Latched (Coronado Series Book 1)

by Hart, Lea

  She realized he was unaffected by her kisses, “You never lost concentration for a second. I have no effect on you. That’s depressing, my mind goes blank and you don’t feel a thing.” She took a step back and crossed her arms over her body.

  Mark took a step towards her and she took a step back, he tried to grab her hand and she wouldn’t let him. He realized he made a major tactical error. He made her feel like he was unaffected. That was very far from the truth. He sat down and he looked her in the eye, “Birdie, I just lied to you. My mind went totally blank, you are like a flash bang. You totally wipe out all of my senses. I’ve been training for flash bangs for eleven years, and I acted like a commander and not a guy who was lucky enough to kiss a woman he’d been dreaming about.” He tried to take her hand again and she let him take it. Then he brought it up to his mouth and kissed it. “Can we try that again; I will be a man and not a soldier?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so, I’m good. I don’t need a repeat.” She wanted a man to lose his mind a little and didn’t need a repeat of Justin. He didn’t seem to be affected at all. She walked around the island and put the leftovers in a bag. She did not need someone to lie to her and her idea no longer sounded that appealing. She just wanted to go back to her regularly scheduled life and come up with another plan or another candidate. She walked back around and handed the bag to him, “Thanks for the ride home and everything - enjoy the pasta.”

  He was being dismissed and it was very clear that Birdie was not going to put up with any bullshit from him. He needed a new plan fast, otherwise she was never going to let him through the front door. “That’s it, I make one small mistake and you are going to get rid of me. You already said you would go out with me - you can’t take it back.”

  Birdie got mad, she stood up straight and looked him dead in the eye. “I can do whatever I want, and I’ve decided I do not care to go out with you. We can be friends and I will include you in the team dinners. But I will not waste my time with someone with whom I have no chemistry. I’m friends with a lot of the guys and I don’t kiss them. Let’s just chalk this up to a onetime thing and leave it at that, no harm, no foul.”

  “Oh no, you are not dismissing me because I said something stupid. I’m going to say a lot of stupid things and you can’t get rid of me every time I do that. We have a ton of chemistry, didn’t you feel it last night at the wedding and out on your front lawn? We have so much chemistry that we are going to explode. I was trying to negotiate the boss thing and I overplayed my hand. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings and lead you to believe I’m not affected by you. Please give me another chance.”

  “Listen, I have to go with my original assessment - you are attractive but you are overbearing and intimidating. I don’t want to always have to fight you and that’s why I wanted to be the boss. I wanted to even it out a little. You are certainly capable of running me over without even thinking about it and that’s what makes you a good commander. But I don’t want to be commanded.”

  Mark looked completely stricken by what she said, “I had no idea that’s what it felt like. I’m sorry. I haven’t dated since college…. I’m out of practice.”

  “You are a good man Mark, probably the best sort of man there is. I’m sure someday the right woman will come along and you will be fine with giving it up to her. These are all traits that make you such a successful soldier and someday you will be inspired by the right person.” She looked up smiled and held out her hand, “friends?”

  “No, I want to be more than friends. You said you would go out with me, so you have to at least do that. I think you are the right woman and I want a do over.”

  Birdie looked around her kitchen, at the floor, at the ceiling and finally at him. “All right, let’s try again, one date. Then we can see if we even want to hang out more.”

  “Thank you Birdie, you can be the boss of whatever you want. But I get to be the boss in the bedroom.”

  “That’s fine. I’m sure you are much better at sex than I am - you have a lot more experience than I do.” She leaned her hip against the counter and studied him, “You probably have good ideas. With a body like yours, I sure hope so.” Mark laughed hard he couldn’t believe what came out of her mouth - she said what she thought. “If we make it past our next date and decide to have sex, you can be the boss.”

  He took a step towards her and took her hand, “It is not if, it is a question of when.” He couldn’t resist a kiss, “This is not me trying to get my way. This is me kissing you.” He gently slid his lips over hers, keeping the pressure light. He opened his mouth a little, his tongue glided over her closed lips and she opened her mouth. His mouth lifted again, then settled again very gently. He kissed the edges of her mouth and her lips curved slowly upwards. Who would have thought that big bad Mark, soldier and commando could be such a gentle kisser? She clutched at his shirt, needing to hang onto something. The material felt soft and warm, just like his mouth. His mouth moved slowly over hers, he sipped, sucked gently at her lips and she responded by slowly moving her mouth under his. Birdie stared into Mark’s green eyes and for the first time in her life saw someone look at her with so much heat, she thought she’d burn. Mark kissed her gently and pulled her hand against his heart, “Can you feel how fast it is beating?” He moved his hips against her, “Can you feel how you affect me?” He moved her hand around his back and put it under his shirt, “Baby, I am sweating. I will make sure to let you know how much you affect me from now on, lesson learned.”

  Mark stared at her and wanted to make sure she understood he was serious. “Can I have my dessert now? You offered it to me earlier before I was a jackass?”

  “How about some ice cream?” She walked over to her freezer, bent over and heard Mark growl. She looked over her shoulder and saw him shake his head and wipe his hand down his face. She shrugged and looked down again, “I have, chocolate, vanilla, rocky road and coffee. What would you like?”

  “You pick, I like them all.” She pulled out the rocky road and scooped out the ice cream into bowls.

  “Would you like to sit outside in the backyard? I think it’s still nice out.”

  He took the bowls from her hand, “Lead the way.” He followed her out the French doors and then took a couple of steps down into the patio.

  “You are the first to enjoy my new furniture and patio cover - it just got finished last week.” They sat down on the couch and Birdie put her feet up and leaned back.

  He looked out over the big backyard, the garden lights had turned on and he could see how far it went back. “What are you going to do with this big back yard?”

  “I just sold my condo in Los Angeles, so when it closes, I’m going to build a pool in the back and finish the garage.” She continued eating her ice cream and went on, “Blake gave me some good ideas on how to redo it. There is a granny flat above the garage and I’m going to keep that, but the whole thing has to be redone. His brother Adam, is going to come over and give me some estimates.” She put her bowl on the table, “You probably wanted the short version.”

  “Birdie, talk all you want. I want to hear it. How else am I going to get to know you?” She looked down at her hands, smiled and shrugged. Men had always told her she talked too much and her stories were too long and she’d gotten into the habit of cutting to the chase. Maybe Mark was different - his kisses sure were. He was an amazing kisser. She wondered if he would live up to her fantasies if they ended up having sex. “What is your schedule tomorrow?” Mark wanted to figure how much he could see her this week and didn’t know if he was going to get in trouble for being nosy.

  “Sundays and Mondays are my days off from the shop, so I usually do my errands and chores. I have to cook tomorrow for my Stitch and Bitch group. I’m making chocolate cake for dessert.” Birdie looked over, “What do you do during the week?”

  “We’re still on our down cycle and we’ll be moved up in about a month. As you know we don’t have regular schedules. This week we have new equipment t
o train on and night drills at the end of the week. Did you say you’re making chocolate cake?” Leaning over he kissed her, “What time should I come over tomorrow night to have a piece of cake? What is Stitch and Bitch?”

  “I was wondering if you were going to catch that. Stitch and Bitch is my knitting group. We get together once a month, have dinner and drink wine and knit. We’re usually done after 9:00, so you can come over after that. But you can’t stay long because I have to get up early on Tuesday to go to the flower mart. I leave here at 4:00 in the morning, so I have to get some beauty sleep.”

  “So I can have a kiss and a piece of cake if I don’t overstay my welcome?”

  “Well you can have a piece of cake anyway.” She slipped out of his embrace, got up and took his bowl and went into the house. Mark followed her in and started to help with the dishes. She rinsed and he loaded the dishwasher. “So… since you are going to come over tomorrow, we can just skip Wednesday?”

  Mark finished putting the last dish in and wiped his hands on the towel, “No, I want to do both. Why does it have to be only one? You agreed to Wednesday so you can’t back out now. Tomorrow is just cake, not a date.”

  “We’ll see,” she took the towel from him and dried her hands.

  “No, “no we’ll see,” tomorrow and Wednesday.”

  She waved her hands in the air, “Fine, fine, we can do both.” Can I deal with the bossy part for great sex? I guess I just have to wait and see. She handed Mark the bag of leftovers, “Here you go - that should make two meals.”

  “Thank you Birdie, I haven’t eaten so well and enjoyed myself so much in a very long time. Give me a sweet kiss so I can go home and take a cold shower.” She kissed him gently on the cheek.

  Birdie walked him out and stood on the top step, “Do cold showers really work?”

  “Not really, but it is better than nothing. Lock your doors when you go in.” He pulled out his phone and handed it to Birdie, “Put your numbers in there for me and I will text you back so you have mine.”

  “There you go. Goodnight Mark. Thanks for bringing my wrap over.”

  She walked into the house and he heard her lock her doors. Mark looked back at the house, “Goodnight Birdie girl, hope you’re ready because I am coming after you.” He got into his truck and sat there for a moment. Birdie was funny, smart and clearly successful. She had her own life and was sexy as hell. He was so turned on around her, he wondered if he was going to make it until she allowed him into her bed. He was going to make sure he let her know how he felt, otherwise she was not going to waste her time - that was very clear.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MONDAY

  Birdie woke up on Monday morning feeling happy and refreshed. It took her a moment to remember why. I may finally have a man in my new big bed - thank god I got a king. Especially if Mark is the one to break my rut. As she lay there she replayed every kiss, starting with the first one on the dance floor. He felt like a magnet to her, drawing her closer and closer. But he had a bossy streak a mile wide that could prove to be a problem.

  How do you ask someone to have a quick fling with you? Maybe she could Google it - there must be some sort of guidelines out there….some etiquette about asking a man if he would be willing to fling with you. For all of her big brains and education, she didn’t have a clue about how to do it.

  Her iPad gave a chirp, she opened it up and read the text from Mark and laughed as she texted him back.

  Good morning Birdy Boss, thanks for last night, have a great day, see you tonight, can’t wait for my cake kiss.

  Mark boss of the Bedroom, you’re welcome, be safe and see you later for cake.

  Thanks for remembering that I am the boss of something, better go let my team know my new title.

  Mark walked out of his office towards his Platoon. They were unpacking the new equipment they were going to start training on. It was spread all over the hangar where they staged for deployment. Blake, the Lt. Commander from the other Platoon, noticed Mark coming out of his office with a slight smile on his face. “So I take it things are going well with Birdie? I can’t remember seeing you like this …. ever.”

  Mark looked over at Blake who was his swim buddy in BUD/s, “I’m seeing her again tonight. She is going to let me come over for cake after her friends leave.”

  “I hope that you’re talking about cake and not something else. She isn’t a booty call girl.”

  “You know, I’m tired of everyone thinking that I can’t see what Birdie is and that I don’t know how to treat her. I can tell the difference between her and some chick I pick up in a bar. For your information, I’ve asked her out and she won’t go until Wednesday. But I’m not going to go for a day without seeing her. So I’m going to go over for chocolate cake that she is making for her Stitch and Bitch club. I like this woman and she is making me crazy. If she said come over and play monopoly, I would.”

  Blake started laughing, “Stitch and Bitch – I don’t even want to know. You’re lucky she makes amazing chocolate cake.” He studied his friend closely, “I get it … this is serious. I won’t say another word. Can you have Birdie wrap up a piece of that cake for me?”

  Mark walked away and flipped his friend off, “I am going to the firing range. Have Frisco call me when everything is unpacked.”

  ********

  Birdie unloaded the groceries and noticed she had a text from her best friend Rory. She was in town and was going to stop by tonight. She was dying to tell her about Mark and get her take on it.

  At 5:30 her friends started showing up, so she opened the wine and told everyone to start on the antipasto platter. Her cousin Ana came in and grabbed a glass of wine. She was in the last year of completing her doctorate and rarely had time, so Birdie was happy to see her. “How was hot Mark? Did you get your one night?”

  “Not yet, did you see us kissing at the wedding?”

  Her friend Cara was listening, “Who were you kissing, Birdie?”

  Everyone turned around, “All right everyone, calm down. I met Frisco’s, commander on Saturday at the wedding. He and I hit it off and I’m hoping he will be the man to break my rut and have a short meaningless affair with me.”

  Cara took a sip of her wine, “Why does it have to be short and meaningless?”

  “I don’t think this guy does relationships and I don’t really want one with him. He is bossy and he likes to be in control. I promised myself the next time I get in a relationship, it’s going to be with someone who loses their mind over me. Mark is not a man to lose anything. He was barely affected when we were smooching last night. Which is fine for something short term, but I want something more if I’m going to invest. Anyway, he stopped by yesterday and ended up staying for dinner and asked me out - we’re going out on Wednesday.”

  The ladies all clapped and said, “Hooyah.” She was very happy that she had this group of ladies in her life.

  ********

  Mark waited until 9:30 to show up at Birdie’s. He knocked on the door and waited. As she opened the door, he had the same feeling, mine, all mine. He liked her big smile and the dress she had on. Can I just take her now, under me, on top of me, beside me? “Hi Birdie Boss, did you miss me?”

  “Come on in.” Still handsome, still sexy, still want him. “I’m almost done cleaning up. Are you hungry? I have a lot of chicken left over and can make you a sandwich.”

  “I’m fine Birdie, I ate earlier. I want my kisses though.” She stood in the circle of his big arms, took a deep breath and put her arms around him. She rested her head on his chest and hugged him back. Mark tilted her face up and captured her lips and lost himself in her. He’d been thinking about kissing her all day and was finally able to.

  As she moved in closer, he could feel every one of her curves. He was sure she could feel how she affected him. “So you came for cake, right?”

  “I’m having my cake,” Mark mumbled. He pulled her back in and started kissing her again, Just stay in my arms and keep kissing m
e back.

  She pulled away and patted his chest. “Chocolate cake…. I will get you a piece.” He stood up straight and was glad he wore jeans, the best chastity belt in the world. He was uncomfortable, but Birdie wouldn’t freak out by seeing how turned on he was. He could tell he still had some work to do. She wasn’t as open to him as she was before he screwed up.

  He walked over to her fridge, looked at her pictures and noticed a list. He started to read it and noticed that some things were checked off, others were crossed off. “Birdie, is this your list?”

  She had cut the cake and had glasses out, then she nudged him aside so she could open the fridge and get the milk out. “Sure is - I should take it down and redo it.” She poured the milk and Mark studied the list as he took the milk from her and put it back in the fridge.

  “So when do you want your first swim lesson in the ocean? We should go on Saturday.”

  Birdie took the plates of cake and Mark took the glasses of milk and they sat down at the table. “Mark, you don’t have to do that. Blake told me he would take me out whenever I wanted to go.”

  “No, no way. Blake doesn’t need to see you in a swim suit.” Birdie noticed that relaxed Mark was gone and Commander Mark had returned.

  “Really, you’re going to try and be bossy with me again?”

  Mark looked at her and realized he was going to have to persuade her, something he never did. He told his team what to do and they did it - his recruits followed his orders. Birdie was not going to follow anything. He’d be damned if Blake was going to get close to Birdie in a bathing suit and then have his hands on her. Over his dead cold body. He would just talk Birdie into picking him instead. He smiled and took her hand, “Please pick me for the swim lessons. I want to be the one that helps you.”

  She looked down at their hands and smiled, “Thank you Mark. Let’s see how our date goes tomorrow and then we can decide if we want to spend more time together. It’s very nice of you to offer.”