“Hey,” Savannah said absently as he approached. “I don’t have time to get jiggy right now, Superman. I’m going over this list Annabelle emailed me about the wedding.”
He grinned at the nickname she used, which she’d come up with after he’d described some of the rescue missions he’d been involved in. He couldn’t discuss most assignments, or offer many details, but Savannah had been curious about the life of a Navy SEAL. Since she hadn’t been displaying much interest in him aside from the sexual kind, he’d jumped on the opportunity to bond. And now his heart did a dumb little flip each time she called him Superman.
“I’m not here to get jiggy,” he replied cheerfully. “I’m here to take you to lunch.”
She lifted her head from the notepad, pale yellow tresses falling into her eyes. “I can’t. I’m busy.”
“Tough.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to eat. And you can bring your work with you if you want. I can help you come up with ideas for the centerpieces.”
She gave a throaty laugh. “Oh, really? You’re going to talk centerpieces with me?”
“Why not? Every female in the O’Connor family has a green thumb. It’s in my genes.”
Although she looked dubious, she still pushed back her stool and hopped off. Pleasure jolted through him as he realized she’d accepted the invite. As much as he enjoyed seeing her naked, the thought of having lunch with her—with both of them fully clothed—held a huge amount of appeal.
Again, the reaction troubled him. What the hell was going on? Normally he wholeheartedly agreed with Savannah’s views on relationships—who needed ’em? Yet here he was, nearly coming in his pants because this sassy woman was going to eat lunch with him.
“We need to go somewhere nearby,” Savannah said as she grabbed an oversized green canvas purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I want to come back and finalize the orders for the centerpieces.”
“No problem,” he said easily.
He waited for Savannah to summon Chad from the back and ask him to watch the store, then walked ahead to hold the door open for her, admiring the way her filmy floral-print skirt swirled around her knees as she walked. He’d scouted the area on the way over and noticed a small pizza café with an outdoor patio, which he now suggested. Savannah nodded in agreement, and they made their way down the sidewalk. Ten minutes later, they were seated on the cobblestone patio. After ordering beers and a pizza to share, Savannah pulled her notepad from her purse and said, “Okay, let’s see your flower expertise.”
“Hit me,” he said, leaning back in the wrought-iron chair.
“The bride wants, and I quote, ‘something blue and white and sparkly, but natural looking’.”
Matt burst out laughing, getting a frown from Savannah as a reward.
“Do you see why I’m so frazzled?” she said with a sigh. “I mean, can you get any less articulate than that?”
Sensing her frustration, he went serious and asked, “So what are you thinking?”
Her straight white teeth sank into her bottom lip, an action that sent a rush of heat straight down to his cock. The memory of those teeth nibbling on his own lips was still fresh in his mind. Quickly, he forced the thought aside.
“Blue orchids,” she finally said. “Natural birch branches, crystal bowtie vases, and something white… Calla lilies?”
He shook his head. “No way. Too fancy. Lilies will draw the attention away from the orchids. Go with white hydrangea.”
Surprise filled her eyes. Then she started to laugh. “Jeez, you really do know flowers.”
He smirked. “Told you.”
“That’s a good idea,” she admitted. “I didn’t think of hydrangea.” She paused in thought. “Yeah, it’s really good actually. I’ll get started on that today.”
“See how easy that was?” He flashed a charming grin. “Centerpieces, done. What’s next?”
“Backdrops for the head table. The bride wants blue and white again, feminine and elegant.”
“Easy,” he replied. “Blue and white silk panels with floral accents.”
That got him another laugh. “Will you marry me?”
He knew she meant it as a joke, but something inside him shifted. If any other woman said that to him, joking or otherwise, he’d be running out the door right about now. Marriage was not something you kidded about, not in his life. As much as he loved his family, he couldn’t stand the constant smothering. Not just toward him, but to their partners. His mother and father’s marriage had been so overly loving it made him uncomfortable, and all four of his sisters were happily married, constantly gushing about their husbands. Ever since he was a kid, he’d felt uneasy around the constant shows of affection. Couldn’t really explain it, or put his finger on it, but he’d known even back then that he didn’t want that much love in his life.
Having another person know him inside and out, digging into his psyche, finishing his sentences?
It was too damn intimate, and his intimacy ended with sex.
So why didn’t Savannah’s off-hand remark scare him to death, the way it should?
The waitress arrived with their pizza before he could analyze the strange reaction. He and Savannah quickly dug in, polishing off the entire pie in no time. Afterwards, they both leaned back in their chairs, quietly sipping on their respective beers. He didn’t feel the need to fill the silence, and she didn’t seem to either. It was nice.
When she finally spoke, she caught him off guard. “Why are you single?” she asked curiously.
He shrugged. “Why are you?”
“I asked first.”
Setting down his beer bottle, he clasped his hands together on the table. “Relationships seem like too much trouble,” he admitted.
“How so?”
“I don’t like the idea of sharing my entire being with another person.”
She cast him a mischievous grin. “Commitment-phobic. I get it.”
“And you’re not scared of commitment?” he shot back.
“Nope. It just bores me.” Her gray eyes took on a faraway glint. “You know that feeling you get when you kiss someone, when you sleep with them, for the first time? That…thrill.”
“Yeah…”
“I think I’m addicted to it,” she confessed. “I’m addicted to firsts.”
“Seconds can be just a good,” he pointed out.
“Sure, but eventually the thrill goes away. So that’s when I go away.”
Matt opened his mouth to ask her if that’s what would happen with them—would she simply go away? But before he could speak, a male voice interrupted their discussion.
“Savannah?”
A thirty-something guy with messy blond hair had stopped by the railing separating the patio from the sidewalk. He wore a pair of long orange shorts and a white muscle shirt, and he was staring at Savannah as if she were his long-lost love.
“Hank,” she said in surprise. “It’s good to see you again.”
At her casual, impersonal words, Hank’s entire face fell. “Where’ve you been?” he asked, a plaintive note entering his voice. “I haven’t seen you in months.”
She shrugged. “I told you, I’m busy with the store.”
Hank’s dark eyes shifted to Matt, and a suspicious cloud floated across his face. “You don’t look busy.”
Savannah held up her legal pad. “This is a working lunch.”
“Oh.” The guy seemed to brighten slightly. “Do you have time for dinner this week?”
“Sorry, I can’t. I’m doing the flowers for a huge wedding and will be working non-stop until then.”
That got her another “Oh”. Hank fidgeted with his hands. “Okay, then. Give me a call when you’re done with the job?”
“Sure.”
The noncommittal tone of her voice was unmistakable. Despite himself, Matt felt a pang of sympathy for the dude. He also experienced a wave of unease, watching the expression on Hank’s face. Was that how he looked when he was around Savannah
? All lovelorn and pathetic?
Jeez, who was this woman? It was like a scene out of There’s Something About Mary. Did every man who met her fall head over heels for her?
“Well…I gotta go,” Hank mumbled. With an awkward wave, he strode off.
Matt fixed a rueful look at Savannah. “You could have let him down more gently.”
Irritation flickered in her gray eyes. “I did let him down gently. Four months ago. We went out a few times, and sure, he’s cute, but he’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Holding a conversation with the guy was painful.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Matt couldn’t help but ask, then cringed at the possessive twinge to his voice.
“Yeah, I did.” She studied his face. “Oh brother. You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous,” he protested instantly.
She laughed. “Oh yes you are.” Her irritation returned, only this time, it was directed at him. “Don’t go all crazy on me, Matt. I’m sure you’ve slept with dozens of women, and I’m not the least bit jealous about it.”
Which bothered him almost as much as his sudden encounter with the green-eyed monster. He got the feeling Savannah wouldn’t even bat an eyelash if he ended things between them right here and now. He wasn’t sure if her borderline-scary casual attitude was legit, or simply a cover for serious commitment issues she refused to admit to. He decided to believe the latter—only way to preserve his ego, after all.
Still, the jealousy coursing through his blood at the appearance of Hank only grew stronger as he imagined Savannah in bed with the guy. Damn it.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said gruffly, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.
Savannah must have seen the look in his eyes, because her eyes widened slightly, and then a slow smile curved her mouth. Matt dropped a few bills on the table, reached for her hand, and practically dragged her back to the flower shop. At the sight of her scrawny assistant behind the counter, he hooked a thumb at the door and barked, “Take a break, Chad.”
The kid gulped, nodded and took off.
“I’m thinking I might like jealous Matt,” Savannah laughed as he flipped the sign on the door from “open” to “closed”, locked up and moved toward her with predatory strides.
He took her hand again and pulled her behind the curtain into the back room. Before she could say another word, he covered her mouth with his and kissed the hell out of her.
Savannah gasped against his lips, her hands reaching up to twine around his neck. Matt had no idea what had come over him. Something hot and primal spiraled down his body and grabbed hold of his cock, hardening it to a level he hadn’t thought possible. It was almost painful, the throbbing erection straining against his zipper.
Coming up for air, Savannah bent close to his ear and murmured, “He really didn’t mean anything to me. You don’t need to go all caveman, Superman.”
“Let’s not talk about Hank,” he ordered, his hand seeking the hem of her skirt and bunching it between his fingers.
He shoved the material up to her hips, tore off her bikini panties, and placed his palm on her pussy, rubbing it slowly.
Savannah let out a little sigh. “God, that’s good.”
He kept stroking, running his finger up and down her damp slit, then dipping into her opening and plunging deep. She sagged against his chest, moaning, moving her hips to meet each lazy thrust of his finger. Matt’s entire body went taut with lust. Fuck, he wanted this woman. He could probably come just from the feel of her slick wetness coating his finger.
As a red haze of desire fogged his vision, he hurriedly undid his jeans, covered his dick with the condom he’d tucked in his pocket, and angled himself between Savannah’s firm thighs.
“You sure it doesn’t make you jealous?” he found himself taunting. “The thought of me doing this to someone else.” He teased her clit with the tip of his cock.
Her gray eyes went glazed. “Nope,” she murmured. “Doesn’t make me jealous at all.”
“You sure about that?” He slid one hand underneath her shirt, shoved it under the left cup of her lacy bra and squeezed her breast.
She gasped.
“It really doesn’t drive you crazy, knowing I’ve done this to countless other women?” He found her nipple and pinched it between his fingers.
Savannah let out a soft moan. “How many is countless?”
“Countless,” he emphasized in a cocky tone.
He could have sworn he saw a flash of something in her eyes—actual jealousy?—but it disappeared quickly.
“No, doesn’t bother me,” she muttered.
She tried to reach down to encircle his shaft, but he sidestepped, letting his hand drop from her breast. Taking a step back, he fought a grin at the sight of Savannah’s flushed cheeks, parted lips and lust-filled eyes. Oh yeah. No matter how unaffected she tried to act, she was totally into him. She fucking craved him.
“Okay,” he said with a shrug. “Then I guess I’ve got nothing to prove.”
Her face flooded with shocked disappointment as he removed the condom and tucked his cock back into his boxers. “What the hell are you doing?” she complained.
“Not being childish.” He smothered a laugh. “You’re right, seeing one of your exes got me a little crazy. I figured if I brought you back here and had my way with you, I’d prove to myself I don’t give a damn about that loser you slept with because he could never fuck you the way I do. But you’ve shown me the light.”
“Huh?”
This time he had to laugh. Poor woman looked so dismayed he almost kissed her again. “You obviously don’t care about my past, so I shouldn’t care about yours. Which means there’s no need to play macho games with you.”
Savannah bit her bottom lip. “So you’re just going to…go?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But…” she sputtered.
“You said you had work to do,” he said innocently.
“I do…but…”
He hid a grin as he zipped up his pants. Heading to the wastebasket by the door, he dropped the almost-used condom into it and glanced at Savannah over his shoulder. “Call me when you have time,” he said cheerfully.
He waltzed through the curtain and headed to the door, though walking was an impressive feat considering the enormous boner poking into his jeans. His cock throbbed so badly he almost turned around, marched back to Savannah and screwed her brains out. But he forced himself to keep walking.
Operation Wholesome was in full gear, and if he gave in now, everything he’d accomplished today would have been a waste. She’d agreed to a lunch date. She’d displayed a real, non-casual reaction to his taunt about his past girlfriends. And he’d left her wanting more. Wanting him.
All in all, a successful afternoon.
Chapter Four
Matt’s arms burned as he hauled himself up the cargo net portion of the base’s obstacle course, one of the toughest in the country. He was nearly forty feet off the ground, clinging to a net that consisted of vertical and horizontal ropes strung along a frame, and he still had to get to the other side. No big deal, though. He and the others had trained hours upon hours on this thing back when they were trainees. He could do this course in his sleep.
Ryan Evans, his best friend and former roommate, had already climbed the net and was nearly off the frame, prompting Matt to pick up speed. When his feet finally collided with the hard ground, he let out a breath and grinned, knowing without being told that he and the guys had done the course in record speed. Today’s exercise was meant to show the new trainees that finishing the course with a decent time wasn’t something that would happen overnight. Apparently a cocky recruit had passed out from exhaustion yesterday trying to conquer the course, after being ordered to call it a day. The commander had asked Matt and some of the other members of SEAL Team Fifteen to put on a little demo for the newbies this morning, show them what they could look forward to after they completed the training.
&n
bsp; The small group of young men broke out in polite applause when the demo ended, but Matt could see several faces gleaming with determination. Those were the ones who’d end up making it through the program. He’d worn that same expression on his face when he first joined up. The others…well, most of them would burn out, or quit long before their training ended.
“You were slacking,” Ryan said as he tossed him a bottle of water.
Matt unscrewed the cap, took a couple of swigs, then poured water on his face and neck. “Yeah, I know. Sorry, man. I was a bit distracted.”
“Nice time,” another voice remarked.
Matt turned and greeted his buddy Aidan Rhodes with a grin. “Hey, man, didn’t realize you were allowed to leave the desk.”
“Hey, I might have a desk job now, but I can still kick your ass on that course,” Aidan shot back. “I had the best time in my class.”
The two men shook hands as Aidan said, “Want to a hit a club this weekend?”
Matt hesitated. “Not sure yet. I might have plans. But I’ll shoot you a text and let you know at the end of the week.”
“Cool.” Aidan ran a hand through his close-cropped brown hair. “I should head in. Keep in touch, bro.”
As Aidan strode off, Carson Scott and John Garrett approached, using towels to wipe the sweat from their faces. “Beers?” Carson suggested.
Matt grinned. “It’s eleven thirty in the morning.”
“Shit, you’re right. Better make that coffees then.”
The four of them wound up leaving the base and driving over to Shelby Garrett’s bakery, which also doubled as a coffee shop. They planted their asses on the chairs out on Shelby’s small patio, while the part-timer, Amy, brought over some coffees.
“Shel’s not working today?” Matt said, watching as the young employee headed back inside.
Garrett shook his head. “Penny’s colicky. Little bugger kept us up all night, so I encouraged Shel to stay home and relax.”