by Winters, KB
Damon shrugged and the concern fell away. “Makes sense. You just need to make sure you’re not just running away from your problems. I’ve tried that, man, and let me tell ya, it doesn’t work. They always catch up with you in the end. You gotta get yourself straight before you can fix any of the other bullshit.”
I nodded. It was good advice, but the truth was, I had no idea where to start fixing my problems. All I could do was hope that some time away would help me untangle the mess.
Gigi walked into the kitchen—saving me from replying—and offered a bright smile. “Morning all.How about some breakfast?”
“She spoils me,” Damon said. “Pancakes, eggs, and bacon, every weekend.”
“Well, you work hard! You deserve a little pampering. What about you, Jace? Breakfast?”
“Sounds amazing. You want help?”
She shooed away my offer, and I flipped back through the real estate listing again, fanning the flame of excitement that had started burning at the idea of getting away and starting over.
After the hearty breakfast, I thanked Damon and Gigi, and promised to not be such a stranger, as I left. I rode my bike hard and fast towards the small town from the listing, not stopping until I was parked along the curb in front of it. The shop itself looked a little worse for the wear, but after doing a little inspection, I determined it was all minor cosmetic stuff. The bones of the building looked good and there was plenty of room for what I had in mind.
“Well, what do you think?” The landlord asked when I rounded back to the front doors of the shop. I’d called and made the last minute viewing appointment before leaving Damon and Gigi’s house.
“It could work. Are there any repairs in the works? Anything a prospective tenant would need to know?” I asked even though I’d already decided I’d take it.
The landlord rambled into action, listing off adjustments that could be made, and even offered a break in the lease to accommodate the work. I kept a straight face, but it was funny how evident the man’s desperation was to get the place rented out.
As he was chattering away, trying to sweeten the deal, my gaze went out the window to the small diner across the street. I could see right through the front window, far enough to see the people at those tables. A waitress approached the table, and my heart jumped at the sight of her. She was model tall, slender, but her jeans were molded in a way that showed off her amazing ass. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but when she turned, I could see it went halfway down her back. She had high cheekbones, full lips, and a smile that made my heart thud in my chest, aching for it to be for me.
“—and we could get this all on paper if you have time to go to my office. It’s only a few blocks away,” the landlord concluded. I’d tuned out the last parts of his pitch, completely consumed by the gorgeous skirt across the street.
“Umm, not—not today.” I glanced at my phone and saw that I was already cutting it way too close if I wanted to get back to the city in time for my afternoon client—a non-negotiable. When I looked back up, the waitress was gone from the window. “I have to get back to Chicago. But I’m interested. I’ll call tomorrow and we can go over the details.”
“Very good,” the man replied, nodding. I could tell he’d hoped to close the deal, but he wasn’t pushy—and for that—I was thankful.
We shook hands and he gave me his business card as he walked me out. I walked to my bike, and gave one glance back at the diner, wishing I had time to at least stop in for a cup of coffee.
* * * *
A week later, the deal was set. The shop and apartment would be mine and available to move in within the month—pending some last minute fixes. Marty and his crew finished filming the first season, and I was officially on vacation for the next six weeks. On the last day of filming, I’d dropped the bomb on Marty that I was turning my business in Chicago over to some fellow ink artists, and would be taking some time to establish a new business. He’d gone ballistic on me, but by the end of the conversation, I’d brought him around to seeing that filming me as I built a second business from scratch, moved and worked to establish a new life, in a new town, would be far more interesting than the same shit we’d already covered in the first season.
On my first full day off, I took the trip back out to Damon and Gigi’s bar to give them the news that I was moving and we’d celebrated well into the night. The next day, I drove to my new shop, and this time, made no hesitation to go into the diner where I’d seen the waitress who had become my own, personal siren, haunting my dreams, both while I was awake and asleep. She was a welcome change from explosives, gun fire, and mortar flashes, but my constant thoughts of her were driving me crazy with curiosity. I tried to talk myself down, to leave room for the possibility that she was married—or taken—or maybe just not interested in a rough and tumble vet.
A friendly chime greeted me as I pushed inside the small diner, and a woman with a name tag that read Patrice, came over to seat me. I was seated by the window but all I was interested in were the faces and activity inside the diner. My heart fell after a few minutes, when Patrice came back and announced she would be my server. I placed an order, still holding out hope that the woman I’d seen before would appear, but by the time my meal arrived, I had to admit defeat. She wasn’t there.
On my way out, I stopped at the front counter to pay my check. Patrice rang me up with a smile. “Did you enjoy your meal?”
“I did. Very much. Thank you.” She nodded and punched in the ticket and gave me my change. I handed her a five dollar bill. “Listen, I know this might sound weird, but the other day, I was in here, and I didn’t get the name of my server. She’s tall, brown hair—”
“Oh, Kat!” Patrice filled in.
Kat. I let the name soak in. My mystery woman.
“Well, she was excellent.”
“She’s not here today, but I’ll be sure to let her know.”
I nodded and left before she could ask me anything else, waving as I pushed through the door, and stepped onto the sidewalk.
Kat. That’s her.
Chapter Six
My six weeks of vacation time from filming passed by in a blur, spurred on by the busyness of getting everything set up at my new shop and making sure my existing clients were taken care of by the two artists who would be keeping my Chicago shop running while I was away. On moving day, everything that could go wrong, went wrong, and set us behind schedule several hours. When I finally was able to send the moving team away for the night, and take a minute to relax, the diner was closed, but when I fell asleep that night, Kat’s face was the last thing I saw.
The next morning, I raced out of bed, threw on some jeans, a t-shirt, and my black leather jacket, and went across the street. Patrice, the waitress that had served me before, sat me at the same window table, and I worried it was going to be a repeat of my last visit. I shrugged out of my jacket and waited, my eyes anxiously scanning the room, when Kat appeared from the kitchen. She was tying her hair back and didn’t see me before I turned around, not wanting to get caught staring at her. I tapped my fingertips on the table and waited.
“Good morning,” Kat greeted, as she came to a stop at my table. “Coffee?” She held up what was left of her pot.
I couldn’t help but smile as her eyes went wide as she took me in, assessing everything from my shoulders to the dark ink that covered the majority of each arm.
“Yeah,” I answered, smiling even more as she jolted to life, startled by my reply.
I slid my mug to the edge of the table and she filled it with the steaming contents of the carafe. “Do you need to see the menu?”
“Sure.”
She went for the front pocket of her apron, but after a moment, her cheeks flushed. “I’ll go get one, one sec.” She scurried away, and I took a deep breath. Seeing her in person was even more intoxicating than my daydreams about her. Everything about her was perfect. Her dark hair, sparkling green eyes, and the way she was so easily flustered by me.
I had no idea what she was thinking, but I wanted more.
Moments later, she reappeared and handed me a menu. “Here you are, take your time, and let me know if you have any questions.”
She spun away, but I stopped her with the first—of many—questions. “All right, first question, what’s your name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah,” I smiled, loving how easy it was to throw her off. I crossed my arms, flexing my muscles as they came to rest on top of the table.
“I’m Kat—Katherine,” she answered. Her eyes raked up my arms and hitched on my biceps.
“Which do you want me to use? Kat? Or Katherine?” Her gaze snapped back to mine at my second question. “Sorry, is that a weird question?”
“No, no, it’s not.” She folded her arms. “Sorry, um, Kat works. That’s what people call me around here.”
“Kat, then. I’m Jace, it’s nice to meet you.”
She nodded, and then gestured to the menu lying on the table. “Anyways, that’s the breakfast menu, but if you want something from the lunch menu, I can usually sweet talk Benny, our cook.”
A teasing glint came to my eyes. “I bet.”
She reeled again, and I knew she was trying to find a way to sidestep my comment. After a moment, she excused herself and vanished. I stared down at the menu in her absence, but couldn’t focus on the items listed before me. My mind was absorbed with thoughts of Kat. She was different than I’d expected. The woman I’d seen from across the way had appeared so at ease and confident. I hadn’t expected her to be shy and hesitant. I was used to women throwing themselves at me with all kinds of insinuations, lines, and whispered promises.
Kat was different.
But then, that was why I’d moved. Wasn’t it? I wanted different. My old life was filled with easy, one nighters and I’d left that all behind. As attracted as I was to Kat, I was surprised to realize that wasn’t all I was interested in.
When she reappeared, I dialed back my innuendo.
“Anything look good?” she asked, her eyes glued to the order sheet in her hands. I stared at her, resisting the urge to say something dirty, and she caught me off guard. “On the menu?” She added—a barb of acid to her tone.
I held back a smirk at her first display of sauciness. “I’ll do the spinach and mushroom omelet.”
She nodded and wrote the order down. I studied her fingers as she wrote, and caught a glimpse of her left hand as she slipped the pad back into her apron. To my relief, it was bare. There wasn’t a wedding ring adorning her left index finger. “White or wheat?” She asked.
“Wheat.” I shrugged and handed her back the menu.
“Is there something else?” Her tone was still sharp and I chided myself, fearing I’d already come on too strong and drove her away.
I shook my head and she walked away to put in the order.
The rest of our interactions were short, clipped, and when I paid my check and left, I was sure I’d offended her—maybe even a few times. I made my way back across the street to my newly renovated tattoo shop and tried to lose myself in work, unpacking and setting everything up. I tried my damnedest to keep my mind on what I was doing, but it wandered back across the street every few minutes, and it was all I could do to stay focused and not barge back into the diner and ask her for a fresh start.
I reassured myself that I’d have more than enough time to show her I wasn’t some fucking scumbag.
I’d win her over in the end.
I hope you enjoyed This Exclusive Bonus of SEAL’d Perfection!
As a big thank you to my subscribers, I’m giving away the never to be released
SEAL’d Perfection The Epilogue for FREE!
The only way you can get it is to Click Here and sign up!
Acknowledgements
Thank you!
A million thanks to all my readers. Without you, my books wouldn’t need to exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!
Thanks to all of my beta readers, street team, ARC readers and Facebook fans. You girls are the best!
And a huge bazillion thanks to my PA, Shannon Hunt and Once Upon an Alpha. Without you, I’d be a hot mess! Thank you!
And a very special thanks to my editor, Tina. Thank you for making my words make sense.
Copyright © 2015 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
More from KB Winters
Plush A Billionaire Romance
What The Luck
Fate Interrupted
Timeless Passion
Hooked (Get it free!)
SEAL’d Perfection
Temporary Assignment
About The Author
KB Winters has an addiction to caffeine, tattoos and hard-bodied alpha males. The men in her books are very sexy, protective and sometimes bossy, her ladies are…well…bossier!
Living in sunny Southern California, the embarrassingly hopeless romantic writes every chance she gets!
You can connect with KB on Facebook and Twitter!
Or stop by her website at KBWinters.com!
