“Sorry I just kind of abandoned you this afternoon,” she said. “We went to the condo to see how the renovations were coming.”
Kacie couldn’t resist teasing her. “How do things look?”
Sam blushed. Her hair was mussed and there was a bit of stubble burn on her collarbone. There was little doubt of what she and Bryce had really been up to for the past several hours.
“Things are right on schedule,” she said while placing her things on the counter. “They should be done in time for us to move in before the wedding.”
Kacie nodded. “That’s great. You’ll come back from your honeymoon and be able to jump right into your new life.”
Sam turned on the shower and grabbed a towel from the linen closet. “It’s crazy to think, isn’t it? That in just a matter of weeks, I’ll be living in Atlanta, with my husband, in a place we can decorate however we want because we own it.”
“Sure does.” Kacie grabbed her things and headed for the bedroom. “I’ll finish getting ready out here.”
“Kace?”
She stopped short in the doorway and looked back at her sister, almost certain this would become one of those tender moments between siblings where Sam would tell her how much she was going to miss her when she moved away.
“Can you undo my zipper for me? I have a hard time with it.”
Disappointed and a little hurt, Kacie pasted on a smile until Sam turned her back and lifted her hair. After lowering the zipper, she made a hasty exit, pulling the bathroom door closed before her emotions got the better of her.
Was she only upset by her sister’s behavior because she didn’t have someone to call her own? Kacie tried to think back to previous years when she was happy and in love. Did she make time for her sister then? Or had she used Sam to conveniently fill in the gaps when Mike was deployed or otherwise busy?
She didn’t have much time to mull it over since Sam showered quickly, and they headed downstairs, where her sister spent the first half hour introducing her to members of Bryce’s extended family and some of their college friends that lived nearby. But eventually she was called away and Kacie was left to wander the crowd alone.
She did her best to socialize and enjoy the evening, but it wasn’t long before she realized nearly everyone in attendance, minus a few elderly relatives, were part of a couple. If they weren’t married, they were engaged, or at the very least appeared to be deeply in love.
By the time dinner was finished and the desserts were brought out, Kacie was feeling pretty blue. And much to her despair, there was a tower of chocolate cupcakes that called her name. She pulled her phone from the hidden pocket in her skirt and snapped a picture of it, then sent it to Michael. Almost immediately her phone buzzed.
There was no hiding her smile as she swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hey.”
“Can you not go one night without supervision?” he asked. “Dammit, Kacie. Step away from the cupcakes.”
She snort-laughed in response, and when Bryce’s grandmother gave her a puzzled look she quickly apologized. “You’re absolutely right,” she said while grabbing a glass of ice water before making her way across the pool deck to a quiet spot far from the rest of the party. “I’m walking away as we speak. How was your day?”
“Mine? Well, I started the day off with a run. Then I went to the grocery store. At the moment I’m doing laundry and watching a Man vs. Wild marathon.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“You have no idea. What better way to spend a Saturday night than folding underwear and watching Bear Grylls drink his own piss?”
Again, Kacie barked a laugh as Michael’s low-rumbling chuckle filled her ear.
It’d been less than twenty-four hours since she’d last seen him. Only a matter of hours since they lasted exchanged text messages. But the man was addictive. He had a way of changing her mood in a heartbeat.
“Oddly enough, I think I’d much rather be doing that than being the third wheel here.”
“That bad, huh?”
Kacie sighed. “Yeah. Which is why those cupcakes are looking pretty damn attractive.”
“Sounds like an intervention is necessary.”
“And how are you going to manage that?”
“Fortunately—” his voice dipped to a lower register “—my mind is a beautifully dirty thing.”
And suddenly, she found it difficult to breathe.
It didn’t take much imagination on her part as Michael proceed to tell her, in graphic detail, just exactly what he would be doing to her if she were with him at this very moment. His words scraped across her skin, alighting every nerve just as if it were his touch instead. As he painted an erotic picture in her mind, her heart raced, her face heated. She pressed the ice-filled glass of water against her neck, hoping it would cool her, but she didn’t anticipate the sharp contrast in sensation to coil the tension in her body tighter.
“Fuck, Kacie. Just the thought of you . . .”
Through the earpiece she heard a low groan followed by the phone being shuffled a bit, then a soft grunt.
“Michael. Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“Hell, yes. Care to join me?”
If her face was flushed earlier, she had to rival a beet at this point. “I’m standing about fifty feet away from a boatload of Bryce’s family.”
“Okay, then. But you’re out of earshot, right? So you talk.”
“Michael, I—” As much as she hated to admit it, she was a thirty-one-year-old phone sex virgin. Hell, she was more of a text message girl to begin with, one who had never sexted either. So the fact she was even carrying on a phone conversation, much less engaging in phone sex? The pressure was just too great. She couldn’t formulate a complete, seductive thought much less put it into words. “I just . . . I can’t.”
His breath huffed in her ear. “Do you want me to stop?”
Kacie looked across the pool at the crowd of guests and her eyes just happened to lock with Bryce’s grandmother’s.
This was wrong. So very wrong.
She turned her back to the party and whispered into the phone. “Don’t stop.”
His low groan sent shivers down her spine and once again she was entranced. By the sound of his erratic breathing through the earpiece, by him repeatedly whispering her name. As his pace picked up, so did the rate her heart pounded in her chest. And when she whispered his name into the phone, it was just enough to push him over the edge.
For the next several seconds, both Kacie and Michael tried to catch their breath, their collective exhales overlapping. Somehow through the residual sexual haze, her brain recognized the approaching sound of high heels on the pool deck and Kacie turned just in time to see her sister headed straight for her.
“I gotta go,” she said, disconnecting the call before even hearing his response.
Sam folded her arms across her chest. “Who were you talking to?”
“Damien,” Kacie answered while shoving the phone back into her pocket. “From work.”
Her sister’s expression was skeptical at best.
“Why would he be calling you about work on a Saturday night?”
“It wasn’t about work,” she said brightly. “He was just calling to tell me he ran into a former patient of ours.”
Kacie took a long drink of her water, hoping it would temporarily halt her sister’s questions or at least delay the next until she had a grip on things.
Sam narrowed her eyes. “Why is your face flushed?”
“Because it’s hot?” she said with a shrug. “Or it might be the wine.”
Her sister pointed at the glass Kacie held in her hand. “You’re drinking water.”
“Now I am. Because I drank too much wine earlier.”
“Sam!” Both sisters turned toward the gathering to see Bryce waving her over. “Come here, sweetheart. I need to introduce you to someone.”
Sam took one last look at Kacie and gave a slight shake of her head before walkin
g away. Kacie knew she’d been saved by the proverbial bell and could only hope her future brother-in-law would keep Sam occupied for the rest of the evening.
The phone in her pocket vibrated with a message. With trembling fingers, Kacie removed it from its confines.
Call me when you get back to your room.
Why?
She held her breath as she stared at the screen, already knowing what he was going to say.
You’re next.
Chapter Twelve
“All right, all right. I’m coming,” Michael yelled to the person threatening to break down his front door at nine o’clock on a Sunday morning.
He flipped the dead bolt and yanked it open, fully expecting it to be the old guy from maintenance that was hard of hearing and always wanting to check the plumbing for any leaks. Instead, he found his sister-in-law standing with a bright smile on her face, the very picture of innocence.
“Something’s wrong with your phone.”
“You know damn well there’s nothing wrong with my phone,” he grumbled. But he stepped out of the way to allow her inside.
“It’s one thing for you to ignore Danny’s texts,” Bree said while marching past him and into his living room, dropping her handbag on his recliner. “But to ignore mine? I’m crushed.”
Damn her and her guilt trips. He was immune to most of the games women played but Bree had next-level talents.
Michael flung the door shut and folded his arms over his chest. “What do you want?”
She blinked up at him with doe-like eyes. “You know exactly what I want.”
That he did. For the past two days he’d effectively ignored his brother’s text messages, asking if he were going to attend C-Co’s family picnic. In the past, it was nothing more than a round-robin softball tournament and more food than you could shake a stick at. But this year it happened to fall on Memorial Day weekend, which meant an even bigger event with more people in attendance than years past.
“Given how things ended last year, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea.”
Michael headed into the small kitchen and opened his refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of water. When he turned around, Bree was standing at the breakfast bar.
“I told Danny that’s why you weren’t answering his texts.”
He opened both bottles and slid one across the counter to her. “Brawling in the parking lot at a family event is pretty bad. Brawling with your own brother makes things even worse.”
Bree shook her head. “Don’t be silly. If what happened last year is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Besides, everyone is expecting you. I think they’re counting on you to umpire.”
“Figures,” he mumbled. Of course they only wanted him there to offer some kind of service.
“What else are you planning to do today? Sit here by yourself and watch TV?”
If he had his way, he’d spend the day exchanging texts with Kacie just like he had done the day before. But he wasn’t about to say that to Bree. And anyway, he knew she’d likely be busy with the bridal shower most of the afternoon. At best, he’d hear from her tonight.
Bree made her way around the counter, placed her hand on his arm, and stared up at him with her big brown eyes, just like she always had when she was a kid. “Pretty please?” she asked so sweetly. “I’ve made a batch of my mom’s oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookies and I know Marie made some of those orange-cranberry things you love so much.”
His stomach growled in anticipation. “You two don’t fight fair.”
Her bright smile returned to her face because she knew damn well she’d just won the battle.
“Fine,” he scowled. “I’ll go.”
“Yay!” Bree clapped her hands. “I have to go get Danny, and pick up a few things along the way. Do you want to come with me back to the house and then we can all go together? Or do you—”
“How about I meet you guys there?”
She pulled her car keys out of her handbag. “You promise you’re going to show up? You aren’t lying to me, right?” she asked, pointing at him with the key.
“I’ll be there. I promise.”
Michael walked her to the door, and after a few more assurances that he would indeed be at the picnic, she finally left him in peace.
He immediately grabbed and dropped into his reclining chair, scrolling through the text conversation with Kacie from the day before, pausing on the selfie of her in her bikini. She looked fantastic, as always. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and her wild hair was piled on top of her head. And her green eyes seemed to pierce right through him.
Part of him wished she was in town so she could go to the picnic with him. But that would mean Bree and Marie would be all up in their business asking questions neither he nor Kacie would want to answer. No, it was far better to keep her all to himself. That way, when their arrangement ended and Kacie headed off to Durham, he wouldn’t have to deal with any of the pitying looks or long-winded advice about relationships.
Michael glanced at his watch. Surely she’d be up by now, even if he had kept her up late last night with their phone rendezvous. After a moment, he quickly typed out a message.
Have fun today.
He was quite proud of himself for keeping his text short and sweet, despite wanting to know when she’d be returning to Savannah.
His phone vibrated in his hand.
As far as I’m concerned, this weekend won’t end soon enough. Hoping to cut out early if I can.
His heart leapt in his chest as he stared at her words on the screen. If there was even the slimmest of possibilities of seeing her tonight, it was worth going for it.
Should be home by dinner if you want to stop by, he replied.
Duly noted.;)
He waited several seconds for another text, a photo, an emoji. Anything. But that seemed to be the end of their conversation for now, so Michael tossed his phone onto the couch and walked away from it.
When she first laid down the rules, it had been easy to agree because historically his relationships never lasted long anyway. But now, only one week in, her rules were becoming a source of frustration. He wanted to take her out, wine and dine her. He wanted to show her off. For once in his life, he wanted more from a woman than she was willing to give.
Perhaps that was the attraction? The fact she didn’t cater to his every whim. The fact she always left him wanting more.
Whatever it was about her, he needed to figure it out soon just so he could get the hell over it. Otherwise he’d make a damn fool of himself when this thing between them came to an end.
With a sigh, Michael headed to his bedroom to get ready for the picnic.
By the time he arrived the park was filled with people, and as he stepped out of the car he was greeted with the sounds of laughter and squeals from the kids jumping around in the bouncy house. The scent of hot dogs and burgers on the grill made his stomach grumble in hunger. Then there was the ping of the aluminum bat meeting a softball. As always, someone was taking the round-robin matches quite seriously and he wouldn’t be surprised if he later learned his little brother was the one out there warming up.
He popped open the trunk and pulled out his large medical bag. The likelihood of using even a Band-Aid from it was slim to none, but if he didn’t bring it, he could damn well bet someone would likely lose a limb out here today. Always better to be safe than sorry.
He was heading through the parking lot when someone called out to him. He turned to see Lucky James, one of the 1st/75th’s special ops medics, coming toward him with a very beautiful, very pregnant redhead leaning on his arm.
Nearly a year earlier Lucky had left the military to attend college with hopes of going to medical school. Then, much to everyone’s surprise, he returned to the 75th several months later, this time with a fiancée and baby on the way.
“Major. I wanted to introduce you to my wife, Rachel.” Lucky extended his hand to Michael but kept one protective hand wrapped around her waist. “This is Major Mac
Gregor. He’s the battalion surgeon for the 1st/75th.”
She flashed him a smile. “Are you the one who recommended my OB/GYN?”
“That would be me,” Michael said warmly. “However, that information really comes from collected responses over the years from 1st Batt wives. After all, they’re far better equipped to tell me who to recommend.”
Rachel laughed. “I take it you’re not one for stirrups?”
Lucky’s eyes widened. “Jesus, Rach. Don’t say that to him. He’s practically my boss.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Rachel looked first at her husband and then at him. “I’m still trying to figure out this whole military thing.”
Michael chuckled as he waved off her apology. “There’s little doubt you’ll fit right in with some of the other wives. My sister-in-law, for one.” Rachel’s brows crinkled in confusion. “Have you met Bree MacGregor?” he asked.
Her face instantly brightened. “I have! I went to lunch with her and Marie . . .” She turned to look at Lucky. “How do you say her last name again?”
“Wojciechowski,” he and Lucky said at the same time.
She pointed at the two of them. “That’s it! I love the two of them. So much fun!”
Michael and Lucky shared a look and shook their collective heads, because both of them knew there was absolutely no good that could come from those three being friends.
Two hamburgers, a bratwurst, some watermelon, two cupcakes, and a piña colada snow cone later, Michael stood behind home plate umpiring the final game of the day. And just as everyone would’ve predicted before the tourney began, the team captained by his younger brother was battling Captain J.T. Anthony’s team for the championship.
Danny donned his batting helmet and glove for what would likely be his final at-bat. His team was down by one and they were going into the bottom of the final inning. Anthony, who was playing catcher, turned to look at Michael.
“Doc, I shouldn’t have to tell you how important this game is to me,” he said with a huge smile that vacillated from threatening to charismatic. “I’m trusting you to call this game fair.”
From the Start Page 11
