by JM Stewart
“Chances are, he’ll turn me down, and I’ll just end up feeling like an even bigger fool.” Mandy picked up another shot and downed it, the liquid adding to the warmth spreading through her limbs. “All I want tonight is to be delirious enough to forget I even made that offer.”
Seated beside Steph, Lauren curled her hand around her glass of soda. Four months pregnant, she’d volunteered to be their designated driver. “He hasn’t said no yet, sweetie.”
Mandy chuckled as she set the third empty shot glass beside the others. “He hasn’t said anything yet. I made the offer, then tucked my tail between my legs and hightailed it out of there.”
“Put on something low-cut and do your thing. Clearly, he wants you, so”—Steph winked at her over the rim of her wineglass—“give him a little incentive.”
“That’s very underhanded.” Mandy let out a laugh that sounded half crazed even to her own ears and sipped at her beer. She really would need a ride home after this. A lovely little buzz floated through her head and tense muscles began to unravel.
“No, it’s not. You’re just giving him a little nudge. You know…” Steph set her wineglass on the table and leaned her elbows against the edge, blue eyes gleaming with playful impishness. “Gabe wants to throw a barbecue next Saturday. He plans to invite the guys from the shop, which means Marcus will be there. Perfect chance to woo him.”
Lauren looked over at Steph, eyes taking on a knowing gleam. “If you’re inviting the whole gang, does that mean we’re celebrating something?”
Steph looked between the two of them and sighed, slumping in her seat. “It’s been such a long week. I haven’t had a chance to touch base with you guys. I had court this week, a nasty custody battle. By the time I get home at night, I’m beat.”
“Uh-huh. You sure it isn’t Gabe making you tired?” Mandy tossed Steph a grin and reached across the table, nudging Steph’s hand. “Spit it out already.”
Steph grinned, plunked her chin in her left hand, and turned her head. She drummed her fingers nonchalantly against her cheek. “Notice anything different?”
“’Bout time. I’ve been staring at that since we got here.” Mandy snatched Steph’s hand, brushing her thumb over the gorgeous solitaire. A cushion-cut diamond set in rose-colored gold. Simple yet stunning. She peeked up at Steph, offering her friend a more heartfelt smile. “Gabe has good taste.”
Lauren nudged Steph with an elbow. “Congrats, you.”
Steph, normally all no-nonsense lawyer and about as fearless as they came, flushed to the roots of her blond hair. “He proposed last Saturday.”
Mandy’s heart swelled. Blinking back tears, she tossed Steph a smile. “I’m so happy for you.”
She wanted to be jealous. Both of her best friends had found their other halves and here she was, forever the bridesmaid, but she couldn’t drum up the emotion for the life of her. After being stood up at the altar, Steph deserved to finally be happy, and Gabe gave that to her in spades.
Lauren glanced at Steph, brows raised. “How’s his daughter taking the news?”
Steph glanced at her ring for a moment. “Surprisingly well. Gabe wants to include Char in everything and said she helped pick out the ring. Apparently, he’d chosen something else and she vetoed it. Said she liked this one better. He wants a long engagement, and”—Steph turned to Mandy, shooting her an apologetic frown—“no offense, sweetie, but we’re going to do the wedding ourselves. Char wants to help, and we’d like to include her.”
Mandy squeezed her fingers. “No offense taken. If you need any help or any contacts, let me know.”
Steph clasped her hands together and flashed a sheepish grin. “I do have one request.”
Mandy nodded. “Anything for you, babe.”
Steph straightened in her seat and pulled her shoulders back. “I’d like you to design my dress.”
Mandy blinked, her heart thumping dully against her rib cage. “Me? Sweetie, I’ve got a ton of contacts with shops who do fabulous work. It’s been a while since I’ve done a wedding dress.”
And even then only a handful of times and always with the watchful eye of the shop owner.
Steph’s gaze traveled over her. “You designed that dress you’re wearing now, didn’t you?”
Mandy glanced down at herself. Once upon a time, she’d entertained the idea of becoming a famous fashion designer. Had gone to school and gotten her degree. Had even done a couple summer internships in a small bridal shop. Wedding planning had come almost by accident. A friend had asked for help. Word had spread. Turned out she did it well. She’d never regretted following her heart.
Steph was right, though. She still dabbled in fashion design. She had drawings all over her apartment and had sewn more than a few of the items she wore on a regular basis.
She finally looked up at Steph and gave a helpless shake of her head. “What if I screw it up?”
“You won’t. I trust you. Please? Say you’ll do it?” Steph shot her a smile and winked. “I want a Mandy Lawson original.”
Mandy nodded and sniffled. “I’m honored, sweetie. Truly honored.”
“Thank you. We have a while to work on this. Gabe wants to give Char time to get used to the idea.” Steph picked up her drink and winked again. “Now, about you and Marcus…take no prisoners, sweetie. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks nobody’s watching. He’ll cave. I promise.”
Mandy furrowed her brow. “You’re right. If I back out now, I’ll look like a coward. And I’m a lot of things—impulsive, tomboyish, too upbeat for my own good—but I’m not a coward.”
Besides. She could flirt with the best of them. When she wanted to scratch a primal itch, she had no trouble picking up a date in a club. Could she do that with Marcus, though?
She could. And she would. Steph was right. If she didn’t, she’d regret not trying.
Bolstered, Mandy lifted her beer in salute. “Looks like I’m seducing a SEAL.”
Steph laughed softly. “Go get him, honey.”
* * *
Marcus looked up from the grill, peering across the expanse of the rectangular yard to where the guys from the shop and their significant others gathered for Gabe and Steph’s engagement party. Mandy sat beside Lauren at one of the two tables set up in the yard.
Seven days had passed since their date from Military Match, and he hadn’t been able to concentrate all damn week. Hell, since she arrived an hour ago, his brain function had been shot to hell. It was why he was hiding out behind the grill—because he couldn’t stop remembering her offer. Or kicking himself in the ass for not immediately taking her up on it.
She had to go and look gorgeous tonight, too. The pink top she wore amounted to a thin scrap of silk held up by spaghetti straps. It didn’t help that her puckered nipples pushed against the material. The knowledge had his imagination going nuts. Was she even wearing a bra? Were her breasts sensitive? Would she let out that maddening little whimper when he stroked his thumbs across those straining tips?
“Thanks for helping with the cooking, Marcus.”
At the sound of the soft voice, Marcus jerked his gaze from the vision across the way and turned a nervous smile on Lauren. A plate of potato salad in one hand and a beer in the other, she stood smiling at him, a knowing, slightly amused glint in her eyes. His heart hammered his rib cage. Crap. Had she caught him staring?
“Not a problem. I enjoy it.” He nodded in the direction of the tables, where Gabe sat with Steph on his lap, resting his chin on her shoulder. “Gives those lovebirds a chance to relax.”
“Well, I appreciate it. So do Gabe and Steph. Though I did notice you seem to be keeping to yourself.” Lauren’s keen gaze worked his face. “Is it the crowd or the music?”
Heat flooded Marcus’s face. Lauren seemed to have taken the lot of them under her wing. She came to the shop regularly with goodies from the bakery, always making sure they took the time to stop and eat.
He shook his head and tossed her a rueful smi
le. “Apparently, I’m not holding it together as well as I’d hoped. It’s a little of both. I enjoy the hell out of these get-togethers, but…” He shrugged.
She nodded, as if she somehow knew, understood. “Crowds give Trent a headache. I’ll go turn the music down. We’ll probably call it an early night. With Charlotte being at her aunt’s tonight, I’m sure Gabe would rather have Steph all to himself anyway.”
He chuckled and nodded. “I’ll stay and help clean up.”
“I appreciate it.” She jerked her head toward the house. “Pull those ribs off, and then go grab a beer and relax. That’s an order.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her with the tongs, watching for a moment as she approached the table across the yard.
Lauren took a seat, setting the beer in front of Trent and the potato salad in front of Gabe and Steph. She nudged Mandy and leaned over, whispering something in her ear. Mandy turned that blue gaze on him and smiled, then picked up her plate and rose from the table, sauntering in his direction.
His gut knotted. Crap. Apparently, he had been caught staring. When Mandy actually stopped beside him, his heart launched itself into his throat.
“Hello, Marcus.”
Just the sound of her voice, soft and velvety with a touch of humor and familiarity, had his cock standing up and saluting her.
“How you doing, Mandy?” Marcus kept his gaze on his task. If he looked at her, he was done for. His heart hammered his freakin’ rib cage, for crying out loud. Like he was seventeen. The soft heat of her body beside him launched a thousand fantasies, most of which revolved around her, naked beneath him.
“Just Mandy? I’m not your angel tonight?” She tsked and bumped his shoulder, her voice taking on a teasing lilt. “Have to say I’m disappointed.”
Okay, she got him with that. He glanced at her…only to wish he hadn’t. She stood pushing her bottom lip out, but she looked so damn cute doing it he couldn’t help laughing. He shook his head and looked back to the grill. “Put that thing away. No fair pulling that lip on me.”
She leaned toward him, so close now her scent swirled around him. Even over the smoke and meat, the aroma of vanilla wafted around him, daring him to bend his head to her neck. “But it’s working, isn’t it?”
Marcus forced himself to focus on turning over the last batch of ribs. What he needed to do was give her the cold shoulder and let her walk away. This was Mandy, damn it, and her brother sat barely twenty feet away.
He couldn’t help himself, though, and made the mistake of glancing at her again. Her eyes glinted with mischief, and for a moment, he was caught in that sparkling gaze. He’d never get used to her looking at him that way, with such unrestrained hunger. Up until Lauren and Trent had gotten together, he’d rarely seen Mandy. Just the few times she’d come into the shop for parts for her bike. His attraction to her back then had been easily squelched.
Now, with them all getting together so often, he saw her on a more regular basis. Had gotten to know her. She was the oddest mixture of shyness and strength. Soft and feminine with a huge heart, but tough around the edges. Mandy was different, in a way his whole body sat up and took notice of. She’d become a craving he couldn’t shake.
Now here she was, and despite the voice of reason telling him not to say it, the words were leaving his mouth anyway. “If that’s your attempt at unsettling me, you’re going to have to try harder than that.”
She had the nerve to grin and wink at him. “Oh, challenge accepted, Mr. Denali. Challenge accepted.”
Drawn completely into the playful banter now, he couldn’t help himself here, either. He turned his head and narrowed his gaze on her. “It’s Marcus, if you please.”
She arched a brow, eyes glimmering with a potent mixture of heat and amusement. “You get to call me angel, but I only get to call you by your given name? How’s that fair?”
He chuckled. God, he loved that fire.
“Fine, angel. Call me whatever you like.” Unable to help himself, he leaned his mouth beside her ear. “But play nice.”
She drew a shuddering breath. The shiver that moved through her made his cock twitch, begging him to drag her off into a dark corner somewhere. Never one to be deterred, however, she locked her hot blue gaze on his, fire flashing in the depths. “How ’bout ‘stud’?”
He tipped his head back and laughed, because if he did anything else, he’d be pulling her into the house. “You are something else, you know that? Can I actually get you anything? Or did you come over here just to taunt me?”
Mandy laughed, her body relaxing beside him. “Actually, I was sent over here to save you from yourself. Lauren says you’re isolating.” She playfully batted her lashes at him. “Am I helping?”
He was isolating. Manning the grill was an excuse. He damn well didn’t trust himself around Mandy. She was candy, and he was a starving kid.
“No.” He narrowed his gaze on her. “Because you’re not playing nice.”
She grinned again, completely pleased with herself, and waggled her brows. “So I am getting to you.”
He shook his head. “You always have.”
The little minx had the nerve to lean toward him, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial murmur. “Do tell.”
The husky tone of her voice, low and sensual, slid along his nerve endings and landed right in his jeans. He pivoted toward her. Remembering the others seated nearby, he stopped just shy of dragging her against him. He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his shoulders tensing to the point of aching. “Angel?”
Mandy froze in front of him, blinking up at him with wide, stunned eyes. “Yeah?”
He kept his voice low enough the others wouldn’t be able to hear. “There’s a reason I’m hiding behind this grill, and you’re it.”
She drew a shuddering breath that damn near undid all his good intentions. “So you have considered my offer.”
He lifted a hand, stroking it along her forearm. Some part of his brain blared a warning, but he needed to touch her. Just once. “I’ve thought of nothing else but you this week. Keep pushing and find out what happens when I lose control of myself.”
He’d meant his comment as a tease, hoped somehow she’d ease up on him, but Mandy, little hellcat that she was, squared her shoulders. She pulled herself to her full height and closed that last step between them, standing so close her breasts brushed his chest. “You don’t scare me. I’ve thought about you, too. I’m pretty sure your name left my lips more than once this week.”
His mind filled with the exact images she’d nonchalantly hinted at. Her lying naked on her bed, thighs spread, her fingers slipping into her velvet heat. The huff of her breath as she grew closer to orgasm. The sound of his name leaving her lips on a quiet moan as she tipped over the edge and began to tremble…
Marcus swallowed a groan and forced himself to turn back to the grill, his jeans suddenly two sizes too small. “Not helping, angel.”
Mandy took the tongs from his hand, pulled a half rack from the low-heat side of the grill and set them on her plate, then handed back the tongs. Apparently not done tormenting him, she pulled a bit of meat off the end of one rib and popped it in her mouth, her cheeks hollowing as she sucked on the tips of her fingers.
“Mmm. Your ribs are delicious. This is my second helping. You know, I could never be a vegetarian. Like my meat too much.” The little firebrand winked at him, her gaze falling to his crotch. “Looking good in those jeans, by the way.”
Before he could gather his wits enough to form a coherent response, she turned to saunter away. She left him standing there watching her phenomenal ass swing and trying to remember why it was he couldn’t have her.
* * *
Leaning against the wall, Marcus drummed his fingers against his thighs as he stared at the bathroom door across from him, willing the damn thing to open. After pulling the last batch of ribs from the grill two hours ago, he’d done exactly as he’d promised Lauren and joined the fray. Mandy hadn’t stopped teas
ing him since she walked away from him. Every time she came near him, her fingers would trail his lower back or graze his arm. More than once those luscious breasts brushed against him as she squeezed past him on her way to something. And the heated looks across the table? Christ.
Her teasing had been funny at first. Cute. From any other woman, those sorts of obvious ploys did nothing for him. From the one woman he craved but couldn’t—shouldn’t—touch? No cold shower could possibly douse the flame she’d lit in his gut. She had him wound so freaking tight he was half afraid he’d do something he shouldn’t.
Which was why he was here, stalking the bathroom instead of getting that extra beer he’d come inside for. Mandy had gone in there a few minutes ago. He intended to nip her over-the-top behavior in the bud. Before he went fucking insane.
The bathroom door opened with a whoosh of air disturbed and a quiet squeak. Mandy stopped short in the doorway, eyes widening with surprise. “Marcus.”
Determination swelled behind his breastbone. He straightened off the wall and closed the distance between them in two long strides. One hand braced on her chest, he pushed her back inside the bathroom, closed the door, then rounded on her. She hit the door behind her and froze. Her chest heaved, those big blue eyes wide in her face. She looked stunned.
Good.
He reached out to engage the lock mechanism on the doorknob, then set his hands on either side of her head and leaned down. Every muscle in his body tensed with the effort it took not to seize her sassy little mouth.
“If you wanted my attention, angel, you’ve got it. I’ve been hard all night no thanks to you.” He had a hard-on nothing would deflate. Except maybe her hands. Or her mouth. Or…
Mandy had the nerve to grin at him. She lifted onto her toes, bringing her mouth so close her warm breaths teased his lips. “So what’re you going to do about it?”
The amusement glittering in her eyes scraped his last sane nerve.
“What I want…” He slid his hands to her ass, lifted her off her feet, and pressed her back against the door. His aching cock settled against her heat, and he leaned into her, let her feel the result of her teasing. “Is to fuck you against this door.”
