Finding Kenna (SEAL Team Hawaii #3)(14)

“I’ve got it!” Kenna told her. She looked back at Aleck. “Time to get back to work.”

Aleck dropped her hand and nodded.

They smiled at each other for a moment, before Kenna spun around and headed for the kitchen.

Aleck watched her go, feeling a pang of disappointment. He supposed he would’ve felt it no matter when they parted ways. Kenna was pretty different from the women he’d dated in the past…in a very good way.

He strolled toward the bar and overheard Elodie telling the bartenders the story about what they’d done in the restroom. They all burst out laughing again.

“I’m totally gonna keep that ruse up,” the female said. “Shouldn’t be hard. And if it makes people be nicer to the waitstaff, all the better.”

Aleck couldn’t agree more. He headed for the table where his friends were sitting. He saw that Mustang had a glass of water in front of him, and assumed Midas was drinking iced tea. Jag was nursing a beer.

He pulled out a chair and sat.

“You good?” Mustang asked.

“Yup,” Aleck told him.

“How good?” Midas pressed.

“We exchanged numbers, and even though I said some stupid shit, she still wants to see me again,” Aleck said with a smile.

“Awesome. Even though I don’t believe you said anything stupid,” Jag said.

Aleck grinned ruefully. “Kenna called me a snob. And she wasn’t wrong.”

“You aren’t a snob,” Midas said in surprise.

Aleck shrugged. “I try not to be, but obviously not having to worry about money has affected me in ways I hadn’t realized.”

“But you two are cool?” Jag asked.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Jag paused, then asked, “She talk about her friend at all?”

He smirked. “You mean the cute waitress you haven’t been able to take your eyes off of all night?”

Jag shrugged.

Aleck sobered. “Just that she’s not all that keen on dating right now. I guess she’s got an asshole ex.”

“Shit,” Jag swore softly, then straightened in his chair. “Well, the only easy day was yesterday.”

Aleck rolled his eyes at the same time as Midas and Mustang. The phrase was a fairly popular SEAL saying, but he wasn’t sure it really applied to dating a gun-shy woman. Though it wasn’t as if he was an expert in relationships.

Just then, the woman in question headed for their table, and Aleck smiled when Jag sat even straighter.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Carly asked Aleck.

“Iced tea, please,” he said.

Carly smiled. “Of course.”

They all watched as she glanced briefly at Jag, blushed, then hurried away after making sure everyone else was still good with their drinks.

“She might be gun-shy,” Mustang said softly. “But she isn’t un-interested.”

“I can be patient,” Jag said, sipping his beer.

His friend’s interest in the waitress was intriguing, but Aleck’s attention was already caught by Kenna. She was welcoming a couple sitting on the other side of the bar, and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He hadn’t been this into a woman in a long while.

When she’d taken their order and headed back toward the kitchen, her gaze met his, and she smiled.

It felt good to know the attraction wasn’t one-sided.

Aleck sat back, happy to chill for as long as Elodie and Lexie wanted to stay. Even if he couldn’t talk to Kenna, it was nice to simply be in the same place as she was.





Chapter Four





Kenna felt almost giddy. She hadn’t been this excited about a guy in…

She wasn’t sure how long it had been, just that it had definitely been a while. Marshall was funny, and clearly not afraid to admit when he’d made a mistake. She’d been disappointed at the way he’d looked down on the fact that she was a professional waitress, but he’d seemed genuine with his apology.

And she couldn’t help but remember how good it felt to hold his hand. It was silly, but his thumb brushing back and forth over her knuckles had sent goose bumps racing down her arm.

She liked how close he seemed with his friends too. She wanted any man she dated to have his own interests. She’d seen how clingy Shawn was with Carly. At first it had seemed romantic that he wanted to know where she was all the time and when she’d get home. But then it had started to get…overbearing.

“So, that went well, yeah?” Carly asked when they had two minutes between orders to talk.

Kenna couldn’t keep the huge smile off her face. “Yeah, it did.”

“Good. I like seeing you happy.”

“Now, don’t go getting all crazy. We just talked for half an hour. We weren’t planning our wedding or anything,” Kenna warned her friend.

“I know, but seriously, you’re glowing,” Carly said.

“He’s a good guy. I mean, I know I don’t know him all that well yet, but he didn’t hesitate to apologize when he said something insensitive, and I honestly think he meant it.”

Carly wrinkled her nose. “Not sure it’s a good sign he’s already put his foot in his mouth,” she said.