Excerpt of The Texas SEAL's Surprise by Cari Lynn Webb

“Whatever it is, it’s a no.” Wes wiped a thick microfiber towel over a bottle of whiskey and never looked at Abby.

Abby pulled up short on the other side of the aged bar top, set her hands on her hips and stared at Wes. Stubborn man simply went on polishing. Abby batted away her irritation. “How do you know I’m not here for more coffee?”

“Because you’re not.” Wes returned the whiskey bottle to the glass shelf behind him and picked up a deep blue vodka bottle. “Frieda and Gordon were in here earlier.”

“You can’t just say no without hearing me out,” Abby said.

“I can.” Wes lifted his gaze to hers and tipped the top of the vodka bottle toward her. “And I just did.”

“What is wrong with you?” Frustration spilled into her words.

“That’s just it.” Wes grinned. But it wasn’t the teeth-revealing, amused kind of smile. It was the dual-sided kind, one part courteous, two parts elusive and all too intriguing. The man had secrets Abby wanted to unravel if she had the time. But a new job and a new baby required all her focus. Her interest in Wes was a brief glitch and nothing she intended to act on.

“Nothing is wrong with me.” Wes returned the bottle to the shelf. His polite but implacable grin never wavered. “And that’s exactly how I like things.”

“You make it sound like I’m here to mess things up for you.” When in fact he was the one messing things up for her. That was obvious. Less clear was how she was going to make him understand that.

“You, Abby James, complicate things.” Wes set a to-go cup on the bar and reached for the decaf coffeepot. One perfect, long pour filled the cup. Steam drifted from the hot brew. Something else drifted through his copper-tinted gaze. “You definitely complicate things.”