Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers

by Piñeiro, Caridad

I am blessed to have you all in my life!

  Queen of Hearts: Chapter One

  Could she be more out of place?

  Shelley Stone sat at the end of the ultra-trendy bar. Blue neon and soft white uplights glowed, spreading over the wall behind the display of upscale liquor bottles, and giving the AquaKnox bar a fuzzy, almost surreal ambiance with a dash of sophistication. Shelley scanned the drink menu and people-watched as she waited for the rest of her party to arrive.

  Despite the fact that she lived in a mansion in Monterey, and had a portfolio that rivaled Warren Buffet’s, she had never embraced a hedonistic or sophisticated lifestyle.

  She was more at home in a pair of Capri jeans and cotton halter top than the dressy, formal attire she wore now. Her LBD was subtly sexy, with matching V’s in both front and back, revealing a discreet amount of cleavage. The skirt hit above her knees. Not so far above as to be indecent but short enough that she bared a sleek amount of toned, tanned leg.

  She wasn’t quite sure how she let Bliss talk her into this dress.

  Her soon-to-be daughter-in-law could be quite persuasive.

  On the outside, Shelley looked like she belonged. But on the inside, she was still that naïve kid from Wisconsin, who with starry-eyed innocence searched for a man to make all her problems disappear.

  Instead, the man had given her more problems, then disappeared himself.

  Shelley sighed.

  She ordered a Lemon Drop martini from the handsome, younger bartender. He gave her an assessing once over before granting her an intimate smile. “How’s your evening so far?”

  She let a jaded cynicism shadow her eyes. “Just fine.”

  In truth, her evening was weird. Her son was getting married. Jack wasn’t really her son, but her stepson, who was only ten years younger than Shelley. God, how was it possible that at the end of the week she was going to be the mother of the groom?

  Shelley looked more like Jack’s older sister. But in every way that mattered, Jack was her son.

  She was damn proud of the man he’d become.

  The bartender took the brush off philosophically. “If you change your mind, I’m off at eleven.” His smile promised decadent things. Hot, sexy, naughty things that she hadn’t experienced in a good long while.

  “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “I bet you could be a lot better.” He lightly flirted. Not enough to be offensive, but clear enough that if she wanted to she could probably hook up with him when he got off work. Except he left her cold.

  Besides the fact that he was younger than her adopted sons, she wasn’t attracted to the muscle-bound bartender. At all.

  Someone brushed by her seat, so close, the hint of clean soap and bracing aftershave tantalized her senses. Heat skittered along the bare skin of her back. And she couldn’t help but turn to see who initiated that reaction. He had a broad chest laden with muscles, wide shoulders, a flat stomach, thick shiny black hair with a few threads of silver, and the healthy glow of the physically fit on his dark-skinned, likely Hispanic, face. He languidly sat on one of the barstools three down from her. His magnetism was like a force field, and Shelley had to consciously avert her gaze.

  The heat the bartender had been trying to generate was a flicker compared to the surge of attraction this guy caused. Her response was so intense, Shelley flushed.

  Shelley purposely kept her attention on the tart drink in front of her.

  Within a minute, two overly made up and overly bare twenty-somethings started chatting up the hot, older guy. She was too old compared to the sexy, young girls who were trying to pick up the man. They were clearly looking for a sugar daddy. She wanted to offer them some hard-fought, well-intentioned advice…Don’t do it.

  But she knew they wouldn’t heed her warning.

  She sure hadn’t listened to her mother. Which was how she ended up pregnant and alone at eighteen.

  The older sophisticated man who’d swept her off her feet, at least it felt like it at the time, had dropped her ass the second he’d found out she was knocked up. While she’d been devastated at the time, looking back on it now, she was grateful that Jack Stone Sr. had dumped her.

  She had been forced to become strong and learn to take care of herself.

  Jackson Stone Sr. was a class A bastard who left a trail of women behind him.

  The best day of Shelley’s life had been going to the Stone mansion and becoming mother to Jack’s boys as well as her own daughter, Jess.

  Now her babies were all grown up. In the past few months, all four of her kids had found partners. She approved of her kids’ choices, and believed they had chosen well. She was so thrilled for them. Happy they’d found companions to share the ups and downs of life.

  But since they’d all become couples, her life felt more empty than before.

  They were all in Las Vegas for a weeklong family vacation and celebration before Jack and Bliss got married.

  Connor and Ava, Jess and Colin were already here. Riley and Di would be here in the next few days. Couples everywhere she looked.

  Except for her.

  She’d come down to the restaurant a little before their family dinner was supposed to begin, to give herself time to gather her thoughts. She didn’t want the sadness that had plagued her lately to overshadow Jack and Bliss’s wedding trip.

  Shelley picked up her martini, gave herself a slight tip of the glass to toast successfully raising four kids and then took a sip of the sweet-tart, strong drink. A small, bittersweet smile curved her lips. Four kids.

  Damn. She had moments where she felt about a hundred years old. While she wouldn’t trade one moment of the last twenty years for a footloose and fancy free life, melancholy for the loss of her youth hit hard. She’d gladly forsaken her immediate future to raise four kids. But now what did she do?

  Her glance shot to the too young women again and she rolled her eyes. Good luck, girls. She’d been cured of that starry eyed innocence in about fifteen seconds when Jackson Stone Senior had told her to get rid of her baby.

  She could still remember that visceral shock to her heart when he’d calmly handed her money and said he never wanted to see her again. She’d numbly taken the handout, even though she had no intention of aborting her baby. She’d not been aggressive, she’d just gone away.

  Jess had been the first of many blessings in her life. The best decision she’d ever made had been walking away from Jack Sr. The second had been coming back.

  Now all her ‘kids’ had found their soulmates.

  Most days, Shelley had no belief in love and forever. But she’d never shared her feelings on the subject with her kids. They had to make their own mistakes, their own decisions. She couldn’t fault that all four had found extraordinary people to share their lives with and she hoped with all her heart that they found nothing but joy together. They deserved every drop of happiness they could eke out of life.

  However their love had unleashed a long buried wish for that same kind of closeness with a man. Her young romantic soul had been crushed by years of struggle. Sex had been number one hundred and one on her priority list. She might not believe in forever love, but she’d sure like to experience some physical, temporary sex.

  She’d watched the father of her child run through women like a bowling ball through pins. He’d also managed to alienate his entire family along the way. Thankfully, nowadays Jackson left them alone.

  He had certainly managed to get more than his fair share of sex while Shelley had been basically celibate at home. She’d dated several men in the last few years. Nice, debonair older men. The kind who hadn’t helped raise their own kids and were searching for wife number three. What was wrong with her that men her own age wanted nothing to do with her?

  She was thrilled that her children had found happiness and love. But she knew she was destined to be alone.

  * * *

  Enrique “Bulletproof” Santana, Ric to his friends, BP to his men, raised a surprised brow at the blat
ant come on from the hot, young, make that barely legal woman, who’d approached him as soon as he sat down to wait for his friend on the bar stool at AquaKnox.

  “You in the mood to party?” The brunette ran one neon pink, polished nail down the placket of his white Polo shirt.

  “We’re available.” Her friend who was almost identical except her hair color was blonde, crowded close to his other side and let her surgically enhanced breasts rub against his bicep.

  They were gorgeous, no question, all tanned long legs, large fake breasts, and puffy lips slicked with bright gloss that matched their nails. Their dresses revealed as much as they concealed, in bright geometric patterns with strategic cutouts, and spike heels that could double as lethal weapons.

  But he wasn’t interested in the sure things.

  He was likely crazy, because his attention kept returning to the sleek woman at the end of the bar like a heat seeking missile targeting infrared radiation. She exuded a subtle sexuality that was far more appealing than the obvious charms of the two girls next to him. The woman at the end of the bar had some mileage, she was probably close to his age, but she wore it well. More than well. Fantastically.

  He’d been feeling less than content lately. As if something were missing in his life. He’d accomplished his career goals, achieved the rank of Commander in the Navy before he retired to form his own company.

  His choice of companion had definitely gotten younger as he’d gotten older, mostly because women his age tended to be married with kids, or divorced and bitter. However, he found himself ignoring the unsubtle chicks in favor of the older, more seasoned woman, and that surprised him.

  When the woman at the end of the bar pursed her red slicked lips over the edge of the martini glass, his cock stiffened at the lush promise of her mouth. She exuded an understated sex appeal that was all the more attractive because she wasn’t trying at all.

  The sugar from the rim coated her lips and all he could think about was licking those crystals from her mouth, then having her mouth pucker over something more personal.

  She didn’t have that frantic air of desperation that hovered most of the women he met these days. Or the calculated eagerness that he detected in the wide-eyed gazes of the young women who continued to run their soft, pampered hands with their sharp colorful nails along his chest.

  These girls were searching for the bonus, figuring out how they could get ahead from the encounter. Versus the woman at the end of the bar who wasn’t even in the game.

  Ric carefully grasped the brunette’s hand and lifted it away from his body. “Excuse me, ladies.” He walked between the nubile babe sandwich without a backward glance.

  Life was too short to waste time. When he knew what he wanted, he went after it. His problem lately was he had no freaking idea what he wanted.

  Until she sat down at this bar.

  Suddenly all he wanted was her.

  He had a commitment tonight. He could bail. As long as he was at the ceremony in a few days, his buddy would understand his compulsion to snatch this woman up and take her for a ride. Before he’d abruptly turned into a taken man, his former SEAL teammate had been just as willing to avail himself of a hot woman as Ric.

  He prowled toward the woman tucked away at the end of the bar. She glanced over just as her pink tongue swiped at the sugar-frosted rim of her martini glass. An unexpected flush rose from the deep V of her neckline, her breasts demurely showcased by the black little black dress. The blush spread over her face as she intuited his predatory intent.

  She started to hunch, then determinedly squared her shoulders and deliberately shifted her attention to the glowing blue wall behind the bar. Water cascaded down the glass wall and shimmered in the subtle lighting.

  “Is this seat taken?” He spoke directly to her, forcing her to acknowledge him. His voice deepened as he leaned closer and inhaled her sexy, earthy scent. Up close, her skin glowed with a healthy tan. Her inner exuberance for life completely overshadowed that subdued, demure façade.

  She lifted her vibrant green gaze and held his for one long moment. The she dropped the thick fringe of her dark lashes and shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”

  “Ric.” He held out his hand, knowing she’d take it. Her good manners would force her to shake even if she wanted to avoid him.

  “Shelley.” Her voice was husky as he slid his palm against hers. The shock of electricity was instantaneous and physically visceral. A bolt of attraction zinged straight to his cock. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had such an incendiary reaction to a mere brush of hands.

  Instant lust. Damn. He wanted her.

  Now. For hours. If just the touch of her hand evoked this kind of physical reaction, he couldn’t begin to imagine what would happen when he covered her body with his and drove home. Just thinking about it hardened his cock into a club.

  Her hand was small and delicate in his, but not soft. She had some calluses as if she were unafraid of hard work. The contrast was highly intriguing.

  Which enthralled him even more.

  She snatched her fingers away. Goose bumps peppered her arms and her nipples poked the black silky fabric. Ric suppressed a wickedly satisfied grin. Oh yeah. She was as affected as he was.

  He knew had to proceed carefully or she would bolt.

  “Can I buy you a drink?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Ric raised his index finger to signal the bartender. When he sauntered over his face was set in an annoyed frown. “I’ll have another Sam Adams. And can you please put the lady’s drink on my tab?”

  “It’s already taken care of,” the bartender responded shortly. Ric had seen him hit on the woman earlier, clearly her sex appeal wasn’t limited to forty-year-old guys. Because the bartender was easily ten years younger than her. Possibly more.

  Ric understood the bartender’s animosity but no way was he going to let this kid win. His life’s strategy had served him well. She was his. Win at all costs.

  She jerked. “But—”

  “It’s already taken care of,” the bartender said again firmly.

  Her smile lightened her face and brightened her moss green eyes. “Thank you.”

  The bartender glared at Ric before speaking to Shelley. “My pleasure.”

  “What brings you to Las Vegas?” Ric propped his elbow on the clear bar with lights embedded in the Lucite, and turned his back to the bartender effectively cutting him off and enclosing them in a private circle of two.

  “Look. I’m sure you’re a perfectly nice man.”

  Nice. The kiss of death. Ric suppressed the urge to snort. He wasn’t nice. But he also didn’t want to scare her.

  “I can be not so nice,” he said silkily. The insinuation registered in her small inhalation of breath. Not giving her time to complete the brush off, he leaned so close he could see the dilation of her pupil as her body reacted to his words. Clearly he’d sparked a chemical reaction and she was thinking of something not so nice too.

  Hoo-yah, she was as affected as he was.

  Her skin warmed and her scent, something floral with a hint of earthy musk, heated and surrounded him. God damn, he could just eat her up. Her breath caught at their combined heat and the promise in his eyes. He wanted her. Wanted to spend the night with her, exploring all her sweet feminine places. Her hand fluttered at the base of her neck where her pulse beat rapidly in her throat. Her tongue came out again, this time to lick at her lips. Ric nearly groaned. He’d never had this kind of primitive reaction to a woman in his life.

  She might be saying not interested, no thank you, but her body was giving him a completely different message. Come and get me.

  He wanted to fist pump in triumph, but he kept his reaction under wraps.

  “I—”

  “No games.” He didn’t want to waste time on some sexual dance that was half seduction, half innuendo, but all fake. He wanted to press up against her. Wanted to show her without words how much he wanted her. “I am insan
ely attracted to you.”

  She rolled her eyes. He could tell she was getting ready to blow him off. And God, for the first time in his life, the thought of begging didn’t fill him with disgust. He was ready to get down on his knees and plead with her to spend time with him.

  “I think you’d have better luck with your previous companions. I’m sure you can catch them if you run.” She dismissed him with a cool smile and feigned disinterest. Except the flush across her chest and face had deepened and her pupils had dilated nearly encompassing the bright green of her iris.

  His body seized with almost frantic desperation. She was trying to shut him down. His entire endorphin system was going haywire, as if an EMP had wiped out every cogent thought except one. Get closer to her.

  “I don’t want them.” If he didn’t get to touch her, he would expire on the spot. “I want you.”

  “Eeep.” She gulped down the martini, her lips pursed against the glass rim, and Ric’s entire body froze, paralyzed with lust.

  “I’m not bluffing.” The rough edge to his voice had her leaning back.

  “Um.” Her painted fingernails pushed the almost empty martini glass between them as if she could create a barrier to protect herself. But she couldn’t protect herself from her own body’s reaction to the pheromone cocktail that was making him dizzy and drunk on her.

  Ric’s heart thudded with an unrelenting sense of panic. He couldn’t stand it if she shut him out.

  “Problem here?” The bartender interrupted.

  Ric responded quickly, “No.”

  “Not at all,” she replied politely and shot the bartender a bland, half smile before turning to address Ric. “You certainly are direct.”

  “I’m old enough to know what I want and go after it.” Ric slid closer to her and yes! she didn’t back away. Her tongue came out and licked the sugar that dusted her mouth.

  “My,” she said faintly.

  She clearly wasn’t used to the honest approach or the fact that he considered her sexy. But damn, his body was on fire.

  “Have dinner with me.” He curled his fingers over her free hand, the one resting on her bare knee. “Let’s get to know each other better.”