by Lea Hart
“Are you coming after me?” Sara called.
“Sure am,” he called back. He was going to go after her in ways that she couldn’t begin to understand. He approached her from behind and gave her a bear hug. She stepped outside and back stopped his knees. Then threw an elbow up. It was flawlessly executed. When he fell backward, he took her with him, because he wanted to give her a realistic idea of what could happen on the street. When she fell on top of him, she turned and slotted into him perfectly. He held her against his body more like a lover than an attacker, and enjoyed every second of it. Her lips were inches from his and all he wanted to do was taste her mouth.
Lifting her head, she grinned. “I was so close.” Dropping her mouth slowly, she pressed her lips against his and sighed.
Wishes do come true. Every cell in his body went on high alert, and the only thing he could do was kiss her back. And he did. Like a man who was starving. He slid his hands under her tank top and kept their mouths fused together. Lost. He was completely fucking lost in Sara’s taste.
Before he knew what was happening, she’d released his mouth, rolled out of his embrace, and jumped up. All he saw after that was Sara’s fine ass running away from him toward the door. When she started whooping, he knew he’d been had.
Sara stood in the doorway and started her victory dance, which involved a lot of booty shaking and arm flapping. “I made it to the door,” she shouted.
The room erupted in loud cheers as the men whooped it up. Sara had done exactly what she said she was going to do: laid him out. Rising on his elbows, he watched Richard stroll over and twirl her around.
“Damn, girl, that was impressive. I told you to do the unexpected, and you did.”
“Thank you, Richard. None of it would’ve been possible without you.”
Grady watched Sara give Richard a big kiss on the cheek, and his gut twisted in jealousy. He stood abruptly, and his muscles tensed in anticipation. Just as he was about to walk over, he felt Nick’s hand on his shoulder. When he glanced over, he saw his buddy shaking his head. “What?”
“You might want to get control of yourself before you go over there. I have a feeling that Sara isn’t going to be impressed with your caveman impression.”
Rolling his head around, he shook out his shoulders. “You may have a point. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me.”
Nick let out a chuckle. “I believe it’s called…a crush. Happens to the best of us. The only thing you can do is try to come out of it with as much dignity as possible. My wife likes to remind me that I made an idiot out of myself when it happened to me.”
“And she married you anyway?”
“Yes. Turns out she had a crush on me, so we got to be idiots together.” He slapped Grady on the back and then walked away.
The guys surrounded Sara and congratulated her as she high-fived everyone. It was the best thing Grady had seen in years. He was proud of her. She’d done what was necessary to escape.
After the crowd dispersed and everyone left, he stepped next to her. “Congratulations.” When she gazed up and grinned, he knew that whatever happened between them was going to be life-altering. Not like the crazy dark crap he had with Angelina, but something light and good.
“Thank you for being a good sport. I didn’t plan it, but smooching you totally worked out. And by the way…you are a hell of a kisser, Grady.” He watched her cheeks grow rosy as she smiled.
“It was my pleasure. Never before have I enjoyed defeat so much. We’ll have to keep doing that.” When her eyes bugged out, he wondered why she didn’t seem to like the idea. “What?”
“More sparring or more kissing?” she asked.
“Both.” He looped his arm around her shoulder and walked her out. “Let’s shower up and then I’ll buy you lunch.” The funny look she gave him wasn’t that encouraging, but that was okay. What happened when they kissed couldn’t be denied. “I’ll meet you out front.” He watched her disappear into the women’s locker room and whistled to himself. There was definitely going to be more kissing. No way around it.
***
Grady sat across from Sara at Anthony’s Pizza and grinned at the woman sitting in front of him. It was a mystery why she had never caught his attention before this. They had lived within a few feet of one another, and he’d been completely blind. Well, he wasn’t anymore. That was for sure. “I had fun sparring with you today. Now I know what we need to work on. I’ll put a schedule together, and we can get started on it tomorrow.”
“Slow your roll, big guy. What we did today was a one-time thing.” She took a sip of her iced tea and studied him over the rim of her glass. “One coach in my life is more than enough.”
The pizza was delivered, and they remained silent as the waiter set it down. As soon as he walked away, Grady launched into a rebuttal. “We live next door to one another, and I have a full gym set up in my garage. I’m a much better option than Richard.”
Laughing, Sara sprinkled red pepper flakes over half of the pizza. “Are you suggesting this because I kissed you? If you are, please know that was a one-time thing, too. I don’t have any plans to kiss you again.”
“Plans change.” Giving her a sympathetic look, he patted her hand. “I understand that a man as good-looking as I am is hard to resist. So I don’t blame you for not being able to control yourself.” When her mouth dropped open and she didn’t say anything, he knew he was on the right track. “Don’t try. You’ll only hurt yourself.”
She snorted and started laughing uncontrollably. He knew he had her. If he could make her laugh, then he had a chance. The fact that she got his dry sense of humor was a big bonus. “Go ahead, Sara. Kiss me.” Leaning forward, he puckered his lips and waited. When she didn’t take him up on his offer, he sat back and shrugged. “Okay. I can see that you’re playing hard to get. I respect that.” Sliding a piece of pizza out, he placed it on her plate. “Maybe you have low blood sugar and want to wait until you have more energy.”
Sara took a bite of pizza and then wiped her mouth carefully. “It’s quite a fantasy world you live in.”
Smiling like a wolf, he responded, “Baby, you have no idea.”
“Moving on…” She took another sip of her drink and smiled. “You are one crazy nutter. The whole thing with you and Angelina is making a lot more sense now.”
“Where in the world did you get a term like nutter?”
“My roommate in college was from London. I picked up a lot of odd sayings that seem to have stuck.” Tipping her head forward, she studied the pizza on her plate. “I haven’t see her in ages. Maybe things will change soon and I can reach out to my friends, again.”
What did that mean and why hadn’t she been able to stay in touch with her friends? She didn’t give much away, and when she did, it was stingy little morsels of nothing. Smiling faintly, he took another piece of pizza. Eventually he would get the whole story, and then he could come up with a plan to protect her. If he was going to keep kissing her, then he was going to have to make sure that she was safe. Even he knew that. A woman wouldn’t want to kiss you if she was worried about dying. So he’d take care of the threat and then work on the seduction. Staring into her eyes, he realized that he’d never wanted to kiss someone more. “Where did you go to school?”
“I did the unthinkable for a southern girl. I attended UCLA. My mama wanted me to stay in Georgia, but I couldn’t resist the idea of California. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Los Angeles was like visiting a foreign country, and I made sure to enjoy every single second of it. I stayed on and completed a master’s…that’s how much I loved it.”
“Did you learn to surf?”
“It’s funny that you ask that. I dated every blond surfer boy that I could find, and I did learn how to surf. I think I spent as much time in Santa Monica and Malibu as I did in West LA.”
“Do you miss the West Coast?”
“I do. I would go back there in a second if I had a chance. Who knows? �
�Maybe I’ll end up there someday.”
“I lived in California for ten years, and I completely understand the appeal. I have a ton of friends in San Diego, and had it not been for Joel, I might’ve ended up there.”
“Were you stationed in San Diego at the naval base?”
“I sure was. I went through BUD/S in Coronado, and then I was assigned to a team there for the first eight years of my career. I ended up in Little Creek for the last five years.”
“Is that where the SEALs are stationed?”
“Yes. There are four teams based there along with two reserve teams and the SDVT team.”
“I don’t know anything about being a SEAL, but isn’t thirteen years a long time to be on the Teams?”
“Not really. It’s probably about average. Most men last between eight and sixteen years. It depends on how much combat they see. Since 9/11, everything has changed. I was on heavy rotations for most of my career, and it wasn’t until the end that I was seriously injured.”
Moving her plate away, she studied him. “I can’t fathom what you’ve seen and sacrificed during your career. Saying thank you seems sort of silly, but it’s the only thing that I can think of. So, thank you, Grady. For putting your life on the line to protect us.”
Sliding his hand across the table, he gently covered hers. “It ain’t no thing. It was my honor and pleasure to be a part of the Teams.”
“Modesty. I didn’t know you had it in you.”
“I have a lot in me, and I plan on showing you.” He stared at the empty pizza pan and wondered if he could prolong their time together. “Let’s go get some ice cream. You earned it after your victory in the gym.”
“I should get home. I have to finish the storyboard I’ve been working on. I have a slot booked with my editor on Friday and I want to have something to show her.”
Standing, he held out his hand. “Let’s get you home, then.”
“Thank you, Grady. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”
“My pleasure.” They strolled out of the restaurant hand in hand, and Grady felt amazing. This was the first step, and he couldn’t have been happier.
Never before had a woman affected him the way she did. Sara had a look that told him he was in the best kind of trouble. The kind you never wanted to get out of…the kind you wanted keep.
As they walked out to the car, he formulated a plan on how to get the information he needed about who or what was threatening her. When he’d tried to pump Nick earlier, he’d gotten nowhere. It seemed he would to have to get information the old-fashioned way. He would ask Lance to do an in-depth background search on Sara. If he was going to protect her, then he needed as many facts as he could get. It would be the only way to ensure her safety.
***
Solly D sat in the chair across from his boss and attempted to determine how crappy the next thirty minutes were going to be. Business was off because of the Albanians making a push into the territory. He had no interest in allowing them to sell smack in their neighborhoods. They had stayed out of the drug trade for a reason, and whatever profit was offered wasn’t going to be worth it. He stared at Frank and hoped like hell he was going to agree. “Our numbers look good for last week. Just met with the capos, and they all gave me positive reports. Tootsie set up two more high-stakes games at the club, so that will give us a nice bump next month.”
“Did he steal the players from the Russians?”
“Yeah, I’m sure we’re gonna hear about it, but fuck ’em. I’m tired of hearing them whine,” Solly replied. “Just got word that the guy who popped Sal last year met his maker up at Marion County Jail. Seems he made an alliance with the wrong people inside. The Feds are probably crying in their coffee over not bringing him to trial.”
“What a shame.” Sitting back in his chair, Frank steepled his fingers in front of his face. “You think we’re ever going to find that money Sal stole from us?”
“If we find the kid, we may. The contract is still out there, so if we ever pick up her trail again, then we’ll know for sure.”
“The Feds got lucky on that one. They fucking scooped her out from under our noses and made her disappear.”
“We didn’t know he had a kid until Richie “The Cat” called from the restaurant. It was a shock to everyone,” Solly responded.
“It’s bad luck all the way around. Stupido ragazzino cost us. He was supposed to get the password before killing him. He was a sparatutto in ansia, and now we got nothing. No list, no money. And the Feds acting interested again. I thought Homeland Security would keep them all busy with the terrorists. But now the local guys are looking our way.”
A light knock on the door interrupted the conversation. “Entra,” Frank yelled. The door opened, and the ancient maid walked in with a tray that held coffee and some biscotti.
“Il tempo per un café,” Alma said quietly.
He watched as the woman poured two small cups “Grazi,” Solly D replied. Alma nodded and then slowly walked out. They each took a cup and sipped quietly. “I’ll put some feelers out and see if we can pick up a trace on the kid. We know it’s a long shot, but we may get lucky.”
“Yeah. Sal was never a man to trust anyone, so it doesn’t seem likely that he would trust a kid who showed up out of the blue.”
“Richie said she has the Marino witchy green eyes, so she’s probably his,” Solly said, as he leaned forward and grabbed a cookie. “Maybe she’ll get tired of hiding.”
“No one can disappear forever,” Frank responded. “No matter how much she wants to.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Friday
Sara stood next to her pool and pushed the net around. The gumbo tree that sat against the fence had been littering her pool all week. Even at seven in the morning, the heat was sweltering. Sweat trickled down her back as she slowly walked around the pool. A large lemon splashed into her net, and her head jerked up. Grady sat on the fence that separated their property with a grin on his face. Sliding her headphones off, she waited. “Is that your way of saying good morning?”
She watched him hop down and stride in her direction. Over six feet of almost naked glory was headed her way, and she had no idea what to do. Scratch that—she had lots of ideas. Most of them inappropriate.
Standing her ground, she tried not to fidget…or lunge. When he was close enough that she could count the hairs on his glorious chest, she wondered why control was such a good thing. Right now it seemed pointless. Damn!
“I threw the lemon so you wouldn’t get spooked. I noticed your earphones, and I figured it was the only way to get your attention.”
When his gaze slowly stroked her across her skin and his eyes darkened, she knew he was going to be almost impossible to resist. But for the next sixty seconds, she was going to give it everything she had.
“I like your pink bikini. Had I known that’s what you wear in the morning, I would’ve made more of an effort to stop by earlier in the week.” He walked in a circle around her and whistled. “Damn, girl.”
“Is there a specific reason for this visit?” Holding on to the net, she tried to appear disinterested. When she couldn’t peel her eyes away from his, she figured it probably wasn’t working.
“The most honest answer I can give you is, I’m here to get another kiss from you. All I’ve thought about since Tuesday is how much I enjoyed having your mouth melded to mine. I’ve used up every brain cell I have—to figure out how I can do that every day…all day.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Sliding her hand on her hip, she tried to come up with a reason she didn’t like his idea. Unfortunately, none came to mind.
“Since you’re standing there with your hand on your hip, giving me the evil eye, I’d say lousy. But the day is young, and I have a lot of things that I’m going to try.”
Moving closer, she placed her hand on his arm. When he tilted forward, she kissed him gently on the cheek. “Now you’ve had your kiss.” She stepped back and winked. “You can
use your brain for something more useful.”
Bending over, he grinned. “As nice as it is having your lips against my skin, I want more. I crave your mouth sealed with mine.”
Speechless. Nothing came to her mind as her mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. When he laughed, she stepped back and frowned. Lord, he was a lot to take before eight in the morning.
“The mouths sealed together was too much…right?”
Pulling the net out of the pool, she handed it to him. “I need to cool off.” Without another word, she dove in and swam to the shallow end. When she stood and wiped the water out of her eyes, she noticed Grady standing at the edge of the pool with a satisfied grin.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He walked over to the shed and placed the net inside. “I’ll just have to come up with a different approach.” He jumped in and swam up next to her. When he surfaced, their faces were inches apart. “Hi.”
“What has gotten into you? I’ve lived next door to you for close to a year, and I don’t think we’ve spoken more than twice. Why are you acting so crazy?”
“Because you kissed me. It’s all your fault.”
“I only did it because there was no other choice. I had to get away, and it’s all I could think of.” When he patted her shoulder like she was a child, she almost lost her temper. “It was!”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the day. I, for one, know that you enjoyed it as much as I did. Your body melted against mine, and that means something.”
“Aaargghh! You are the most frustrating man in the world.”
“Now, that’s just not true. Have you met every man in the world?” Taking a step closer, he trailed his fingers up her arm. “We have old-fashioned chemistry, and I don’t plan on ignoring it.”
“Stop it, Grady. I can’t! My life is very complicated.” Stepping away from his hand, she dove under the water. Fully submerged, she felt a moment’s relief. Swimming to the surface, she saw him waiting for her.
