Compromising Positions (19 page)

“Hi,” Sam said.

She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a sisterly embrace. “You'll be fine. I promise. This will all work out.”

“Have you picked up fortune-telling?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “And my crystal ball indicates you have nothing to worry about.”

Sam turned to the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. “For now, I'm going to toast my bachelorhood, I'm going to eat too many greasy snack foods and I'm going to watch hockey. If that doesn't make me feel like a man again, I don't know what will.”

She picked up a plate with a piece of apple pie on it. “We have a guest. Can you take this into the dining room for me? I want to finish up these dishes. James is taking me bowling tonight.”

Sam chuckled. “Maybe I'll forget the hockey and watch you bowl.”

“Someone needs to stay with our guest. For tonight, that's your job.”

Sam shrugged. “No problem.” He grabbed the plate and headed toward the dining room, a beer in the other hand and a bag of potato chips tucked under his arm.

* * *

A
MELIA
GLANCED
AT
her watch. With every minute that passed she grew more anxious. Her drive to Millhaven had been fraught with doubt and indecision. But somehow, deep inside her heart, she knew it was right to come back. There were things she needed to say, things that couldn't be said over the phone.

When she'd arrived at the inn, she'd expected he'd be there. But instead she found Sarah and James in the midst of baking apple pies for the week's guests. Sarah didn't seem to be surprised to see her and she welcomed her in. Unfortunately Sam had left earlier in the afternoon with a long list of errands for the inn.

Amelia had hoped for the element of surprise, but after waiting for almost three hours, she was worried that Sam wasn't going to return at all. When she noticed headlights through the dining room windows, Amelia held her breath and slowly let it out when she recognized Sam's truck.

She'd had plenty of time to figure out what she wanted to say. First she'd thought she'd be cute and ask for a job as a chambermaid. Then she figured it was best to just throw herself in his arms and kiss him and let passion rule the day. Finally she'd decided on a heartfelt admission of her love for him and a promise that she wanted to begin a life together immediately.

With a shaky hand, she took a long sip of her water. But when she set it down, the glass tipped over, spilling water off the edge of the table and onto her lap. With a soft curse, Amelia stood and brushed the water off her with her napkin. And it was this way that Sam found her as he came out of the kitchen.

“Amelia?”

She looked up at him and forced a smile. This wasn't going to go according to plan at all. “Hello, Sam.”

He stood frozen for a long moment, staring at her, a plate of pie in his hand. “Wha— What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you,” she said, tossing the napkin on the table. Though it had been about only twelve hours since they'd seen each other last, it seemed like days. And it felt as if she were talking to a stranger.

Maybe if she touched him, that strange sensation would go away. But if she touched him, he'd see how her hand trembled and he'd know how scared she was. Instead she clutched her hands in front of her. “I've come to ask for a job. I'm afraid I don't come with references. I got fired from my last job just this morning. But I'm a hard worker and I learn fast and I won't give you a bit of trouble.”

He smiled. “You're asking me for a job?”

Amelia shrugged. “That was my first option. Why don't you let me try my second?”

He set down the stuff in his hands, pulled out a chair and sat. “Go ahead. I'm listening.”

“This isn't exactly a listening option.” Amelia slowly crossed the room, bent close and then kissed him, her lips soft against his, her tongue teasing at the crease of his lips.

Sam slipped his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer, lingering over the kiss for a bit longer than she'd intended.

Her heart slammed in her chest and her breath came in quick gasps. Sam seemed to enjoy the kiss, but then, he always had.

“Option three,” she said, holding up three fingers.

“Can we go back to two for a little while? I'm not sure I got enough of that to make an informed decision.”

“Option three,” Amelia insisted. “I realized shortly after I left this morning that I was making a huge mistake. I was afraid that my love for you was too strong, that it would undo all the work I've done over the past year. But I realized today that I'm stronger than that.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “I'm in love with you. I think I have been from the very moment we met. I just couldn't leave that unsaid. I love you, Sam. I love you. I know it's kind of crazy and I've been trying my best not to—”

He stopped her words with his lips, pulling her into a fierce embrace. She stumbled backward and ran into the edge of a table, upsetting the glasses on top. It was as if they'd been apart for years, the kiss desperate with desire and longing. And when they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless.

Sam looked down into her eyes and chuckled softly. “I spent the day in Boston trying to find you,” he murmured. “Now I know where you were.”

“I had a very bad homecoming. I got fired and I told my mother off for the last time. And I broke it off completely with Edward.”

“So you decided to come back here where life is so much simpler?”

She nodded. “I've been happy here with you. For the first time in my life, I'm in love. I know that now. It just took me a while to figure it out.”

“I guess we're both a little slow on that subject,” Sam said. He smoothed the hair away from her face and kissed her again. “I love you, Millie. And I love the inn. I was a stubborn fool about it, but I see now what our life could be if we work together. I don't have much to offer you, but I promise that I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy.”

“I think we will be very happy,” Amelia said.

“Then I suppose we'd better figure out where we're going to set up house. We can claim the stone kitchen.”

“Perfect,” Amelia said.

“Compared to the house you grew up in, it isn't much. Just one room.”

“Cozy,” she said. “How do you know what my parents' house looks like?”

“I thought I might find you there. But I didn't go in. I tried your apartment after the museum, but you weren't there, either. I almost called Edward, but I couldn't remember his last name.”

“He showed up at my mother's house. He has a new fiancée. From Argentina. And he's going to help me get my inheritance.”

“Then I suppose we ought to celebrate,” Sam said.

“Take me to bed, Sam Blackstone. We can drink champagne later.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, back to the kitchen. Sarah and James were there, both cutting apples for another pie.

“So is it settled, then?” Sarah asked.

“I suppose it is,” Amelia said. “I'm going to be staying.”

Sarah gave a little shout of approval, then gathered Amelia in her arms and hugged her. “I knew it. I knew you two belonged together. And now I'll have a sister to help me plan my wedding.”

“And I'll have a sister, too,” Amelia said.

Sam gathered enough food and drink from the fridge to last a few days and then nodded at his sister and James. “You are officially in command of the inn. We'll see you...when we see you.”

“Are we going to be gone that long?” Amelia asked.

Sam nodded.

“Then we're going to need another pie.”

Sarah held out a freshly baked Dutch apple. “Please, have this one.”

They set out through the snow to the old stone house, the cold making Amelia's cheeks redden. This was what it was like to be alive and in love, she mused. She'd waited so long for this feeling, and now that it was here, she wanted to make it last. And with Sam Blackstone at her side, she had no doubt that it would.

* * * * *

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HER SEXY MARINE VALENTINE
by Candace Havens.

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Her Sexy Marine Valentine

by Candace Havens

1

L
IEUTENANT
B
RODY
W
ILLIAMS
dumped a bag of tortilla chips in his grocery cart and tried not to wince when the wheels squeaked. The headaches were less intense since the crash, but he still had them daily. That level of pain, paired with the dreams that had him waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, had left him feeling rotten for months. If he took the drugs the doctors gave him, he couldn't fly, so he ran for miles every day and drank more coffee than any man should.

He added salsa to his cart. A hobby, that's what he needed, something that would keep him busy and the memories at bay. Fixing up his rented house was almost complete. New projects—that would do it. He was about to turn the corner when he saw the familiar red head.

Shoot. His CO's daughter was walking down the frozen food section.

Why does she always seem to turn up wherever I am?

He'd met her at a reception his boss threw a few weeks ago. At first, he'd thought she was pretty, but then discovered she was the boss's daughter. Hands off that one. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to understand that dating her wasn't even a remote possibility for him. His boss was already an aggravation, he didn't need to be adding to it by taking out the man's daughter.

Turning his cart quickly, he headed the opposite way. A woman plus a couple were blocking his escape. He stood off to one side pretending to look at the different brands of coffee.

“Marigold, I'd like you to meet my beautiful fiancée, Annalise. She's a model,” the man said. “She's been in a ton of magazines.” His tone was snide and Brody felt sorry for Marigold.

“Fiancée? But we only broke up two months ago,” she said. “I mean, congrats and all, but that's kind of fast.” The voice was familiar to Brody, smooth and rich like honey.

The guy was showing off his new girl to his ex? From Marigold's reaction, she was barely holding on by a thread. Brody's guess was that this guy had done a real number on her. And she was right. A couple of months wasn't nearly long enough to get to know someone well enough to marry them. Heck, twenty years wasn't long enough in his book. Then again, he never planned on marrying.

He sucked at relationships. Mostly because he was seldom in one place for longer than six months. As a pilot, and a trainer, his situation could change any day.

“Oh, my little sweetie couldn't wait to put a ring on it,” the woman named Annalise said, as she waved her hand back and forth. Brody realized he knew the poor woman who was caught in her ex's crosshairs. She was his neighbor, Mari, or rather Marigold. He'd once lugged some wood flooring she'd been struggling with. She said she was flipping the old Victorian across the street from his place. He'd wondered then why she didn't have someone to give her a hand with heavy loads like the flooring. Not that he minded helping. She'd been kind and even offered him lemonade.

That day she'd been wearing a ball cap pulled low, and baggy overalls and a fresh white tank, but those deep blue eyes had made him think about the sea off the coast of Greece. Today, her shiny blond hair was pulled up into a sleek ponytail and she wore denim shorts with a Dallas Cowboys jersey. He could forgive her choice of team, if only because of the startled look in her eyes.

He hadn't been able to help his men a year ago. He'd barely been able to help himself, but he could do something about this.

“Mari, there you are,” he said before he even realized the words were coming out of his mouth. He pushed around her ex. “I've been looking all over for you, babe. I found the chips and salsa, but not the cheese stuff you wanted.”

At first, she glanced up at him as if he was crazy, but then she smiled when she recognized him.

That smile stole his breath away. As in, he could not suck in air even if he tried. Damn. She was beautiful.

She cleared her throat. “That's okay, honey, I think I'll make the
queso
from scratch,” she said without missing a beat. Then she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. Her lips were soft. “I love that you are so helpful.” And then in his ear she whispered, “Thank you.”

“You know I'd do anything for you.” He grabbed her and pulled her to him. Her vanilla scent made him forget where they were. “Who's this? Do I need to be jealous?” He nodded toward her ex.

“Oh, uh...” She stumbled over the words. “My ex. He was introducing me to his fiancée.”

The other man appeared as if he'd swallowed a toad. Clearly he hadn't been expecting Mari to find a man so quickly.

Brody chuckled. “Well, I should take you out to dinner, man. Because if you hadn't been an idiot and left my Mari, my life would be empty. She's the best thing that has ever happened to me. The day we met was the most special one in my life.” Oh, now he was laying it on thick, but he couldn't stop. He had this need to protect her. To show this fool what he was missing. The brunette with the false eyelashes and even falser breasts couldn't compare to the natural beauty he held in his arms.

The ex's mouth opened and then closed, as if he couldn't decide what to say. His brows furrowed and he opened his mouth again, but...

The brunette squealed. “I've had a marvelous idea. You guys have to come to our engagement party,” she said. “It's so cool that everyone can kind of be bygones.”

Wow. He had a feeling the supposed model had no idea what
bygones
meant.

“That's probably not a marvelous idea,” the ex said. “I'm sure they're busy.”

“We do stay pretty busy,” Mari said.

“True,” Brody agreed. “But send us an invite anyway. You never know. I love showing off my Mari.”

The jerk's eyes flashed wide. Good. Even if she didn't go, he'd be worried she might show up.

“We should get going,” Mari said. She put a hand on his arm and shot him a quick grin. “I hope you two will be very happy together. Come on, Brody.”

He and Mari turned and made it several aisles over before stopping. “You didn't have to do that, but thank you,” she said softly. She blew out a breath. “That wasn't how I imagined seeing him for the first time since we broke up. I was shocked. I mean, who gets engaged so fast? We dated for five years.”

“You're better off without him,” Brody said honestly. “And you're way too good for him.”

She grinned. “You've known me five seconds, but thank you. It was really kind. The breakup was bad and I thought I was over it, but wow. Just wow. You're the best. I was sinking there and you threw me a life preserver.”

He still wasn't sure why he'd done it. Wasn't like him to butt into a stranger's business. He preferred being alone. But there was something about her that made him want to get involved. “It's a Marine thing. We live by our code. You were a damsel in distress and I came to your aid.”

“I'm not sure anyone, especially someone I didn't know well, has ever been so kind to me. I'd say your duty is done, Marine. That was just a whole lot of awesome. He looked like a marooned fish trying to figure out what to say.” She laughed this time. It was a sweet sound. “You are the
best
boyfriend ever.”

“Brody?”

His shoulders tightened at the sound of his name. She'd finally found him. “Please help me,” he whispered to Mari before turning around.

“Hey, Carissa.”

The CO's daughter had her eyebrow raised and seemed to be focused on something, or rather someone, just past his shoulder.

“Did I hear you say you're dating her?” She pointed a red fingernail toward Mari.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Mari said. Her acidic tone very nearly made him chuckle.

Knowing a cue when he heard one, he quickly stepped aside and grabbed her hand. It was so small in his, and her skin was silky smooth against his calloused mitts. He raised Mari's fingers to his lips and kissed them. “Calm down, babe. This is my CO's daughter, Carissa. The
boss's
daughter.”

“Oh. Ohhhh.” She smiled and then shook her head. “I'm so sorry. Hi, I'm Marigold McDaniels. You have to forgive me. My man is so handsome that I always have to be on alert to discourage women from throwing themselves at him. It gets annoying after a while. But he's a sweetheart, and I'm maybe just a little bit the jealous type. At least, when it comes to Brody.”

Mari might win an award some day for this performance
.

For once Carissa seemed speechless, but still, she recovered quickly. “Funny that he's never mentioned you.”

“That's my fault,” Mari said. “It's so new between us, and I got out of a really bad relationship not that long ago. Like horrifically bad. So we haven't been telling people, until, well, today. We just ran in to my ex.”

“Awkward,” Brody said in a singsong voice. That didn't sound like him at all; it caught him off guard. Maybe he'd be the one winning the award. And if this charade of theirs kept the CO's daughter from hitting on him in the future, he'd owe Mari for life. “I kind of wanted to punch his lights out for hurting my Mari.” That part was true. He'd never wanted to smack a guy so bad. “But at the same time, if he hadn't been so dumb, Mari and I would never have met.”

“Huh.” Carissa gave them a weak smile. “Well, my dad will be glad to hear you're putting down some roots finally. In fact, you should bring her to the picnic on Saturday. It will be good for you to socialize, get to know more people. Dad's still trying to build camaraderie and teamwork hopefully by bringing folks together off base,” Carissa said to Mari. “He's mentioned several times that Brody seems to be a bit of a loner.”

Why would the boss be discussing him with Carissa? Brody wasn't happy to hear that.

He'd forgotten about the team-building events. He didn't understand why simply doing the job wasn't enough anymore. They were Marines. Being smart and self-reliant were the important qualities to have. Not worrying about connecting with others and all that stuff. You interacted with one another, sure, but everyone had to focus and do their own job.

He glanced down at pretty Mari. Shoot. The last thing Brody needed in his life was a woman. A relationship only meant complications. Once you cared about someone—

“Babe, you promised we could lay wood,” Mari said, with a giggle and a sexy smile on her lips. Parts of his body reacted. This woman was definitely dangerous if merely her laugh could make him hard. “Sorry. What I mean is we're supposed to put the wood floors down on Saturday.”

He gently tugged her ponytail. “You're a bad, bad girl.” She was funny and quick, as well as beautiful. Yep, a wicked combination. “I always keep my promises, but maybe we can figure out how to do both.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. He had to, she smelled so good, looked so good and...right, Carissa was watching. He knew there was another reason. He admitted it was hard to think when Mari was smiling up at him like that.

“You've got that look again.” She rolled her eyes. “But I can never tell if you want food or—”

Her. Naked. In his bed.

What was that? His imagination was in overdrive.

Food. He needed to eat, or maybe it was the headache. It was causing him to hallucinate.

“You. Babe, when it comes to a choice between food or you, it's always going to be you.”

“Uh, right. Well, I believe that's the sign for me to leave,” Carissa said, “but you two might want to get a room. The grocery aisle isn't the place for that sort of thing, and I'm pretty open-minded. So we'll see you both on Saturday.” With that she sauntered off.

Finally. He relaxed. But then he realized he was still holding on to Mari's shoulders. He reluctantly let go.

“That was fun. We should start a theater group or something.” She chuckled.

“It was. Thanks for coming to my rescue. She's been asking me out since I arrived at the base. I do a lot of stupid stuff, I confess, but messing around with the CO's daughter is not on the list.”

“I can tell she's used to men saying yes, so you must be quite the challenge. She's superattractive, though.”

He shrugged. “Not my type. You have no idea how grateful I am to you right now. She's too much, a real piece of work.”

“I should be thanking you,” Mari said. “In fact, let me make you dinner. A man cannot live on tortilla chips and salsa alone.” She pointed at his cart. “And I was making tacos anyway. We could combine our resources and have a great meal.”

A home-cooked meal didn't sound so bad. It had been a while. He could cook, but doing it for one person always seemed a waste.

Though sharing a meal with Mari might not be the best idea. In just the few minutes they'd spent together, he'd become very attracted to her. And that was not a good thing. Better to let her down easy. “You don't have to do that, we helped each other out.”

“I know, but I want to and I...” She stared down at her feet as if she were afraid to say whatever was coming next.

“What?” he asked.

“I have a proposition for you.”

Brody nearly choked. Had he stepped right into another messy situation? Granted, Mari was sweet, but the last thing he needed was to potentially ruin his relationship with a neighbor.

Tell your dick that
.

True. He should be alone. Still, that didn't keep him from asking.

“What kind of proposal?” Intrigued, he followed her to the checkout counter. He only had a few of the items he'd planned on buying, but his curiosity was piqued and the rest could wait.

She bit her lip. It was adorable and sexy. “I need to work it out in my head first before I tell you. So come over for dinner in an hour and I'll explain. Bring your chips and salsa. I'm about to rock your world with some of the best tacos you've ever had.”