By late afternoon, the courthouse felt like an oven, and Evie had shed her suit jacket and wore a simple cotton shell underneath that allowed her to enjoy the brief bursts of cool air whenever the air conditioner sputtered through a cycle. She stood at the far end of one of the halls, putting up some of the last of the files she had repaired from the previous day when she heard her phone ringing. The judge hated for calls to go unanswered, even if it did mean she had to race down the hallway in her heels to reach the blasted phone in time.
Half speed-walking and half jogging, she slid the last several inches to her desk and snatched up her receiver just before it rolled over to voicemail. “Judge O’Connor’s office. How may I assist you?” Her greeting had become so ingrained in her that she had many times answered her personal phone the same way, only to have her friends laugh hysterically at her. She grabbed a loose file folder off her desk and fanned her face, enjoying the slight bit of cool air that moved over her neck.
“You never gave me your personal number. It almost makes me wonder if you hoped you could avoid me and a second date.” The warm timbre of his voice with the slight accent made her melt in entirely different ways and she slowly lowered herself down into her chair.
“Hi,” she said softly, unable to think of anything else to say.
“Did I pass the test?”
“What test?” Had she missed something? Did he leave her a message earlier and she hadn’t heard it yet?
“With Elena and Anya. Did they give their blessing to us going out together, or did they tell you what a mean cuss I am?”
“How did you… Oh, no. Please tell me they didn’t say anything to you!”
She could almost hear Santo’s smile through the phone. “Elena finished up her work with the horses early today and let me know that she had lunch with you. She also threatened me bodily harm if I don’t behave like an absolute gentleman with you at all times.”
Evie groaned into the phone, lowering her forehead to rest on the top of her desk. “I’m going to make her pay for that.”
“Why? You don’t want me to be a gentleman at all times?”
The innuendo in his question made her heartbeat thud heavily in her chest. She could certainly see advantages to him going caveman on her now and then. Especially in the bedroom. “I don’t think I should answer that question.”
He hesitated for a moment, before chuckling low and soft, a sound that touched her in ways that made her long for something more. “I told you I couldn’t wait very long before I got the chance to see you again. Are you available tomorrow evening?”
Excitement blossomed within her. “Depends on what you have in mind.” Her flirtatious remark surprised even her.
“Dinner and entertainment. Those are the only details I can give you. It will be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.”
“You certainly know how to capture a woman’s interest.” She chewed on her thumbnail, excitement, and apprehension gnawing at her. Would he think less of her if she agreed too quickly? Or would he reconsider the invitation if she took too long?
“I think I can be available tomorrow evening.”
“Good. I’ll find out where you live from Elena. Is five too early?”
He wanted to pick her up at five in the evening? What on earth did he have planned? “No, that should be just fine.”
“Perfect. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, then.”
Evie smiled into the phone and felt a surge of excitement she hadn’t experienced in a long time. “I look forward to seeing you, too.”
Santo never got nervous before a date. Granted, he didn’t frequently go on dates. The women he dated knew he had no plans for a long-term relationship and just wanted to have some fun in between deployments.
Evie put an entirely different set of expectations in play. He wanted to please her and hear her beautiful laugh and see her bright smile. He wanted to soak up the time he had with her, knowing that the SEAL operation in Hebbronville could change at any moment. It came with the life of being a SEAL, the sense of the unknown, and played a large part in why he didn’t get tangled in relationships. Deep inside, though, he longed for something more substantial than that and wondered if he could finally achieve it.
He saw the love and passion Stryker and Phantom had with the women who had become integral parts of their lives. He had never thought he could have such a thing, but seeing their successful relationships made him wonder if he’d been wrong. He knew expecting anything other than a fun time with Evie certainly classified as putting the cart before the horse, but he couldn’t help but wonder.
Evie lived in a small apartment complex at the edge of town, and his large truck looked out of place in the tiny parking lot. He knocked on the door to her apartment and heard her approach the door from inside. He stood back from it, knowing she would check the peephole before opening up her home. A woman who carried a Taser and knew her way around guns, something Francis had shared with him, certainly knew the importance of security.
A couple of latches clicked and the door swung open wide and he had to remind himself to breathe. Her beautiful smile lit up her face, and the simple cotton dress she wore accentuated her curves perfectly. “Hi,” he managed to say, his brain finally kicking into gear.
“Hi. You didn’t tell me where we’re going, so I hope I’m dressed okay. I can change if you need me to…” She looked a little hesitant and just as nervous as he felt. He wanted to laugh. Both of them were old enough to be past the point of date night jitters.
“What you’re wearing is perfect. You look stunning.”
She blushed the fetching pink he enjoyed seeing on her cheeks. She nodded and grabbed her purse off the table near the entryway and stepped out to join him, quickly locking her door before turning back to face him. “So is tonight another mystery for me to solve? You haven’t given me any clues about what we’re up to yet.”
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” He offered her his arm and grinned when she didn’t hesitate to slide her hand through, holding onto his bicep. “You’ll probably figure it out before we get there, but I’m not going to give you any hints this early in the evening.”
“I’m beginning to think you should be a spy in real life. The whole secret sneaking around thing seems to suit you well.”
Santo nearly swallowed his tongue. If only she knew. “It sounds like an intriguing job, I must admit. Ranching has plenty of mystery in it, though. I never know what’s going to greet me each morning.”
“Sure you do. A beautiful sunrise and a bunch of hungry cows.”
“You really shouldn’t talk about my friends that way.” He kept his face deadpan, waiting for her reaction.
Her mouth fell open slightly and color piqued in her cheeks and her eyes widened with shock. She must have been able to read something in his face, though…maybe he hadn’t been able to hide the sparkle of humor in his eyes, and she broke out laughing, the sound reminding him of the songs of his favorite birds that greeted him in the early morning hours. She pinched his bicep playfully. “You’re terrible.”
“Nah. I just enjoy your laugh too much.”
The compliment seemed to take her breath away and he grinned in satisfaction, turning his face from her as he opened the truck door. The first time he had let her get into his truck on her own. He hadn’t wanted her to be uncomfortable with his touch. They had kissed that night, and they were technically on their second date, so he figured he could move things along a little further.
He wrapped his hands around her small waist and lifted her onto the seat of the truck, enjoying the sound of her small gasp and the feel of her hands grabbing his shoulders. He paused, standing in the doorway, his hands still on her, and looked up into her bright blue eyes. Her hands moved across his shoulders slowly until her fingers brushed the back of his neck and played with the curl of his hair at his collar.
She watched him closely as her fingers slid further into his hair and lightly car
essed his neck. The sensations from her touch made his body hum with excitement. He wanted to pull her to him and kiss her senseless. If he did, though, chances were he’d convince her to take him back into her apartment, and their date would consist of the two of them getting intimately acquainted in her bed.
He pulled back from her slowly and caught her hand as it grazed past his face and pressed a kiss into her palm, watching her face the entire time. She licked her lips slowly, and he nearly groaned out loud. Were her actions deliberate? Did she crave him as badly as he craved her?
“You know,” she began hesitantly after he climbed into the driver’s side of the truck, “I realized the other night that I told you the truth about my life and who I am and you got to know a lot about me. I don’t know much about you. Seems a bit unfair, don’t you think?”
He arched an eyebrow and glanced at her sideways as he eased out onto the road. “You didn’t take advantage of your lunch with Anya and Elena to pepper them with questions about me?”
“Oh, no. I asked a ton of questions about you. Seems they don’t know a whole lot about you, either.”
Santo shifted slightly, uneasy with the direction of the conversation. Part of being in an undercover role meant he couldn’t tell anyone about his true job. Given that being a SEAL had been a fundamental part of his life for the last twelve years, he couldn’t elaborate much on that part of his life, either. He didn’t want to lie to her, though. All of the SEALs held strong feelings about honesty, and he certainly embraced the ideal with passion.
“Some of what I told you the other night is true. I’m from Venezuela and moved to Austin with my family when I was just a kid. Francis lived in the same neighborhood and stepped in when a bunch of kids was harassing me. I’m glad she did because I probably would have been in huge trouble for trying to pulverize those kids. I probably would have failed miserably and ended up in the hospital if she hadn’t intervened.” He shook his head, recalling the events from so long ago. “Even back then she acted like a judge and wanted to find a peaceful resolution for everyone.”
“I’m not surprised. Was she successful?”
“Oh, yeah. For nearly a whole week. Then she went on vacation with her parents and I got into a huge fight that broke my nose and arm, and left me with this impressive scar on the left side of my face.”
“Huh. I figured you earned those in a bar fight.”
Santo shrugged. “Fortunately, my bar fights haven’t left any scars. I’ve become significantly better at fighting over the years.”
Evie shook her head at him. “When I first saw you, I thought you are a beacon for trouble. Obviously, I’m right. How old were you when you got into this fight with the neighborhood kids?”
“Just to make it clear, I was the victim, okay? I didn’t seek out the trouble then. I was only eight and had no idea how things work in America, let alone Texas.”
Evie smirked at him. “Don’t think that you are off the hook. You still have a lot to tell me about yourself—like how you ended up with the name Santo.”
He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. He couldn’t tell her the truth behind his nickname. He had earned it as a SEAL, being called the saint of death since he rarely missed his target and became one of the deadliest snipers on any of the teams. Most SEALs earned nicknames, and while he understood the reasons behind his, sometimes he wished he had received one that didn’t remind him of all the lives he had taken in the line of duty.
“Why don’t you tell me more about you? I don’t know much.”
“Hmm…” She tapped her finger on her lips, distracting him briefly from the road. Damn, he wanted to kiss her. “You already know that I’m obsessed with the law and fascinated by mysteries. I’m about a year away from graduating with my law degree. I hope to get on with a law firm in Laredo and eventually pursue becoming a judge.”
“You’ve given me your resumé, but that doesn’t tell me much about you.”
“What more do you want to know? You already know I grew up traveling a lot and that my family is quite odd. What else?”
“What are your hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?”
“Fun? I’ve heard of that before. What’s it like?”
He let out a bark of laughter and shook his head. “Are you this challenging on all of your dates?” He cut a sideways glance at her.
She smirked. “You’re assuming I go on dates as a normal part of my life.”
“You don’t? I find that hard to believe. You’re far too intriguing for men not to be drawn to you.”
She turned part-way in her seat to look at him closer. “Would it shock you to know that you’re the first man I’ve dated in well over a year?”
“I’d be astounded.” He chuckled. “Wait, are you being serious? You really haven’t been on a date in that long?”
“I have school and work. And I do have a hobby, I must confess. I love researching unsolved crimes and trying to solve the puzzle myself. I’ll spend hours in the library or online, trying to find the tiniest of clues someone overlooked.”
“You and Elena must get along great. She’s quite the puzzle-lover, too.”
“Yes, but a little differently. She likes puzzles that are more like riddles or have pre-set formulas. I like the ones where you have to completely change your point of view and put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand motives and how things happened.”
“You really are invested in this law thing, aren’t you?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Justice is very important to me. It’s what keeps order in our world. Do you have anything against this “law thing” as you call it?”
Santo couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or offended by the way he’d phrased his question. He decided to take the safe route. “I’m all for the law, don’t get me wrong. And I think it’s great you’ve found something you can be so passionate about.”
She chuckled and he glanced at her. Her bright smile made his heart beat faster. “You can’t have a little fun, too? Couldn’t you tell I was just teasing you?”
He slowly let out a pent-up breath. “You can be a tough one to read, you know. You’ve got a pretty good poker face.”
“Me?” She looked shocked. “You have about as much expression as a metal can. Except when you smile.” She leaned back in her seat and watched him, still grinning. “I like it when you smile.” She hesitated and sat up straighter as she glanced out the window. “Wait…You’re taking me to your ranch? You’re taking me to the Bent Horseshoe?”
“I told you I wouldn’t be able to keep it secret for long. You don’t mind, do you? I know it isn’t a fancy restaurant or anything, but one of my buddies, Snap, is an excellent cook. Plus, Anya and Elena will be thrilled to see you.”
“They don’t know I’m coming?”
“And risk the chance they could spill the beans to you? Not a chance.” Santo turned onto the dirt road and they bounced and swayed as he navigated the truck over the rough terrain.
“What do enjoy most about ranching? What is it that got into your blood all those years ago when you first started?”
“There’s nothing like seeing proof your hard work is paying off. With this ranch, we’re building an incredible inventory of Santa Gertrudis cattle. We’ve already been able to weed out most of the weak ones. Next spring we’re going to have amazing new calves to work into the mix.”
“You should see your face. You seem like a kid looking forward to Christmas.”
“Remember how I told you every morning I wake up not knowing what I’m getting into? That’s part of the allure. Every day is an adventure.”
Evie’s lips twitched. “Don’t tell me you’re an adrenaline junkie. Do you jump out of planes and dive off cliffs?”
Santo swallowed hard. She kept coming dangerously close to the truth, and he had to steer her away from it. But how? “I’ve jumped out of planes a few times. And I may have done a cliff dive a time or two. Trust me, though…right now I have more
than enough going on in my life to feed my adrenaline needs.”
Chapter 7
Evie didn’t look completely satisfied with his answer and opened her mouth to launch into another question when he slowed the truck to a stop at the keypad to open the large gate leading into the ranch. Her eyes grew wide. “This is new.”
He looked over at her in surprise. “You’ve been here before?”
“Anya, Elena, and I are all friends with the previous owner. He loved to have parties—for calving season, the Fourth of July, beginning of fall, the holidays—at least every three months he held a party, and he’d invite us out here. We had a blast.”
Santo couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to a party. Unfortunately, in their undercover status, they couldn’t host any parties without raising more questions than their presence in Hebbronville already created. “The house has been completely renovated. I doubt you’ll recognize it.”
“Anya mentioned y’all were remodeling when she first met Stryker. Anya and Elena keep saying they’re going to invite me out, but our schedules are just too hectic and we never can seem to synch up.”
“I’m glad I get to take all the credit on this, then.”
Evie flashed her breath-taking smile at him and turned once again in her seat, studying their surroundings as they came up to the house. She squinted her eyes. “I can barely see it. Why are there so many trees and bushes surrounding the entire home?”
Santo parked in his usual spot. “I guess you could say we all like our privacy. Very much.”
She shot him a skeptical glance before he hopped out of the truck and rounded to her door. Once again, he placed his hands around her waist and lifted her to the ground. Her hands had naturally landed on his shoulders again, and he craved the feeling of her fingers sliding through his hair. A simple touch, a simple heated glance from this woman had the power to make him weak in the knees.
If he kissed her, though, he knew it wouldn’t be a chaste, innocent kiss. He would press her against the truck so he could feel all of her sweet curves crushed against his body, bury his hands in her hair, and kiss her the way he had been fantasizing for the past few days. He didn’t know how much he’d be able to hold back. Judging from the look in her eyes, she wanted to kiss him, too, and the heat he saw in her gaze told him beyond a doubt that their kiss would leave them both breathless, slightly disheveled, and everyone in the house would know what they had been doing.
Protected in His Arms: An Elite SEAL Rescue (Texas Elite Seals Book 3) Page 6
