His By Sunrise: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 1) (2 page)

The phone rang several times before she answered
. “Bueno.”

He paused a beat at the sound of her soft, dulcet voice. She made just saying hello want him to taste her sweet lips.

He let out a quiet breath then quickly said, “Isabella, I need a favor. Can we meet at the ranch in about an hour? And bring the contracts from Dad’s latest client. I can’t remember the name right off hand, but there’s something we need to go over. Thanks.” With that he cut the connection. No way in hell would he give her time to tell him no. Or ask him about his spotty excuse.

A year ago today Adrian had been ripped out of their lives, leaving a hole in both of their hearts. Now with the heavy loss of his father, he was done saying goodbye. Tonight he would break every fucking rule standing between him and Isabella to make sure history didn’t playback on repeat.

No balls, no glory.

He watched as the sun set below the city skyline with only one thought:
Come sunrise, Isabella will be mine.

****

ISABELLA MARIE
rested her forehead on the steering wheel in the hope of finding some kind of enlightenment, guidance...whatever. Hell, she didn’t know, but whatever it was needed to come, and fast. She was about to step into the lion’s den, and a little backup would be nice.

She took a deep breath, killed the ignition, and straightened. Her eyes leveled with her reflection in the rearview. Even in the faint moonlight, she could see the puffy redness.

She fumbled around the bottom of her purse for the compact she carried to help conceal the remnants of her pity-party-for-one earlier this evening. Why did doing the right thing have to hurt so much?

She’d planned this day for months. Resigning from Blake’s construction company, Black Oaks, was the best thing for her, but she wouldn’t deny it hurt more than she thought possible.

She’d click her boot heels together if only it would take things back to the way they were. Guess that kind of magic only worked in the movies.

Every time Blake returned, they slow-danced around one another, never really taking their obvious attraction to the next level. She would advance and he would retreat, pushing her away before she could get close enough to figure out what kept him just beyond her reach. So she’d planned her final retreat. Only Blake’s father had passed before she could leave, and now here she was. Sitting outside Blake’s house at a quarter to eleven and no exit strategy in sight.

Ahì ahì ahì!
She’d really stepped in the frijoles this time
.

Worry formed in the pit of her stomach. What if she couldn’t go through with it? Walking away from Blake almost seemed cruel at a time like this.

Her mama would cross herself and tell her
El Diablo
was alive and well in Isabella’s blood for this. She didn’t know about any devil in her blood, but her gut definitely told her something was wrong.

She hadn’t planned it to work out this way, but it was too late to back out now. Or was it? She hadn’t turned in her resignation yet or sent in her job acceptance letter to the other company.

Frustrated, she abandoned her search for her facial powder and tossed her purse in the seat with a heavy sigh. Why the hell did he want to see her now anyway? Shouldn’t he wait a few days before tackling the workload his father had left behind? Pure Blake style, he would probably want to charge head-on. Only he didn’t realize he’d picked the day she’d sealed both their fates with a pen stroke.

Not even an hour had passed since his number flashed across her screen, taunting her to pick up. She’d been tempted to let voice mail take it, but something had her finger reaching out to press that little green button. Now here she was parked in front of his house in the backwoods of Texas.

It had been a while since she’d been here. With Blake gone she hadn’t needed another reason to stay away from all the shared memories the place held...

No need to rehash the past. She would steel herself, get the job done, and then….Then she’d deal with the fallout when she was alone like she always did.

Isabella clenched her fingers around the wheel, her gaze locked on the front door. Second thoughts plagued her. Did he sense something was up? It wasn’t pure luck that kept him alive out on the battlefield.

Big mistake, Bella
. This had to make her the biggest push over this side of the Mississippi. She knew better than to answer his damn call.

She moved her fingers to the keys still hanging in the ignition, ready to gun the Mustang’s motor and put some much-needed distance between her and the sexy not-good-for-her Marine with a single good-bye text to his cell. Fingers posed, a movement caught her attention from within the house.

Too late.

No mistaking the six-feet-four-inch silhouette of badass Marine as he moved stealthily through the front parlor. Even in the low light, she could make out the line of his strong jaw, thick shoulders, and well-defined arms. A shiver trickled down her spine. The man oozed sex appeal from a mile away.

She knew her limits, and one look into those hazel eyes rimmed with a dreamy set of lashes would spell her doom.

She knotted a lock of hair as she watched the shadow disappear from the window. With a single shared look, any hopes of a fresh start away from here would go up in flames. Those smoldering looks he had a habit of throwing her way, coupled with the low-slung jeans he favored, did things to her. Things that would have her in his bed with one come-hither crook of his finger.

Like a traitor intent on torment, her mind called up the sound of his baritone voice that still carried a hint of his country roots even after years away.

As much as she tried to fight it, that deep pitch washed over her, stroking every feminine part she had. Warmth shot through her, seeking out her most sensitive areas. Desire flooded her mind, her body responded. With every sinful thought, her core quaked with need, causing her nipples to pebble against the soft silk of her bra. The sudden assault on her senses pushed a whimper past her lips.

She clamped her teeth and tightened her grip on the wheel. She had it bad.

Whoa...slow it down
,
niña
.

Desperate for control, Bella threw the brakes on her rampant libido, but her breath still rattled fast in her chest. As she stole a glimpse of herself in the side mirror, shafts of moonlight broke through the surrounding trees to highlight her wild, lust-filled eyes.

For the hundredth time she wished it was Blake putting that look in her eyes and not her wild imagination.

Despite the December night, her hands sweated. She released the wheel to rub her palms against her denim-clad thighs. The motion helped calm her nerves, pulling her thoughts out of bed with Blake and on to what she had to do.

Ambushed by her emotions, Isabella flung open the car door. Winter rushed her, and she welcomed the cold embrace.

Later, when this meeting was over, she could go home and fall into her fantasies where she dreamed of being Blake’s. But right now, she needed to shove those desires back into the closet before anyone got hurt.

If her brother could see her now he’d tell her in his none-too-hurried drawl that she needed to shut that shit down. He’d already made damn sure she understood Blake was the type of man who couldn’t have just one woman. The echo of his harsh words cut deep, resounding with a final warning of forbiddance. Guess big brothers didn’t know everything, after all. Because the minute he’d said she couldn’t, it was all she dreamed about.

Then Adrian died. Just like that her life—their life together as a family—changed. Before she could shove the pain back completely, a single fat tear escaped.

She brushed it off.
No tears here, Bella
.

She clamped down on the water works threatening to burst open, desperate to get a grip on her emotions before they suffocated her.

Anxious to get the meeting over with, Isabella rocked back on her heels and took a second to clear her mind. Though the night sky was clear, their local weatherman reported a big snowstorm to hit sometime late tonight. She had no desire to be holed up with a man she couldn’t have, but if it came down to it, was she prepared? Could she weather such a powerful storm and come out on the other side with her heart intact?

Besides the pale moonbeams, the only other light came from the small, golden glow of the porch light over the front entrance.

She forced back the tension in her muscles enough to pull in a deep breath. With no one around for miles to help keep her libido from commandeering her actions, she steeled what little nerves she had left and reined in her fantasies of wild snowstorm sex. She was here to do a job, she reminded herself.

Snowstorm or not, she bet the hot Marine would make her sizzle.

Bad, Isabella. Focus
.

If only there was some other way out of this without hurting Blake, but that time had come for her to make a decision. Either stay and lust for a man that didn’t love her or move on and try to rebuild her life.

One thing was for certain, no matter how much she craved his touch she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

Since she only had control over her actions, Isabella refused to stick around for more heartache.

The fact she was going to break his heart and trust in about seven and a half hours worked like a bucket of ice-cold water. As if to emphasize this, a big gust of wind rushed through the surrounding trees.

“Holy mother of God!” Shivers racked her body. Her teeth knocked, and she was sure her lips would be blue if she didn’t get inside soon.

Her mind set, she opened the back door and grabbed for her briefcase. She needed her copies of the contracts Blake requested if she was going to help him with this one last task. No matter what, come tomorrow, the whole enchilada would hit the fan and she doubted he’d want to be in the same room with her, let alone go over contracts.

She waved her hand around in the area she always placed her satchel but came up empty-handed.

Nada
.

How could she have forgotten the one thing she needed to bring? Easy enough considering the man consuming her every thought.

With a deep sigh a sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. She flicked on the backseat light, desperate for a better look.

Nothing.

“
Ah por dios! Que más!
” Fear brought out her native language with a vengeance. The briefcase in question held more than just the contracts. She’d also placed her newly-minted resignation alongside a letter from Black Oak’s rival, accepting her new job.

Then it hit her. She’d left it at the office. This night had just gone from bad to worse with a second helping of fuck me sideways.

She swallowed once. Twice.

But couldn’t get past the fear lodged deep in her throat. She clenched and unclenched her fingers.

Breathe, Isabella
.

Just because she’d left the briefcase didn’t mean he’d gone digging in it the minute she’d walked out the door.
Never assume, right
?

Nothing left to do now but march in there and hope like…

She stepped toward the house then quickly turned back to her car, her bravado taking a huge nose dive.
Nice
,
chica
.
Real nice
.

“Thought maybe you were going to leave before coming in.”

Isabella whirled and came nose-to-chest with a wall of well-defined USA grade-A Marine muscle wrapped in a tight navy blue T-shirt . She could bounce a quarter off those pecs they were so hard. A strong scent of soap mixed with a hint of whiskey filled her nostrils.

Blake. All one-hundred percent melt-your-panties male.

“Plan on coming with me tonight or did you want to sit out in the cold?”

Her gaze shot up and locked on his. She was about to tell him hell yeah, she wanted to come with him tonight, but she clamped her mouth shut at the last second. It seemed Blake read her mind because a wicked glint flashed across his eyes. Arrogance sent him back on his heels, arms crossed, the bait hanging between them like the trap it was.

“Inside, I mean.” His eyes alight with mischief.

So he thought she wouldn’t bite? Well, he’d better get ready to dance.

Isabella lightly rested her hand on his forearm and followed his lead into the two-step he’d started.

“I’d come with you,
amor
,” she pulled her hand back from his arm, cupping the fullness of her breasts before continuing, “But you couldn’t handle what all this needs from a man.”

Before she could step out of his reach, Blake had her pinned against her car. Cold from the metal at her back seeped through her thin sweater in contrast to the wall of fire at her front. From chest to hip he pinned her body, his mouth poised a whisper away from her all-too-ready lips.

“You’re playing with a fire you can’t control, Bella. Careful how you handle it. I’d hate for you to get burned, baby.” Cold weather forgotten, his breathy words sent another kind of shiver through all five-feet-four inches of her body.