Pivoting slowly, he came face to face with his ex-wife, Brandy. She was dressed in all white: the bride. When the bridesmaid asked him who he was friends with, it never occurred to him it would be his Brandy.
“Oh wow.” He cursed himself, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Brandy. I didn’t know—”
“Of course not. How could you?” She delivered him a nasty, hurt look he felt he deserved fully. “You never returned any of my calls.”
“I’m sorry, Brandy. Weren’t we on deployment?” She quickly shook her head and put her hands on her hips. He drew his hand up to the backside of his neck. He honestly didn’t remember getting any calls from her. Not that he would have returned them. He sucked it in and decided to just apologize. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I really am.”
“Ahh. Such a heartbreaker. I wish I could believe you. And now you’ve come to gloat. Ruin my wedding, is that right?”
“No. Absolutely not. That’s unfair.”
“When Devon told me some friends of Nick’s were here, and asked my permission, I thought to myself, What are the odds? Well, no matter. That’s all history now.” She turned in front of him. “How do I look?”
“You look gorgeous, Brandy. I really mean that.”
“Sure.”
“No, I’m serious. I’ve never seen you—”
The music had stopped between songs. Alex heard his name shouted above the crowd.
“Alex!”
He’d forgotten about Nick.
“Brandy, one of your bridesmaids is really, really drunk, and—”
“The one you were feeling up? Her name’s Daphne.”
“No, Brandy, she’s drunk. She’s out of her mind. Please, can you help us out?”
“Honestly,” she said as she gripped her gown and kept pace with him across the dance floor. “You would think a bunch of SEALs would know how to handle this.”
Daphne was passed out in Nick’s arms, who had shielded her from falling over backward in the chair. Alex couldn’t find Jake anywhere.
“Let’s get her over to the couch. You take her feet,” commanded Nick. While they were moving her, Nick raised his head. “I see you guys know each other?”
“She’s my ex,” Alex whispered.
“Oops. Sucks to be you, then.”
They placed a pillow under her head as Daphne regained consciousness. Several of the other ladies moved in around them and took over, bringing water and a cool damp towel.
Coop presented himself. “I should take a look, Nick,” the tall medic said.
“No. Don’t want you involved Coop. We have to call the paramedics. Those are the rules. Don’t want you involved.”
Coop still watched to make sure no one was doing anything that would further aggravate Daphne’s condition. She was soon able to sit up and drink a little water, and then devoured a finger sandwich. The music began again and the crowd turned back to their partying.
Brandy grabbed Alex’s arm. “Come on, Alex. One time for old time’s sake?”
“Well, I’m not quite sure this is proper. I mean—”
“Oh come on. I finally get to wear a gorgeous white gown, have my wedding in a beautiful place, officiated by a minister who doesn’t wear sequins. Humor me, Alex. Give me the sendoff I deserve.”
She had a point. “What about your husband?”
She perused the room. “Well, he’s not here to object. Besides, he knows you.”
“Say what?”
“Dance with me, and I’ll tell you.”
The song was a little too fast for a slow dance, which was a relief to Alex, who didn’t want to be touching Brandy right now. He’d already managed to get his share of scowls.
But she was the bride after all. So the deejay changed it up to a slow song. She gave Alex a sweet smile, with those pink, pouty lips he tried not to stare at.
Damn.
It was hard to pretend not to have any connection with Brandy. And he did feel bad about what had happened. He never should have married her in the first place. They’d used each other all they could, and then it was over quick. She was uncomplicated and just lovely. But not really the type of woman he needed.
“Josh is a SWCC Team guy,” Brandy said, throwing her head back and raising her eyebrows.
He was impressed. “You said he knows me?”
“Not really.” She was wicked beautiful, but very dangerous. “He used to come in almost as often as you did, toward the end.” She swung her chin up, her little sparkling crystal earrings dangling, catching light from all around the room.
“I see. Did you—?” What the hell was he doing? What difference did it make?
“There was a time when he was leaving and you were coming back. But just a little.” Her smile was shy.
“When we were married?”
“Only once.”
Shit. This was turning out to be such a bad idea, getting worse by the minute. As he tried to move over the dance floor, his legs felt like glass. He wanted to throw Brandy over his knee and give her a good spank, and he had absolutely no right to do so. But he was coming off the rails. His control was slipping and the awareness of this only made it worse.
He needed to do a jump, or go swim in the ocean, or run ten miles. It was all feeling too civil for him. And here he was in a lavender fucking T-shirt. He was a trained killer, a Navy SEAL, for Chrissakes. This wasn’t the life he was supposed to lead. This was the pretend cardboard life of someone else who should be standing here holding Brandy and giving her everything she wanted. He felt like an alien species.
He smiled down at her. She wasn’t even trying to be present for him, but was more interested in how the crowd saw the two of them dancing. She enjoyed pressing herself into his thigh, but not so obvious that the crowd or her husband would see. He wished she wouldn’t do that. He wanted to be anywhere else but here.
Alex remembered what he’d been doing just this morning. He wished Sydney was up here. He’d take her skydiving when they got finished at the winery. Maybe he’d take her to the shooting range.
But of course that was a stupid thought. Right now, he was locked in a tense drama for the pleasure of his ex, the new bride, like an actor playing a part on stage. The song couldn’t end fast enough for him.
The men stayed behind to help Devon and Nick with some of the work not being done by the party planners or the caterers. Chairs were stacked and garbage bagged up. Every time Devon tried to do something, one of the SEALs prevented her.
It was good to see her laugh. It was good to just be with their own kind after the caterers and their helpers left. It was getting to be that Alex didn’t feel he could have fun unless he was with his buds. He always felt on duty around the general public. Just something that came with the territory.
“Love it up here. So easy. Beautiful. Made for fun,” Alex said. “Great place to relax.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Mark added.
“He’s right.” Nick brought up something that recently appeared in the local news. “They found a Golden Gate Transit bus abandoned in Santa Rosa. People in our community and some of the retired cops I’ve talked to think it is terror-related. You gotta keep your eyes and ears open at all times, guys.”
“Whatever happened with that property near Lucas’ ranch up north? They ever find all those assholes who ran that terrorist training camp?” asked Alex.
“Devon said it went to auction, and another church group bought it,” Nick answered.
“What the heck would someone want with a bus?” Jake leaned on his broom.
“Fill it full of explosives and park it on the Golden Gate Bridge, Jake.” Coop’s answer was smooth as silk. He didn’t stop his quiet chair stacking to bother to look at any of them.
“A concerned neighbor made the call, and perhaps that thwarted the event,” followed Nick. “Like I said, keep your eyes and ears open. They are looking for unexpected opportunities to create a huge loss of innocent life, and do it spectacularly. W
e’re not DC or Coronado, but we’re not immune.”
But Alex had already had all those thoughts back in San Diego. It had been going on for weeks, ever since his divorce. Something was in the air. Strange people, sounds, bulges in pockets, whispers, dishonest glances—all these things were noticed. So were people with shifty eyes, or people who didn’t look at you directly, or had a limp handshake.
It was late when they returned to the bunkhouse. Alex wanted to crash, but a couple of the guys stayed up to watch a movie. Mark said his good-byes and returned to Nick and Devon’s house. Someone was in the shower. Alex threw himself on a bottom bunk and checked the time on his cell. He saw Sydney’s text.
Are you having fun? How are your friends?
He placed the phone on his chest and looked up at the wooden slats of the upper bunk Cooper would be sleeping on later. She’d sent the text message nearly two hours ago. Should he return it? Wake her up? What were the odds she was also alone tonight? He hoped they were good.
Having fun, yes. But I think I miss you. Headed for bed. Nite Nite.
He hoped she didn’t read anything else into his message. But then he wondered, what was he really trying to say?
Chapter 10
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Sydney heard the beep of her cell because she’d put it beside her on the nightstand. She wasn’t sleeping well anyway. She sat up and cradled it, wondering if she should text him back, and decided not to do it. She wasn’t sure yet whether she would try to contact him. It would be a miracle, but so much better if she could just run into him somewhere.
Where’s your nerve, Sydney? Her internal mother was scolding her, which of course was going to keep her up further. She reached for a book, thinking it might make her sleep, and got snagged on it. Two hours later, she wasn’t tired, but she knew she needed to get some sleep. The night before she’d had little, but no doubt about it, she was wide awake now.
“Fuck!”
Just admit it, Sydney. You want to see him again. You don’t like it, but you do. That’s why you came. Be honest with yourself.
The phone said 2:10 AM. More than likely he’d turned the sound off, so if she messaged him, he wouldn’t get it until morning. Except he’d know she sent it in the middle of the night. And it would make her—eager, Goddammit!
Which was exactly why she balanced her phone on her thighs and sent her message.
Miss you too, Alex. Hope you’re sleeping because I can’t.
She didn’t bother to wait for a response. Instead, she walked into the bathroom, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. While she was brushing her hair, she heard the ping and her heart leapt from her chest.
She nearly tripped on the way over to the bed.
Alex had texted, Me neither. Wanna talk?
If it’s okay, she sent back. She wrinkled her nose at how dumb that sounded.
Just one second, let me wake up the guys and ask them.
No don’t!
Are you kidding? I’d never do that. Headed outside to the porch. I’ll call in 5.
She threw on a pair of sweats and a tank top. After pouring herself a diet coke from the minibar, she sat in the large, overstuffed chair in the corner by the window and waited. The minutes ticked by slowly. He called thirty-three seconds late. She let it ring twice first before picking it up.
“Hi, Alex. I’m sorry if I woke you.” She toyed with the can of Coke. It was not caffeine free. Crap.
“Are you kidding? I thought I’d crash after the long drive, but now I’m wired.”
“Tell me about it.” She clapped her hand in front of her mouth. “Sometimes driving long distances does that to me too.” She hoped she’d recovered well.
“We got up here in good shape. Our friends own this winery, and it’s beautiful up here. There was a wedding.”
“You were in a wedding? One of you guys got married?”
“No, but as it turns out, I knew some people here.”
“Ah. And so all the flirting with the lovelies didn’t make you tired?”
“That’s a dumb question. Men don’t get tired around lovelies, Sydney. You should know that.”
She inhaled quickly. Yeah, that one served her right. “Of course. I forget.” The pause was a little dangerous. “So, tell me about your friends, the part you can tell me, that is.”
His chuckle sent a tiny zinger up her neck. “Not anything to hide here. Except the bride was my ex-wife. How’s that for timing?”
“No way.”
“Trust me on that, sweetheart. Had I known, well, I wouldn’t have come.”
“You’re serious? Your friends didn’t know about this?”
“Well, not like we were married long enough for them to meet her. I’ve only been here one time myself.”
“So you’re at a winery. Are you staying there, then?”
“Yep. They have a bunkhouse where people can come and learn about winery production, the cultivation of the vines and the soil, harvesting, crushing, that sort of thing. Sleeps eight. Except for the snoring, we’re doing fine here.”
“And you happened to stumble on a wedding for your ex? You have dark clouds above your head all the time, Alex? Or you just like to live dangerously?”
“Funny. I thought of you while I was dancing.”
He paused. Sydney held her breath.
He continued, “I was thinking if you were here, I’d take you skydiving tomorrow. Seriously, that’s what I was thinking when I was dancing. That’s kinda nuts, huh? You down in San Diego and me up here.”
It was her time to pause. It wasn’t in her plan to tell him, but opportunity made it feel right, somehow.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Sydney recovered quickly. “Thing is, I got invited up here to visit my old roommate in college. So I’m actually staying in Santa Rosa.”
“No fuckin’ way.”
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to intrude on your plans. I drove up yesterday afternoon and got in late. That’s when I texted you, Alex.” She hoped her lie would hold.
“So where are you?”
“The Vintage, right downtown Santa Rosa.”
She heard the long sigh and maybe the wheels turning inside his handsome head. It was probably a bad idea to tell him.
“Maybe we can meet for breakfast?” she added. She wanted to get him off the hook. “I’ve arranged to meet Carly at ten at Beach Inc. It’s a huge volleyball complex over off Airport.”
The heavy sigh was enough. It didn’t matter what he said, because she could tell he wanted to see her, and that was all that was important.
“Let me see what I can do here. We’re supposed to go over some plans. We’ve got some land to go see tomorrow—actually this morning, now. I gotta stay here. But tomorrow night?”
Sydney gulped down the rest of her Coke. She felt the tingle already coursing through her veins. “I’d like that. Now I really won’t be able to sleep.”
“Yeah, same here. You be careful around the caffeine, Sydney.”
Too late. She’d heard all she needed to hear and didn’t want to push her luck. “Promise. I’ll be a good girl in the morning.”
The deep chuckle in his voice was setting her on fire. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“No horror films on TV. I know because I checked. Not enough chocolate in the minibar, either.”
“Oh, Sydney, Sydney, Sydney. Whatever am I going to do with you? Now you’re making me hard as hell.”
“Just hold that thought until tonight.”
“Not sure I can wait.”
“Music to my ears, sailor.”
“Man, this is nuts.”
“Welcome to my world.”
“What’s your room number?”
“Five Twelve.”
“See you in fifteen.”
He hung up. Sydney’s pounding heart was making her breathless. She dashed to the shower, then afterward donned the little black nightgown she’d brought. She drank one of the bottles of
water and then fingered the chocolate bar in the refrigerator but decided against it. She really wanted a run, but the stiffness from sitting so long in the car was beginning to evaporate. Some leg stretches and back bends helped, thirty pushups against the wall, and then…
OMG there was a knock on the door!
Chapter 11
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He burst into the room without greeting, his hands under her nightie, her body pressed against him, her legs around his waist. She tugged at his shirt and pulled it off. His bare chest against her warm, shaking body was more than he’d hoped for tonight. Stolen moments. They wouldn’t have the long luxurious time they’d had before. But this was just fine. It was urgent. It had to be done. It was what they both needed.
Her lips melted into him. Her little groan set him ablaze as he ran his teeth at her neck and bit her earlobe. Pushing her hands inside the front of his pants she found him. He helped her unbutton his jeans and slide them down off his hips. She grabbed his ass and pulled him into her, wrapping one thigh up and around his waist again.
The clothes had fallen away and at last they fell naked on the bed a tangle of arms and legs. Her hair was splayed over the pillows, the long lovely body of hers hungry, her sex wet with anticipation. She smelled of fresh soap and her arousal. His fingers slid over her thighs, reaching to that magical juncture between her legs as his thumb pressed her nub and he felt her lithe body arch under him. He owned her with that touch. He dipped his head down to taste her and she pulled his shoulders up, begging him. He was more than happy to do whatever she wanted.
He was hard as granite, sliding into her wet channel. She pulled him deep. He was lost in the feel of her lips against his, her little squeals and moans as he explored her with kisses. He started slow, rooting deep, encouraged and rewarded with her hands on his ass squeezing him tight. He picked up the pace as her eyes flashed open—the grin on her lips all he needed to see. She’d take all he could give, which spurred him on further.
For the second bright sunny morning in a row, she was draped across his body. If she was an addiction, he didn’t want to be rid of the need. They didn’t know each other at all. Had barely talked. He was used to having sex with lots of girls, one-night stands that were exciting, good for his ego, and probably good for theirs as well—or at least that’s what he told himself. But this time, being with Sydney, all of a sudden he wanted to know all about her. He wanted to know where she got that drive, that extreme call to action to live full-out.
Band of Bachelors: Alex, Book 2 Page 7
