Snatched (Coronado Series Book 2) (5 page)

“Yes! When I say no, it always works.”
 

“Wake up and smell reality - saying no hardly ever works, unless you’re a dictator or in the military. You need a new system.”

He was stunned, no one ever spoke to him this way. “I’m not going to charge you for this. If a woman is in trouble our services are free. We don’t advertise it, but we’ve taken care of a lot of women in trouble. Our company is very successful and this is how I choose to do business. It’s true of all of our offices. I let each one make the decision on what they feel is appropriate.” He picked up his fork and started eating again.

“Why?” She wanted to understand the man who was sitting across from her.

“All of the men I work with joined the service because they wanted to serve and protect. That’s our underlying motivation for everything. That…. and we wanted the biggest hardest adventure we could find with really cool toys. We’ve had the benefit of years of training and experience. We want to protect those who can’t protect themselves.” He didn’t understand why it was hard for her to understand. It seemed very straight forward.

“How many offices do you have? I thought you had just the one here?”

“I have six offices and have partners in four of them. We’re all connected, but each office chooses what they want to take on. The structure is very similar to being on the teams. I’ll explain it to you sometime.”
 

“Who are you…. Prince Charming? It’s like having a man on a white horse in my house. Where did you come from? Are you real?”

“Yes, last time I checked. Why are you so surprised?”

“I don’t happen to see this in my everyday life. I seem to attract more of the freak population than the hero population. I thought it was just an urban legend. Little did I know you all were hanging out at my best friend’s house!”
 

She took a healthy sip of wine. “If Mark is anything like you, then no wonder Birdie got engaged in a month.”

“I’m going to take everything you said as a positive thing. Though, I’m not sure you meant it that way. I’m just a regular guy who wants to help a woman solve a problem. That doesn’t make me a hero, just a nice guy.”

“I’m going to let you think that - because I don’t want you to become over confident.”

“What would happen if I became over confident?”

“I don’t really want to find out. I’m a little scared.”

“Hmm….. I don’t think you are scared at all. I think you’re trying to delay the inevitable.”

“The inevitable being?”

“Falling in love with me.”

“That’s what I mean - you don’t need a confidence booster. You’re fine as you are. What happens if you fall in love with me? Then, where will you be?”

“Exactly where I want to be…. or at least on my way.”

“I don’t know what to say. My mind just went blank and all I can see is a white screen. I’m officially on overload.” She closed her eyes for a moment and felt him lean forward and press his mouth against hers. All thoughts stopped. She became pure sensation - feeling not thinking. Her brain switched off and her body took over.

“I think we need to spend more time kissing and then everything will fall into place. Our bodies know what to do. We just have to let your mind catch up.” Placing a hand on the back of her head, he pulled her forward. Laying his mouth against hers, he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips until she let him in.
Let me in, let me all the way in.
That’s all he wanted from this woman - to be let into her life…. her mind… her body and her heart. The kiss was the first step.
Let me in.

He pulled her up and led her over to the couch, “Let’s make out like teenagers for a while. I think it will help you forget this day for a while.”

“That’s what I am afraid of. I’m afraid I won’t find the road back to my old life.”
 

“Maybe we can make a new one …. together.” He kissed her again and felt like everything about the last thirty eight years of his life made sense. This is where it was all leading to…. this woman.
 

They sat on the couch and Max laid his mouth against hers and continued his assault. His lips were soft against her mouth but his stubble was rough against her skin. Somehow he’d moved above her in the dominant position and that excited her. She was tired of being in charge and orchestrating everything. This man was clearly capable of so much. She decided to let him lead. All she had to do was follow and enjoy. As much as she liked being in control, she was willing to hand it over for a while. He seemed like the sort of man who knew what to do. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened.

He looked down, “I’m so glad you’re not with someone. Because you are now.”
 

“Max, I don’t have relationships. We’re just fooling around.”

“If that’s what you want to believe, that’s fine.” He was smart enough to realize that, opportunities like Rory didn’t come along very often. He couldn’t believe she was free. He had learned on the battlefield long ago to take every opening that came his way. He moved in on her and kissed her and felt like he’d been given a golden opening. He wasn’t going to waste it. He knew she was going to stop him any moment and just wanted enough time to open her mind to the possibilities.
 

She enjoyed rolling around with him on the couch, but needed to take a beat. “Max, I really don’t have relationships, I haven’t in years. I’m going to send you home before things get out of hand. I’m ready to crash. Can you show me how the alarm system works?”
 

“I’m your twenty four protection until we catch this guy, and I’m not leaving your side until then.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re not moving in here.”

“I can take you to my condo - it’s much more secure. The guy left you a bunch of decapitated roses on your front porch this morning with a threatening note. He’s been tracking your movements through your computer and car. He looks at you through your computer. This is serious, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

 
Everything about the day came rushing over her and a single tear escaped. She quickly wiped it away - she hated not feeling in control. Another tear fell and he gently wiped it away. “I don’t want you to move in here. I like having my own space. I have a creepy stalker after me and I need a body guard - this sucks.”

“Sweetheart, I know this situation sucks. I’m sorry you have been dealing with this alone for all this time. The good news is, I’m here now and you can leave it to me.”

“I don’t leave things to people. I take care of things. I don’t know how to leave it to you.”

“Let’s go to bed…. you need a good night’s sleep. It will all look better in the morning.”
 

“I’ll get the guest room ready for you and then I am going to bed.” She turned on her heel and marched down the hall. He decided to give her some space, so he cleaned up the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher. He went down the hall and saw her putting fresh sheets on the bed and went in to help her.
 

“Thank you, I could’ve put these on. I don’t want to make extra work for you. I can make a quarter bounce on the bed - would you like to see it?”

“Is that a Navy skill? Did you learn that in SEAL school?”
 

“Yes, we had room inspection most days when I was going through BUD/S. I have a surprising set of skills that I will tell you about when you’re ready.”

“Maybe, you could teach me how to make a quarter bounce.”

He came around and pulled her down on the bed and rolled on top of her as he dropped his mouth to hers. He gently moved his lips over hers, “Let me be in charge of making the beds. Just think, you’ll never have to do it again.”

“I don’t mind making the bed, you can dust. I hate dusting, it seems so pointless. You’re never going to beat the dust.” She felt the weight of him against her and it felt strangely grounding. As if the sheer mass of him would hold the world back for a while. “I don’t know why I’m talking about dust. Maybe it’s easier than talking about my attraction to you or the stalker that’s after me or the fact that I’m quitting my job.”

“That’s why I am kissing you. Think about how I make you feel and the rest of the world will slip away for a while. Dipping his head, he kissed her gently on her eyes and ran his mouth over to her cheek and down her neck. Feeling her relax into his arms was a powerful feeling that he wanted to hold onto. He wanted to give her this and whatever else she wanted, for as long as she would let him.

She kissed him gently and pushed him off, “Time for bed.” She started to get up and he gave her a quick kiss before he let her go. “You can show me the alarm and everything in the morning. I’m going to bed.” She walked to the door and turned around, “Thanks for taking care of this…. of me.” She walked into her bedroom and closed the door and decided to deal with everything tomorrow.

He went out to his car, grabbed his bag and computer and did a quick check of the perimeter. He returned, set the alarm and went to his room to try and catch some sleep. He knew it was going to be impossible, but worth a shot.

CHAPTER FOUR

She walked down the hall towards the kitchen and saw him sitting at the table working on his computer. He was shirtless with only sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Through her sleep fogged brain she was still able to see how freaking good looking he was. Who has muscles like that? She stopped next to him, dropped her hand to his warm shoulder and kissed his head. She muttered good morning and enjoyed how delicious he smelled. Someone should bottle it up and sell it as:
Good Man Smell.
Women would probably flock to buy it.

He grabbed her hand that rested on his shoulder and kissed it. He looked up and smiled, “Good morning sweetheart, coffee is made.” She waved her thanks, went to the kitchen and filled her cup. She stood with her hip against the counter as she drank coffee and admired the view of a half-naked Max. As the caffeine started working on her brain, her thoughts started to organize themselves. Most of the thoughts flying around her head were about his body. She’d never been susceptible to man candy before, but right now she certainly was. It must take a lot of effort to have muscles like that. She wondered how you got muscles in your back - it must take a lot of work. As she ruminated about this, he came in to refill his cup.

He looked into her cup to see if she had enough coffee to be able to speak. Leaning against the counter next to her, he waited and drank his coffee. He couldn’t believe how pretty and sexy she was. The nightgown she wore was robbing him of brain cells and making his body come to painful attention. Her hair was a little crazy with parts sticking up, she had no makeup on and he’d never seen anything prettier in his life.

“Are you looking at my crazy hair? You must be in shock, this is quite a change from the girl who came into your office yesterday. As you can see it takes a lot to transform me into that woman. This is the real me unfortunately - the other person you met takes a lot of time and effort to create.”

He took the cup from her hand and set it on the counter. Taking her in his arms, he leaned down and kissed her head. “I have never seen a sexier, prettier woman in my life. I like seeing you first thing in the morning.” He felt every sexy, generous curve she possessed and enjoyed having her so close. He liked the feeling of her sleep warm skin against his and enjoyed how she slotted perfectly against him. Their parts seem to line up nicely even though he was taller. He decided he was going to do everything he could to make sure this happened every morning. He pulled back and dropped his mouth for his first kiss of the day. He held on to her face with his hands and tilted her head so he could fully enjoy the feeling of her lips against his. He slid his tongue along her lips until she opened her mouth for him. She tasted like peppermint and coffee, and he let his tongue run around her mouth as he began learning what made her hum. As their mouth began to mate, he felt himself start to lose control. Their bodies were straining towards each other, as his hips tilted into hers. He lifted his lips slowly and gave her several small sweet kisses. He needed to slow it down, before he put her on the counter and buried himself in her. He allowed himself one final kiss, and finally released her.
 

She put her hand on his chest and let her breathing return to normal, “You are the best kisser.” She pulled away, grabbed her coffee cup and walked out of the kitchen. “Going to take a shower. I’ll make breakfast after I finish.”
 

He heard the door click shut and let out a big breath.
Game over…she’s the one.
He heard the shower turn on and went to his room to change into work clothes and get ready for the day. He needed to focus on finding out who Rory’s stalker was and not on his desire for her.

She put one of her house dresses on and went out to make breakfast. It was weird having a man in the house. Max was the first man to spend the night in her home.
I’m not sure how I feel about this, maybe I can simply not think about it too much.
As she made her way into the kitchen, she noticed him standing out on the patio talking on his phone. He was dressed for work and looked as handsome as ever. She liked how his dress shirt stretched across his broad chest and his pants showed off his long legs.
How was this man single? He had to have a line of interested women.