Brianna's Navy SEAL (13 page)

After she'd invited him in here.

That was when his brain finally clicked in. She'd been expecting him. She wouldn't make out with another guy, knowing he was on his way.

And who was that, anyway? He squinted, and realized the fist in his hair was pulling, not clutching. He looked at her foot again, and realized her heel was caught on his pants. What the hell?

Before he could move, the door slid shut behind him and the man on the couch—on Brianna—jerked away from her. It was Ken.

Cable laughed.

Brianna looked appalled and tried to scramble out from under him, but Ken planted his hand on her chest and sat up slowly, giving Cable what on anyone else would have been a challenging look.

"We're busy, Addison."

"Oh, don't let me interrupt."

"Get off me, you jerk!” Brianna pulled at Ken's wrist. Her feet flailed so that her skirt slid up her thighs. “You know damned well this isn't mutual!"

"I don't know, you two looked pretty cozy.” Cable folded his arms and leaned his shoulders against the door. Brianna's shock and fury turned to hurt, and he wished he hadn't said it. He knew she wouldn't do that to him. Now that he'd had time to think and not just react.

"
Fuck
you.” It came out of her mouth with such force, it surprised Ken into relaxing his stiff-arm. Seconds later, he was on the floor with Brianna towering over him. “And fuck you, too, Ken Salzer.” She thrust her finger at him. “That was assault, and I could press charges. What the hell were you thinking?"

He pouted and looked like he was going to get up. Brianna lifted her foot and he shrank back, apparently afraid she was about to kick him.

"You were waiting for me in here."

"The hell I was."

"You were. I got your message.” There was a distinct whine in his voice now. “You were waiting for me in here, because you'd finally realized what you wanted."

"I—” She stopped, then light dawned. “Darcy told you that, didn't she? Don't you know what a manipulative bitch she is?"

"You don't know her."

"I know her a lot better than you do.” She backed up and let Ken get to his feet. “I've told you, Ken, I'm not interested. I don't know what will convince you."

He grimaced. “Well, this will do it.” He looked embarrassed and chagrined, but Cable saw something else in his eyes. Hatred, maybe, or determination. He moved closer to Brianna, who glared him off.

Her expression softened when she looked at Ken. “I'm sorry, Ken. If I had known Darcy was giving you hope, I would have—"

"You've made clear what you would have done, Brianna. I think I've got it."

"Okay.” She watched as he went out the door, then whirled on Cable. “You think that was
funny?
"

"No.” He had, but now that she'd turned her temper on him, he didn't anymore. “I'm sorry."

"Where the hell were you? If you'd been in here—"

"He would have walked in on us having sex on the couch.” He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but she was still bristling. And radioactive. And likely to knee him in the family jewels if he tried. “I got held up."

"By Darcy."

"Yes."

"Let me guess, she was propositioning you."

"Something like that."

With a disgusted huff, Brie dropped into a chair and shoved her hand under her chin. “Maybe this isn't worth it."

"What isn't worth what?” Now he was starting to get angry. “What they did has nothing to do with us, Brianna."

"No?” She straightened. “What did you think when you first walked in here?"

"Honestly?” He crossed the room and sat in the chair next to her. “My first reaction was pain. I saw the surface and couldn't believe you'd betray me like that."

"But—"

"Then,” he interrupted, “I looked harder. I saw that you weren't embracing him. I was about to step in when he looked up."

"And laughed."

He shrugged. “I couldn't help myself. You and Ken are more laughable than Ken and Darcy."

Suddenly, Brianna looked sad. “Who wouldn't be laughable?"

"You feel sorry for him."

"A little. He's just ... yeah, I feel sorry for him. He's lonely."

Cable thought for a second. “Wanda would go well with Ken."

"Hmm.” Brie raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, maybe. She got divorced a year ago. I wonder."

"You really want to matchmake for a guy who just assaulted you?"

"I'm not sure he meant it to be that way. Darcy convinced him I'd changed my mind. And all those movies and things make it look like women really want the forceful, intense male."

"Like me?"

She finally smiled. He dropped to his knees in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Brie. I thought we'd be making this night more special, not the opposite."

"It's okay.” She lifted his hands between hers, then rested her cheek on them. “I think we should get back to the ball."

Cable agreed reluctantly, and they got back in time to hear the ball chairperson announce that they'd raised more money this year than any other. They gave away a few door prizes, and her mother won a gift certificate to a local dress shop she never set foot in. Kira gave them knowing looks, but Brianna didn't know why, since they hadn't done anything and Cable looked just as put together as he'd started.

Of course, maybe she didn't, she realized. She hadn't done anything with
Cable
, but that didn't mean her hair wasn't a mess and her makeup smudged. As the dancing started up again, she excused herself and went to the ladies’ room to see how bad the damage was.

Sophie was at the mirror, touching up her lipstick and looking sleek and elegant.

"Is everyone having sex in the back rooms?” Annoyed, Brianna yanked the pins out of her hair.

"Why, aren't you?"

She snorted. “I could have, with the wrong guy."

"You know, there was a time when Ken might have been the right guy.” Sophie pressed her lips together, then eyed herself critically in the mirror.

Brianna gaped at her. “Ken? Me? Are you nuts?"

Sophie shrugged, dropped her lipstick into the tiny purse that matched her dress, and rubbed a smudge off the side of her mouth. “The rest of us thought so."

"Oh, Soph. That's horrible. I never, ever had those thoughts about Ken."

Done with her primping, Sophie turned to her sister. “That doesn't matter. He had them about you. And last year, after you abruptly abandoned your quest for adventure, we thought you might rebound to the opposite extreme."

"Ken's not exactly safe.” Brianna used a pick on her now-unmanageable hair while she told Sophie about the encounter in the meeting room.

"Huh. You never know about people, do you?"

"Nope.” Brianna didn't bother putting more lipstick on. She wiped off what Ken hadn't eaten and tossed the tissue in the wastebasket with a sigh. “Everything felt so right earlier, and now it all feels wrong."

"Even Cable?” Sophie held the door open for her, and they walked out. Brie didn't answer, partly because there were three women in the hall about to enter the bathroom, and partially because she didn't want to admit the truth out loud.

The two of them alone together were natural. In quiet moments, when they were cooking or falling asleep, or brushing their teeth on Sunday morning, she thought they'd be together forever. Follow the traditional path.

But add any external element to the relationship and she couldn't help the urge to just end it, and she didn't really understand why. Darcy and Ken and her mother's working relationship with Cable and Cable in comparison to her brothers-in-law had nothing to do with the two of them.

Or did they? She paused on the edge of the crowd, hiding in the shadows as much as she could in a white dress. Sophie glanced at her, then moved on to the family table, where Cable sat a little apart from her parents and Jake. Kira sat a couple of tables away, chatting with someone Brianna didn't know, and Parker was presumably still in the men's room, doing his own primping after his escapade with Sophie.

She couldn't say the external things didn't matter. They were part of her life. Of Cable's life. They'd have to influence their relationship. But everyone had those things. No one went through life without test after test, and the small ones were often harder to deal with than the bigger ones.

She searched the crowd, her gaze landing on Darcy, who was glaring at her. Instantly, the panic and horror of last summer made it clear she'd always live with it. But instead of wanting to back away, to get out, a new feeling burst into being inside her.

The desire to fight for her man. She put her hand on her stomach, surprised at how fiercely it burned. It wasn't important that Cable would never have Darcy, whether Brianna broke up with him or not. That part was solid. What was important was making sure Darcy knew Brianna wouldn't give her a free pass to try. Making sure she knew that her petty attempts at revenge wouldn't work on them any more than they'd worked on Kira and Jake.

She'd actually taken a few strides across the room, prepared to confront Darcy then and there, but she came to her senses when Principal Dvorak stepped next to Darcy and shook her hand. This wasn't the place for a scene. But that was it. No more passive-aggressiveness. No more pouting and whining. She was going to be a woman about this from now on, and woe betide anyone who got in her way.

"Are you coming in?” Cable slowed as they drove down their street, waiting for her to decide. It was simple considerateness on his part, since Brie had made that decision long ago.

"Yes. If you want me."

His hand tightened around her fingers where he held them against his thigh. The truck wheeled into his driveway, and he made a “stay-put” motion. He turned off the truck, climbed out, and circled to her side to open her door. When she stood, he gathered her up and kissed the grin off her face. By the time he ended the kiss, Brie didn't need her coat.

They didn't talk as they went inside. Cable hung her coat in the front closet, glanced at his answering machine on the hall table, and waved her upstairs.

"I'll be right up."

Brie gave him a quizzical look that he ignored. She watched him go into the kitchen, then shrugged and continued to the bedroom.

The drawback to staying here was that she didn't have any of her stuff. Tonight, she felt like seducing. But she was also dying to get out of the strapless bra and uncomfortable hose. Her feet ached, and she felt greasy from her makeup and the heat inside the club.

She quickly examined Cable's closet and grabbed a black dress shirt. It wasn't quite the same as the lace nightgown she had bought a couple of weeks ago, but it would do. She slipped down the hall to the bathroom and shucked her dress. With a soft groan, she dumped the bra on top of the dress and peeled off the hose. She repinned her hair on top of her head and indulged in a very hot shower for a little longer than she'd intended.

"You all right in there?"

Brianna shoved the water knob in. “Yeah, I'm on my way out.” Sex in the bathroom was great, but she really wanted to do the bed tonight. Slow and hot, with an emphasis on Cable. He liked joining her in the shower, but she wanted to do something new tonight.

She wished she'd planned better. She didn't keep much over here, since she lived so close, and there was nothing sexy about a toothbrush. She wished she'd brought perfume and something for her hair, as well as the nightgown.

Next time. Tonight she'd make do. She swiped Cable's deodorant under her arms and shook out her hair. He kept his too short to need a comb, so the tangles would stay. He liked the tousled look, anyway.

The shirt she'd stolen was high quality, soft and drapey instead of crisp and stiff. It felt good on her skin. She left all but the second-to-last button open. Her discarded clothes she kicked next to the hamper to get the next day.

She went back to the bedroom and leaned against the doorjamb with her hands behind her back. Cable had changed into a pair of silk pajama pants. He lounged against the headboard of the bed, his ankles crossed. The TV on the dresser was on low, but he flipped it off as soon as he saw her.

"Hi."

"Hi.” Brianna bent her right knee and rocked it a little. The shirt started to slide down her right shoulder. “You tired?” she asked him.

"Not anymore."

"Standard response."

He shrugged. “Standard stimulus."

She laughed, a low, husky sound. “I had a good time tonight, Cable. Well, mostly.” She winced a little at reminding him of the meeting room. “Thank you."

"It was my pleasure."

"Probably not. But it will be."

She shoved away from the wall and prowled toward him, placing her feet in front of each other to give her that catwalk sway. He never looked away from her face, and that turned her on more than anything else.

When she reached the side of the bed, she placed her right knee, then her left fist, then left knee, right fist, on the bed and crawled toward him. When she reached him, he finally looked down her shirt. His appreciation growled in the back of his throat.

Bending, she tongued his nipple. He hissed in a breath.

"Is that's how it's going to be?"

"That's exactly how it's going to be.” She shifted to straddle his hips, staying high on her knees so she wasn't touching him with anything else. She ran her fingers hard over his scalp—since he didn't have much hair—then behind his ears, down his neck to his collarbone. Then she slid them back over his shoulders, leaned closer, and placed a light kiss on each eyelid. He sighed. She leaned left and traced his ear with her tongue, then nibbled his earlobe. He started to lift his hands, but she caught them at her waist and didn't let him move them higher.

"Slow,” she whispered, shifting to his other ear. She lifted her chest up and pressed it against his. He immediately lowered his head, but she moved back, her arms still around him. “Slow,” she repeated.

She lingered on his neck, inhaling his scent deep into her lungs. She loved the way he smelled, especially on a night like this, when he'd been warm but not sweaty. She bit down, then sucked, and his hands tightened.

Next was his magnificent chest. She smoothed her hands across it, then up, then down, tracing the muscles, fingering his nipples, then, without warning, pinching. He moaned, his eyes closed, and pushed his erection up toward the juncture of her thighs.