SEAL's Embrace Read Free

for you. I know because I watched him.”
    Erin didn’t want to hear it. Everything Tracy was saying only made it that much harder for her to resist the man, and she was teetering on the brink as it was. “Why were you watching? Are you interested in the SEAL?”
    She shrugged. “He’s got a great body and it doesn’t hurt to look. But no, I’m not interested.” Tracy’s shoulders relaxed and she gave Erin a soft smile. “You should give him a chance. Not all men are dicks.”
    Erin snorted. “Right, from the woman who has ‘Back Off!’ tattooed across her forehead whenever a man comes near. What about the SEAL they call Irish? He seems to have taken a fancy to you.”
    Tracy crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not ready to start something new. My divorce was only final two months ago. And this conversation isn’t about me.”
    “No, and I’m sorry. At least I wasn’t married to Matt when he cheated on me.”
    Tracy’s lips tightened and she twisted an imaginary ring around her finger as if the weight of her wedding ring was still there. “Yeah, you were lucky to dodge that bullet. Divorce is expensive and emotionally draining.” The nurse pushed back her shoulders. “So, what are you doing about this attraction you’re feeling?”
    Fighting it with every fiber of my being and losing terribly. With a weak smile, Erin raised her hands, palms up. “Nothing. I rotate out of here in two months. I’m thinking of resigning my commission and finding a job at a clinic somewhere in Virginia.”
    “And give up flying as part of the team?” Tracy wrapped her arms around Erin and gave her a big hug. “You should give yourself a chance at love, sweetie.”
    “But I can’t see that happening if I’m always flying somewhere. I want to find a man whose feet are firmly on the ground and who isn’t gallivanting around the world.”
    “Picking up a girl at each stop?”
    Erin nodded. “Exactly.”
    “I hear ya, girl.” Tracy hugged her again. “In the meantime, a woman has needs. What are you doing about those?”
    “I packed my vibrator. And extra batteries. That will be more than enough.”
    “Uh huh. Right.” Tracy’s lips quirked. “My vibrator is the single most-used appliance I have and it still isn’t enough. If only men were as reliable as a vibrator. All I have to do is keep new batteries around. The silver bullet goes with me everywhere. But it’s not warm and doesn’t have arms that can wrap around me.”
    “That’s perhaps the one thing I miss most about Matt. He was okay in bed. Nothing to get excited about. And a warm body beats a cold vibrator any day.”
    Tracy sighed. “Maintaining a relationship when we’re deployed as often as we are is too hard.”
    “I know. And only a special man will accept that you’ll be gone.”
    “Tell me about it. A man who isn’t afraid of a woman in uniform. One who is loyal to a fault and always glad to see you when you get home.”
    Shaking her head, Erin laughed. “We’d probably be better off getting a dog.”
    “See? It’s not just me.”
    “I know. I’m the pot calling the kettle black.”
    Tracy’s brows furrowed. “Aren’t you on call tonight?”
    “I am.”
    A frown wrinkled her forehead and her friend crossed her arms over her chest. “Then why aren’t you sleeping?”
    “My building is too hot. I can’t sleep.”
    “Well, things are slowing down now and we don’t need you on the floor, so get out of here and sleep.”
    “Why? It’s not like we’ll be going up. Things have been pretty quiet lately.”
    Tracy squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, baby, I hope you didn’t just jinx us.” She glanced around for a wood surface and knocked on it. “Last time you bet we wouldn’t get hit by casualties, we had a mass casualty event when that suicide bomber struck in town.”
    “Sorry.” Erin grimaced. “I don’t wish disaster on anyone. The best nights on call are those where we sleep all the way through the shift.”