Finding Kenna (SEAL Team Hawaii #3)(33)

“You look amazing,” Marshall said quietly.

“Thanks.” Kenna didn’t think she was wearing anything special. She had on a brightly colored cover-up dress that went down to her knees. It was black with huge purple and yellow hibiscus flowers. It was gaudy, but when she’d seen it in one of the iconic ABC Stores in Waikiki, she couldn’t resist.

“I haven’t seen you in a dress yet,” Marshall told her.

“It’s not really a dress,” Kenna admitted. “Just something to wear over my bathing suit.”

“Please tell me you’re wearing a bikini,” Marshall said with a twinkle in his eye.

Kenna rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy.”

“Yup, I sure am,” he agreed.

“I don’t own a bikini. I’m fairly confident with how I look, but I’m just more comfortable in a one-piece.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Marshall reassured her. “Remember, I’ve seen you in nothing but a sports bra and shorts when you jumped on top of me.”

“Don’t remind me,” Kenna groaned, wrinkling her nose. “And I didn’t jump on you.”

Marshall’s hand came up and he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek before moving his hand to the nape of her neck.

Goose bumps broke out on her arms, and of course he noticed.

“You like when I hold you like this?” he asked.

Kenna nodded. “It’s been a while since anyone’s really touched me. If you grabbed me and hauled me around, I’d hate it. But you touch with me with the perfect mix of assertiveness and gentleness.”

“You don’t like anything I do, all you have to do is say so. Or push me away or something,” Marshall told her. “And I love touching you. I feel as if it’s my reward for getting through the week without seeing you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed talking to you and getting to know you. But I’ve missed this…being with you in person.”

“This is only our second date.” Kenna felt obligated to point out, even though she felt exactly the same way he was describing.

“So?” he said. “I know you, Kenna Madigan. And I more than like what I’ve learned about you. Being with you is icing on the cake.”

“Shit, you’re being too nice. You need to stop,” Kenna begged.

“Nope. No can do,” Marshall said with a smile. “And, by the way, you’re right.”

“About what?”

“This is the most amazing beanbag I’ve ever sat in, and now I want to order one for myself.”

“They’re super expensive,” Kenna told him. “How about you borrow mine whenever the mood hits?”

“Every night?” he asked.

Kenna couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not, and decided he had to be. His nickname was short for smart aleck, after all. “Sure. You can just move on in and take up residence in my beanbag,” she joked.

He didn’t respond, but his thumb swept back and forth over the sensitive skin of her neck as he stared at her.

“I do have to warn you, it’s tough to get out of,” she said.

Marshall licked his lips, and suddenly Kenna had no desire to go anywhere. She took the initiative and leaned toward him, feeling his hand tighten subtly on the back of her neck as she moved.

How long they made out in her beanbag, Kenna had no idea. All she knew was that his hand had moved under her cover-up to her bare thigh. Her own hand had snaked under his T-shirt. He was nothing but rock-hard muscles, and she felt extremely powerful when he inhaled sharply as her hand brushed against his nipple.

He pulled back and took a deep breath in through his nose before saying, “Holy shit, woman.”

Kenna smiled. She could still taste him on her lips, and she really, really wanted more. But she was aware that this was technically only their second date. She wasn’t ashamed of her sexuality; she was more afraid she’d fall head over heels for him, then find out something about him that she couldn’t live with…thus breaking her heart.

“This beanbag is lethal,” he quipped.

“Right?” she replied.

“Come on, we need to get up before I cross a line I swore I wouldn’t cross today.”

Kenna tilted her head as she stared at him. “Oh?”

“Yeah. I want you, Kenna. I don’t think that’s any surprise,” he said, nodding down his body toward his erect cock. She hadn’t missed it but was trying to do the polite thing by not staring.

“But I also want to spend more time with you before rushing our physical relationship.”

Aaaaand, there he went again, being considerate and irresistible. “Tell me something negative about you,” she blurted.

Marshall smiled as if he could read her mind. “I drink straight from the carton. Milk, orange juice, soda…you name it,” he said without hesitation. “You?”

Kenna smiled. That was gross, but she could probably live with it. It wasn’t as if they weren’t swapping spit already. “I hate doing dishes and usually let them pile up until I literally can’t do anything in the sink, so I have to give in and do them.”

“I have a dishwasher,” he told her.

“La-dee-da,” she singsonged.