Bodyguard SEAL (SEALs of Coronado Book 8), Paige Tyler [best classic books txt] 📗

“Come on. Time to get you inside.”

Stepping out of the SUV, he quickly walked around to open the passenger door before she could do it herself. Not only did he like being a gentleman, but he didn’t want her outside by herself with him on the other side of the vehicle. The chances of there being someone lurking around waiting for a moment like that was slim, but he wasn’t ready to take any chances.

“Stay here while I check the rest of the house,” he said once they were in the living room with the front door locked and all the first-floor lights on. The look Peyton gave him told him she didn’t think it was necessary, but she didn’t say anything as he headed up the stairs.

He checked each room quickly, slipping from Peyton’s bedroom to the guest room, workout room, then finishing up with the home office. Her laptop was exactly where she’d left it and there wasn’t any indication that anything had been touched.

As he headed down the stairs, Noah replayed the conversation he had with his mom before they left. The one where she’d once again tried her hand at playing matchmaker.

“Peyton is a very attractive woman,” his mom had pointed out while filling a plastic container with leftover chili for them. “She has a good head on her shoulders, too. You could do worse.”

Noah sighed. “That’s all true, but right now, she’s depending on me to keep her safe. That’s what I’m focused on.”

“As you should be,” his mother agreed. “But this bodyguard thing isn’t going to last forever. When she’s safe, there’s no reason you can’t continue to see her. Unless you’re worried about there being some other man in her life.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle as he took the container from his mom, wondering if she already knew the answer to that. “Peyton doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

His mother beamed. “I knew you liked her. And don’t try to deny it. If you didn’t like her, you wouldn’t bother finding out if she had a boyfriend or not. So, when this is situation is taken care of, I’ll be expecting to see you two spending time together.”

Noah had opened his mouth to tell his mother there was no reason to assume Peyton had any interest in a man whose job pulled him off to one hellhole after another with little or no warning, but before he got the words out, she walked away, leaving him with nothing to do but to shake his head in amusement at how simple she made the world out to be sometimes.

When he got downstairs, Noah found Peyton standing in the living room in the same exact spot he’d left her.

“Everything looks good,” he said.

Peyton might like to claim she wasn’t in any danger, but there was no mistaking the relief in her eyes.

“I should get to bed then,” she said. “I had a great time tonight.”

“Me, too,” he said, and realized he meant it.

Best damn date-that-wasn’t-a-date he’d ever been on.

Noah watched Peyton disappear upstairs, then took a quick walk around the property outside before coming back in to check the doors and windows. Then he grabbed his toiletry kit from his bag over behind the couch, dropped his phone, wallet, and keys on the coffee table and headed for the downstairs bathroom. Slipping inside, he left the door open just enough to be able to hear anything while he showered, then took off his clothes. He stepped into the shower just as the water turned on upstairs.

The thought of Peyton standing naked in the shower had his cock springing to attention. He groaned and reached for the all-in-one shampoo/shower gel he’d brought from home, then squeezed some into his hand and lathered it fiercely into his hair, hoping it would get the image of a very sexy, very naked Peyton out of his head.

It didn’t help.

As the suds ran down his chest, he imagined Peyton standing in the shower with him so close they were almost touching. He pictured her creamy skin slick with water, her nipples peeking out through the soap bubbles. In his mind’s eye, he cupped her breasts, wiping the foam away with his thumbs and revealing the rosy tips underneath to give them a squeeze. In the fantasy, his hands moved downward, gliding over her hips and around to cup that perfect butt so he could get a grip and pull her against him. From there, he could do so many things.

He could slip one hand between her legs and caress her until she screamed his name. Or he could lift her up and plunge inside her while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Or he could turn her around and bend her over just enough to take her from behind.

The possibilities were limited only by his imagination, and while he might not be a writer, he had a very good imagination when it came to making love to beautiful women.

His shaft throbbed between his legs, sending a tremor through him.

Noah cursed and rinsed the last of the soap away, then turned off the hot water and turned on the cold full force, gritting his teeth as the icy spray washed over his body.

An hour ago, he’d been telling his mother he couldn’t think about anything but keeping Peyton safe. So why was he torturing himself with fantasies of something he couldn’t have? Maybe because he was a glutton for punishment.

Turning off the water, he climbed out of the shower and grabbed a towel from the rack. He dried off, then wrapped the towel around his waist and pushed open the partially closed door only to walk right into Peyton when he stepped into the hallway. She was wearing a tiny pair of shorts and a tank top that cupped her breasts the same way he’d imagined his hands doing earlier. He swallowed hard and tried not to look at all that expanse of