Her One Best SEAL (ASSIGNMENT: Caribbean Nights Book 6) by Anne Marsh Page A

nothing could be further from the truth. The only two people dating are Finn and Vali, and in their case it’s really just a euphemism for having wild hot monkey sex . Okay. They also have a relationship. Never thought I’d see our resident bad boy fall hard for a woman, but Finn has. He’s ready to seal the deal, waltz his girl to the altar, and make her a Mrs.
    I gesture toward Ava. She does look smoking hot, but I’m still one hundred percent certain she’d kick my ass. “You wanna date her?”
    Ro’s a closed book when it comes to women. He’ll flirt in a solemn, kind of reserved way and he’s always good for a round of drinks, but I can’t remember the last time I saw him go home with a girl. Maybe this has something to do with his I was married once speech that he gave Finn when Finn bet Xander Reeves that Finn could stay celibate for a month. Hell, maybe Ro should date Ava. She could get him a discount on family legal services. Win-win.
    Ro flicks me a glance I can’t quite interpret. “Ava and I are friends. In her own words, I’m her bonus brother .”
    Okay, then. No dating.
    And then Ava sits down like a queen ascending her throne, and I get my first clear shot at Marlee. She’s wearing one of those long, slightly floaty dresses that women always seem to choose when the weather really starts heating up. Acres of flowers billow around her legs as she moves closer. The dress isn’t entirely sack-like nor does it actually succeed in covering every bare inch of skin—it cinches in at her waist and the slit up the side flashes her knee and a few inches of thigh when she walks. The top is an off-the-shoulder number that makes me wonder if she’s wearing one of those strapless bras that scoop tits up like ice cream in a cone or if she’s bare beneath all that material. When she sees me, though, I forget about what she is or isn’t wearing, because her lips are smiling at me and the smile extends all the way to her eyes. It’s a private, sexy, I-know-a-secret smile and it’s just for me. Winner.
    It’s not like I haven’t looked at Marlee before. Because I absolutely have. But I’m shallow, and I’ve always noticed her gorgeous face and her curvy body. The outside stuff. The wrapping paper on my Christmas present. Now that we’ve been spending time together, it’s like I’ve had a chance to shake the box. Christmas may still be far off, but I’m certain I’m gonna like what I find inside.
    Ava leans forward, blocking my view with a smoothly worded, “Gentlemen.”
    In addition to Ava’s shark-like propensities, I’m not entirely certain she likes me. At all. She’s eyeing me now like she knows I’ve been checking out her friend—and is debating whether or not she should take action. I’m actually okay with these bloodthirsty sentiments. Ava has Marlee’s back, and I can respect that.
    Also? I can lean back in my seat and see Marlee just fine. Even better? We’re short a seat. And since I’m a total gentleman tonight, I don’t pat my legs and offer Marlee a seat. Nope. I launch myself out of the chair and insist she take my spot. Ro and Finn stare at me, speculation written all over their suspicious pusses. Pretty sure Vali’s laughing at me, too.
    Marlee frowns and scans the bar, like another seat is going to miraculously materialize on a Friday night. She’s clearly been hanging out with the wrong kind of guys.
    “Sit,” I tell her and then realize my mistake when Finn busts out laughing. Asshole. I’ve used the same tone of voice with Marlee that I do with the dogs.
    Fortunately, she’s a good sport. She laughs, but she comes over anyhow. A little cloud of perfume follows her. I’m not generally one for perfume. I like smelling good things as much as the next SEAL, my appreciation honed by inhaling too much crap in too many foxholes. Nothing smells ranker than a SEAL in a South American jungle after a week. I generally prefer smelling things like bacon, however. Or cookies.