of the tight jaw, nice shoulders, and ass to die for… his two day old beard shouted his abundance of testosterone to any female within visual range.

But his real power was in his gaze—his still very blank gaze in her case. Despite his lack of recognition, she had known who he was the moment she downed the first two of the punks. She respected what he’d done in resigning his commission to raise his son. That was why she’d already forgiven him for not recognizing her.

In her uniform all she would ever have represented to Gower Beckett was a fellow soldier. They’d had no reason to speak directly and probably had never exchanged more than two words. Most of her knowledge of him had come from benign pillow talk about Chris’s fellow SEALs that she couldn’t remember completely anyhow.

She looked back down and smiled at the boy deliberately. “Tell me something, Dillon. Should I tell your father who I am before he goes crazy trying to guess?” She chuckled softly when the boy laughed and nodded.

“Yes. Please tell me,” Gower added, trying to be charming. There was a time when he didn’t have so much trouble getting his way with a female, though instinct and a mean crutch swing had already told him this one was definitely not typical.

Melina listened to Dillon Beckett’s childish giggle and smiled. She looked at his and tilted her head to wait on the answer. Dillon pretended to think about it, but finally gave in to his amusement and laughed.

“Tell him,” Dillon declared. “Dad will never guess.”

Gower snorted. “Thanks son. Thanks a lot.”

Melina grinned as her laughter joined the teasing males. Both of them were highly appealing.

Melina gave an exaggerated sigh as she grinned at Gower. “I can’t believe you don’t recognize your guardian angel, Beckett. You should be especially glad I was here to save your pretty ass today.”

As the puzzle pieces fell into place, Gower groaned and smacked his forehead. “Holy shit. Gunny Angel. I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot.”

“Yeah. You sound like one too,” Melina teased, softening the accusation with a smile. “I’m going to tell myself it’s because your son was in danger. I’m sure it
was not
because you never noticed me any of the times I dropped your crazy SEAL ass out of one of my choppers.”

Gower blinked as he saw Melina Angel through new eyes… and military ones. He’d only ever seen her in a camo uniform which had not revealed the curves he was seeing outlined today in her snug fitting jeans.

And her hair—what there was of it—had always been totally hidden by a Marine head cover.

Plus, he’d never really looked at any woman in uniform and saw anything he acknowledged as “available female”. Such thinking had been trained out of him long before he’d become a SEAL.

So yes—you could definitely argue that Melina Angel had been nearly invisible to him.

He would never be so oblivious again though. At the moment, he was considering how much of a shame it was that he hadn’t noticed the cute dimple by her mouth when she smirked. Or the way her eyes flashed just before she made one of her bossy, sarcastic pronouncements. Both lit him up inside and made him interested to find out what made her tick. He knew those traits were part of what made her willing to wade into a street fight to save someone.

It was odd to find himself suddenly wishing he had noticed her before today. Of course, Chris would have knocked the shit out of him if he’d had the audacity to ask her out. Gunny Angel and Chris had been together when he’d gotten out last year, but he’d heard about the split.

Rumor among his buddies was that Chris was trying his damndest to make up for whatever had happened. Rumor also was Gunny Angel wasn’t being receptive in the least. If true, that meant the woman was free, didn’t it? Or mostly free. No one came without some baggage. Shit—he’d have to talk to Chris. It was only right.

Gower opened his mouth, but shut it when Dillon dashed to his backpack and then ran to her again. His son held out his hand with an offering of some of the candy the boy had wrangled out of him as a bribe to get dressed early this morning. Sharing came natural to Dillon, but it was his son’s words that choked him up.

“This is for you because you saved my Dad.”

Melina Angel’s wide smile matched her easy laugh as she plucked the fruit candy from his son’s palm and popped it into her mouth without a blink. She moved it around until she could talk.

“My pleasure, Dillon. But listen…. never tell anyone I work for food—okay? Uncle Sam found out a long time ago and has had me on a short leash for over twenty years now because of it.”

“Who’s Uncle Sam?” Dillon asked.

“Ask your dad to explain him to you one day. Basically, he’s our boss.”

Gower studied his guardian angel’s calm face, mildly scrunched as she fought the pain she was feeling. There was no complaining though. No drama. Not even any swearing as she patiently talked to Dillon who was asking her a hundred questions.

She was a very unique female.

And he liked everything he was learning. He liked her instantly and viscerally—the kind of simple pull to someone he hadn’t felt in many years. But did he like her enough to ask about her dating situation? That was the real question.

Gunny Angel was a Marine lifer. He didn’t know how a lifer’s mind worked. He’d certainly never had a long-term military career as a goal, even though he’d absolutely loved his job as a SEAL. Going into the military was mostly because he hadn’t found anything better as a civilian. But he’d always, always been looking for something to do with his life that used everything he had. The military had just temporarily assuaged that need.

“Can I ask why you’re staring a hole through me, Beckett?”

Gower snorted before he answered. “Maybe you’re right about your invisibility, Gunny. I never noticed you before, but I certainly took notice today. You swing a mean crutch—among other things.”

He ran a hand self-consciously over his head. How in the hell could he be thinking about dating her? The woman was more than a little intimidating with that composure of hers. She’d obviously earned that rank of hers.

He shook his head and decided to sit on his inclinations a while longer. Then he had another epiphany about her.

“Shit. Your foot must be killing you. Damn, I’m sorry. Let’s get you off it.”

Before he could stifle the urge, Gower rushed forward and scooped her up into his arms. She froze immediately, surprised by his effort to carry her. The thought he’d surprised her so thoroughly made him smile. Melina weighed about half what one of his fellow SEALs weighed. He’d been out of his commission for a year, but he hadn’t let his fitness lapse in that time. Maintaining his body condition had given him something to do to fill the hours Dillon had been in school.

His grin widened when she reluctantly put her arms around his neck to hold on. All the caged energy inside the compact, highly toned body vibrated very nicely against his chest. The woman in his arms possessed some very firm muscles that he would greatly enjoy exploring.

His face suddenly heated with the wicked direction his thoughts were taking. It had been a long damn time since he’d felt spontaneous lust… longer still since he’d felt the real McCoy like he was feeling toward the woman in his arms.

Gower cleared his throat to make sure his voice wouldn’t be husky when he spoke. “You were definitely my guardian angel today. I had decided to let the punks have what they wanted because I didn’t think I could take them all out without Dillon getting hurt.”

He lowered her to sit on a nearby bench and leaned in close to tell her the rest.

“And just so we’re clear on things—I’m probably noticing you way more than you’d be happy with me admitting. Luckily for you, my son is here to keep me from saying things you’d probably punch me for even thinking.”

“Well that was certainly a mouthful. Are you trying to flirt with me, Beckett?” Melina demanded before giving in to the laughter bubbling up inside her. “Gee… and all I had do was break my crutch over some guy’s hard head to get your attention. I swear you SEALs are all alike. You can’t say hello to a woman like a normal person.”

“Guilty—I guess. Typical relationships tend not to work out for me. But I don’t know about all SEALs being alike,” Gower said quietly, dropping to his knees to examine the gash in her leg.

He ran a hand over a taut thigh encased in well-worn denim and gently parted the slashed material to examine her wound. He was no expert, but it looked like the knife had gone in fairly deep. Dried blood had stemmed the flow temporarily, but it wouldn’t keep it from bleeding profusely if the gash kept opening every time she moved.

“You’re right about this being a flesh wound, but it probably still needs checked. Who knows what was on those blades?”

“True,” Melina admitted, sighing as she frowned over her wound. “I guess I’ll have to come back and see my father’s name some other time.”

“Wait. Your father? Your father’s on the wall?” Gower asked. “My grandfather re-enlisted during the war and went to Nam a couple of times in the Army. He died in ’71. My father went in shortly after and I was born a military brat. He had a friend in the Navy and he’s the reason I became a SEAL.”

Melina nodded. Beckett hadn’t even been born during the war. She suddenly felt very old. “I was a kid when my father was drafted. When he died in the war, I was only four. Since I barely remember him, I wanted to see his name on the memorial. I mean in person—not online.”

Gower nodded. “I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”

Melina laughed softly. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ve always wondered what he would have thought about me joining the Marines. He was Army too, but the military probably wasn’t a life he ever intended for his daughter. My mother certainly wasn’t happy when I chose this career.”

Gower patted her knee in support, then held her gaze as he climbed to his feet. “Tell me his name and I’ll find him for you. Dillon has the stuff to do a rubbing in his backpack. We’ll do one for both of us. At least you’ll have that from today.”

Melina sighed. Spilling her story to Gower Beckett wasn’t quite the reflection she’d hoped for on this journey, but it was better than coming here for nothing. “Okay. Look for Specialist Devlin Angel. His name is supposed to be in the same section you were looking in for yours.”

Gower glanced around him. People were keeping their distance. If anyone had seen their altercation earlier, no one was rushing over to ask any probing questions. The unspoken law of non-involvement in cities as large as DC meant if you ignored things you could go on with your day. No one really wanted to be disrupted by lending aid or talking to the cops. His concern about leaving Gunny Angle alone on the bench was moot anyway. She’d already shown she could take care of herself.

“Okay. Dillon and I will find his name while you wait on the cops to get here. If they want to take you in, give a shout out.”

Melina snorted. “Beckett—don’t make me laugh. You know I didn’t really call the cops. The last thing I want to do on a day off is sit in a madhouse Washington DC precinct doing paperwork. Since you got your stuff back, and no one got hurt, let’s just call it a draw and go home. Those kids learned an important lesson today about their poor judgment concerning victims. That’s enough justice for me.”

Gower gave her a look he often gave Dillon when he was determined his son was going to obey him. He had to fight not to cross his arms and take a stance. Knowing she’d only laugh at him kept him from posturing.

“Alright. Let’s say we don’t call the cops… but you still got hurt. That wound needs to be cleaned and may need stitches. We’re either going by the base or to a hospital somewhere. You got hurt because of me and Dillon. My conscience needs to know you’re going to be okay.”

Melina shook her head. “A flesh wound this shallow doesn’t need stitches, Beckett. It just needs cleaning and I can do that at home. Thanks for trying to take care of me though. I’m sure your ego will survive my refusal.”