Snatched (Coronado Series Book 2) (19 page)

“I hate to admit it, but I missed you. I had a lot fun with my sisters, though - we went shopping and I found two new pair of shoes. Are we going to dinner now?”

“No. I just want to take you down to the parking garage. I have my remote to open the gates. I have an extra parking space for you.”
 

“Ok, just tell me how to get there.” She followed his directions and parked next to his truck. Before she was able to get her seat belt unbuckled, he took her hand, “Thanks for coming over.” He took the opportunity to give her a quick kiss before they got out of the car. He collected her bags from the car and she took her garment bag. “I know this looks like a lot, but don’t worry - I’m not moving in.”

“If you wanted to move in, I would have all of your stuff here by tomorrow. I don’t picture you living in a condo though; I should probably buy you a house.”

They got in the elevator and she took the opportunity to stare at him, “Of course. That’s a reasonable plan of action after knowing me two weeks. That seems like a really good idea…. are you crazy?”

“Is this the part where I should have kept that to myself and not said it aloud?”

“Yes, that would definitely be the part where you kept your crazy tucked in.”

“That’s pretty funny. My Mama always had a saying about that. She would always say it about her sister, ‘keep your crazy tucked in, it’s showing.’ Something like that anyway, I think her sister probably said it right back to her.”

The elevator doors slid open and they walked down the hall - it looked like the building had been redone. “I have never been in this building. This is beautiful. I like the sound of the ocean and the smell of the salt.”

“I never really got off the island after I came down here for Bud/S. After I left the teams I decided I wanted to stay close and be able to see the guys working out on the beach. It made the separation a little easier.”

“Why did you leave?”

“I got banged up pretty good on an op and they couldn’t clear me for active duty again. I have damage to one of my ears that prevents me from being able to dive. If you can’t dive, you can’t be a SEAL. I also have a shoulder that never was going to allow me to make a HALO jump on any consistent basis.”

“Were you ready to leave the teams?”

“Not really, but I felt fortunate to have lasted as long as I did. I made it fifteen years.” He opened the door and they walked into a huge expanse of white. “Welcome home baby - make yourself comfortable. I’m going to take this into our bedroom.”

“Very clever use of language… assume the sale Mr. Bishop, very nice.”

He winked at her and gave her a charming smile and walked down the hall to drop her stuff off. She walked across the open living room out to the terrace and admired the view. She didn’t realize how close he was to the Hotel Del… they could walk. She heard him come out and felt his big arms wrap around her. He lifted her hair and kissed her neck, “What do you think of the view?”

“I love it. This is so peaceful. You can see the people down there, but you can’t really hear them. I love the sound of the crashing waves. You must sleep like a baby.”

“I sleep best when I’m wrapped around you…. that could be anywhere.”

She turned and wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest, “I can’t decide if it’s what you say or your southern accent. You are very charming and it’s working.” She heard the door slam and heard heavy footsteps.
 

“Quit kissing you two, I’m coming out.”

She laughed and saw Sean walk out to the terrace with a towel wrapped around his shoulder and running shorts riding low on his hips. These Bishop brothers were very good looking, “Hi Sean.”

He leaned over to kiss her cheek and dodged his brother’s elbow while doing it. “Relax brother, I’m just saying ‘Hi’ to my future sister-in-law.”

“Leave her alone.”

“Just ignore him. He’s being a little cranky.” Turning to him she gave him an assessing look, “I’m not sure why though?”

“I’m standing right here and I’m not cranky. I just don’t want my…. Oh never mind.”

She patted his chest, “Good choice, honey.”

He looked down at her and winked, “I’m catching on.”

“Are you going to dinner with us tonight?”

“No, I’m going out with some of the guys. David and Chris are going to take me out and show me around. Ed is going out with the woman that Birdie set him up with. Who knows how that’s going to go?”

“I have to call Birdie and let her know. I think they will be getting home this evening. They stayed another day and brought Travis home on the plane. I guess he’s in rough shape and they wanted to make sure that he didn’t have to wait for the transport plane. My Mom told me that Bob bought the plane from his company, so I guess they are going to use it when they travel.”

“Where are you guys going tonight on your big date?”

Max took Rory’s hand and smiled at her, “I’m taking her to the Hotel Del for dinner… and then we can take a walk along the beach if you want.”

“Sounds good to me. I guess I better go change and get ready.” She left the two brothers standing on the balcony as she made her way back to Max’s room. She walked into the big room and looked around: it looked like any typical bachelors room. There was a big king size bed, a chest of drawers and that was it. They must teach tidiness in the Navy, because it was perfectly neat. She walked into the bathroom and she admired his huge shower and all of the different shower heads. She heard the door open and Max walked into the bathroom seconds later and grabbed her and kissed her without hesitation.

“Do you want to take a shower before we leave or are you just going to change?”

“I think I will just change and then take a shower after we get home. I’m looking forward to seeing exactly how all those shower heads feel.”

“I look forward to showing you when we get home. Let’s go, I’m hungry.”

“Give me about fifteen minutes and I will be ready. I want to text Birdie and see if they have made it home already.”

“Do you want a glass of wine or a martini before we go?”

‘No, I’ll wait until we go to dinner.” She took a moment to admire the man standing in front of her and appreciate how attractive he was. She noticed how his shirt stretched across his broad chest and the v of his shirt allowed her a glimpse of his chest and neck. How could something so small be so enticing? She wanted to run her mouth down his neck and across his chest and back up to his mouth and feast on his lips for about three days. She wasn’t sure when she became so addicted to the smell and taste of this man and didn’t know if she wanted to do anything about it. This was usually the point where she began running in the opposite direction and while those urges were still there, they didn’t seem quite as strong.
 

“Are you ok sweetheart?”
 

Shaking her head she smiled at him, “Never better.” She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. “Let me get ready and then we can have our date.”

“I will leave you to it. Come out when you’re ready.”

***

“Are you going to tell me what’s bothering you or are you going to keep it in for a while longer?”

“It’s nothing. We can talk about it later, let’s enjoy our evening.”

“Ok, start talking Max Bishop…. quit stalling.”

“I think when you say my full name that it’s not a good sign…. also when you say fine. That never means fine, in fact it’s anything but.”

“Get on with it, and then we can move past it.”

“I’m going to preface this by saying that Gavin is still in lock up and not getting out. In fact he will probably be treated in a state mental health facility. Apparently he has several mental health issues that were diagnosed when he was seventeen and probably a few that have not been diagnosed. That is why nothing came up in our investigation - all the records were sealed. We did not take the time to access those files when we looked at him initially. I think he will get the help he needs, at least if we are lucky.”

“What are you not telling me?”

“Jackson was the one to ask him to hack into your computer in the first place. Apparently he wanted to keep an eye on you - at least that’s what he told the detectives. He concocted a big story about how he had concerns about the work you were doing. He had his very expensive lawyer sitting next to him and it came down to who was telling the truth.”

‘What a crock of you know what.”

“Jackson wanted Gavin to access your computer… and he did, but unfortunately he was obsessed with you and took it much further. It was just the thing that tipped him over the edge.”

“The detective knew Jackson was making it up. We had already provided him with the Intel that we had gathered. He knew Jackson was running something on the side. When I met with him, I explained about Bob’s condition and the pending sale of the company. He knew Jackson was dirty, but there’s not a lot that they can do unless the company wants to bring charges. Based on where Bob is at, I doubt that they’re going to do that. It’s my impression that they’re going to cut their losses and move on.”

“What does this have to do with me? Why are you still worried?”

“I think Jackson is going to do something and I’m not sure what it’s going to be. I want to keep you under protection until the sale goes through and Jackson finally loses his mind.”

“Is that all? Are you sure there is nothing else?”

“No, I know how happy you are to have your freedom. I understand the idea of being attached to me is not going to make you happy.”

She looked at him over the candles on the table and admired how attractive he was. It wasn’t just his physical presence; it was who he was as a person. “We can work it out. The sale is going to be complete in a couple of weeks. We can just keep doing what we have been doing - it’s not a big deal.”

He let out a big breath and grabbed her hand, “Ok, baby. Sounds good to me. Let’s keep doing what we are doing.”

“You thought I was going to freak out. You need to have more faith in me.”

“You’re right, I was worried for nothing.”

“Do you mind if we stay at my house during the week? I need all of my stuff around me. Otherwise, I will have to bring my things over to your house. You may never have counter space again.”

“You know I don’t care about that, bring everything you want.”

“You say that like you mean it - the reality would be much different.”

“I’m going to marry you so you might as well start training me now. It will make the transition much easier.”

“Is this you being relaxed…. slipping it into conversation as if it were normal.”

“Have you heard from Birdie yet? Have they landed?”

“Nice change of subject. Let me check my phone.” She pulled it out, looked at her texts, and her face fell as she felt a chill run down her back.” She felt it taken out of her hands and Max started reading the text.

“God damn son of a bitch! How did he get this number? He and I are going to have another conversation and I will make it clear that he’d better not contact you again. I will probably include my fists in the conversation.”

“I don’t think we are going to have to wait for him to lose his mind. It may happen sooner than we think. He has never taken responsibility for any of his actions. He’s had every opportunity and advantage. What a shame it was wasted on him.”

“I’m giving you a new phone on Monday. We have some new technology that will not allow this to happen anymore.”

“What does it do…. have magic powers to block assholes from texting you threatening messages?”

“Pretty much. I can have Frank explain how it works. He was the one who discovered the technology.”

She took the phone back and looked for Birdie’s text and read it. “They landed in San Diego and Joy picked them up. They are taking Travis home with them, because he doesn’t have anyone to keep an eye on him at home. Apparently he doesn’t like the idea and Birdie told him to be quiet and embrace the suck. I think she is getting pretty good at handling SEALs.”

“I hope Travis survives the experience.”

“Me too. Birdie is a very sweet person, but she also has a strong will and is very stubborn. Travis has no idea what he’s in for.”

“Are you ready to take a walk on the beach?”

“I think I’m ready to go home - I’m tired. I think the last couple of days have finally caught up with me.”

“Ok, let’s go baby.” They made their way out of the restaurant and walked through the hotel.
 

“Thank you for a lovely evening. Sorry about the walk. Maybe we can go tomorrow after breakfast.”

“I just want to be with you. I don’t care what we do. Actually that’s not true…” leaning down he whispered in her ear what he wanted to do when they got home. He felt her shiver as he described in detail his ideas.

She looked around to make sure that no one over heard what he was saying. “Mr. Bishop, I like the way you think.”

“I thought you might like my idea, and just so you know, I have a lot of ideas like that.” They walked out onto the boardwalk towards Max’s condo.
 

“Well I hope I last longer -I can’t seem to do that.”