Touched By Midas (SEALs Going Hot Book 4) (5 page)

Turning on her heel, Angie padded out the room and ran down the stairs to reach the intercom before another high-pitched shrill echoed throughout the house. She mashed the button.

“Yes. Can I help you?”

A chorus of “
Hola
” sounded back, followed by a rapid fire of sing-song voices.

“We’re here!”

“We have dresses for you.”

“And sangria.”

“Let us in so we can get to work. We only have a few hours.”

“I’m sorry ladies,” Angie called through the small box near her front door. “I think you have the wrong house. I’m not expecting anyone today.”

“Is this Angie?”

“We’re here to help you get ready.”

“To go to the
feria.”

Dresses? Feria? Help her get ready?

Her back involuntarily straightened and her eyes grew round. In that moment, the synapses in her brain fired at once and everything came together in one startling revelation. These women, who looked so much alike, also strongly resembled Midas.

Oh no no no no.

With an unsteady finger, she pressed down the intercom button again. “I think there must be a mistake. I’m not aware of anyone coming by today to help me get ready for the fair.”

“Michael sent us. We’re his sisters.”

“We brought some of our Sevillana dresses for you to try on.”

“And some things to fix your hair.”

“Plus lots of sangria!”

His sisters? What the hell? Did Midas’ family live in Rota?

She glanced down at her jeans and simple white T-shirt, suddenly self-conscious about her clothing choice. Compared to the women outside, she looked a little on the plain side. But surely she was dressed well enough to go to the fair. It wasn’t as though she had to impress Midas. Tonight was all about him trying to impress her.

“That’s okay, ladies.” Angie said into the intercom. “I don’t need any help getting ready. But thank you for coming by.”

A round of laughter sounded through the small box.

“Michael said we can’t leave until you’re in one of our dresses.”

“He said you’d put up a fight.”

“He said the deal is off if you’re not wearing a Sevillana dress when he picks you up.”

Angie rubbed the space between her brows, willing the rising temper that bubbled in her belly from spewing out her mouth. Of course Midas wanted her to wear one of the traditional Spanish dresses. If she didn’t, in the morning he could insist the reason she refused to acknowledge their evening hadn’t been the best in her life was because she hadn’t made an effort to have a good time, including dressing for the fair. That she had purposefully put up barriers to guarantee he’d lose their little agreement.

Of all the sneaky, underhanded…

She tapped the wall with her big toe, wishing the hard surface was Midas’ ass while debating her next step.

Oh, what the hell? What do I have to lose?

“Come on in, ladies.” She pressed another button on the intercom panel, allowing the front gate to be opened from the outside. “I hope you brought a lot of that sangria.”

As she stood on her stoop to welcome the unexpected guests, all five women filed in and each kissed both of her cheeks while they introduced themselves.

“Hello, I’m Maria.”

“I’m Isabella”

“I’m Mercedes. It’s nice to meet you.”

“
Hola
. I’m Carmen. I brought the wine,” the women in the yellow dress said, holding up her shopping bag.

“And I’m Lia.”

Like a whirlwind, the ladies came in and unpacked their things. Within minutes several thickly ruffled dresses were draped over her living room furniture, plates of tapas and glasses filled to the rim with red wine covered the kitchen table and the happy sounds of lively chatter drowned out all other noises. Since moving to Rota, she’d never had so many people in her home.

The burst of activity and friendly conversation provided instant warmth and a lived-in quality she’d never experienced in the house. Despite wanting to feel put-upon or outraged, she couldn’t help a smile from tugging the ends of her lips. Like a ray of sunshine breaking through a cloudy gray sky, the atmosphere in her home instantly transformed from quiet and rather cheerless to joyful.

So this is what it’s like having sisters.

Maria, an older but almost identical copy of Midas with soft curves and laugh lines accentuating the corners of her deep blue eyes, stood in the middle of the mayhem and assessed Angie.

“He was right,” she said with a brisk nod. “You are beautiful.”

Her acknowledgement caught Angie off guard. Of course Midas might say something about her being pretty. He was the one trying to get into her pants. From a woman who didn’t know her from Adam, nor had any sexual intentions, the flattering remark rang true.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary,” chimed in Isabella as she picked up a dress and held it against Angie’s frame. “That just makes our job much easier.” She grinned, lighting her entire beautiful face.

“Plus we all wanted to see you,” a very pregnant Mercedes said before taking a bite out of a small sandwich. Skin glowing and a baby bump the size of a basketball, she looked as though she might deliver any moment.

Lia stuck her head out from behind the wall to the kitchen. “We’ve never met one of Michael’s dates before.”

“This is a real treat for us.” Carmen shook her head at Isabella’s dress choice and handed her another to place next to Angie. “That one is much better. It brightens the gray in your eyes.”

“You’ve really never met one of Mid—,” Angie caught herself before speaking Midas’ code name. “You’ve never met one of Michael’s dates before?”

Maria waved a hand at the question, then turned to pick up a glass of sangria. “He’s always been secretive. I think he’s got some kind of superstition about any of his family meeting the girls he likes.”

“He’s superstitious about everything.” Lia rolled her eyes before disappearing back into the kitchen while the rest of her sisters laughed.

“I kinda gathered that.” Angie touched the white cotton fabric of the Sevillana dress held before her. With row after row of white ruffles trimmed in ruby piping at the wide bottom and the sleeves, the gown resembled holly berries surrounded by a snowy field. “I had no idea his family lived in Rota.”

Carmen handed Mercedes a napkin. “Our father is American. He met our mother while he was stationed in Rota.”

“Our mother’s family is one of the oldest in Andalucía,” Mercedes added, dabbing the napkin at her mouth.

“One of our great-great to the nth degree grandfathers sailed with Christopher Columbus to the Americas. Columbus stopped in the Bay of Cadiz for supplies before he left to find the route to the Indies.” Carmen unzipped the dress then handed it to Angie. “Here. Try this on in the hallway. You’re a shorter than we are, so it might be a little long, but I think it will fit.”

Angie took the gown and padded off to change. She undressed to her bra and panties and then slipped on the heavy gown. The long zipper started at the curve of her back. After sucking in her belly and pulling the tab as far as she could, she turned to look at herself in a mirror hanging across from the bottom of the stairs.

Isabella was right. Although the glasses she wore as a part of her disguise tended to be the primary focus of her face, the white and red of the dress did bring out the smoky gray in her eyes. Angie twisted from the right to the left, taking in her reflection and enjoying the swish and sway of the many ruffles floating around her feet. If she ate as much as a peanut while wearing the gown, the seams would most likely split open. But the tightness and deep cut of the long bodice made her small breasts appear large and round. All in all, very flattering.

“I think we have a winner.” Maria regarded Angie in the mirror.

Mercedes rubbed a hand over the swell of her belly before angling over her sister’s shoulder. “And red is Michael’s favorite color. Thinks it’s lucky. He’s going to love it.”

“Now it’s time for nails, make-up and hair,” Lia piped in, a mischievous giggle in her sweet voice. She placed a large red silk flower behind Angie’s ear.

Carmen held up a wine glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

Two hours and several sangrias later, the women packed up their belongings and bid their farewells. In the short time Michael’s sisters weaved their magic and prepared her for an evening at the fair, they had laughed at jokes, gossiped and shared stories, forging a bond unlike any Angie had experienced with women, including Susan. Now as she drifted from the living room to the kitchen, the usual silence of the house seemed oppressive. Rather than providing comfortable solitude, her home offered little more than a silent box of rooms.

She pressed her stomach against the kitchen counter, taking in the dining table she never served meals on and the stacks of unused dishes prettily displayed in her hutch, and sighed. The warm, happy atmosphere from the afternoon was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t noticed how empty her home was and how lonely she’d been in it until now.

At precisely eight o’clock, a steady cadence of hooves meeting pavement sounded from outside. When the clip-clopping stopped, Angie glanced out the window and did a double-take.

Midas, dressed in black, formfitting trousers, a white button-up shirt, a short red jacket and a flat, wide-brimmed hat, jumped down from an open carriage drawn by two white horses festooned with fresh flowers. The driver of the carriage, an older man whose outfit matched the SEAL’s, remained in his seat, his back as straight as a board.

The buzzer sounded, shattering the uncomfortable silence in the house. After waiting a minute, Angie grabbed two handfuls of skirt, hoisting the ruffled material high, then slowly made her way to the intercom panel. She pressed the button to unlock the gate, pushed her glasses up her nose and took a last look in the mirror. His sisters had done her up right. She looked, well, fabulous. Not to mention completely unrecognizable. Not even her mother would be able to pick her out in a crowd.

She purposely hesitated several beats after Midas knocked on the door. Though she couldn’t control the excitement once again fluttering in her stomach or the rush of wet heat between her legs, she could manage to act as though seeing him was little more than an obligation on her part.

When she opened the door, the SEAL’s eyebrows arched and his mouth curled as he took her in. He shifted his weight to his heels, appraising her from head to toe.

Angie did her own assessing of the man standing on her front step. The traditional high-waisted Spanish pants he wore molded to his hips and legs, showcasing a rather impressive bulge on his left thigh. He’d kept the top two buttons of his shirt undone, revealing a mouth-watering triangle of tanned muscular chest. As she’d suspected, he did indeed have springy dark curls on the wide plain between his shoulders.

She clenched her fingernails into the palms of her hands, resisting the urge to break her show of disinterest and ripping open his shirt to see if her prediction of his having washboard abs would also prove accurate. If only she could convince herself she truly was indifferent to the sexy SEAL. The sight of his handsome face and brawny frame had the pound of each heartbeat booming in her ears and her skin warming uncomfortably beneath her dress.

Her gaze lingered on his mouth. Full and moist, his lips looked entirely too kissable. Too suckable. And oh the places on her body she’d like to see them.

“You look lovely,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “Red is my favorite color.”

“So I’ve heard. Your sisters spilled a few beans about you this afternoon.” Was it her imagination, or was her voice truly breathy? She cleared her throat. “You didn’t mention your family lies in Rota.”

A look of unadulterated chagrin animated his features. “Surprise!”

“Got any more big surprises up your sleeve? Anything I should prepare for? Is the king of Spain meeting us for dinner?”

“Nothing I’m prepared to divulge. You’ll have to wait and see.”

She nodded at the carriage. “Nice wheels. I don’t think I’ve ever ridden in a two horse-powered vehicle before.”

“Prepare yourself for a night full of things you’ve probably never done before.” He held out a hand. “Are you ready for the best date of your life?”

Are you ready to be thoroughly disappointed at the end of our date?

Though tempted to verbally push back by giving voice to the snarky comment, she kept it to herself. She’d promised to be one hundred percent honest about their evening together. To be fair, she had to put aside any notions of being contrary or throwing a wrench in his plans, just as she had done when his sisters arrived at her gate. Zero refusals on her part meant zero wiggle room for accusations on his at the end of the evening.

And God Almighty, she was ready to finally have some fun.

Angie smiled, placing her hand in his. “Absolutely. I can’t wait to see what a Navy SEAL considers a best-ever date night.”

Chapter Five

After settling on the back seat bench and adjusting to the unsteady bounces of the horse-drawn vehicle, Angie’s shoulders relaxed. The ride was actually nice. A cool breeze fanned her face, a huge comfort considering the amount of heat her core blasted from sitting so close to the attractive SEAL.

Reveling in her anonymity, she waved back at countless curious onlookers as they made their way through town—something she hadn’t done since her last tour with her father’s band.

“Be careful,” Midas breathed into her ear after she plucked a flower from the garland draping the carriage and tossed it to a young girl standing on the sidewalk. “You may end up enjoying yourself.”

His warm breath tickled the shell of her ear, sending icy prickles down her neck and chest. Despite the tight fit of the dress, her breasts contracted and her nipples hardened. She nearly moaned as a sudden sensation, sharp and incredibly pleasurable, caused her cunt to pulse.

“Enjoying myself is one thing, Midas.” Angie crossed her legs tightly, milking her pussy’s sweet ache, then casually reclined against the padding of the bench. If the sexy SEAL only knew what was happening beneath her dress. “Having the time of my life is a whole ‘nother ball game.”