They parted slightly as he gazed at them.
“No, she lives a few hours away,” Troy said, trying to get his mind back on track. “I did call a tow truck for her though. I didn’t want her stranded on the side of the road. If I could’ve gotten to her quickly I would’ve, but it was faster just to arrange for someone to help her.”
“Of course,” she agreed. “And honestly? Your date sounds a little obnoxious. You’re better off without her.”
Troy snorted. “Yeah, I found that out the hard way. We’d only gone out a few times. But I got my sister taken care of and that was that. And as you guessed, I am a SEAL. We deploy frequently sometimes, which can make things tough for dating. I’ll be getting to know a woman and then have to disappear.”
“I’m guessing that doesn’t usually go over very well.”
“Have you dated a guy in the military before?” he asked.
“Only briefly,” she admitted.
“And he’s the one who made you think you were having bad luck with men.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. Sort of.”
“He sounds like a jackass.”
She burst into laughter, looking back at him again. Even though Troy was annoyed at whatever the guy had done, he liked seeing the smile on her face. “I haven’t told you anything about him,” she said.
“Well, yeah, but you’re sweet. If he treated you badly, that’s on him. I was serious about dinner though—I’d love to take you out one night. What do you say?”
“Why don’t you give me your number.”
Troy raised his eyebrows.
“What? I don’t really like giving my number out to guys I’ve just met.”
“Fair enough,” he said. Troy watched in fascination as she pulled a cell phone out from the pocket of her sundress. He didn’t even think women’s dresses usually had pockets. She swiped the screen, suddenly all business, and his lips quirked. If she was an event planner, she probably liked being the one to be in charge of making plans. She’d call him when she was ready. Hopefully.
He recited his cell number to her, watching as she keyed it in. Usually, he’d text a woman right away so that she had his number as well, but she just stuck her phone back in her pocket without doing so. Wincing slightly, she adjusted her leg.
“Your leg still hurts,” he said with a frown, not liking to see her in pain.
“Yeah, I better get going. The beach is beautiful, but after walking around all afternoon, I think a sofa is calling my name.”
“I’ll help you to your car,” he said, grabbing the crutches from where he’d stashed them and standing. He held out a hand, pleased when she took his. Once again, he swore electricity coursed through him at her touch. It was crazy as hell. He’d known her all of twenty minutes. She wobbled on one foot, and without thinking, he released her hand, wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her up the final step and placing her down on the boardwalk, facing away from the beach so she could walk in the right direction.
She gasped as his chest brushed against her back, but he released her as he quickly grabbed the crutches again and handed them to her. “Are you okay to walk to the parking lot?” He looked down at her, loving how she only came up to his shoulder. He’d always been attracted to petite women, and in a span of mere minutes, he’d literally been carrying her around and had his hands wrapped around her slender waist.
Her hair blew in the breeze, tickling his bare forearm. Hell. He’d love to have her in bed astride him, riding his cock while that red hair cascaded around her. He caught a whiff of her vanilla cupcake scent again, and he swore his cock twitched.
Clenching his jaw, his gaze scanned the area out of habit. It was unlikely there were any threats here at the beach. That didn’t stop his instinctive need to be on alert. Plus, it distracted him from the way he couldn’t seem to stop thinking with his dick when it came to her. His body reacted to her on a primal level. He wasn’t about to sleep with her though. Besides, she was injured. She needed to go home and rest. He wouldn’t exactly mind being the one to pamper her and tend to her needs, but hell. She wasn’t about to invite a strange man home.
“Yes, I can make it as long as we go slowly. You can’t carry me everywhere.”
“Well, I could,” he chuckled.
Smiling, she shook her head and slowly began moving back down the boardwalk toward the parking lot. Troy wondered if his buddies thought he was leaving with her. That might’ve worked for some of the women he’d met in bars over the years, but this girl was different. Cautious. And he wasn’t really into one-night-stands anymore. He loved taking a woman to dinner, bringing her flowers, and getting to know her before stripping her down and exploring every square inch of her body.
He’d fizzled out with the last few women he’d dated, but damn. That hadn’t stopped him from chasing after this pretty girl tonight.
The ocean breeze blew the redhead’s sundress, and he tried to ignore the swirling of fabric around her legs. She didn’t even seem to realize how damn beautiful she was. Shaking his head, he hurried to catch up to her.
“When do you get your cast off?” he asked, slowing his long stride to match hers.
“Next week. I broke my ankle tripping over a dog’s leash, as silly as that sounds. I got tangled in it, tripped, and stepped off the curb wrong. I’ve been stuck
