Read A SEAL's Kiss for Free Online

of the guests, and, she noted with a quick glance, her father’s study window.
    “Look, I’m sorry,” she said earnestly, lifting her free hand toward the heavens as if to say it wasn’t really all her fault. “I really didn’t expect you home. Dad said he visited you months ago and you were talking about surfing. So I figured you’d be basking in the sun somewhere, or you know, chasing babes on a beach.”
    “So you knew I’d be on leave this month?”
    “Of course,” she said with a shrug, not sure why he sounded so surprised. She always kept track of his schedule. That’s how she knew he was safe. “But I didn’t think you’d be coming home. If I did, I’d have warned you.”
    The Spanish tiles, warmed by the sun, were smooth beneath her feet as they crossed onto the lanai. As soon as his boots hit the stone, Aiden pulled his arm from hers and, his frown ferocious, shifted his hands to his hips and gave her the evil eye.
    “Warned me? Instead of some drunk slapping me on the back and congratulating me on my score? Or the lady at the grocery store whose name I don’t know hugging me and weeping over my upcoming blessing?” He gave a low growl when Sage’s lips twitched, so she tried harder to keep the smile from escaping. “Then I get here and instead of a simple explanation, you throw your almost-naked body on me and start a public make-out session?”
    “Did you like it?” she asked, as much out of curiosity to feed that tiny seed of hot desire still burning in her belly as to buy some time.
    “Why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on,” he shot back. The stubborn set of his chin and irritation in his gaze told her he’d reached the end of his patience.
    Chewing on her bottom lip, she took a deep breath through her teeth. How was she supposed to tell him? Did she ease in with the engagement news, or explain about her father’s health first? He wasn’t going to take either well.
    Before she could decide, she heard the back door open and shut.
    Her heart sank toward her bare toes and a now-familiar pain started throbbing in her temple. How was she supposed to handle this? She blinked fast to clear the tears from her eyes, not willing for her father to see her upset. Or to doubt for a single second that his most cherished hope might not come true.
    “Please, just go along. I promise, I’ll explain everything soon,” she whispered, noting her father’s footsteps coming closer. “It’s for my dad.”
    Aiden’s eyes flicked over her shoulder, then met hers again. He’d only looked away for a millisecond, but she knew from his frown that in that brief glance he’d seen enough to worry him. Good. A worried Aiden was a quiet Aiden. And she needed him to be quiet until she convinced him to go along with her plan.
    A plan that’d been so simple when she blurted out that she was in a serious relationship to get Nina and her matchmaking off her back.
    One that’d stayed pretty easy when her father, hearing the news, had jumped all over like it was the answer to all of his prayers. After all, how difficult should it be to pretend she and Aiden were engaged? People always expected crazy from her. And Aiden wasn’t going to be around.
    The ease of her plan had frayed at little at the edges over the last week. The million questions and suggestions about the upcoming fantasy wedding were bad enough. But between trying to process her father’s illness and dire prognosis, balanced by his excitement over the news about her and Aiden, she’d been wondering if she’d made a mistake.
    And now?
    Her plan was looking about as smart as the rocks beneath her feet.
    As great as it’d be to hand it all over to Aiden to take care of, Sage knew this scenario had all the makings of a disaster.
    Not because it was a crazy idea.
    Or that Aiden wouldn’t go along.
    She sighed, looking at his hard, deliciously muscled body. A body that she was still tingling over plastering herself to. Not listening to a