A SEAL's Kiss

“So you wouldn’t actually want to marry me, but you don’t want anyone to think you’d fake our engagement?” she clarified.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t want to marry you,” he corrected, pushing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. His brow furrowed, a frustrated look in his eyes as he shrugged. “But wanting something doesn’t mean you should do it. That’s kindergarten one-oh-one.”

“I must have napped through that lesson.” Her own more casual shrug shifted the loose fabric of her dress so it slid down one shoulder.

Something flashed in his eyes as his gaze followed the silk’s slide. Something hot and wild and edgy enough to make Sage’s nerves tighten and heat swirl low in her belly. Then he blinked and the look was gone, leaving Sage wondering if celibacy was causing her to hallucinate.

The hot warmth between her thighs and the delicious tightening of her nipples weren’t just her imagination, though.

“So marrying me wouldn’t be so bad?” she teased, her words low and husky, a hint of flirty enticement in her smile.

“Of course it would.”

Huh?

“You said...” The words trailed off as she shook her head. Debating her many failings in his eyes wasn’t going to help them comfort her father. “Forget it. You were outlining the mission rules. Go ahead.”

“Okay,” he said, his gaze narrowed as if he were checking something off his mental list. He gave a short nod before continuing. “Rule three, the mission time frame is completely dependent on the health of the Professor. The mission is not complete until his health is completely recovered, or, well, until it’s no longer necessary.”

Nausea swam through Sage’s belly at his hesitation. Unwilling to acknowledge it, she tilted her head to the side, focusing instead on the way his shirt emphasized his biceps. Tight, hard round muscles that made her mouth water. That, she decided, was a much more enticing focal point.

“That means we’re both fully committed, Sage,” he said, his tone making it clear he didn’t think she was hearing him. Since he might have already recited the Gettysburg Address for all she knew, he had a good point.

“Fine, yes,” she agreed quickly. “We’re fully committed.”

“This might not be accomplished in one leave, or this month. Or even this year. I have to go back on duty, and you’re going to be, well, wherever you’re going to be.”

“Here,” she decided then and there. “I’m here until my dad is well again.”

“All the more reason to make sure you’re following rule three then.”

“Fully committed?”

“That means you’re pretending you’re engaged.” He paused, giving her an arch look. She was pretty sure she knew where he was going, but decided it would be more fun to make him spell it out. So she offered a blank look of confusion, adding a flutter of her lashes for good measure.

“I know this is going to be hard for you, but unless you can handle it, we might as well find an alternative now.”

Not so amused any longer, she ceased fluttering.

“Handle...what?” Hard and handling were giving her a lot of ideas.

“You have to be able to commit to keeping to the spirit of this engagement for the duration. That means no sex. You can’t keep bouncing from guy to guy.”

Bouncing? Sage was tempted to inform him that she was going on eight months with no sex and managing fine. But that wasn’t the kind of thing a girl wanted to admit to a guy who was currently making her wonder how many licks of his tongue it would take to get her off.

At least, not until they’d spent a little more time together, and she’d figured out what it was about Aiden that was suddenly making her hot and crazy.

“I promise, any sex I have will be within the accepted confines of our engagement,” she swore, one hand in the air.

“That’d be rule four,” he said quickly. “No sex.”

“I just said I wasn’t going to cheat on you. Even if the cheating was really fake.”

“I mean no sex between us.”