Saved by the SEAL (17 page)

The gentle coaxing in her voice has me nodding my head. “Yeah. Maybe I have.”

She leans forward and pats my knee. “Let me meet this guy. Maybe I can read in his eyes how ‘into you' he is.”

My lips quirk upward. “You want to meet him? I would love to introduce you and Gabi and Gemma.”

She nods firmly. “Of course I do. Why don't you bring him by for dinner next Saturday night? I know this weekend is the client thingy for the firm.”

I tilt my head, looking suspicious. “How do you know that?”

She shrugs, pulling an afghan from the back of the couch to cover her legs. “I just know things. Want to watch a movie?”

I nod. Mom and I have been through a lot together. I'm always going to want to kick back on the couch, cuddle up with her, and watch a movie. It's one of my favorite ways to calm my overactive brain.

And tonight, my brain is in danger of overuse. Between thoughts of Grisham, and thoughts of whoever it was who may have sent me that broken surfboard figurine, I'm completely maxed out on anxieties for one day.

But I have two things to look forward to in the very near future.

1. Accompanying Grisham as his date to an event thrown by my father's company, which I now work for.
   
2. Introducing Grisham to the most important people in my life: my mother and sisters.
   

Even rogue thoughts of lurking, menacing individuals can't keep the warm, comforting feeling covering me like a fuzzy blanket.

W
hat a motherfuckin' big shot.” Ben's drawl holds a touch of pride as he inspects my suit and tie.

I'd decided to go with a dark charcoal-gray suit, crisp white shirt, and dark red tie. I know from the mouth of a little birdie that Greta's dress is a deep shade of red. I can't wait to see her in it, but I also want us to coordinate. Surprise her a little.

I have a night full of surprises planned for her.

“Just watch and learn, Cowboy.” My teasing tone lets Ben know I'm not being a cocky bastard.

He sprawls out on my living room floor while I adjust my tie. He and Lawson came by to drink a beer and help calm my nerves before tonight's client event. I'm nervous as hell.

It's a big night in more ways than one. I'm being introduced to the pool of current and potential Night Eagle clients as a member of an elite team. One that I'm pretty damn honored to be a part of. With the skills Jacob has, combined with the strategic knowledge and general badassness that Dare and the other guys bring to the table, it's a privilege to be considered one of them.

And Jacob's giving me a soft place to land after leaving a job I thought would be my lifelong career.

I still hadn't spoken to my father. The navy was being surprisingly cooperative with my mother's lawyers. My father was considered a flight risk and a danger to my mother, thanks to the police report and bruises on her body that she'd taken the time to report. He's not getting out of prison until he goes on trial and is found not guilty.

And I have a lot riding on the fact that won't happen.

But I'll be there when his trial rolls around, making sure my testimony helps keep him under lock and key.

Working for Night Eagle is helping to pick up the pieces. I now know where my life is headed. And there isn't a single time when I picture the future that Greta isn't by my side.

Tonight, not only do I want to jump feet first into my brand-new job, but I also want to show her that I'm serious about her and this relationship. I'm exclusively hers, and I want her to be mine. I have something waiting for her when we arrive back at my house tonight that will prove just that.

I smooth out my tie and turn to face Ben and Lawson.

“Hey. You two lock up when you leave. And you better be gone by the time I get back here later tonight with Greta. You have your own houses to wreck.”

Without looking up, Ben waves me off. “Me and Stealth got this. We'll take care of your pet project, too. You're all set.”

I nod. “Thanks. I mean it. You two are there for me when I need it, no matter what. And I appreciate it.”

They both glance over at me, and then grit their teeth.

“Enough of that shit. Get going. We're all good here.”  Lawson gives me a shooing motion with his hand, silently telling me to quit acting like a girl. So I just grin at them and make my way out to my Jeep.

When I arrive at Greta's apartment, Mea swings the door open with a wide smile. She's a petite little thing, way shorter than Greta. I bend down and hug her after entering their place.

“Hey, Mea. You doing okay?”

She gestures toward the couch. “Greta should be out in a minute. Have a seat, sailor-boy. I have some questions for you.”

Oh, boy.
I sit down on the couch, spreading my legs wide and placing my forearms on my thighs. Then I clasp my hands and lean forward, giving her all of my attention.

“I don't falter under questioning,” I point out. “I'm well trained.”

Her eyes narrow. “We'll see.”

She begins firing off a round of questions that she clearly expects me to answer without any hesitation. Questions like “what are your intentions toward my friend?” and “what's your favorite Greta quality?” are easy to rattle off answers to. In the couple of months that Greta and I have been seeing each other, I've learned a lot about her. Some of it is too personal to share with our friends, but I think I pass Mea's test with a perfect score. Or damn close to it.

Mea's serene face looks pleased. She leans forward from her cross-legged position on the floor and smiles. “You're golden, sailor-boy. I'm impressed.”

I spread my arms wide. “What can I say? Greta's got me wound around her little finger.”

Mea gives a firm nod. “It better stay that way.”

Just then, Greta floats into the room on three-inch heels. My eyes land on those sexy, strappy sandals first before they slowly make their way up her body.

Insane. Gorgeousness. Just entered the room.

“Damn, Grits,” I murmur. “You look stunning.”

Stunning doesn't even begin to cover how she looks.

Why isn't there a word better for this than
stunning
?

Her dark crimson dress swishes around her ankles, exposing the fuck-me heels she's wearing on her pretty feet. The material of the dress is made from something that clings to her willowy curves like a vine on a trellis. There's a split on one side that exposes skin that I feel the need to have my hands on
now.
I pause at the slit, imagining where my tongue will meet the warm skin of her leg later tonight…

I shake my head to clear it, feeling like I'm under some kind of witchy spell. I could give a shit. If this is a spell, I just want more of it.

The dress is free of sparkles and glittery stuff, which make me really, really happy. The feisty color is enough of a statement. And so is the deep, plunging neckline that hints at the curves of her breasts without outright showing all her goods. But wow…she still must have had some work to do to keep the ladies hidden.

The dress has long sleeves that fit her like a second skin. When I finally make it up to her face, she's giving me a soft, sultry smile that snatches the breath right out of my chest.

She's a priceless work of art.

And she's with me.

I move toward her like a puppet on a string.

“You like it?” she asks, turning away from me so I can see the back of her.

And when I see it, my cock jumps against the restraint of my pants. The back of the dress is completely open, exposing the delicate blades of her shoulders and gorgeous expanse of ivory skin on her back.

No longer able to wait to touch her, I clasp my hands in front of her and pull her back against me. She smells heavenly, like something sweet that I can't wait to get my mouth on. I press my lips to the skin on her neck.

“You look beautiful, Greta. Like you should be walking down a runway somewhere, not showing up at an event with me.”

She turns in my arms, and her gaze is hot and sweet as it holds mine. “I don't want to be anywhere but at this event with you, Grisham Abbot.”

An enormous smile makes the ripping of my face a real and present danger. “I'm happy to hear you say that. Because when you look like that, I'd go crazy if you were anywhere but by my side.” I kiss her, just below her ear, and I feel her shiver in my arms.

Maybe we can take just a couple of minutes…
My fingers make their way to the fabric at her shoulders as I begin to tug it down.

Mea clears her throat.

I freeze, having completely forgotten I'm not alone in the room with Greta.

“You guys better get going,” says Mea pointedly. “Or you're going to be late.”

Greta's face is deep crimson, and I kiss her cheek as I entwine our fingers together. I pull her toward the door with me.

Grabbing a clutch purse off the counter, she calls back toward Mea, “I'm probably gonna stay at Grisham's tonight.” She glances at me to confirm, and I give her a firm nod. She giggles, and then looks back at Mea. “Okay?”

Mea shoos us away flippantly. “Please. I've got a hot date tonight.”

That stops Greta, and she turns completely around. “Again?”

Mea avoids Greta's gaze. “You know my style. I've gotta love 'em and leave 'em.”

Greta shakes her head. “One of these days, a guy is gonna make you want him to stay.”

Mea laughs, her wild curls flying around her head. “One of these days, they'll learn that they can't tie me down. Ever.”

Greta flies back to hug her friend. “Love you, Mea. Be careful.”

As we walk out the door, we hear her response. “I always am!”

Greta is quiet on the ride to Wilmington, where the event is being held. I glance over at her a few times, only to find her lost in thought. I don't want to disturb her, so I let her be.

But when we're nearly there, I grasp her hand in mine and bring it to my lips. The feel of her soft, satiny skin against mine calms me. “You okay?”

She gives me a small smile. “Yeah. I worry about Mea.”

“Why?”

Sighing, she looks back toward the dark night beyond her window. “Because she pretends a lot. She's been through a lot in her life; that's why we instantly bonded when we met in college. I figured out pretty quick that she had some deep scars on her soul. But she never really lets anyone in. I'm worried that she'll always be that way.”

I mull over what she just said. I've known Mea for a while, but only through Berkeley. I don't really know anything about her, only that she and Berkeley went to high school together and then when she went to college she became good friends with Greta. She's a little spitfire, and she's absolutely beautiful, but I've never seen her with a guy.

“She dates a lot?”

Greta snorts. “More like, she uses guys and then tosses them away.”

Well, damn.

Greta rushes on. “I mean, I don't fault her for it. She's young and she's single, and guys do it to girls all the time. I think when they meet Mea, she turns the tables, and they're left wondering what the hell happened.” She laughs softly.

Thinking about that brings a smile to my face, too. “Don't worry about her. She just hasn't met the guy that makes her want more. She will.”

Greta turns to me, her face turning serious. “I did.”

My heart stutters once before picking up its regular beat. I pull up to a valet stand at a luxury hotel before bringing her hand to my lips again. This time I plant a trail of light kisses along her hand, her wrist, her forearm. The material of her dress doesn't deter me from kissing her again and again.

“We're going to have a great night.”

“The best,” she agrees as the valet opens her car door.

The event is set up as a meet and greet, and as we enter the executive gala room on the fifth floor of the hotel, a classically decorated atmosphere greets us. There are black-jacketed servers walking around with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. There are so many people in the room, milling around, laughing and joking, clinking glasses…but all I can see is Greta.

It's obvious she's unaware of her utter beauty. Of her ability to command attention in a room. As I scan the crowd around us, I observe that she's caught the eye of several men around us. But she's completely oblivious. Smiling to myself, I put my arm around her waist and pull her a little bit closer. Her dress swishes around her ankles, and that one exposed leg is bared.

God. How am I going to make it through this night without pulling her into the bathroom or out to my car and showing her exactly how fucking sexy I think she is?

Her azure eyes focus on me, and she tilts her head. “What are you thinking?”

My voice is rough as I lean in, my lips brushing her ear. “You don't want to know.”

She pulls back, shocked pleasure written on her face. “I think I know. Guess what?”

“What?”

She lets her eyes make a slow, simmering perusal of me in my fitted suit, from my messed-up hair to my black dress shoes. Then she makes her way back up, sliding a finger along the silk of my tie, moving up until she's gently stroking my bottom lip.

She taps my mouth with her finger. “I'm thinking the exact same thing.”

Yeah. That's it.

I grab her by the arm, steering her gently-but-firmly toward the door we just entered a few minutes ago.

“Hey, guys!”

Berkeley's bright voice stops me in my tracks, and we turn slowly to face her and Dare. They're both grinning at us, holding glasses of champagne. Berkeley looks great in a royal blue dress, and Dare's rocking a black suit with no tie.

“Where were you headed?” asks Berkeley with a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Dare laughs outright, spotting the pained look on my face. “We need you here, brother.” He slaps me on my back. Then he leans in. “If I can handle it for a few hours, with Berkeley looking the way she does, so can you.”

I nod, but I still can't keep my eyes off my date.

“Let me go introduce you to a couple of people. Then Jacob wants to see us before the big intro. Think you can handle leaving Greta with Berkeley for a while?”

I look toward Greta, thinking how badly I don't want to leave her side tonight. But she nods toward Dare, urging me to go on without her.

“You're here to work, too,” she reminds me. “I'll be fine.”

I take another glance around the room, noting that she still has the attention of a lot of guys. And now that Berkeley is with her, they're like magnets for men.

I look sternly at Berkeley. “Stay with her. You two watch out for each other.”

She salutes me. “Yes, sir.” She deepens her voice in jest, but she needs to know how serious I am. I don't like leaving Greta alone in a room like this.

“Oh, chill, Grish.” Berkeley smiles and gives me a shove. “She'll be fine. Geez.”

I follow Dare through the crowd, taking one last look at my gorgeous date standing like a dark angel in her bloodred dress.

“And I'd like you to give a warm welcome to the newest member of our team, Grisham Abbot.”

There's a polite round of applause throughout the room, and as I stand on the small platform I listen to Jacob give a list of my accolades and accomplishments from my time in the naval academy, OTS, and being a SEAL. It feels surreal, having someone list all of the important things you've done.