Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) by Kimberley Troutte

swimming for it. Her thin arms thrashed through the water like some psycho windmill.
    He picked up speed.
    “Charlie, what’s going on out there?” Mack’s voice came through his comm unit. “Are you bringing her in, or what?”
    “Working on it.”
    “Work faster. Triad speedboats are circling. They must know she’s off the yacht,” Mack growled.
    “Copy, that.”
    He caught up with her and spun her to face him. Shock widened her pretty eyes. She had to listen to him now. Members of the Triad 14K were searching the waters for them. It was time to dive. So when she tried to yell for help, he did the only thing he could do short of rendering her unconscious and dragging her limp body through the water. He kissed her. Hard.
    His body temperature ran naturally hot and her cool slick lips felt good, too good. He ran his tongue along those lips, experimenting, tasting. He expected to get a slap or another boot to the testicles. What he didn’t expect was Amber opening up, letting his tongue rush in. She stopped treading water and wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on. Letting go.
    She kissed like a woman who hadn’t been properly satisfied in months. He filed that intel in the important data folder. Since he hadn’t been with a woman for…well, Willy would call it infinity…maybe he and Amber could come to terms. Pleasurable terms.
    She broke the kiss, but didn’t let go. “What’re you doing?”
    “Sweetheart, if you don’t know, I must not be doing it right. Let me try again.”
    He’d try all day, if she’d let him. She tasted sweet and felt good in his arms.
    Her mouth opened as if she wanted to tell him to go to hell, but her eyes registered desire, and need. She couldn’t keep her gaze off his lips. Her cool cheeks flushed. The signs were promising.
    “Trust me,” he said softly.
    “I don’t know you.”
    “I’m working on that.” He grinned. “Come on, give a guy a chance.”
    Something flashed across her face. Astonishment?
    “You’re…” She shook her head and water danced off her long lashes. “Impossible.”
    “So I’ve been told.” He moved slowly, waiting for her to react, but she didn’t stop him. When he gently placed his lips on hers, she seemed to melt in his embrace. Maybe she’d wanted a man to come along and take control of her screwed up situation. He could be that guy.
    “Charlie?” Mack’s voice droned through the comm unit. “Stop screwing around and—“
    Charlie yanked the ear bud out of his ear. He had a few seconds. If the speedboats came back, he and Amber would dive out of sight. For the first time in months, he wanted to stop the world and simply enjoy kissing a beautiful woman. What a kisser she was. Where had she been all his life? She’d worked him up into a serious hard-on. He was relieved her karate kick hadn’t busted anything valuable.
    The part of his brain that wasn’t focusing on the sheer wonder of Amber, worked out the details of how to save her life. The first dilemma—she was far too buoyant. It would be hard to force her to dive with him if she didn’t want to go, damned impossible when she was bobbing like a buoy. He had to strip the life vest off her. Would she let him?
    Only one way to find out…
    “I’m a Navy SEAL. Your dad sent us to protect you. Keep you safe.” He unfastened her life vest. “Do you believe me?”
    “This is all pretty crazy. You here, showing up now, when I’m running for my life. But I want to believe you.”
    “That’s a start. Let’s remove this vest. You are far too buoyant and you don’t need it. Where’d you learn to swim like that?” He unzipped the life vest.
    She let him take it off her. “High school swim team. Now what happens?”
    “We’re getting out of here, but first, put your hands on my shoulders.” Treading water for the both of them, he combed his fingers through her wet hair and kissed her again. He wanted, no he needed, her to trust him.
    He’d get her out of there.