The Navy SEAL's Bride Read Free

into a man he’d never wanted to become.
    Never leave a man behind. That was their motto, words that were so true to him they were like the beat of his own heart.
    And not only had he been forced to leave one of their own behind, he’d left his career behind, too. Because he’d put himself in the line of fire and it was a risk he should never have taken. Something he’d pay for for the rest of his life.
    The acrid smell swirled around him, made him drift back to consciousness. He tried to lift his head, tried to shake it, wanted to know why there was a high-pitched scream echoing through his head.
    His hand shook, but his head wouldn’t move. When it did, when he regained control of his body, what he saw made him wish he’d stopped breathing and never had to witness the carnage that surrounded him.
    Tom shuddered.
    He hated the word hero more than a tomboy hated a dress.
    Even when it came from the lips of a woman so beautiful, so obviously genuine and all things good.
    Tom whirled around and stormed down the hallway, back the way he’d come in. Right now, he had to get back to work. Had to do something . Because the busier he kept himself, the easier it was to forget.

CHAPTER TWO
    C AITLIN stretched, watching herself in the mirror as she went through her routine. The movements were as natural to her as walking, but she never tired of them. In less than ten minutes her class would arrive, tiny girls full of chatter and squeals, but for now the studio was quiet and she could indulge in a moment of silence.
    There had been a time when she’d imagined ballet would be her life, but now it was like a long-lost love. Movements her muscles would never forget, a craft she’d always respect for the self-discipline it had taught her.
    “Sorry we’re a little early.”
    Caitlin turned, her stretches forgotten. A mom was standing with her perfectly attired daughter beside her. “No problem, I was only warming up.”
    She ushered her student in and took a deep breath as she glanced out the window and saw the other cars pulling up. But the outline of one parent made her fingers curl around the blind, holding it in place so she could keep watching the road.
    Only he wasn’t technically a parent.
    Mr. Navy SEAL himself was leaning against the hood of a large 4x4. Long denim-clad legs stretched out, arms folded to show off golden skin and eye-raising biceps protruding from a crisp white T-shirt. She could see Gabby jumping up and down, holding hands with a little friend.
    Caitlin let the blind go and stepped back. What the hell was she doing ogling him?
    “Miss Rose?”
    A shy voice made her turn, distracted her, but her eyes were still begging to flick back to the window, no matter how much her brain tried to argue.
    “Miss Rose?”
    “Two minutes class, then we’ll start,” she instructed, beaming smile locked in place as she addressed the girls. “You may start your stretches.”
    Caitlin surveyed the room and touched a child on the back as she passed, trying to keep herself busy. She didn’t know why she was giving the man even a second thought, but something about him was pulling her like a magnet to metal. The flicker of kindness in his eye when he looked at his niece, the determined fix of his jaw as he’d stood listening in class today.
    But there was a very valid reason she didn’t date tough guys, and he definitely fell into that category. Because she knew firsthand that physical strength didn’t necessarily mean the guy was built only to protect you. She’d already learned that the hard way.
    * * *
    Tom ran his hands over his hair, still surprised to feel the length of it. He’d always kept it close to buzzed off, but now that he wasn’t on active duty, he’d let it grow out.
    “Are you going to stay?” Gabby’s face was turned up to him.
    He dropped his hand to her hair, stroking her forehead with his thumb. “Sure thing, kiddo.”
    She skipped off and into the building, and Tom was left walking on