Coming Undone. Stephanie Tyler

mood for some sugar.”

       3

       SUGAR HAD BEEN THE first thing on his mind, too. Maybe that could finally put some of the pieces of this puzzle together.

      Maybe he could get Carly to reveal more of her fantasy, although he’d finished it off a dozen different ways in his mind already.

      It had been a long drive, and the steady hum of the bike vibrating between his legs made the highway one long pre-orgasmic stretch.

      Now, he forced himself to tamp down the enthusiastic buzz as he sat across the table from Sheila and Carl Winters. He’d recognized their names immediately when he’d seen them on the list. They were upper high society in the small Vero Beach community, always making the papers for one thing or another.

      Carly Winters was one interesting lady even without the fax. And, from the strained look on her face, he had to guess that the erotic fax thing wouldn’t go over well with this set.

      How he’d suddenly become the long-lost boyfriend was anybody’s guess.

      “So Hunt, are you a Marine?”

      He fought the urge to yell, hell no, and instead said calmly, “No, ma’am. I’m a Navy SEAL.”

      “Would you mind my asking what a SEAL is?”

      He smiled at Sheila Winters, because at least that answer was easy. “We’re part of the Special Operations division. SEAL is an acronym for sea, air and land. Although we’re primarily known for our water ability we can pretty much handle any assignment, regardless of the terrain. We’re Navy and we work in small teams.”

      “So you’ve probably traveled all over the world.”

       To crapholes you haven’t even dreamed of visiting. “Yes, ma’am, although I can’t say much more than that. All of our missions are classified.”

      “Well, is how you and Carly met classified information?” Sheila asked him, a tiny smile on her face. From behind her parents, Carly smirked at him as she brought the coconut cake to the table in the center of the large kitchen.

      He raised his eyebrows and she jumped in hurriedly. “At the beach. We met at the beach.”

      Safe enough answer. Safer than the truth, and he could work with it.

      “Was it at one of her competitions?” Carl Winters asked.

      “Oh, Carl, please. Do we have to discuss that? I’m so happy she’s not doing that surfing thing anymore. I was always so worried about her.”

      He’d seen two longboards propped up outside the house. And suddenly, he remembered where he’d seen Carly Winters. The local paper had run a lengthy article on her a few months back when he’d been in town for training and when she’d retired her pro-surfing status.

      Wow. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see her in action,” he said, watching the blush spread across her cheeks again. He could think of a lot better ways to make her blush.

      “She had a good career,” Carl said. “I have some old tapes I could lend you that show her competing.”

      “That’d be great. From what I hear, she was amazing to watch.”

      Carly threw him a strange look, somewhere between appreciation and pain. He pictured her in a bikini, riding the hell out of a wave along the swells of the ocean. Had to be a thing of beauty.

      A SEAL and a surfer. There were worse combinations, and this particular one could prove to be a hell of a ride.

      “She was a wonderful surfer,” Carl agreed.

      Sheila changed the subject with a wave of her hand to her husband. “So, how long have you two been seeing each other?”

      “Six months,” Hunt answered, figuring a nice, even number was the way to go. Besides, if he’d guessed wrong, it would be okay. Guys were supposed to screw up stuff like anniversaries and birthdays.

      “So you met before she moved back here, then.”

       Ah, screwed that one up. Still, he nodded, mind firmly set in interrogation mode. They didn’t need to know he wasn’t permanently stationed around here.

      “Yes. He was training in Hawaii,” Carly said. And that made sense. Surfing. Hawaii.

      “And you’ve been traveling, Carolyn tells us,” Sheila Winters continued.

      Sounds about right…. “Yes. I’ve been overseas, so I’m looking forward to spending more time with Carly.” Where was this stuff coming from? Maybe he had an acting career after his SEAL stint?

      “And he’s back just in time for the wedding,” Carly added.

      Whoa. Wedding? Hell, he’d do anything for his country, and obviously a lot to help out and help himself to a beautiful stranger, but no how, no way was he getting roped into marriage. Suddenly, the kitchen shrank to the size of a cell and a strong survival urge kicked in. He was telling himself to get out, hit the open road and rock on.

      Although the thought of tossing the surfer over his shoulder, before giving her parents the peace out, didn’t seem too bad.

      

      THE WEDDING QUESTION HAD stopped him cold. Nice to know the thought of commitment could bring even a tough-guy, Navy SEAL to his knees.

      Carly should’ve let him choke, but she needed him. This had gone too far, and she didn’t want to look like a bigger fool than she already was. “You remember, I told you my sister’s getting married, right?” She gave him a look with a raise of her eyebrows as she slid the plate in front of him. “The wedding’s in two weeks.”

      “Right. I must’ve forgotten,” he said, and took a bite of the cake.

      “I’m sure you had many other things on your mind while you were away.” Her mother took a demure sip of coffee and pushed her cake away after only a cursory bite.

      This was a way for Carly to get her parents off her back. She could show up at the wedding alone, claim a last minute breakup. By then, it would be too late to pair her with Evan, and hopefully, he’d have his own date.

      “There’s a party we’re throwing next week, and then there’s the rehearsal dinner, too. I need to tell the chef if we’re expecting another person, you understand,” her mother explained.

      This wasn’t happening. There wasn’t enough coconut therapy in the world to help Carly now.

      “Yes, I do.” Hunt finished his piece of cake and slung an arm around her shoulders. His closeness was comforting, like a protective shield. “I’m actually on partial duty for the next month, so my schedule’s pretty light.”

      And it was getting worse by the second, like a complete train wreck she couldn’t do a thing to stop. Like it was happening in somebody else’s life, not hers, and she’d wake up to find out this was all a strange dream. A strange dream that included a dark blond, green-eyed, handsome man, who made her toes curl every time she looked at him.

      She crossed her arms in front of her and he looked at her as if he could read her mind.

      Then again, he didn’t need to. She’d written it all out on paper.

      “So you’re coming to the wedding, then?” her mother repeated.

      “Wouldn’t miss it. I don’t like disappointing Carly,” Hunt said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.

      She could imagine what was going through her mother’s mind right now. Organizing a charity event for the military was one thing, but having her eldest daughter bring a Navy SEAL to a family wedding was quite another, especially when said daughter was supposed to have her hand spoken for.

      It almost made up for the fact that later on, Carly would have to explain this whole thing to Hunt. She was going to owe him big-time, and she had