Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance

by Gina Watson

  Augustine. Puke. Watching them banter made her want to hit something. Gloria perhaps. Yeah, she wanted to hit her in the face. She didn’t know where these feelings of hatred came from she just knew she didn’t like the connection Gloria had with Augie. She was jealous of their history.

  “Delicious gravy too. You some kind of chef?” Augie beamed at her.

  “Actually, my mom did work at Le Royal, this little French bistro, and it was great because she’d bring food home all the time and cook it up.”

  They talked in general throughout the meal, and after dinner Augie helped her clear the table while Gloria worked on locating a signal for the laptop.

  “I’m going to go take a bath,” Mia said.

  His hand on her shoulder, Augie said, “That’s a good idea. A long hot one. You need to relax.”

  She was glad to finally get away from the two of them. She certainly didn’t need to hear Gloria pronounce the name Augustine again, in that sultry way she did.

  Chapter 9

  Mia climbed the stairs and thought about her dirty clothes. She’d kill for some clean ones. She’d left everything behind: her home, her clothes, her mom. She’d be leaving her country behind soon.

  As the water level rose in the tub, she felt an overwhelming sorrow strike. She didn’t even have a toothbrush. At least she had some dental floss in her purse. She supposed it could be worse—they could be dead and none of those things would matter. That thought made her even bluer.

  She tried to channel her thoughts into something pleasant. As she stripped, she thought of her and Augie, cozy on the couch where she’d had him in her mouth. Now naked and cold and alone, she stared at herself in the mirror. No, no curves anywhere. Turning to the side, she leaned forward and stuck her butt out, trying to give herself the curves Gloria had.

  “Oh, Augustine.”

  “Mia?”

  “Augie!” Straightening up, she felt her face flame. “Don’t you knock?”

  “What were you doing in the mirror?” He pointed at her reflection.

  “Nothing. What do you want?” She covered herself with her hands, but he was there, patting them away.

  “Don’t do that. You’ve never done that with me before. Why start now?”

  “I just … ” She shook her head. “What do you want?”

  A bag landed on the countertop. “I thought you might need some things, so I asked Gloria to grab some essentials on her way up.”

  “Oh my God, thank you.” She sighed happily. “And thank Gloria.”

  His hand palmed her cheek. “Is everything okay?”

  She nodded as warmth from his hand seeped into her cheek. She loved his touch. “Thank you.”

  He backed out, leaving her to tend to her bath.

  In the bag she found jeans, a T-shirt, panties, socks, deodorant, toothbrush, paste, and a hairbrush. A smile broke across her face and she felt hopeful that things might just work out. Sinking into the warm bath water, she sighed.

  “God bless Gloria for bringing me the necessities.”

  Mia could appreciate the other woman, but that didn’t mean she had to like her. No, she definitely didn’t like her. Augie and she seemed close. Had he dated her? And if he had, was that the kind of woman he liked, exotic looks and petite little curves? She was beautiful. Mia had never thought she was ugly, but standing next to Gloria, she would fade into the dust. She shook her head to rid it of negative thoughts and then plunged her body beneath the water, wetting her hair.

  She washed and shampooed. As she toweled off, her body shook when pain radiated through it. It was her leg. It wasn’t too red but it was slightly swollen. She placed her hand over the wound and felt warmth, too much warmth. Maybe she should ice it again like Augie had her do that first night.

  She dressed in the new clothes provided by Gloria and brushed through her wet hair. Occasionally she heard feminine laughter, and she couldn’t help feeling ostracized. She lay back on the bed in the room Augie assigned to her, but since she’d napped, she wasn’t tired. Curious, she crept to the top of the stairs. After delicately climbing over Augie’s booby trap, she took each step quietly. Halfway down, she could make out their words, so she sat on the stair and listened.

  There was no denying it—she was eavesdropping.

  “Not the first time I’ve saved your ass.”

  “Gloria, I owe you my life.”

  “How are the nightmares, Augie?”

  “Not as frequent.”

  “Have you given anymore thought to reporting the botched extraction?”

  “What good would it do?”

  “It might help with those nightmares.”

  “Every day is one more day behind me. I don’t need to report it. You saved my life that day, and we’ll forever share that connection, but I can’t relive those days during a court-ordered rehash. I have to move on.”

  “But you’re not moving on. You may think you are, but your subconscious isn’t. That’s why you’re having the dreams.”

  “Gloria, please. I don’t want to go down that road. Besides, Mia helps with the nightmares. If she’s near when I start to have anxiety or dreams, I don’t get lost. It’s like she anchors me to the present. Something about her … ” He sighed. “No one has ever had that effect on me. Now my fear is that something bad will happen to her. I get anxious just thinking about losing her. I can’t explain it.”

  Mia’s jaw dropped. She’d no idea she’d helped him in any way.

  They were quiet for a moment. Mia felt like a jerk for having listened to their intimate discussion, but she couldn’t move while they were silent. They’d hear her for sure.

  “So have you been intimate with her?”

  “I’m not telling you that.”

  “You just did.”

  “What?”

  “Your lack of information tells me all I need to know.”

  “Fuck, Gloria, why do you care anyway?”

  “Did you tell her about us?”

  “There’s nothing to tell.”

  Mia heard Gloria snort.

  “She seems innocent.”

  “She is, but she’s not like other girls.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She’s not into marriage and babies and doing her nails.”

  “Come on, Augie, she wants that.”

  “How do you know what she wants?”

  “Because that’s what every girl her age wants.”

  “You didn’t want that.”

  “Oh, I wanted it. I just never had the opportunity to go after it.”

  “You wanted those things?”

  “Desperately.”

  “But you never said anything.”

  “It’s not like I would tell you and risk you running as fast as your feet would carry you away from me.”

  Mia didn’t care if they heard her—she didn’t want to hear any more. She stood and climbed the stairs swiftly, so fast that she got tangled in the damn fishing wire he’d strung. She went down amid the noise and knocked her shin against the top step. She hollered out in pain.

  Flat on her back she saw Augie as he ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time.

  He scooped her into his arms like she weighed ten pounds and carried her to bed.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She didn’t want him to think she was more pitiful than he already did, so she said, “No, but I almost fell down the stairs.”

  “I told you to watch out for the wire.”

  “I forgot.”

  “You can’t forget the things I tell you. Learn to focus. Do you remember what I said about getting away from here if it becomes necessary?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me.”

  She huffed out a breath. “I run next door and lock myself in the cabin, and stay put until the coast is clear. Then I go to Larry’s and use the phone.”

  Gloria had joined them in the room.

  “And where is the key to the cabin?”

  Fee
ling her empty pocket, she realized her error. “Uh, I left it in the other jeans.”

  “Gloria.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “Perhaps you should focus on the safety of this mission and less on eavesdropping. It doesn’t become you.”

  Her face flamed at his criticism. Gloria handed her the key. She placed it in her pocket and turned away from them, feigning tiredness.

  When she heard the door close, she sat up. To her shock, Augie was in the room, removing his belt. Then he started on his boots.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m getting ready for bed. Gloria’s going to keep watch since I need to get some sleep.”

  She wasn’t happy about his presence in her room. He’d made her feel like a child. An errant child. To be fair, she had been acting like a child. She scooted under the covers to put distance between them. “There are three bedrooms up here, you know.”

  “But those beds don’t have angry warm females in them.”

  He slid under the covers and spooned her from behind. She fought him for a moment, but the strength differential was ridiculous.

  “Stop struggling. You’re not getting away from me.”

  More than aware he was in his boxer briefs, she was glad she’d kept her jeans on. Warm fingers slid around her waist and expertly unfastened her jeans. Hands slid inside and pushed the material down her thighs. “You can’t be comfortable sleeping in these, and I want to feel your skin. Take them off.”

  She rolled over and sat up, removing her pants.

  She leaned back in his arms and he slid his leg over hers and rested one arm on her hip, the other under her head. His breath heated her neck. Her frustration melted away and she went boneless in his arms, inhaling deeply. With the steady reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat against her back, she drifted to sleep.

  *

  Heat and moisture seeped through Mia’s shirt, making it stick to her back. Something squeezed the breath from her and she tried to pull away, but she was trapped.

  Gasps rang out in the otherwise quiet room, then she heard, “Go, go, go.”

  Augie. He was having a dream. A nightmare. Unable to free herself from his unyielding grip, she squirmed around in his hold until she faced him. The torment on his face had her gasping.

  “No!” His expression contorted into one of pain and rage. His lips pulled into a snarl. “Don’t touch her.”

  “Augie, wake up.”

  She wormed her hand free and stroked his jaw. His hold broke.

  “I’ll kill you!”

  She pressed harder, and whispered, “Augie, it’s Mia. You’re safe.”

  More sighs and groans of despair escaped his throat.

  “I’m here.”

  God, he was in so much pain, she just wanted to take it away. If she could have shouldered some of it, she would have. Since she couldn’t, she kept whispering his name and stroking him, letting him know he was safe.

  His eyes rolled underneath the thin skin of his eyelids, and his face smoothed.

  “Yes, that’s right, baby, I’m here and I need you.” She kissed his lips.

  His hand slid up her back to fist in her hair. Her lips parted, giving him access, and his tongue entered her mouth. He pushed at her aggressively, as if he wanted to consume her from the inside out. The intensity of his need stung her body and soul. No longer was it only about him being her savior. She needed him—that much had been clear—but he needed her too.

  “Mia.”

  Raspy whispered notes hit her ears. She straddled him, palming his cheeks. She kissed him delicately to counteract his force. Yin and yang, they fit together as one.

  “I’m here Augie.”

  Slipping his hands under the material of her panties, he kneaded her ass. He kissed her mouth, abrading her chin with his whiskers. In one deliberate move, he rotated her so her back rested on his front. His fingers slipped between her folds.

  “Augie, I want you.”

  “I’m here, baby.”

  “I need more.” He massaged her, but she wanted to be connected, she wanted him inside her. His thumbs hooked into her panties, and she lifted so he could slide them off. He did the same to his. When he resumed his assault on her body, she felt coiled tight. She needed him, but he thought himself undeserving and his perspective saddened her.

  Her gasps came involuntarily, and she was unable to control her movements as his fingers brought her closer to that place she yearned to be.

  “Take it, baby, take what you need. I want you to come on my fingers.”

  At his coaxing words, Mia’s body began to tremble and writhe, and she felt moisture pool between her thighs. Surprisingly unembarrassed, she also heard the dampness as he worked between her legs.

  She felt his stiff length when he rested it between her thighs, rubbing himself through her moisture. She tried to turn, but he held her in place with his other hand.

  “Lubricate me with your wetness.”

  Frantic, she held him in place as his hand gripped her outer thighs and squeezed her legs together, cradling him in the gap at the top of her legs. Using the tight grip he had on her, he pumped her body up and down, creating friction as his cock rubbed between her legs.

  She thought her sight blurred from the intensity of his touch, but her eyes could have been filling with tears. Tears for him and his self-condemnation.

  “Augie, penetrate me.”

  “No, baby. I’m no good for you. You deserve someone fresh, like yourself. I’m used up.”

  Tears streamed in a river down her face. He was panting, breathing so hard her hair blew across the back of her neck. He seemed to grow even larger between her thighs. A strangled growl erupted from his throat, and she watched as the come spurted from him and dripped down her legs. She wiped her eyes.

  “Wait here,” he said, his voice low.

  Where was she going to go? What just happened? She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just have sex with her. He didn’t want to use her in that way, but he was using her just the same. Every time they touched, their force solidified her feelings for him that much more. She already loved him for the man he was, saving her and her sister and her mother. She also loved him for the man he strived to be—a man worthy of her, an innocent, a virgin. It was a ridiculous notion that she now wished she’d never mentioned.

  He returned with a washcloth that she used to clean herself. He turned out the light and this time they each moved to their respective sides of the bed—no spooning, no loving, no hugging. Alone. Two halves, but no whole.

  Yet he needed her just as she needed him, and she would die trying to get him to understand that.

  Chapter 10

  Mia woke to an empty bed. Empty for a while, given its coolness. Sitting up, she glanced to the window. The sun was rising, so it must be around seven. She stretched and reached for her new hairbrush. No reason not to look halfway decent.

  Downstairs she found Augie and Gloria at the dining room table. Augie sat in a chair staring into the screen of a laptop while Gloria stood next to him doing the same.

  “My vote is for option B; it’s a more direct route.” Gloria said.

  Augie’s eyes greeted hers. “Morning. Will you make us some breakfast?”

  Another command. “Okay.”

  “FYI, if Gloria eats eggs, she’ll blow up like the Goodyear blimp.”

  “The what?”

  “You know, the Hindenburg.”

  “Shut up, Augie. Where the hell’s she going to find eggs anyway?”

  “She’s very resourceful, in case you haven’t noticed. We had bread last night.”

  “Option B is the more direct route.”

  How strange to be spoken about but not at when you were in the same room. Mia needed caffeine. Surely there was coffee to be had in this place. And where could she get her hands on some eggs? She’d love to see that gorgeous, exotic face swell up. Remembering the basement filled with goodies, she headed that way. She found coffee, eva
porated milk, and biscuit mix on the shelves. To her delight, there were frozen blueberries and pan sausage. They’d be enjoying a nice breakfast, sans eggs.

  Determined to establish some sense of normalcy, Mia set about cooking and brewing coffee. Since they were at the far end of the dining room table, she set everything up on the opposite end. Never once did they acknowledge her. All they did was look at the laptop and talk about routes and plans. What the hell were they scheming?

  With the table set, she took a seat at what would be considered the head. They still hadn’t noticed her spread. She cleared her throat. “Excuse me. Take a break and come eat please.”

  Augie inventoried the smorgasbord she’d prepared and smiled. “Wow, looks great.” He took the chair next to her and lifted her hand to his lips. “You certainly are inventive. I love that about you.”

  His words of praise left her staggered. The man was hot and cold, no middle ground. He’d ignored her all morning, not giving away anything of his feelings about last night, when it was all she could think about.

  From her standing position, Gloria had a shot of their entire exchange. Her arched brow slowly lowered as her eyes narrowed and she set her intense gaze on Mia. She took her seat and poured orange juice all around while Mia served the coffee. They ate the muffins adding jam she’d found in the basement. The sausage tasted wild and earthy, and for a moment they all existed in a sea of harmony. It was the perfect way to begin the day.

  “Mia, we have plans.” Augie wiped at his mouth with a paper towel. “We’re going to get loaded up and head back into town. You’re going to stay with Gloria at a motel; she’ll keep you safe. If I’m not back within four hours, she’ll drive you to Louisiana to hook up with Eve and Clay.”

  He delivered the words as if he were giving a book report. Her eyes were too wide, but she couldn’t help it. If I’m not back … Why wouldn’t he be back?

  “What are you going to be doing, where will you be, why would you not come back?”

  His eyes bored into hers, and she realized there would be no compromise.

  “It’s just a backup plan, Mia. I’m sure nothing is going to happen, but we need to be prepared in case it does.”