He let go of Riley’s hand and put his arm around her shoulder. “Everyone, this is Dr. Riley Austin. She’s already met the team and is friends with Maria, so I’ll just introduce the rest of you gorgeous ladies.”
“My cat loves her,” Maria said.
“Then that’s good enough for me,” Dani Kincaid chimed in.
“Riley, meet Dani Kincaid. Sitting next to her is Sugar Turner, Jamie’s wife.”
Sugar waved. “I’m pregnant.” She patted her rounded stomach.
Riley laughed. “I can see that.”
“Well, I meant that if I go into labor, it’s good to have a doctor around.” She glanced at her husband. “I don’t think I’m fixin’ to, honey, so get that worried look off your face.”
Sugar was as southern as they came, and her accent with those drawn-out words was cute. “Ah, Riley’s a veterinarian.” Cody was positive Sugar already knew that because he was certain that everyone had been told about Riley by now. In her own way, though, she had put Riley at ease, and he liked Sugar for that.
“True,” Riley said, “but I’ve delivered scads of kittens and puppies, so I’m sure I could figure out how to deliver a baby if it comes to that.”
Jamie snorted. “She’s got two months to go. Let’s not even talk about delivering a baby today. Makes me want a drink.”
“And he doesn’t drink.” Sugar patted her husband’s knee. “You’ll live through it. Probably.”
Everyone laughed, and Cody thought the last of Riley’s tension had vanished. “On the other side of Jamie is Charlie Morgan, Ryan’s fiancée. Charlie’s a stunt plane pilot.”
Riley smiled at the petite woman. “That’s really cool. I heard you actually fly in air shows?”
“Sure do. Have one tomorrow afternoon, in fact. If you’re not doing anything, come out and watch.”
“I’d love to.”
As he and Riley took the two empty chairs, the whole group made plans to go to Charlie’s air show. Kincaid had asked Cody Friday afternoon what he and Riley liked to drink, and a few minutes later, a young man dressed in black pants and a white shirt brought them beers with limes stuck in the neck.
When Riley showed surprise, Dani said, “I didn’t want to be up and down taking care of drinks and food today, so we hired a caterer. Hope you like seafood. If not, you can opt for a steak.”
Riley pushed her lime into the bottle. “I love seafood. Your home is beautiful.”
Cody sat back, watching Riley get to know his friends. She was shy with them at first, but as the afternoon wore on, she seemed to be enjoying herself, and he was surprised at how much fun he was having.
Welcome back to the land of the living, Dog.
After a delicious dinner of fresh-off-the-boat cold boiled shrimp, grilled grouper that melted in his mouth, and raw oysters for anyone who wanted them—not him, but he learned that Riley liked them—everyone decided to take a stroll on the beach as the sun set. After the first ten minutes or so of walking as a group, Cody noticed that each couple began to wander off on their own. Holding hands with Riley, he slowed his steps.
Throughout the evening, he’d tried not to envy his teammates’ happiness. It was blatantly obvious that every damn one of them was in love, and even more incredible, not embarrassed to admit it. A few years ago, when they were still a SEAL team, except for Ryan, who was already married to his first wife, not a one of them saw this day coming. He certainly hadn’t. Yet, here he was, about to say something he thought would never come out of his mouth.
He tugged Riley to a stop. “Beautiful night. Beautiful woman. How did I get so lucky?”
She smiled up at him. “I could argue that I’m the lucky one.”
Cradling her face with his hands, he angled his head and kissed her. She leaned into him, putting her hands on his waist. The breeze blew her hair around their faces, and he reached under her neck and gathered it up, wrapping it around his hand. He deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth, drowning in her sweet taste. When she rubbed her groin against his erection, he groaned.
“Careful, darlin’,” he said, pulling away. “Another minute of that, and I’ll be making love to you right here in the surf.”
“Might be fun.” She nestled her head against his neck. “When it’s warmer.”
“We’ll put it on our bucket list.”
“We have a bucket list?”
He wanted to make a list that would last them a lifetime. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned his cheek on her forehead. “What would you say if I told you I think I’m falling for you?”