Hot SEAL, Tijuana Nights

by Cat Johnson

  He’d suggested an accountant like Amanda since, according to him, everyone needs their taxes done.

  Kill her now.

  She loved Amanda. Loved her as much as she would hate being an accountant.

  Shoving the catalog into the junk drawer, she picked up the phone. It had to be Amanda. No one else she knew even had the number for her parents’ landline.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Gabrielle Lee?”

  “Uh, yes. Who’s this?”

  “I’m Mary Ross. I work for New Millennia Media.”

  “Okay.” Was this some sort of survey or something?

  “I’m happy to inform you, you’ve won the Hot House Design Competition through THN—The Home Nation Station.”

  “I what?”

  “Yes! I know it’s a surprise but you won. I was wondering about your availability. We’re hoping you can come here to the studio in San Diego so we can film you receiving the prize.”

  What the hell? “Um, could you remind me what the prize is again?”

  “Ten-thousand dollars. And of course the photo op will be great publicity for your design business. We’ll have your story and your contact info on our website for the duration of the year.”

  Gabby was having trouble absorbing what else Mary was saying. Hell, she’d nearly dropped the phone. Everything after the words ten-thousand dollars got kind of lost amid the buzzing in her head.

  “So can you get here? Where am I calling you, anyway?”

  “Uh, Hawaii. My parents live here.”

  “Nice. I’m jealous.” Mary laughed. “We can book you a flight. Are you free this week?”

  “Yeah. Free. Completely. Yes. Thank you.” She couldn’t get enough words out to accept.

  “Perfect. Text me which airport you’d like to leave from and I’ll book the ticket and send you the flight details. Check your email for the confirmation. And congratulations!”

  “Thank you.” Gabby disconnected and stared at her mother and father, already seated at the kitchen table eating.

  “Who was that?” her mother asked.

  “The Home Nation channel. I won their design competition.”

  Even her father looked up from his poi at her announcement.

  “I didn’t know you’d entered a competition,” her mother said.

  Still in a daze, Gabby said, “Neither did I.”

  But she had her suspicions about who did know. She reached for her cell phone, plugged into the wall.

  That earned her a glare from her mother. “Gabby. No calls. It’s time for dinner.”

  Lips pressed tight, she set down her phone. She reviewed the call with Mary, focusing on the good things. Ten-thousand dollars. A flight to San Diego. Her business featured on their website.

  It was enough to have her manage even a small smile as she said, “Yes, Mama.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  Gabby walked the long hallway past the gates and finally, out into the Arrivals area of San Diego International.

  Her carry-on in tow, she paused and glanced around.

  She’d asked Amanda to pick her up at the airport, but it was Zach’s head she spotted above those waiting. Her heart fluttered.

  Her boyfriend had met her at the airport. It made her want to turn to the travelers nearby and say, That’s my boyfriend. He’s here to get me.

  She didn’t, but she did walk as fast as humanly possible while towing her crappy, wonky-wheeled overstuffed bag behind her.

  Smiling, he took a step forward and met her. Then the bag was abandoned and the other travelers forgotten as he lifted her with two hands around her waist.

  In the middle of the terminal, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him hard. She was shaking by the time he put her down on the ground.

  “I missed you,” he said.

  Fighting the mist of tears, she said, “I missed you too.”

  “You have a checked bag?” He tipped his head toward the luggage carousels.

  “Nope. Just this.” She spun to make sure her bag was still where she’d left it, ignored and unattended as she’d jumped Zach.

  He reached for the handle. “Good girl. I didn’t want to wait.” He grinned.

  Gabby nodded. “Yeah. We’d better get to Amanda’s. I bet she’s losing her mind waiting for us.”

  “Probably. She wanted to come to the airport, but I wouldn’t let her.”

  “Why not?” Gabby asked.

  “I wanted time alone with you. It’s been over a month.” He widened his eyes as if that amount of time apart was unimaginable.

  The intensity in his gaze—and the bulge in his jeans—told her what he had been missing most during that month and she nearly laughed.

  She’d dreamed of having Zach be hers—what she hadn’t thought about was what the care and feeding of a man like Zach entailed. Apparently, certain needs came first, above all else.

  Gabby could live with that. She was feeling pretty needy herself.

  “Quick stop at your house first on the way to Amanda’s?” she asked.

  “Mmm, hmm,” he said, stopping to lean low. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

  He squeezed her arm with his free hand and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth.

  “Or maybe not so quick of a stop,” he added.

  She laughed. “Okay.”

  Zach broke a few laws getting from the airport to his house. She held on to the roof handle and didn’t complain.

  She’d been missing him too and the couple of times she’d even considered video or phone sex with him, her mother had come knocking on her door with laundry or for something else. They’d both been deprived.

  That was more than obvious from the trail of clothes that led from Zach’s front door to the bedroom. They were both naked by the time they collapsed on his bed.

  There was no foreplay. No talking. Just Zach covering himself and groaning against her neck as he plunged inside her.

  She had no complaints. It felt amazing to have him so desperate for her.

  He felt amazing as he pushed inside her.

  She tipped her hips up and he plunged deeper, hitting just the right spot to have her breath coming faster.

  He pounded her into one orgasm and kept going as the second hit her. Zach joined her for that one, then, while she was still quaking with aftershocks, he changed condoms and came back for round two.

  She loved when he did that. She loved him.

  He stopped thrusting and, still as a statue, he looked down at her, his gaze on hers. “I love you too.”

  Shit. Her eyes opened wide as she reviewed the past minute. “I said that out loud?”

  “Yeah, you did.” He smiled.

  She couldn’t feel too bad about the slip because he’d said it back.

  He loved her.

  Her heart felt like it was exploding. Swelling so big it would outgrow its place in her chest.

  He started moving inside her again. Slowly, deeply, all while his eyes never left hers.

  It felt different. They were different.

  And holy hell, sex was so much more amazing now. How could one little four-letter word change so much?

  She didn’t know, but she liked it.

  And wow, she really liked what he was doing to her as he lifted her hips higher and nudged that spot that had her spine tingling.

  He added a thumb on her clit and she exploded one more time.

  He held out until she was exhausted before he flipped her over onto her belly and pounded himself to completion before collapsing over her back, panting.

  She felt Zach smiling where his cheek pressed against her and asked, “What?”

  He lifted one shoulder and rolled off her. She snuggled against him and nestled in the crook of his neck, as he said, “I’m just happy you’re here. And happy you won.”

  “Won the contest that I didn’t know I entered, you mean?” she asked.

  “That’s Amanda for you. Don’t act surprised.”

  “
I’m not. But I am grateful, even if she did overstep.”

  “Ten-thousand dollars is a nice payoff for her butting her nose in your business,” he pointed out.

  “For sure. Ten-thousand dollars is great. Huge. But it’s not even six month’s living expenses here in California. Between rent and internet and food and electric.” She’d been doing a lot of number crunching lately.

  Gabby had learned her lesson after the shop job. Everything had to be laid out on spreadsheets, whether she liked it or not.

  “Let’s not talk about this now.” It was spoiling her post-orgasm bliss.

  “No. I want to talk about it.” Zach sat up a bit higher against the pillows, increasing the distraction of his bare chest. “Don’t pay rent. Move in with me.”

  It took her a second to absorb what he’d just said. He’d said she could stay with him before, after she’d found out Amanda was pregnant, but this seemed different.

  Temporarily staying at his place and moving in together were two very different things.

  “You want to live together?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He said it with no doubt. Like the decision was logical. Easy.

  With his strong arms wrapped around her, it felt possible.

  But she had to think with her head, not her heart . . . or parts lower.

  “You’re not afraid it’s too soon?” she asked.

  “No.” Again, there wasn’t even a shadow of a doubt in his voice.

  She should have realized when Zach did something he went all in. After such a glacially slow start, she’d just never imagined the thing he’d rush head on into would be their relationship.

  It was so new she still pinched herself each morning to make sure it wasn’t a dream. She still waited daily for it all to implode.

  But he was so brave. He made her want to be that way too.

  She bit her lip, wanting with everything in her to say yes. But she was afraid.

  What if it didn’t work? What if having her in his house, underfoot all the time, made him realize that all the things that had annoyed him about her for all those years still did?

  What if he realized he was right all along and she was just a big pain in his butt?

  “Come on, Gabby. Say yes.” Those eyes, as deep as the ocean and just as intense, locked onto hers. Those lips, so tempting. Those muscles, holding her in his embrace. It all made it hard to resist his request.

  “Maybe. I’ll think about it. Okay?”

  One brow cocked high. “You’ll think about it?” He let out a laugh, as if he couldn’t believe she hadn’t said yes.

  Apparently Zach wasn’t good at not getting his way. It was kind of entertaining.

  Finally, he said with amusement in his voice, “All right.”

  Aloud he’d agreed, but she had a feeling that in his head he was already planning his strategy.

  He was a SEAL after all. They were aggressive problem solvers, as far as she could see. He’d probably have her moving in with him by week’s end.

  She couldn’t wait to see the creative ways he came up with to convince her.

  When Zach looked like he was about to start his campaign right then, probably with a few more orgasms to sway her decision, she swung her feet to the floor and hopped away from the bed and out of his reach.

  “We have to get going.”

  He scowled. “Okay. But we’ll be continuing this later.”

  She certainly hoped so.

  They finally made it to Amanda’s house. As they stood outside the door, Zach shot her a glance. “Remember, your plane just landed and we came straight here. We did not go to my place first. Got it?”

  Gabby was more concerned with how good dinner smelled. Jasper must be grilling something out back. Burgers, maybe? Whatever it was was more interesting than Zach’s worry about his sister.

  “You need to stop lying to Amanda. And you really need to stop trying to drag me into it. Remember, I was her friend before I was your girlfriend.”

  “Fine.” His pout had her laughing as she stood on tiptoe to kiss the expression off his lips.

  “Ugh. Get a room, you two,” Amanda said as she opened the door and saw them.

  “Gladly.” Zach reached for her hand.

  “Stop.” Gabby tugged it away and hugged Amanda. “It’s so good to see you. I missed you.”

  “Then move back,” Amanda said, with a good bit of attitude as she squeezed Gabby in a hug.

  Gabby rolled her eyes at the siblings multipronged attack to get her back here and walked past Amanda into the house.

  “Whatever’s cooking smells—” She didn’t get to finish the sentence as her cell phone rang, loud and obnoxious, in the back pocket of her jeans. “Ugh, who’s calling?”

  One glance at the screen had her eyes widening.

  “It’s the studio,” she told the room at large. She rushed to answer in her professional voice, “Hello, this is Gabrielle Lee.”

  She didn’t miss Amanda’s raised brow and Zach’s chuckle at her new formal greeting.

  “Hi, it’s Mary. Just checking you landed safely and are still good with tomorrow’s shoot.”

  “Yup. Everything is fine. I’ll be at the studio tomorrow.”

  “Great. But that’s not the only reason I’m calling. We had a production meeting today with Tasha Jones. She’s the—”

  Gabby gasped. “The host of Hot House.”

  “Yes. I see you’re familiar with the show.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Well, Tasha had an interesting idea. She wanted you to be a guest on the show this season. Come in for one episode. Take her and Clay dumpster diving then bring the finds back to the Imperial Beach house for upcycling. Are you interested?”

  “Oh my God. Yes, I’m interested.”

  “Okay. Great. So we’ll talk details tomorrow after the photo shoot.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  After Mary said goodbye and disconnected Gabby stood there with the cell in her hand unable to move or form a sentence until Zach squeezed her arm.

  “You okay?”

  “Yes.” She laughed, gathering herself enough to tell them the good news. “The network wants me to take Tasha and Clay dumpster diving on the show.”

  “Oh my God!” Amanda rushed forward.

  Zach shook his head. “Oh, Clay’s going to love that.” The sarcasm was clear in his voice.

  “I know! He’ll hate it. That’s why it’s so perfect! That’s why I suggested it.” Amanda grinned.

  “You suggested it?” Gabby’s eyes widened.

  Amanda bit her lip. “We ran into Clay and Tasha at McP’s.”

  “And Amanda marched right up to the table and attacked them in the middle of their meal. I didn’t realize why then, but I do now.” Zach folded his arms.

  “And it worked. See?” Amanda challenged.

  Zach smiled. “Yes. Apparently it did.”

  Still in a daze, from so many things, Gabby’s head spun.

  Going on Hot House could make her a household name. It could bring in a ton of business. Jobs she couldn’t take if she wasn’t in California.

  She wasn’t willing to give up on her dream. Not when things were finally going her way. And she didn’t want to be away from Zach any longer. Not now that they’d admitted they were in love.

  She turned to Zach. “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’ll move in with you.”

  His smile was blocked from view as Amanda body slammed her with a big hug. “Yay!”

  Gabby laughed and caught Zach’s gaze. He smiled and her heart swelled.

  Yay just about covered how she felt too.

  EPILOGUE

  “You’re really going to do it?” Nitro asked.

  “I really am.” Zach nodded and downed the last of his beer.

  “I wish you luck, bro.” Justus extended a hand to Zach.

  He hoped he wouldn’t need it, but Zach accepted his teammate’s well wishes and tos
sed a bill on the bar.

  “Text and let us know what she says,” Nitro called at his back.

  “Will do,” Zach waved as he pushed through the exit at McP’s and out to the street.

  He knew a couple of the guys thought he was nuts. It hadn’t even been a year since the night he’d come home from Djibouti and found her—an uninvited guest—in his shower.

  But he was ready.

  When he’d come home from that week of training and had found her gone he’d realized he didn’t want to ever feel that way again.

  It was like death by a thousand cuts from a thousand memories of her there. The salt in the wound the realization she wasn’t there anymore.

  He wasn’t going to go through that again.

  And so he was going to drive to the house—their house—with a ring in his pocket and not one doubt in his mind.

  Unless she wasn’t home.

  Shit. He should find out first. She’d been working late a lot.

  He punched in a text.

  Where are you?

  Her reply came back.

  Office.

  He swung the truck around and headed in the opposite direction, to Gabby’s new office. She needed an official office now that she had a new job.

  A lot had changed.

  He drove up to the storefront and pulled behind the production van parked out front.

  The crew was with Gabby more than he was. He’d made it clear early on they’d better keep him off camera—or risk their very expensive equipment.

  They’d been co-existing peacefully in Gabby’s life—so far.

  The cameraman greeted Zach with a tip of his chin. He got a wave from the director and a smile from her assistant.

  It had been an education for him, getting to know the ins and out of cable television and reality show production—whether he’d wanted to know it or not.

  He stayed in the background, hanging out behind the camera until finally the chick in charge called it a wrap for the day because, thank God, this wasn’t one of those twenty-four hour a day kind of shows.

  Gabby caught a glimpse of him and smiled.

  She put down the rubber tire she was holding—why she was holding it, he had no clue—and came toward him.

  “Hey.” She rose on her toes and pressed both palms to his chest.