Indulgence (321 page)

“Dude,” Fredo insisted. “No drama, okay? You don’t need some
asshole taking pity on her, ‘kay?”

Adrenaline did a double tap to Armando’s heart and he sucked
in a deep breath. His hands made fists before he was conscious of it. He tensed
his thigh and felt the knife strapped there. It was always like this in the war
zone. Except he didn’t have the H&K slung over his shoulder.

Relax, but be prepared for anything.

Without saying a word, Armando parted the crowd and wasn’t
surprised to see his sister sitting right in the middle. He
was
surprised to see her friend Gina next to her. The feeling must have been
mutual, because Gina sat up straight, her eyes going wide for a second before
she resumed that cocky attitude that matched her dress. Damn, but the lady was
practically poured into that fuzzy red thing. Armando’s body liked the view,
the scent of her perfume all but sending him into a trance.

Down, boy.

Mia scowled when she saw him. “What the fuck are you doing
here?” she demanded. He could see her cheeks flush red. A really big guy had
his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer.

“I guess wanna ask the same about you,” Armando began,
slowly scanning the faces of the males in front of him, especially the big guy.
“Fredo and I stopped by the house and were going to cook up some steaks, since
you said you were going to be home.”

“We changed our minds—right, Gina?”

“Damned straight,” Gina said between chomps of her bubble
gum. “She need permission or something? I don’t see no dog collar.”

Armando wanted to make her spit out that double wad of gum
so he could grab the woman and lay a decent kiss on her bright red lips, but he
quickly banished the thought when one of the bikers stepped between him and the
girls. Armando watched the others to make sure they weren’t also getting
aggressive.

“These ladies are taken,” said the man in front of him. “Now
why don’t you go get yourself some company elsewhere?”

Mia was grinning behind him.

“That’s my little sister,” Armando began. He hoped that’s
all he would have to reveal.

“I think we can handle this,” the larger one said as he
stood up. Then he pushed aside his friend and stared directly into Armando’s
eyes with a sneer. He suddenly broke out in a smile. “But you can try your
chances with this one over here,” he nodded to Gina. “If you can stand the
competition, that is.” He winked at Gina.

Armando looked at the stained blue shirt and decided to take
a chance. “How could I trust my little sister to a guy who slobbers all over
himself?” Armando pointed to several large rhubarb-colored stains on the guy’s
shirt. “Or did you get fresh with one of your buds?”

“You fuckin’ punk. I think you need to leave,” the giant
said, taking the bait and stepping dangerously close to the two SEALs.

Armando was quick to grab the guy’s collar and pull him so
their faces nearly touched. “I’m not afraid of you, Gringo,” he said to the
giant. Armando could faintly hear Fredo give a light moan of disbelief. He
released the big guy with a shove. The moose looked stunned.

“Shit, Armani. Wasn’t planning on getting bloody tonight,”
Fredo muttered behind him.

Armando shrugged off Fredo’s words, irritated he was being
publicly reminded to stand down. But he knew it was the right thing to do. He
just didn’t want to.

Mia was on her feet, fire burning in her eyes. She tried to
get in front of the leather-clad monster, but a beefy arm pushed her back
behind him.

“Hey, pick on me, why don’t you?” Armando added, “Or are you
one of those guys that like to beat up on women?”

The big guy was thinking about something. Armando could see
he was barely reining in his anger.

“Oh, stop it, you two,” Mia said just in time. “He does this
all the time,” she said to her entourage.

The big guy stepped back but was still blocking Armando’s
access to his sister. The awkward seconds were broken when Mia added, “I can
fuckin’ take care of myself, Armani,” she said from behind the man. This made
the guy smile, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his head. Armando saw something
dark and damaged in there.

“Like the little lady said,” the biker began, “she doesn’t
need any help. We’re here to take good care of her.”

Armando’s fists were itching to connect with the guy’s
fleshy cheeks.

“Just because they’re SEALs, they think they can do
anything,” Mia muttered and started to get back up on the stool.

Mia had broken the unspoken rule, and Armando’s anger
flared. He also could feel a current of energy filter through the group.
Someone inhaled sharply. He usually told strangers he was a UPS driver.

Fredo stepped close in behind him. There was a waver in his
voice, “Wow. That was a stupid thing to say, Mia.”

“Fuck off, Fredo.”

“Honey, we’re just looking out for you. You make your
brother crazy—”

“Fredo, that’s enough,” Armando said. He put his hands on
his hips. “I’m taking my sister home,” he said to the group as he scanned their
faces. His gaze lingered on the big guy. Fredo swore softly behind him.

“Like hell,” Mia chirped. “We was just getting acquainted.”

But Armando noticed the big guys did seem to back off
slightly. Something had broken the tension in the room. He didn’t buy it was
entirely out of respect for his skills or that he was a SEAL.

“Another time, Mia.” He reached for his sister but missed.
Then he turned to Gina. “You need to come along, too. I’m not leaving you alone
in here.”

“And who appointed you king of my life?” she said with a
sneer.

“Mia’s told me you’re smarter than that, Gina. Or you gonna
tell me these guys are your type?”

Armando saw a little spark in Gina’s face as her eyes darted
to the big man. She broke into a full-on grin. “You’re right about that. I have
no intention of getting anywhere near him.” She flashed white teeth and Armando
found himself getting aroused.

Gina took Mia by the arm, sliding her friend’s enormous
purse up to her shoulder. “C’mon, Mia. I say we split. Testosterone is like
perfume. Too much is unbearable. It makes me think stupid.”

Armando watched the way Gina’s buttocks quivered under the
red, form-fitting dress as he followed them out of the bar. Her small waist
accentuated her large breasts. He could imagine her naked in spite of the fact
that it was a really dumb idea to entertain such thoughts.

Fredo grabbed Mia’s car keys. It happened so quickly, Gina
knew it must have been a choreographed sequence between the two SEALs.

Divide and conquer the enemy.

Mia flustered and argued, but got inside her own car at the
last minute, allowing Fredo to drive her home.

That left Armando holding the door open to the old beater
truck. Damn, but the guy was cool. The happenings in the strip joint hadn’t
seemed to ruffle him one bit. He’d have been just as comfortable getting black,
blue, and bloody. Gina wondered where he would draw the line.

Do I know where to draw the line?
Well, his was
personal. Hers was her job. But it was definitely fucked that her ex-boyfriend
had to land himself in the middle of her professional world too.

But that’s what kind of a choice you made, Gina.
Always
making the wrong choices when it came to men. In a way, very much like Mia.

She watched Armando standing there, waiting for her. The
other car was waiting for her as well.

Never waste an opportunity to make another bad decision.
Her
roommate in college used to say that every day, while at the same time managing
to bed most of the football team and as many of the soccer players as she could
get. Gina always waited up for her, just in case she needed a ride or got too
drunk. Just like she was now trying to do for Mia. It was the reason she became
a cop. Another bad decision? Well, it certainly was something that had been
locked and loaded way down inside her soul after she got the call from the
police that fateful night. That night when her roommate became someone’s victim
and Gina had sat waiting for a call that would never come.

She wondered what would ruffle this man of steel, amazed
that he could make choices so quickly as he had just now. Was he ever afraid in
his job like she was in hers?

What threshold am I walking through tonight?

She leaned over to look around the SEAL, checking on Mia in
the passenger seat of her own car. Of course she would be safe with the little
warrior, a guy who would probably die trying to protect her, from what Mia had
said. But this one standing in front of her, balancing on one hip, leaning
against the door, his muscular arms worthy of any Popeye character, was
dangerous.

To her heart.

“Do I have a choice?” she said to him, watching that smirky
little smile and sexy eyes making fun of her while her heart did flip-flops.
She’d been close to peeing on herself while she sat and watched her
ex-boyfriend nearly call out the brother—the
SEAL
brother of the woman
they were working. It had been wrong on so many levels, even the Pope couldn’t
dish out enough forgiveness.

“Get in.” It was a command that made her tense, but the
smile he flashed afterwards made her panties wet. Suddenly her ankles wobbled
and she nearly fell, which would have been totally uncool. And damn, if he
didn’t reach out and put a strong, muscled arm around to steady her. He let her
go after he gave her one hurried squeeze, just tight enough for her to learn he
was aroused.

Another footnote to a perfectly fucked evening.
Her
mission was nearly blown. Why did she feel guilty for that? They were supposed
to be hanging out with the gang by the stage. Well, she couldn’t help it if Sam
and the rest of the crew had decided to pull a game change on her. As she slid
onto the torn leather seat of the old truck, she smiled at the recollection. It
had been damned satisfying, slapping Sam and tossing the drink into his face.
She’d stared right back at him when he showed his anger. And she didn’t flinch
or cower this time. She was filled with pride. She’d stood up to him,
finally
!

But now what? On any other evening, getting into a truck
with a SEAL would be a no-brainer. Nothing wrong with a night of sex with a hot
guy, if that was where he was headed. She wasn’t completely sure, but she
wasn’t
that
rusty that she couldn’t recognize a good, clean come-on. The
fact that he was the brother of their party of interest and it was totally
forbidden only heightened her anticipation. But decisions like that were never
good ones. She had to put a stop to this somehow.

Tell that to my body.
She watched him walk around the
front of the vehicle and, yes, she squeezed her eyes shut and imagined him
naked.

Get a grip, Gina.
As much as she hated to admit it,
something about the man set her insides on fire. He was all the right kinds of
dangerous for her. A hero. Breathtakingly good-looking in that Latin Lover way
she loved in men. Shiny black hair worn a little too long. Tanned complexion
with just a hint of stubble. Body well-honed and disciplined. He knew what he
wanted and wasn’t afraid to go after it. And he loved his sister, which was the
biggest heart-snag of all.

He got in the driver seat, slammed the rickety door closed
and sighed.

Did all the air just get sucked out of the truck?
It
seemed like minutes as she watched him blankly stare through the windshield,
his face illuminated by the red taillights of Mia’s vehicle, now pulling away
in front of them. Those dark eyes with long lashes and succulent, full lips.
She shouldn’t have stared so long, but she couldn’t help it.

He tilted his head and turned in her direction. The eyes
didn’t lie. He had the fire inside that his sister had, but in all the right
places, not the wrong ones, like Mia. She let him appreciate the red fuzzy
dress with the scoop neckline. She didn’t care if her chest got blotchy with
nerves or if her cheeks flushed. And, of course, her nipples perked right up.

“So how is this going to work?” he asked. The words slid out
like satin sheets.

“I’m not quite sure I know what you mean,” she heard herself
say in response. She made a point to beat the waver from her voice.

“I take you to your place, or to Mia’s?”

“Mia’s.”

“Your car there?”

“No, I took a cab.”

“And so how would you get home?”

“You assume I want to go home. Maybe I’m going to stay
over.”

“I don’t see a pajama bag.”

The crease at the side of his mouth dimpled and she watched
the tip of his tongue running across his bottom lip. The words “pajama bag” had
never sounded so sexy.

She stuck her chin out, looking back at him with
heavy-lidded eyes, and whispered, “I don’t wear pajamas.”

It was a dare. She watched him explore her face, roving from
her eyes to her hair, her cheekbones, her ears. His gaze paused on her lips as
his parted and he moved closer, then stopped.

Damn.
It wasn’t wise, but she knew he wasn’t going to
touch her unless she met him halfway. Her hesitation forced another smile from
him as he waited, looking at her with the
come-on-little-one-you-know-you-want-to look. And double damn, she was all in.

She bridged the gap and their lips touched. She expected him
to be rough and urgent, but he took his time. She heard his little moan as he
took another deep breath, then let it out and pressed into her harder. And yes,
she wanted him, wanted him to find her with his tongue, wanted him to hold her
face in his massive, callused palms like a delicate flower. His scent was laced
with aftershave, but could not be masked.

The deep kiss came to an end. He’d not been wild with his
hands, but he’d pulled her toward him. She’d put her arms up over his shoulders
and laced her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. It was all
feeling way too comfortable.