Read Online The Navy SEAL's Bride by Soraya Lane - Free Book Online Page B

that kind of purpose, in forever. Since his high-school sweetheart, in fact.
    “What about Lucy?” Her eyebrows suddenly shot up.
    “Sweetheart, I think Lucy can handle herself,” Tom said, shaking his head at how sweet she was. At how genuinely in the dark she was about how sexy she’d been before and what all the guys in the bar had no doubt thought of her.
    Caitlin pulled her hands away and leaned into him, fell against his shoulder so quickly he didn’t see it coming. “I don’t feel so good.”
    He braced her with one hand as he stood, before pulling her up with him. “I’m gonna get you a coffee then take you home, okay?”
    She nodded, leaning into him, heavier than before. “You’ll look after me, right? Please look after me, Tom.”
    Tom squeezed her shoulder, resisting the urge to drop a kiss to her inky-dark hair. It seemed like the natural thing to do, the right thing, but he knew it wasn’t.
    She was a sweet girl. His niece’s teacher. That was all. And for some reason she was bringing out the primal, manly desire in him to protect and serve.
    “I’ll always look after you, don’t worry.” He was only glad she was asking him that and not some other guy in the bar.
    “Always?” she asked, eyes swimming.
    Tom gulped. That had come out all wrong. “How do you take your coffee?” he asked, changing the subject.
    “Hot chocolate,” she murmured, tucking in closer to him and wrapping one arm around his waist as if she had no intention of ever letting him go. “I need chocolate.”
    And I need you.
    He’d wanted to fight it. Had told himself he was only meeting her tomorrow because he had to make up for being rude at her place. But he was lying.
    He wanted to see this girl again because she was the kind of girl he’d always imagined a life with. The kind of girl who made him want to take her home to meet his mom. The kind of girl who deserved to be cared for and protected, to be kept from harm and carefully nurtured.
    The kind of girl he’d once hoped to marry.
    He stopped resisting her and tucked her firmly to his side. It was only one night. Nothing was going to happen. She was drunk and he was going to take her home. He could fight his feelings for her tomorrow.
    “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go,” Tom said, waving to his buddies and receiving a whoop from the group in reply. Caitlin’s friend was there and she raised her eyebrows and laughed.
    He looked down at Caitlin wrapped around him, cuddled close.
    Tom gulped.
    She was the kind of girl he wanted to call his sweetheart, that’s what she was.
    Tom drew her closer again as they walked toward his car, ignoring the cool night air and wanting to keep her warm. He opened his car by remote and kept Caitlin by his side.
    Thank goodness he’d nursed that one beer for so long. Tonight was one night he was sure glad he could drive.
    * * *
    “Come on, let’s get you into bed.”
    Caitlin laughed. Tom had to remind himself that she was drunk. Not just mildly drunk or a little tipsy, but in the kind of state he hated to see a woman in, out on her own.
    Sure, she’d been with a girlfriend, but it still worried him.
    If they’d been out together and she’d drunk too much, it wouldn’t have mattered, because he’d have protected her. But he didn’t want to imagine who could have taken advantage of her with so many men openly leering at her earlier on.
    “Are you getting into bed with me?” she asked, still giggling to herself.
    Tom sighed. Thinking about her and bed in the same context was not something he wanted to do. Especially not when she was tucked so close to his body again.
    “Is it down here?” he asked, leaving her keys on the counter and guiding her down the hall. “I’m going to lay you down then lock up the house, okay?”
    She leaned into him before steering them both through a door and flopping down onto the bed.
    “The room is spinning. Tom, why is the room moving so fast?” she asked, one hand flung over her