Night with a Seal (Hot SEALs #1) (9 page)

None of that mattered. What did matter—what had Ali’s heart suddenly pounding—was that she might be seeing Jon again.

It had been six months, almost to the day. She hadn’t heard hide nor hair from him since he’d nodded goodbye to her at the front door on July fourth.

How was she going to act around him? Casual was a given, but should she be aloof and uninterested? Or flirty and fun but without any expectations? It seemed beyond her to be around the man who still affected her as if she’d been with him only yesterday.

Six freaking months. Her body and mind should have moved on. But the dreams she occasionally had featuring one sexy dark-haired man and his soaring angel wings of ink—dreams that had her waking feeling needy—told another story.

“Drink?” Darci’s question dragged Ali away from the turmoil happening in her own head. “We have wine, champagne, beer. Soda, vodka, bourbon and some expensive scotch that smells like rotting dirt that Rick likes.”

Ali eyed all the bottles on the counter and the big stainless bowl she’d seen Darci use for salad, which tonight contained ice and assorted white wine, champagne and beer bottles. “Champagne is good. Thanks.”

In light of who was coming, Ali would need a big one, and for Darci to keep ’em coming.

Like a bartender, Darci stood on the other side of the kitchen island behind rows of clean glasses and reached for the open bottle of champagne. “Rick wanted to bring the big red cooler inside, but I told him no. So don’t worry, we have plenty of everything on hand. It’s just outside on the deck.

“This looks much nicer for a party. And I can help keep an eye out and refill it, if you need.”

“Thank you. See? I knew a woman would understand.” Darci shook her head. “Men.”

Men, indeed. Ali wished she had a man to be exasperated about. Even if he were a brother.
Especially
if he was a brother who came with a posse of hot best friends like Rick did.

Standing on the other side of the island where Darci had the bar set up, Ali glanced across the kitchen at the clock on the microwave. “What time are you expecting . . . everyone else?”

“We told people around seven-thirty. Rick invited a couple of guys from the power plant too, so it wouldn’t be a pitifully small party if our surprise guests somehow didn’t make it. But last reports looked pretty good they’ll be here.” Darci grinned.

Ali processed that information. She’d arrived a little early in case Darci and Rick had needed help setting up. It wasn’t lost on her she’d yet to offer any help as she noticed one host seemed to be missing. “Where’s Rick?”

“Out buying more ice.” Darci handed Ali the glass she’d just poured, and grabbed the second. “It’s not like we could ask the guys to stop at the store on the way over and get us ice after they only stepped foot on US soil less than twenty-four hours ago.”

That comment brought Ali’s attention back to the subject of Jon, and her mixed feelings over seeing him. “So it’s certain then? They’re definitely coming tonight?”

“Yeah, I think so. I heard Rick talking on the phone this morning and it sounded like the guys were boarding a plane up north somewhere to get back here. Unless something happened that they couldn’t take off, they should be back by now. The single guys like Zane and Jon, should all be here, but I’m not sure about the guys with families. I’m sure Grant’s wife has plans. And Thom might want to go straight to see his kids.” Darci shrugged.

Ali tried to process that she would indeed be seeing her one-night stand again. Fresh from deployment. Her heart thundered as she wondered if a second one-night encounter six months after the first still counted as a one-night stand or not.

Would it be for only one night this time? Jon wasn’t going to be on his way out of the country like last time. Would he want something more?

Ali knew from being friends with Darci that even when not deployed, Rick had traveled a lot. He said it was for training, but they suspected that sometimes it was for missions. Missions the general public wasn’t meant to know about. On those occasions, even close family members were kept in the dark.

That secrecy and uncertainty would make it tough to have a relationship, but some guys in the teams managed to do it. Have wives and kids, even.

Funny how back in July Ali had told Darci she wasn’t interested in any relationship with any SEAL, and here she was trying to figure out how to have one with Jon. What a difference one hour of incredible sex could make, especially when blown out of proportion by six months of fantasies about it.

The front door opening startled Ali. She spun to see Rick standing in the doorway. He bent to grab a plastic bag full of ice in each hand, and then shouldered the door closed behind him. “Wasn’t easy getting this. The first place I went to was sold out. Frigging insane you can’t find ice this time of year. It’s not like it’s beach weather.”

“No, but it is probably the biggest party night of the year.” Darci moved forward and took the bags from him. “I’ll throw these on the back deck. It’s cold enough that they should keep fine.”

Rick nodded and walked to where Ali stood. “Hey, girl. You look nice.”

“Thanks.” She’d gone with basic black herself, but unlike Darci’s dress, Ali’s covered a bit more skin. Of course, that was because Ali had more skin to cover than Darci did.

Rick dropped a kiss on her cheek and Ali had to think how convenient it would be if she could just have feelings for Rick, or him for her. He was nice and cute, and he had a good-paying civilian job with benefits and a pension plan. But alas, Darci’s brother had become like the brother Ali never had, and all three of them were happy with that.

Sad that those last criteria Rick possessed were right up there with the first in Ali’s check list of what made for a good man. She felt like an old woman thinking about pensions and health plans as she got closer to the big three-zero.

The sliding back door slammed closed and Darci came back into the house. “Damn, it’s cold out there.”

“If you’d put on some clothes and dress like it’s almost January, you won’t be cold, now would you?” Rick reached for a beer bottle and twisted the cap off while shooting Darci a look.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “Oh, shut up. It’s a party and it’s nice and warm in here.”

It was nice and warm in the house, and when a knock on the front door had them all turning Ali realized that if who she suspected was standing on the other side it was about to get a whole lot warmer.

“I’ll get it.” Rick shot a glance over his shoulder. “Get that scotch ready. If it’s the team, we’re going to need it.”

She saw the direction this night could take and it only twisted her insides with more nerves and need. Jon would be drunk on scotch, sexually deprived from a six-month deployment in the war zone, happy to be home and alive. Ali would be just as sexually deprived and a bit tipsy on champagne herself, with no one to kiss at midnight.

Why didn’t Rick just present Jon to her naked on a silver platter? She was already salivating like she was a starving woman and Jon was the only meal in sight.

Bracing herself, she donned a smile and watched as Rick pulled open the door. “Dude. Good to see you back in one piece.”

“Takes a lot to kill me. You know that.” Rick’s bulk blocked the entrance, but there was no mistaking the voice of the man at the door who’d replied.

“Come on in. I got some beer cold and the scotch is ready to be poured.” Finally, Rick moved out of the way and Jon was there in view.

“Oh, bro. Let me get something in my stomach before I start on the scotch.” Jon held up the six-pack he’d carried in. “I grabbed this at the gas station on the way over. Sorry, it’s not much. There were slim pickings.”

“Don’t be silly. You being here is enough, but thanks.” Rick took the six-pack from Jon’s hands and swung the door shut.

From the kitchen, Darci called out, “Hey, Jon.”

Jon, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with no coat, moved farther into the room. “Hi, Darci. Happy New Year.”

“To you too. Hot hors d’oeuvres are coming out of the oven now, and a lasagna is going in for later.”

“Sounds good.” Jon’s gaze moved from Darci and Ali saw the exact moment he noticed her standing off to the side. He smiled and set her heart fluttering as he came closer until he was standing right there next to her. “Hey. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Hi. Welcome home.” It was all Ali could do to respond as her throat clenched.

“Thanks. How have you been?” he asked.

“Good. Good. Thanks.” She sipped her champagne for lack of anything else to do with her hands or her mouth.

“Good to hear it.” Jon turned toward Rick to accept the beer bottle he’d handed him, and that was it. The moment was gone. Not that it had been much of a moment to begin with.

If this stilted attempt at small talk was how the whole night was going to be, she was going to need a refill. She blew out a breath and caught Darci watching her.

Ali put down her glass and moved around the island, into the kitchen area. “Need help with those hors d’oeuvres?”

Darci eyed her with more interest than the question warranted but finally nodded. “Sure. The platter is on the counter. Let me grab a potholder and get them out of the oven.”

Jon and Rick moved out to the deck, presumably to stow in the cooler the six-pack Jon had bought. When Jon’s overwhelming presence was out of the room, Ali could think again. The way he made her feel, an evening filled with bits of casual conversation and not much else was probably best for everyone involved.

She turned toward the counter and spotted the platter as Darci opened the oven. “Smells good, whatever you’re cooking.”
 

Two more big men arrived. Ali recognized Zane and Thom from the Fourth of July party. Since she hadn’t seen them around since, she assumed they too were newly returned from the war zone.

After a quick hello to her and Darci, during which Ali could have sworn Darci hiked her boobs a little higher for Zane’s benefit, the guys disappeared out onto the deck with Rick and Jon.

The bell rang one more time and Darci moved toward the door. “Brody. Chris. Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year to you too.” Chris handed Darci a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. “For the lady of the house.”

“Aw, thank you. That’s so sweet.”

“They’re from my brother too. He helped me pick them out.” Grinning, Chris hooked a thumb at his brother.

Brody rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I shopped all day.”

Darci laughed. “I’m just happy you’re back and safe, Brody.”

“Thanks.” Brody glanced around. “Where’s everybody else at?”

It was a valid question since Ali could see through the front window that the driveway and the curb in front of the house had filled up with vehicles, but by the looks of the house, there were only she and Darci there.

“Out on the back deck. Go on out, if you want. But tell them the hors d’oeuvres are ready and they’re getting cold.”

“Yes, ma’am. Will do.” Chris saluted Darci with a grin. He and Brody headed the way Zane and Thom had disappeared, and Ali started to think the party was going to be outside.

She watched them go and frowned. “Aren’t they cold out there?”

Darci glanced at the glass door and shrugged. “They’ll be in eventually. Probably catching Rick up on war stories.”

“Stories they don’t want us to hear.”

“Apparently not.” Darci adjusted the temperature on the oven, looking unconcerned about the little posse on the deck.

Ali, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to let the topic go. “But they can tell Rick and Chris, who are both civilians now?”

“I’m sure they’re not spilling any state secrets or anything. It’s probably some stupid stuff we wouldn’t be interested in anyway.”

“Hmm, I guess so.” Stupid stories or not, as Ali transferred the hot mini quiches from the baking tray to the platter she was feeling left out.

Frustrated—in so many ways—she popped one of the quiches into her mouth. The diet started tomorrow, not tonight.

CHAPTER 9

“No. You’re kidding, right?” Rick shook his head as he glanced around the men circling him on the back deck, the cooler full of beer and bags of ice conveniently at their feet. “I don’t believe it.”