KissedByASEAL

by Cat Johnson

  But the more pressing issue was that she couldn’t ask him if there was popcorn in the cabinet. She’d just have to wait for the answer to her snack question until he finished whatever it was he was doing in there and got out of the shower.

  Laziness was a powerful motivator and Darci was perfectly content to wait for her answer if she didn’t have to move off the sofa.

  She was content, until the sound of Rick’s cell phone ringing disturbed her peace.

  He must have tossed it on the kitchen counter before he went into the shower.

  She ignored it through the interminably long and obnoxious ringtone. By the time the annoying noise stopped, her jaw was clenched and her stress level high.

  Maybe she could change Rick’s ringtone to something less grating when he wasn’t looking. Or hell, she could put the damn thing on vibrate. She’d have to remember to do that next time she got up.

  Happy with that plan, she went back to watching the movie.

  The cell went off again not even a minute later, this time sounding even louder and more obnoxious, though that was probably only because she was already annoyed from the first time.

  She twisted around and yelled in the general direction of the bathroom, “Rick, your phone is ringing!”

  He didn’t answer, probably because he hadn’t heard her over the sound of the water.

  Someone phoning twice in a row could mean there was an emergency. Rick had close friends from his old team who were still active duty SEALs. Brody. Thom. Grant. There could be news about one of them.

  And Jon and Zane were waiting to hear about the client’s decision after the presentation they’d made. It could be news about that.

  Her damn curiosity wouldn’t let her ignore a ringing phone, even if it wasn’t her own. And since Rick’s ringtone was enough to drive a person crazy, she was willing to get up if it meant she could stop the incessant noise.

  With a huff of annoyance, Darci hauled herself off the sofa and ran for the phone as fast as her stiff limbs would allow.

  She grabbed for the cell and swiped the screen to answer. “Hello?”

  “Darci? I wasn’t expecting you to answer.” A familiar male voice with a thick southern drawl greeted her.

  “Chris. Hi. Rick’s in the shower. When you kept calling and calling, over and over again, I figured it was important and I’d better answer.”

  Chris paused for a second. “Uh, I don’t know who that was calling, but I only phoned once and that’s when you answered.”

  “Oh. Sorry about that.” Darci cringed, feeling bad she’d accused him. Though honestly, how was she supposed to know who was calling?

  “It’s a’ight. It was probably Jon calling. I just got off the phone with him.”

  “Is everything okay?” Darci still couldn’t shake the visceral reaction she got when one of the guys from the team called.

  Even though Rick was off the teams now, she still felt the same twist of fear in her stomach until she heard everyone was all right. It was the residual effect of having someone close to you constantly away on usually secret, and mostly life-threatening assignments.

  “Yeah. He was calling with good news actually. We got us a job.”

  “A job?”

  “Yup. For GAPS. We landed a genuine assignment.”

  Her eyes widened. “The big client they presented to?”

  “Nah, I wish. They still got to meet with the company’s stockholders or board or something before they can seal that deal—no pun intended. This is some one-time gig. Jon wants me and Rick to take it since he and Zane have to stick close in case they’re called in for the follow-up with that big client.”

  Rick came out of the bedroom and stopped at the sight of her. “Uh, why are you on my phone?”

  “It was ringing so I answered it. You’re welcome.” Scowling, she thrust the cell toward her ungrateful brother. “It’s Chris. You got an assignment for GAPS.”

  He grabbed for the phone and moved back into his bedroom to talk to Chris in private, she guessed. As if there was something secret they had to discuss like when he’d been a big bad SEAL and everything was all hush-hush. If she heard him throw the term operational security at her one more time she might kick him.

  Meanwhile, Chris had already told her the news, so what was the big deal? She rolled her eyes at her brother’s idiotic behavior and headed back for the sofa. She was missing the best part of the movie. She hated when that happened.

  Rick came out of his bedroom and tossed his cell onto the counter again. “Shit.”

  She wished he’d hold on to the damn thing so next time it rang he could answer it himself. She also wished he’d stop cussing in the middle of her movie.

  Sighing, she figured she’d better ask why. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not going to be able to work this job with Chris. I don’t have the vacation time and even if I did, I can’t take time off from the plant on less than a week’s notice.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too. I just called Jon and told him. I’m sure he’s not thrilled with me.”

  “Then Jon or Zane will have to go with Chris.”

  “They can’t. That big client wants them both there to make a presentation to their board right in the middle of when they’d need to be on this job.”

  “Can’t Chris handle it alone?” She figured her suggestion was a simple enough solution, but then again what did she know? She didn’t even know what kind of job it was.

  “I don’t know. Jon is contacting the client now. Damn it, I would love to take this job. It’s at a damn resort in Florida.”

  “Really? Heck, to be able to get away from Virginia in February, all expenses paid, I’ll go.”

  “If you could shoot a gun, Jon might hire you. We’re that desperate. He’s not going to want to give up a job.” Rick blew out a breath. “Maybe he or Zane can just fly in and out for their meeting so Chris will only be alone for the day. I just want this company to take off so big that I can afford to quit my job at the plant.”

  “Good luck with that.” She snorted.

  “Thanks. Love you too, sis.”

  “Sorry. I’m just saying, new businesses are hard to get off the ground. And why don’t you have any vacation days?”

  He plopped down in the chair opposite the sofa. “I didn’t have that many to begin with since I just started not long ago, and the few I had, I used up.”

  “I have so many stored up I could leave for close to a month and not use them all.”

  “Then maybe you should take the job.” His scowl and smartass tone told her he was pissed he couldn’t go to Florida, and he was taking it out on her.

  After being around her brother for her whole life, she could throw around the attitude as well as he could. “Maybe I should.”

  “Put in a decade with the teams and then, maybe.” He followed up that comment with a snort.

  Darci rolled her eyes. Her friends were always so impressed when they learned her brother had been a SEAL. Little did they know how Rick’s condescending lectures on the teams got really old, really fast.

  Rick’s phone rang again, on the counter where he’d left it, just as Darci predicted it would. He jumped up from his chair and ran for it as she shook her head at him.

  Her phone was within reach, right on the table by her feet—not that anyone was going to call. But if they did, she could answer.

  “—come over so we can talk about it.” What Rick was saying cut into her thoughts. He paused for a bit and then said, “Yeah, you might as well pick up some beer. We might need it . . . Okay, I’ll see you in a few.”

  He disconnected the call and came back to sit in the chair.

  She didn’t like the sound of that phone call. “Who was that?”

  “Chris.”

  Darci sat up straight. “He’s coming over?”

  “Yeah, we need to figure out this Florida situation.”

  “Crap.” She scrambled to stand. She was still
in her pajamas and it was afternoon.

  Watching her, Rick frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “You invited Chris over so now I have to get changed.” Not to mention wash her face, brush her teeth and do something with her hair. She was a mess.

  It was no wonder she had no boyfriend to spend Valentines Day with. She was letting herself go but there wasn’t time to berate herself about that now. Chris didn’t live that far away. He’d be there any minute.

  Thank goodness he was picking up beer first. That would buy her some time.

  She skidded across the hardwood in stocking feet, grabbing on to the doorframe of her bedroom to stop herself as a thought hit her. “Is Brody coming too?”

  “Yeah. We need all the brainpower we can get to figure out how to accomplish this job understaffed.”

  Brody too. Crap. She headed into her bedroom and slammed the door.

  Both Cassidy brothers would be here judging her by the standards of all those women from the deep south who didn’t leave their bedrooms in the morning without a full face of makeup or before their hair was curled, teased and sprayed.

  Okay, maybe she was getting her information from Hollywood. Movies like Sweet Home Alabama where southern women were larger than life, perfect hostesses and bastions of female perfection.

  Still, she couldn’t let the Cassidy brothers catch her in her flannel pajamas that had seen better days. Especially not in the middle of the day and not today, of all days.

  Damn, greeting card companies and their Valentine expectations. She cursed them as she pulled her hair into a ponytail to wash her face and brush her teeth.

  She whizzed through her routine of moisturizing and slapped on the bare minimum of makeup in record time.

  Pulling out the elastic band, she decided there wasn’t much she could do about the state of her hair since there was no time to wash it. She flipped her head upside down and ran a brush through it to give it some volume. Flipping her head back, she glanced at the mirror and ran her fingers through her blond waves to smooth the mess out. That was probably as good as it was going to get.

  After running to the bedroom closet, she flung open the door and pulled a folded cashmere sweater off the shelf. She couldn’t stand the thought of putting on jeans this late in the day if she was going to be sitting around on the sofa, but yoga pants would work. It would look like she was having a comfy cozy February day at home, which is exactly what she had been doing, but in old flannel before that phone call.

  Darci was just rolling on some deodorant under the sweater since there’d been no time to shower when she heard the doorbell.

  The sound of Rick answering it, and the corresponding male voices, confirmed their guests were here.

  It was a sad, sad day that the most exciting thing happening in her life was her brother’s friends stopping by. The pitifulness of it didn’t stop her from heading into the bathroom to take one last glance in the mirror, or from swiping on some lip gloss.

  Staring at her reflection only made her more frustrated.

  Her cheeks were flushed from running around getting ready. The blue of the sweater picked up the color of her eyes. Even her hair looked kind of good, in a careless, casual sort of way. She wasn’t bad looking. Young and single, she should have a man—hell, multiple men—in her life.

  Why didn’t she?

  Sighing, Darci decided she’d work on what to do about that later. Now, there were people here and, technically Rick’s friends or not, she should at least make an appearance and be hospitable.

  It was her home too. It was the right thing to do . . . and she had been bored anyway. If nothing else, having the Cassidy brothers around could only liven up things.

  CHAPTER 5

  Chris and Brody were at Rick’s place to figure out this job. So why did Chris feel disappointed when he walked through the front door and didn’t see Darci?

  Because he was an idiot, that’s why. The same reason why he’d picked up the tiny red heart-shaped box filled with chocolates when he’d stopped to get the beer.

  He’d heard that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Chris had never given Darci Valentines Day candy before, so maybe this didn’t count as insane behavior.

  “Thanks for picking up beer.” Rick reached for the bag in Chris’s hand.

  Brody closed the door behind them and grinned. “No problem, Rick. Chris paid.”

  As Chris slid off his jacket, he watched Rick carry the bag to the kitchen island, set it down and reach inside. A feeling of impending doom hung over him. There were two six-packs inside, but there was also the gift for Darci.

  He braced himself, but it was still no less embarrassing when Rick pulled out the red heart and raised a brow. “For me?”

  Chris strode forward and took the box from Rick’s hand. “No, it’s for Darci. My mother raised me better than to come visiting empty handed.”

  As Chris put the heart on the other end of the island counter, far away from Rick, he caught a glimpse of the look Brody shot him. He chose to ignore his brother, which became very easy to do when Darci’s bedroom door opened.

  She strode into the living room and he’d be damned if his heart didn’t beat faster. “Did I hear my name?” she asked.

  Chris swallowed hard and reached for the heart. “Yup. This is for you.”

  She eyed the heart and then raised her gaze to his. “Really?”

  He dipped his head in a nod. “Yup.”

  “Thank you.” Her expression was hard to read. Like a cross between amazement and confusion, with a bit of embarrassment tossed in.

  For lack of anything else to say, Chris said, “You’re welcome.”

  Finally, she reached out and took the candy, a fact he was more than grateful for since he was sure his hands were shaking.

  Dammit. He’d trained and worked as a sniper for more than half of the time he’d been with the teams. He’d made shots half a mile away while his sniper hide had been taking fire, and he’d done it all with hands as steady as a surgeon’s, yet here he was shaking while handing a woman a box of cheap, convenience store chocolates.

  Worse, she’d made it pretty damn clear in the past that he had no hope of ever landing her so why the hell was he nervous? No wonder Brody had looked at him like he was crazy.

  Chris had never lost his mind enough to confess his feelings about Darci to Brody, but his little brother was no fool. Brody was too observant and too good at reading people to not notice, especially since he and Chris lived under the same roof.

  Darci hesitated for a moment, awkwardly standing in front of him with the box in her hand before she drew in a deep breath. Stoically, Chris somehow kept his gaze off the rise and fall of her breasts beneath her sweater as she did so.

  “So do you two have any plans for tonight?” She moved her gaze to include Brody in her question.

  Brody lifted one shoulder. “Just to figure out this job before Jon loses his mind worrying about it.”

  Rick laughed. “Poor Jon. He’s dying to be over here with us rather than at Ali’s. We’ll have to put him on speaker phone.”

  Darci turned to her brother and planted her fists on her hips. “Richard Phillip Mann, don’t you dare ruin Ali and Jon’s Valentines Day by calling him in the middle of their evening together.”

  Chris smiled at the intensity of Darci’s outburst, not to mention how much she reminded him of how his own momma used to take them to task by using their full names whenever he and Brody behaved badly.

  He decided to put Darci’s mind at ease. “I think we can put our heads together and solve the problem just fine on our own without bothering Jon and Ali too much.”

  Unlike Chris, at least Jon had plans for the evening. Zane too. Chris had to assume that since Zane had been completely MIA all day, even unreachable by phone, in spite of the cluster fuck that this upcoming security job had become.

  Then again, maybe they were worrying too much
about this Florida gig.

  It was a small, simple job, judging by what Jon had told Chris on the phone. A private wedding getaway for the daughter of some minor politician who knew about GAPS thanks to Zane’s Washington, D.C. connections.

  Zane might have been a dog when it came to women, and it twisted Chris’s gut every time he saw Darci glance at the man, but he did have to admit that Zane had proven himself good for reeling in the jobs and the big bucks for GAPS. And now that they had this job, he needed to figure out the details of it.

  Darci turned to Chris and nodded. “Thank you. I’m sure Ali would appreciate that. Anyway, I was asking because I was wondering if you wanted to stay for dinner. I can throw something together.”

  Rick drew back, wide-eyed at Darci’s statement. “You’re offering to cook? Why?”

  She shot her brother a look sharp enough to wound. “Stop being suspicious. I’m tired of take out and I’m kind of bored so I figured I’d make something nice for dinner.”

  “I think that’s real nice. I’d love to stay for supper. Thank you.” Chris wasn’t about to say no to anything Darci offered, never mind give up the opportunity to spend more time with her.

  Besides, home cooked meals were few and far between in his life, unless he was the one doing the cooking.

  “Dinner would be real nice. Thank you. So would one of those beers.” Brody eyed the six-pack on the island that Rick had apparently forgotten about in the shock of Darci’s offer to cook dinner for them.

  “Sure.” Knocked out of his stupor, Rick took three bottles out of the holder. “Darci?”

  She shook her head. “No, thanks.”

  Rick put the remainder in the fridge and then walked over to the table in the dining area and set the bottles down. “Come on and sit so we can figure this job out.”

  Chris moved to the table and, knowing that Darci was about to start cooking, sat in the chair that faced the kitchen. The distraction of watching her work probably wouldn’t help his concentration, but what the hell. They had time to get this job straightened out.

  Brody shot a glance at Darci in the kitchen before smirking at Chris.