Did she want more than that? She’d been so determined she had no room in her life for a relationship. So why was she even thinking about it? She gave her head a shake and picked up a bland chip to dunk it in insipid salsa.
Beck emerged from the kitchen carrying a big tray of glasses. He spotted her immediately and his smile made her toes curl in her flip-flops. He set the tray down and headed toward them.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He leaned way over the bar, pushing up on his hands, and smooched her lips. “You’re here.” Then he turned to Carrie with a smile. “Hi, Carrie. Good to see you again.”
“You too.” Her lips curved into a smile, her eyes alert. “I’ve been hearing so much about you.”
“Oh yeah?” His gaze flicked to Hayden. “How charming and irresistible I am?”
“Basically, yeah.”
“Gah, don’t tell him that!” Hayden gave Carrie’s arm a light slap. “His ego is as big as Jupiter.”
Beck laughed, white teeth flashing in his dark beard. “I also have a very big…”
Hayden’s eyes popped open.
“…wit,” Beck finished. “I’m a fun guy, right, Hayden?”
“Right,” she wheezed, while Carrie collapsed into giggles next to her.
“Jesus, I thought he was going to brag about the size of his dick again,” Marco said, passing behind Beck. Beck flashed him a one-fingered salute, and Marco laughed softly as he began moving glasses from the tray Beck had just set down. “Come on, asshole, stop flirting with the pretty girls and get back to work. We’re ready to get started.”
Beck saluted him properly this time, and Marco called for everyone’s attention. “Okay, welcome, all! Some of you were here at our last tasting, so you’ve already heard some of the history of tequila, but for those who are new to this, I’ll just briefly fill you in on that.”
Carrie and Hayden had heard this before, but Hayden still paid attention as if she were in a classroom, idly jotting down some of the terms he used.
“No Will and Brian tonight,” Carrie said in a low voice. “Hey, I never told you Will called me.”
“What? When?”
“The other day.”
“Did he ask you out?”
“Yes.” Carrie grimaced. “Like I’d go out with him, knowing he asked you first.”
Hayden bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“Hey, you don’t need to apologize. And I can totally understand why you didn’t want to see him again.” She glanced meaningfully at Beck. “He is hot as fuck.”
“I know.” Hayden sighed.
They started sampling tequilas, and every time Hayden took a sip she felt Beck’s gaze on her, hot and wicked and knowing. They were both remembering other times…back in his office when he’d let her sample the Don Alvaro, at his place where he’d licked it off her naked body…Hayden squeezed her thighs together at the pulse of lust there and sighed again. She tried to focus on tasting the liquor, closing her eyes to savor it and identify the different notes.
“That’s so fucking sexy.”
Her eyes flew open. Beck had leaned across the bar to whisper in her ear.
“Watching you do that…you look so intense…like you’re about to have an orgasm.”
She grinned. “The tequila’s not that good.”
“It is when I’m licking it off you.”
“Don’t remind me.” She swallowed a moan. “I’m trying not to think about that.”
“Maybe we’ll have to try that again.”
Hayden caught Carrie watching them with an interested expression on her face. Then Marco approached her. “So, belleza? What do you think of the blanco?”
Carrie ran her tongue over her bottom lip and Marco’s eyes darkened. “Peppery. With hints of citrus.”
Marco cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah.”
“I totally made that up,” Carrie added.
Beck and Hayden exchanged smiles and he pushed away from the bar to start pouring the next sample.
“The history of tequila is part myth and part fact,” Marco announced to all. “Last time we heard about the facts. Now I’ll tell you a story about Tzinzimiti, the goddess of darkness. The native Mexican tribes hated and feared her because she devoured all of the sunshine and light from the villages. In order to keep her at bay, the Mexican people made human sacrifices to her.”
“Eeep,” Carrie muttered.
“Quetzalcoatl was an Aztec feathered serpent who tried to destroy Tzinzimiti. Along his journey, he encountered Mayahuel, Tzinzimiti’s granddaughter, and they fell in love.”
“As serpents and granddaughters of evil goddesses do,” Carrie added.
Marco’s lips twitched and Hayden smothered a smile.
“They returned to earth to hide as trees so they couldn’t be found. However, Tzinzimiti ended up in a battle with them and she killed Mayahuel. Mayahuel died in the arms of her true love. Quetzalcoatl buried her and a beautiful agave grew on top of her burial site. The pointy leaves are to protect her from falling objects, and the pointy thorns symbolize Mayahuel’s four hundred breasts.”
Carrie choked on her tequila. “Four hundred breasts?”
Marco grinned. “Yes.”
Carrie gave her head a shake and held up her hands. “That’s just wrong.”
“Like I said, this is mix of myth and fact. Anyway, to alleviate Quetzalcoatl’s pain at losing his beloved, the other gods gave the agave a liquid that, when drunk, would comfort and erase painful memories. And those who drink from the agave will live happily ever after.” Marco lifted his glass of tequila in a toast, his eyes twinkling.
Hayden met Carrie’s eyes and they joined in the laughter of the others listening. “I love how he pronounces the Spanish words,” Hayden whispered to Carrie. “It’s so sexy.”
“Eh.” Carrie wrinkled her nose. “He’s putting on a show.”
Chapter 19
The next morning, Beck arrived at Hayden’s place to pick her up and drive her to her aunt and uncle’s. This was the price he paid for taking her on an adventure yesterday when she should have been helping them. To convince her to spend the day with him, he’d told her he’d come with her and help.
This wasn’t the first time he’d gone back to her aunt and uncle’s place with her, after that night Gina had fallen. He’d found himself there a couple of times, helping out with things. Not how he usually spent a day off. Cade and Marco were spending the afternoon sailing. Would he rather be with them?
Hmmm.
While a sailboat on the ocean did sound appealing, he’d rather be on the boat with Hayden. So sailing would be their next adventure, another time. Today he’d make her life a little easier.
Morning fog was burning off over the coast as they pulled into the driveway in front of Gina and Colin Strong’s house. They’d stopped at a grocery store to pick up a few things and had also gotten coffee. He let Hayden carry their cups while he hefted the grocery bags into the house.
They paused to peer into the living room, which was empty.
“Aunt Gina?” Hayden called.
“Out here, Hayden!” The voice came from the open sliding doors onto the patio. Beck followed Hayden across the living room and outside. There her aunt was seated on a comfortably padded patio chair, reading a book. Hayden set their coffees on a table and bent down for a hug. Gina hugged her back then smiled at Beck. “Hello again, Beck. What have you got there?”
He held up the bags. “Just a few things we bought. I’ll take them into the kitchen.”
“Oh.” Gina’s forehead creased in a distressed expression. “Do you have to…I’m so sorry. It’s a mess in there. I just haven’t gotten to it yet.”
“Hey, no worries, you should see my bachelor condo.” He smiled at her and turned back into the house.
“You’re getting better every week,” Hayden said to her aunt. “But you’re not up to cleaning a whole big house yet. I wish you’d hire someone to come in and clean, Aunt Gina.”
Why would they,
when Hayden came to do it? Beck sighed, listening to them talk through the open windows as he set the bags on the counter and began to unload them.
“How’s your hip, Aunt Gina?” She hadn’t done any major damage when she’d fallen that night, but it had set back her recovery.
“It’s about the same.” Gina sighed.
“Where’s Uncle Colin?”
“Out back. Doing something with the fish.”
Beck peered out the big kitchen window and saw Colin bent over the stone pond. He turned and surveyed the kitchen. Damn. He looked at Colin again.
Straightening his shoulders, he walked out another set of sliding doors onto the patio. The yard really was gorgeous. He jogged down a couple of steps to the lush grass and wandered toward Colin. The older man looked up.
“Oh, hey there, Beck. Didn’t know you were coming again today.” He slowly pushed up to his feet. “I’d shake your hand but mine are pretty dirty.”
“No worries.” Beck smiled. “Looks like you’ve been working.”
“Yeah. There’s always something that needs doing out here.”
“Nice pond.”
“Thanks. Built it myself. Put all those plants in too.”
“Did you build that gazebo?” Beck nodded.
“Yeah.” Colin moved toward it and Beck followed him. “It’s a nice place to sit outside in the evening. Not that we do that much anymore.”
Beck admired the structure and asked a few questions about some of the plants and shrubs around the yard. “So great to have such a big space in the city.”
“Yeah.” Colin grinned. “It’s my pride and joy. Check out my azaleas.” He paused. “You’re probably not much into horticulture.”
“Not really,” Beck admitted, but he tagged along to admire the bright flowering shrubs. “But it’s nice.”
“You live in a house?”
“A condo. Nothing special but it’s on the bay and has nice views.”
“How long did you say you’ve been out of the Navy?”
“A little over a year.”
Colin eyed him. “Assume you saw action overseas.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why’d you leave?”
Beck stared across the verdant space. “Well, I guess there were a few reasons. Things were changing. Politics were making it harder to get things done. Sometimes it felt like we were filling out paperwork more than anything. And…” He paused, thinking. “I saw some of my teammates struggling with balance. The married guys who ended up divorced because they were never home. Even when they were on leave, they’d come in to work on their gear, cleaning their weapons or doing some last minute stuff before we deployed again. I mean, I get it—we all loved what we did. But I just thought maybe it was time for me to find that balance…time for a life of my own, before it’s too late. I saw the things they missed…the weddings and funerals and births. And they loved their families.” He looked at Colin. “I can see how much you love your wife.”
Colin nodded, his eyebrows pulled together. “Hell yeah. Been married forty-five years.”
“That’s great. You’ve probably been through some hard times together.”
“Yeah.”
“I saw some of my buddies’ wives struggling…saw how hard it was keeping things going when their guy was away so much.”
Colin gave him a long level look. “Yeah?”
Beck nodded, keeping his tone casual. “Those Navy wives dealt with it because they had to. But your wife shouldn’t. You’re right here…yet your wife is still struggling.”
For a minute, Beck was afraid the old dude was going to hit him. He’d tried to be subtle about it, but what the hell, clear communication was important.
“Sorry if I’m butting in. Just something to think about.” He headed back into the house, knowing Hayden was probably in there trying to get things sorted.
“I’m going to have to do some laundry,” she muttered when he found her.
“Hayden, I can do it,” Gina protested, having used her walker to enter the kitchen.
“You can’t do stairs yet, Aunt Gina. And you can’t carry laundry when you’re in your walker.”
“I can kick a bag of laundry down the stairs.”
Hayden laughed.
“I’ll do it.” They all turned to see Colin entering the kitchen. He stepped over to the sink, where he turned on the faucet and started scrubbing his hands.
“Um, do you know how to do laundry, Uncle Colin?”
“No damn clue,” he said. “But Gina will give me instructions and we’ll manage.” He turned, using a towel to dry his hands. “Thank you though, for offering. We really appreciate everything you do, Hayden.”
She ducked her chin briefly. “Of course. Okay, while you’re doing that I’ll put together the lasagna and get it in the oven. And I picked up a salad at the deli.”
Beck watched as Colin hesitated.
“You make good lasagna,” he finally said. “We appreciate that too.”
“Thanks!” Hayden smiled and moved to the counter.
“What can I do?” Beck asked.
She gave him directions and between the two of them they assembled layers of pasta, meat sauce, and cheese, and put it in the oven to bake.
“Damn, that looks good.” He arched a brow. “When did you say you were going to cook for me?”
Her slow, sexy smile made his dick thicken. “Anytime you want.”
He moved into her space, crowding her against the counter. “My buttoned-up little professor is learning to let loose.”
She laughed and laid her arms over his shoulders. “Should we go back to my place and make another lasagna?”
“Fuck. That makes me feel guilty. You slave away here all afternoon and then go home and do more cooking? Nah. I’ll take you out to Emilio’s.”
She laughed and he bent his head to nuzzle her ear. His blood heated as he breathed in the scent of her hair, her curves all pressed up against him. He hadn’t spent last night with her, because she’d gone home with Carrie and he’d gone home alone to his condo. Just him and his hand. Which had been sorely needed after watching Hayden enjoy that tequila, a look of nearly sexual pleasure on her face. He’d fucking hated that she was on the other side of the bar from him, save the few times he got to take a break and go around and feel her up a little and sneak a kiss. He’d wanted to be right beside her, or better yet, have her in his lap as he held a glass of spirits to her mouth so she could taste it and then he could lick it off her lips…
“We don’t have to do that,” she said, bringing him back to the real world and not his hot fantasies about her. “I can make us something quick, if you want to stay for dinner.”
“Just try to get rid of me, baby.” He gave her a lingering kiss, then released her. “What else do we have to do here?”
She looked around. “Things seem to be under control.”
They walked out to the hall as Colin came downstairs carrying a big laundry basket heaped with clothes. “Okay, what do I do with these?”
Gina called from the living room. “Bring them in here. We’ll separate them.”
“We’re going now,” Hayden said. “But call me if you need anything, okay?”
“We’ll be fine,” Colin said. “You have a nice dinner with your young man.”
Beck’s eyebrows lifted and he exchanged an amused glance with Hayden.
“I will,” she said. “I’ll talk to you soon. Good luck with the laundry!”
“You’re so patient with them,” Beck murmured, setting his hand just above her ass as they walked down the driveway.
“Yes, I am.” She blew out a breath. “But I admit there’ve been times I wanted to yell at Uncle Colin. I love him, and he’s a great husband and father, but come on, man, this is the twenty-first century. Learn to load the dishwasher!”
“I agree.”
“You do your own laundry?”
“Who else would do it?” He opened her door for her and she slid i
n.
“I’m sure there are many women who’d offer.”
“I notice you haven’t jumped up wanting to do it.”
“We hardly know each other.” She smirked. “Doing someone’s laundry is pretty intimate.”
“Do we have everything we need for dinner?”
“I think so. Why?”
“Do we have time to make a stop somewhere?”
“Where?”
“You’ll see.”
He caught the way her lips pressed together. Then she let out a breath. “Okay, fine.”
He repressed his smile.
“Dinner won’t be anything fancy. A quick stir-fry.”
“I’m not a picky eater. And I do try to eat healthy. As a SEAL, we had a pretty strict diet.”
She blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah. Limiting processed foods, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains. Lots of carbs and protein, low fat. Our physical activities were pretty intense and we needed to fuel our bodies. Maintain and rebuild muscle.”
“Hmm. I guess that’s true. For some reason I thought you were a burgers-and-fries kind of guy.”
“Because I took you to Benny’s that day at the beach?”
“I guess so.”
“Shame on you, forming an impression on that one time.”
“You’re right.”
“Nothing wrong with a good burger once in a while. Emphasis on the ‘good.’ If you’re going to eat junk food, it better taste damn good so you can enjoy the hell out of it.”
She relaxed back into the leather seat, the wind tossing her hair around, a smile beneath her sunglasses. “I’m enjoying the hell out of this ride.”
“Oh, baby. Saying things like that will get you ridden hard. Later.”
Her cheeks turned pink.
“I was thinking about you last night. Were you thinking about me?”
Her hesitation was barely obvious. “Yes.”
“Excellent.”
He pulled into a parking lot in the Gaslamp District. Hayden sent him a questioning look as they each opened their doors and climbed out. He took her hand and led her to the sidewalk and then down 5th Avenue to Bisou.
“What is this?” she slanted him a look as he held the door open for her.
Body Shot (Last Shot) Page 19
