Sarah threw her head back and laughed as kids shrieked around her, darting away from the restaurant’s deck overlooking the beach and racing down toward the sand.  Long, honey brown strands of hair blew across her face, and she brushed them aside, breathing in the salt water scent of the ocean.

Her bohemian, floral-print sundress blew in the wind, and she resisted the urge to leave the deck of the bar and run down to the beach, too, splashing in the surf.  The waning sunlight gleamed on the crashing waves, and as families were packing up for the day, couples and groups of men and women were filling the beach, restaurants, and bars along the Virginia Beach boardwalk.

Music blasted from the restaurant and bar behind her, and she turned toward her best friend, grabbing her margarita from the table.

“It was such a great idea to meet for drinks tonight! It’s been way too long since we had a girl’s night.”

Morgan laughed, her red wavy hair bouncing around as she swayed to the music.  “You need to move down to the beach, hun.  We could grab drinks every weekend.”

“True that.  And look at all the gorgeous men around here.”  Sarah’s eyes gleamed as she caught sight of two shirtless men jogging down the beach boardwalk.

“They don’t have any men in Norfolk?” Morgan teased.

“Sure they do. They’re just usually fully clothed.”  She winked at her best friend, who shook her head.

“They look military to me,” Morgan said.

“Yep. Buzz cut gives ‘em away every time.”

“Not to mention the muscles.”

Sarah grinned and grabbed a chip from the bowl on the table, dunking it into the fresh salsa.  She popped it into her mouth, enjoying the spiciness and fresh herbs.  “Right?  I’m heading over to my brother’s place tomorrow for a barbeque.  Plenty of muscle there, but none of the guys are single anymore.”

“Patrick’s still a Navy SEAL, right?”

“Yep.”

“Doesn’t he have any other single friends?” Morgan asked waggling her eyebrows.  “Those can’t be the only men he knows.”

“I’m sure he does, but I’ve never met them,” she laughed.  “I only know the guys on his SEAL team.  Wait—are you asking for you or me?”

“Definitely you!  You know I don’t date military men anymore.”

“I know your situation didn’t work out—”

“Work out?  Ha.  That’s a complete understatement.  If I ever see that cheating bastard….” Morgan grumbled.

“The military’s tough even in a good relationship.  Look at how Patrick’s constantly deploying to God knows where.  But seriously, just because one military guy was an asshole doesn’t mean they all are.  You don’t have to give up on an entire population of men.”

“Easy for you to say. All you have to do is mention that your brother is a Navy SEAL and no man will ever do you wrong.”

Sarah laughed.  “That does have certain advantages I suppose.  Then again, if they know him, his reputation alone scares them off as soon as the words are out of my mouth.”

“Tough break.”

“Yep.  I’ll stick to finding my own dates, thank you very much.”

Sarah took another sip of her margarita, enjoying the saltiness mixing in with the tequila and lime.  The thin gold bracelets on her wrist delicately shifted every time she moved, and she smiled as the evening sun warmed her skin.  A good friend, drinks, an ocean breeze—life was perfect at the moment.

“What are you smiling about?”

“Just happy to be here.  I may only live an hour away, but I don’t get down to the beach nearly often enough.”

“I’m still telling you to move closer.  They need physical therapists here, too.  Hey, maybe you should get a job on base—provide a little TLC to all those hot Navy SEALs.”

“Ha ha.  Working on the same base as my brother will not land me a man.  Not now, not ever.”

“True.  Not unless you change your last name or something.”

“I can’t just up and leave my clients anyway.  Maybe someday I’ll move closer.  But more weekends here I’m definitely onboard with.  Drinks, the beach, Friday nights barhopping on the boardwalk?  Can’t go wrong with that.”

“Not to mention the eye candy,” Morgan said, waggling her eyebrows as a lone guy jogged down the boardwalk with his dog.

“Yep.  Scenery’s pretty great.”

“The beach or the men?”

“Yes,” Sarah joked, grabbing another chip.

A popular song came on over the speakers, and she danced and did a little shimmy in place as Morgan laughed.

A group of men walking by their table paused, their eyes alighting with interest.  “Are you ladies looking for some company?” one of them asked, beer in hand.  “We’d love to buy you another round of drinks.”

Sarah’s gaze flicked over them—they were probably in their early thirties, just a couple of years older than her.  They looked and sounded like tourists though, with New York accents and sunburned skin.  Cute, but she wasn’t looking for a one-night-stand.  Not that she’d be opposed to a summer fling if the right opportunity presented himself.

“How long are you in town for?” she asked.

“The accent gives it away every time,” one of them said with a wink.  “Just for the weekend.”

Morgan raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything.

“Aw, come on,” the guy said.  “Us New Yorkers aren’t that bad.  And don’t leave me alone with these guys all night.  I could use a beautiful woman to keep me company.”

Another new song came blasting over the speakers.  “I love this song!” Sarah said, bobbing up and down from where she stood.

“How about a dance then?  We can grab a drink later.”

“One dance.”

She grabbed one of the guy’s hands, taking him by surprise as she tugged him toward the makeshift dancefloor near the bar inside.  It was small and crowded, but she didn’t intend to dance all night long with the guy, just to let loose and have some fun.

They edged through the people crowding around the second bar inside the restaurant, and Sarah began to dance as they made their way into the middle of the crowd.

“Do you live around here?” he asked over the blasting music.

“Norfolk.”

“That’s what, an hour away?”

“Yep.  I’m just in town for the weekend!” she shouted as the music got louder.  She raised her arms and swiveled her hips, letting her dress and hair swirl around her.

He grinned down at her, his eyes casually roaming over her body, but the blasting music made any further conversation impossible.  He was cute, with dusty brown hair and boyish good looks, but not exactly the type of man that made her pulse race.

She wouldn’t be dragging him off to any dark corners.

Sarah gestured back toward their friends as the song ended and another came on.  The guy nodded and followed her off the dance floor, the music lessening as they got closer to the deck overlooking the ocean.  Morgan was still at their table, laughing with the other men.  The sound of seagulls and crashing waves competed with the music from inside as they walked back out.

Although one of the men was watching Morgan with interest, the second was occasionally glancing over at a group of women on the beach.  Typical.

Sarah scanned the area, amazed at how quickly the tables were filling up, and did a double-take as she caught sight of a group of people in the far corner.

Her brother’s SEAL CO Captain Ryan Mitchell sat across from a couple, his muscular arms folded against his even more-impressive chest.  His biceps bulged from beneath the casual, short-sleeve button down shirt he wore, and even though he appeared to be listening to the conversation at the table, his eyes periodically swept the deck area.

He had shortly cropped black hair that held just a hint of gray around his temples, stormy gray eyes, and chiseled features that made her think he could command the attention of any room at a moment’s notice.

Her insides did a funny little flip as she watched him take a swig of his beer, eyeing the flex of the corded muscles in his forearm.  His silver watch gleamed from across the deck, and she could see the tendons bulge in the sure grip of his hand. 

A waiter carrying a tray brought their food over as she watched, and Sarah smirked as she saw the steak set down before him.

Steak.

While they sat mere feet away from the ocean.

Even if she hadn’t been a vegetarian, she’d never order steak at a restaurant known for its fresh seafood in a million years.

Almost as if he knew she was watching him, Ryan’s gaze swept her way.  Piercing gray eyes penetrated hers, but his face remained unreadable.  Her heart did an unexpected little skitter, and he nodded in her direction, calm, cool, and collected as always.

A beat passed as their eyes locked, and then Sarah excused herself from the New York guy, walking over to say hello.

Ryan was on his feet before she even reached the table.  The couple he was with looked over to her with interest, but Sarah’s eyes unwittingly drifted back over him.  Neatly pressed khakis.  Casual shirt.  Muscles any woman would drool over.  The hard line of his clenched jaw made him seem like he was meeting with top military commanders, though, not saying hello to a friend.

Not that they were friends per se, but she wasn’t exactly about to demand his name, rank, and serial number either.

Ryan towered above her when she reached his table, her head only coming up to his broad shoulders.  The scent of his aftershave and soap drifted toward her, and mixed in with the salty air and ocean breeze, was an intoxicating combination.  She forced herself to look up, ignoring the heat radiating off his large frame, to meet his unreadable gaze.

Holy hell.

The man was built like a Greek God.  Broad chest. Broader shoulders. Rugged good looks that, had he been any other man, would make her want to drag him down to the beach and make out with him until dawn.

Too bad they couldn’t agree on whether the grass was green and sky was blue.

“Sarah,” he said, his voice deep.

“Enjoying the fine seafood, I see.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow.  He probably didn’t get that a lot, being some high-ranking officer at Little Creek.  God knows the guys on the team never joked with him like they did one another.  He wasn’t even around most of the time they got together off base—he probably thought it was beneath him to spend any time with them.

The couple he was with laughed at her comment and looked over, eyeing her with interest. “Hi, I’m Sarah. My brother works with Ryan.  Or for him.  Or something.”  She shrugged, glancing back at Ryan, who had somewhat of an amused expression on his face.  “Who knows exactly what they do.”

“You don’t know what Navy SEALs do?” he asked dryly.

“The whole chain of command thing.”

The woman at Ryan’s table spoke up. “I just told him earlier that I don’t understand why the rankings change between different branches of the military.”

“Right? No one does,” Sarah agreed.

“I assure you, the Navy understands,” Ryan said.

“I meant no one outside of the military.  I can’t even follow what my own brother is saying half of the time—there’s so many acronyms, strange lingo….”

She threw Ryan a questioning glance.

“Military protocol?” he added.

“Exactly. If you’re not in the military, it makes no sense.”

“I didn’t know you were in town,” Ryan said, the deep baritone of his voice doing funny things to her insides.  She looked up at him again, trying to ignore his chiseled features and the tiny crinkles around his eyes.

Because the man was impossible.

“I’m catching up with a friend,” she said, glancing back to Morgan and the group of guys at their table.  Morgan and the guy Sarah had just danced with waved.  “And Patrick and Rebecca invited me to their barbeque tomorrow.”

“Why go to a barbeque if you don’t eat meat?”

“Very funny.”

“It’s a reasonable question.” A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and Sarah could see the couple he was with whispering to one another.  Yeah, she’d never heard Ryan crack a joke either.

“Your date’s giving me the evil eye,” he said.

“Date?” Sarah scoffed.  “I just met him.  We’re having drinks.”

“You don’t think drinks count as a date?”

“Of course they could. But that,” she said, jerking her thumb toward the table she’d left, “is not a date.  I’m having dinner with Morgan and danced with one of the guys.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable.  “Is that your friend?” he asked, looking over at her table.

Sarah followed his line of vision.  “Yes, that’s Morgan.  You want me to introduce you two?  I should warn you, she doesn’t date military men anymore.”

“No, I don’t need you to introduce me,” he said, his voice gruff.  He crossed his arms, gazing down at her, and she got the impression this was how he spoke to everyone.  All business, no time for joking around.

“That’s right, I’m sure your sparkling personality wins over all the women,” she said. 

His friend guffawed from his seat.

“Waiting for your date now?” she asked innocently.

“I’m here alone.”

“Alone? What about us?” his buddy chimed in.  “I’m wounded.”

“Now you, I like,” Sarah joked.  “Ryan here never cracks a smile.”

He cleared his throat.

“Well, I should let you get back to your dinner,” she said, looking at him in confusion. “Sorry to interrupt.”

“It was no interruption,” he assured her.

“Nice to meet you,” she said to the couple.  “I should get back to my friend.” They turned to their plates and began eating their dinner as Ryan stepped closer to her.

“I’ll escort you back to your table,” he said, gesturing for her to go ahead of him.  His large hand rested on the small of her back, and she unexpectedly felt shivers race down her spine.

She could feel the heat from his touch beneath the gauzy sundress she wore, almost as if he were leaving an imprint on her skin.  That coupled with that fact that he towered above her, all beef and brawn, made her feel unexpectedly feminine.  Fragile.

Not that she wasn’t able to take care of herself.  Or that she needed a man like him.

“What? It’s right over there.  I’m perfectly capable—”

“Of course you are,” he said as they paused a few feet away, removing his hand from her back.  “I was being polite.” His lips quirked.

“Most men don’t insist on walking a woman a few feet to where she’s going.”

“I’m not most men,” he said, his voice gravel.

“Is this because of Patrick?” she asked.

“Patrick?”

“He told all those other guys on the team to watch out for me—he was only partly joking.”

“I don’t report to Patrick,” Ryan said, looking down at her with stormy gray eyes.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” she said in exasperation.  “Isn’t that like, guy code or something?  Watch out for your buddy’s younger sister?”

His jaw ticked.  Maybe insinuating he and Patrick were buddies was a big no-no?  But good Lord, he couldn’t really think she believed her brother spent every weekend with him prowling for women or something.

“Apparently not in your military chain of command, huh?”

“That’s a negative.”

“Well, anyway, thanks for walking me ten feet to my table.”

“Ma’am,” he said with a nod.  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

Sarah cocked an eyebrow.  “You’re coming to the barbeque?”

“My entire team will be there.”

“Right, I know.  I just don’t usually see you at those things.  Patrick and Rebecca host barbeques all the time.”

“I didn’t realize you were keeping track of my schedule,” he said, sounding amused.

“I wasn’t,” she said, starting to feel flustered.  “I just—never mind.”

“Sarah,” he said as she turned away.

“Yeah?”

“Those guys you’re with have been eyeing every other attractive woman in the place tonight.  Be careful.  Your friend, too.”

She blew out a sigh.  “Don’t worry.  We’re just having some fun.”

“Have a good night.”

Dismissed, she thought wryly as she turned and walked away, feeling Ryan’s eyes on her the entire way.  Why did she always feel so awkward in her own skin around that man?  It was like she couldn’t ever relax when he was nearby because he had her so on edge.  And no matter what she said, he always had an amused look on his face.  Like he’d indulge her and listen to whatever she had to say, but he didn’t actually believe a single word of it.

And what did he mean every other attractive woman?

“I thought you ditched us for that guy,” Morgan said as she got back.  Leaning over, she whispered in Sarah’s ear, “He’s hot!  Tell me you already know him and didn’t just go hit on some random stranger.”

The guys they were with spotted someone they knew on the boardwalk and stood up from the table, calling out over the railing to another man.

“He’s nobody,” Sarah muttered.

“Nobody? He walked you back over here and then watched until you sat down.”

Sarah burst out laughing.  “Give me a break.  That’s the CO of Patrick’s SEAL team—as in commanding officer.  He barely speaks to the other men off base and thinks everyone else is beneath him.”

“They are. Isn’t that how the military works?  Maybe he’s not allowed to fraternize with the others.  Besides, would you hang out with your boss after work?”

“That’s totally different.”

“Not at all,” Morgan disagreed.

“I thought you were anti-military guys.  You know ‘they’re all jerks, I’ll never date a man in uniform again,’ blah blah blah.”

“Yeah, I was,” she said.  “But that was before I saw that one.”  Morgan’s gaze flicked back in the direction of Ryan as if to exemplify her point.

“Very funny.  He’s also impossible to have a conversation with.” 

“That looked like a pretty long conversation to me.”

“Never mind Ryan.  I’ve known him for a year, and every single conversation we’ve had has ended in an argument.

“I’d be willing to argue with him for a night together,” she joked, waggling her eyebrows.

“Very funny.  Now where’d our waitress go?” Sarah asked, looking around the crowded deck.  “I need another margarita.”