Touched By Midas (SEALs Going Hot Book 4) (6 page)

The carriage eventually pulled off the road and passed under the grand entrance to the fair, a monstrous archway lit up with dozens of tiny colored lights. They continued on through the festival grounds passing gaming booths, food stands and carnival rides. Music poured forth from every direction. Crowds of smiling people, many also wearing flamenco dresses and suits similar to Midas’, paraded throughout. The entire fair vibrated with a merry excitement.

When they stopped before one of the larger tents, Midas jumped from the carriage. He reached up and grabbed both sides of Angie’s waist before swinging her down.

“What is this?” Angie peered around the SEAL and looked to the opening of the tent. Rhythmic clapping and stomping, and the clipped notes of rapidly plucked guitar strings resonated from inside.

“This is my family’s
caseda
. It’s a party tent for the fair.” He nodded to the others nearby. “Most of these are privately owned. Generally only people with invitations are allowed in. Inside is food, drinks and dancing. Hope you wore your comfortable shoes. The Spanish love to dance.”

She stuck out the tip of a red pump from under her dress. “Have shoes, will party.”

“That’s what I like to hear. But I have to warn you, my entire family on my mother’s side is in there. Cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The whole enchilada. And they like to have a good time.”

A loud chorus of whoops sounded from within, followed by a flurry of high-pitched clips from numerous castanets. From what it sounded like, the party was already in full swing.

“Okay. I’ve been duly warned. I think I can handle it.”

Buddy, if you only knew…

Midas took her by the hand and led her inside. Dozens of people dressed for the event sat at small tables, their gazes fixed on two women dancing on a large wood platform. The pair raised their arms as a man beat out a rhythm on a box he sat on and a guitar player plucked out a riveting tune. Another man with shoulder length hair sat next to the drummer and sang in a haunting voice with such passion, each word from his mouth seemed to touch Angie’s soul.

Castanets rapidly clicking, the women circled around one another, first in one direction and then in the opposite. They lowered one hand behind their backs and arched away from each other, then spun, the layers of their ruffled dresses flying.

Angie blinked. “Are those your sisters?”

“Yes.” Midas’ voice was barely loud enough to be heard. “Lia and Isabella. My grandfather is getting ready to join them.”

An older man strode onto the dance floor, his shoulders back and head held high. As though in some type of dramatic scene, the sisters regarded the new dancer with keen interest. He, in turn, made a quick but thorough study of both women. Then the music abruptly stopped. A palpable quiet mixed with anticipation fell over the gathering.

Moving slowly at first, the old man’s feet began to tap the wood platform. He clapped his hands and the music resumed. Shouts from the spectators spilled in. With surprising speed and agility, Midas’ grandfather rapidly pounded his shoes to the floor while Lia and Isabella turned and twisted around him. The tempo of the song, the clapping and the dancing soon hit a furious pace, each seeming to spur the others on. The combined noises charged the air.

Upon a succinct and final stomp of the old man’s foot, all three dancers threw their hands in the air. The musicians stopped. The crowd stood and cheered, Angie along with them.

“That was incredible. Your grandfather is a machine.”

“You might want to watch out for him. He’ll have you on the dance floor before you know what you’re doing. He’s got a thing for the ladies.”

“Guess that apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”

Midas raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say a word. Instead he guided her toward a table on the far side of the tent where an American looking man sat with a lovely plump woman who seemed to float on a bed of polka dot ruffles. The woman’s dark hair was tightly pulled back in a bun and adorned with an ornate Spanish comb.

One look at the couple told her all she needed to know. She was about to meet Midas’ parents. Never in all the years of going out had she ever met her date’s parents. And the two looked as normal as anything she could have imagined.

A nervous thrill skipped through her. Finally a chance to do something most other people her age had done ten times over, an ordinary dating ritual her upbringing had never afforded.

The two rose as she and Midas made their way to them through the maze of people.

Holy mother of pearl, it was really happening.

“Mom. Dad. I’d like to—”

“Hello. I’m Angie Summers,” Angie butted in. She gave his mother a bear hug, then kissed both sides of her sweet smelling soft cheeks before repeating the greeting with his father. “I’m so tickled to meet you both. You have no idea.”

****

Although he’d never taken a date to a family event and had dusted off several of his good luck charms to ensure a successful evening, he couldn’t have guessed how the night would play out. Nor could he have forecasted the transformation of his date. Somewhere between Angie’s house and his family’s tent, she had morphed from the stiff, elusive school teacher he had to beg to go out with to a fun-loving, talkative belle of the ball. In the hours since they arrived, she had chatted up a blue streak with his relatives, especially his sisters, learned how to play the castanets from his mother and had danced so often with his grandfather he was sure the old guy would drop from a heart-attack. Even his own feet were swollen from dancing so often with her. Luckily he had a boot jack at home, otherwise he’d never be able to take off his boots. Just who was this unpredictable mystery woman?

The petite beauty acted as a switch had been flipped, allowing a well-hidden supply of enthusiasm and good-nature to flow freely. Even now as she twirled around on the dance floor with one of his young nephews, a light emanated from deep within her, making her eyes bright. The more he watched her lithe body undulating in ways that suggested how she would rock beneath him as he thrust his cock into her, the hotter his desire burned.

Midas shifted in his chair and propped an ankle on his knee, mulling over sexual positions he’d like to try on the fiery brunette. He sipping from the glass of beer he’d been nursing, not taking his gaze from her. She would be in his bed this night. And the first time he took here, there would be fireworks.

“You should go out and dance with her.”

The whispered words of his mother’s familiar voice sounded in his ear. He looked over his shoulder to find her standing at his side, beaming.

“I know that look, Madre. Don’t get any ideas in that head of yours. We’re only on a date. We aren’t an item. She’s not even my girlfriend. Just a date.”

His mother expertly kicked aside the long train of her dress then sat in the wood fold-out chair next to him. Her stained pink cheeks grew round as she let out a chuckle.

“I know your look too. You like that girl.”

Oh, he liked her all right. He liked the way her breasts nearly spilled from her tight dress, not to mention the nice way her ass jiggled each time she stomped her feet. He was also fond of her smile, the sightings of which were generally caught during an unguarded moment. Her sunny grin was one of the things that drew him to her when he first saw her on base over a year ago. Sometimes visualizing that smile would help him pass away the time as he waited for hours on end for his next mission or right before he passed out asleep from exhaustion.

He shook his head, refusing to admit or even contemplate any more of her virtues. That line of thinking only headed toward dangerous territories.

“I’m not in the market for anything steady. You know how I feel about that.”

“I do. I do.” She patted his knee and sighed. “There are times I wish my mother had never filled your head with the old superstitions. I’m afraid you’ll miss out on a lot of what life has to offer if you continue to believe so heavily in them.” Her gaze drifted to the dance floor where the dancers had just finished their Sevillana. “There are things much stronger than luck.”

Angie kissed the head of his nephew, then walked over to where Midas sat. She breathed in deeply several times. Her hair was damp and her face glowed beneath light sheen of perspiration. All in all, she had never looked more radiant.

His mother squeezed his knee one last time before removing her hand and rummaging around in her small purse. After a moment, she pulled out a collapsible fan.

“Here, my girl. This will help you cool off.”

“Thank you.” Angie took the fan, snapped it open and waved it briskly near her chest. “It is getting a little warm in here.”

I’ll say so. Hot even. Damn hot. How about I help you off with that dress? Pour some chilled champagne over your bare breasts…

“It’s nearly two thirty,” Midas said. “If you’re ready to leave, we can roll down my Jeep’s windows and catch a nice breeze on the ride home. I’m parked just down the street.”

For a split second, he would have sworn he saw the happy gleam in her eyes waver.

“Now? Your sister Camilla said these parties last until the sun comes up.”

“Oh, they do. But I have more planned for our date.”

“No carriage ride back?”

“Nope.” He finished off the last swig of his beer. “It’s past the horses’ bed time. The coach turned into a pumpkin after midnight.”

Her shoulders raised, then fell on a slight huff. “Okay.”

Was she actually pouting?

He held back a smug grin. She had had a great time at the fair, that much was clear. And once he had his practiced lips on hers, any doubts about this being the best date of her life would evaporate like a drop of water in the desert.

Angie picked up the ends of her skirt and gestured toward his cousin Rosario. “Just give me a minute to say good-bye to your family.”

The “minute” she quoted turned into a half-hour. When he finally dragged Angie away from his sisters, mother and grandfather, then tucked her into his Jeep, it was nearly three-thirty. His libido was growing impatient. Unfortunately, his libido wasn’t the only thing growing.

He pulled onto the road, heading away from Rota.

She straightened in her seat. “I thought you said you were taking me home.”

“I did and I am.”

She struggled with the seatbelt, but eventually turned herself around, pointing back to town.

“But we’re going the wrong way. My house is back there.”

“I know. We’re going to my house.”

“Excuse me?”

He took his attention off the road just long enough to shell out one of his never-fail, have-the-women-eat-out-of-his-hands gazes.

“Oh please!” Angie crossed her eyes and squinched her face as though she she’d just bitten into a sour grapefruit. She sat back down with an unimpressed bounce.

Her comment and display of pure disdain could have been a mortal wound for as much as it hurt his pride. Had he lost his touch? His luck? His come-hither look was a lady killer. He was known for it. It should have been irresistible.

He jerked his concentration, or what he hoped looked like his concentration, back on the road. “What’s that suppose to mean? Oh please!” he repeated.

“Listen, I had a fabulous time with you and your family tonight. Truly. And I sincerely appreciate the thought and effort you’ve put into our date. But what I mean by ‘Oh please’ is that if you plan to woo me with oodles of charm when we get to your bachelor pad with the hopes that I’ll rip my bodice and melt into your arms, it won’t work.” She snorted. “Let me tell you, I’m not wearing a bodice. I did, however, wear my asbestos panties. So if the conclusion of the evening includes designs of kisses so hot they scorch my undies, then let me save you a little time, I’m impervious.”

“Are you gay?”

As soon as the question popped out of his mouth, he felt his foot take its place.

Jesus, this date was dive bombing. He had to fix things—fast.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay,” he quickly added. “I’ve got nothing but respect for anyone regardless on their sexual preference. Hell, one of my buddies, a guy by the name of Eagle, is gay. But—” Michael floundered for the next thing to say.

How did she continually to throw him off his game? And what happened to the happy-go-lucky woman who had partied all night with his family as though she was one of the merry bunch?

Angie tossed her hands in the air. “What is with you people? You’re the second person who’s asked me that this week? Not everyone falls ass over elbows for hunky SEALs with broad shoulders and steel abs. And not everyone sits around bars and talks about sex. Gheesh!”

Sitting around bars? What the hell?

Thinking he’d probably be safer not to question her, he ignored her outburst.

But she’d just implied he was attractive. Would a woman who wasn’t interested mention such things?

Mayhap the lady doth protest too much.

“Just because I’m taking you to my home doesn’t mean I’m going to try to seduce you.” Although seduction and a few hours of hot sweaty sex had starred in the grand scheme of things. Damn! If his balls didn’t stop aching, he’d have to check to see if they were turning a colorful shade of blue. “It just so happens the next part of our date is there.”

At that very moment they drove by a roadside sign. Painted red with a white arrow pointing left, the small billboard announced a public entrance to the beach.

He tapped the steering wheel as his mind registered what he saw.

An idea began to take shape.

His chin lifted.

Ah hah!

He resisted the urge to raise his fist in triumph.

His luck hadn’t left him. Red was his color. Plus the sign held the key for a great, logical reason to take her to his home.

The game was still on! And he would win.

Chapter Six

She’d been looking for an excuse. Some plausible reason to deny claiming she hadn’t, indeed, had the time of her life. Truth was, she had.

Though they hadn’t really even done anything extraordinary, especially compared to her previous experiences, their evening with Midas’ family had been absolutely fabulous. One that she had dreamed of since she was a little girl. A night where she was a part of a normal family, doing fun things the family had been doing for years. In this case, decades, if not centuries. Just coming together and being a big, happy family.