Hot SEAL, Vegas Nights Page 5

  “Where does he live?”

  “Carson City.”

  “What’s his last name?” He would make time to pay the guy a visit before he headed back to California. His own insurance policy to ensure Zoe would be safe from the guy. He owed it to Boss, but more importantly, he wanted the asshole to know who’d be coming for him if he laid another hand on her.

  Zoe read his intentions like a book.

  “So you can track him down? No way. He’s not your business, Aidan. I’ve got it handled. I don’t need you to get involved.” She was quiet for a beat, then said, “I haven’t told anyone that story. To be honest, I’m not even sure why I told you. Don’t make me sorry I confided in you.”

  Way to grab a guy by the short hairs.

  “I won’t.” He reached back, squeezing her hand and pulling it tighter around his waist. They were about to hit the highway. “Hold on, tight.”

  He wouldn’t go looking. But if Max came anywhere near her again, all bets were off. He’d teach that fucker a lesson he wouldn’t forget.

  7

  The Southwest Diner was everything Aidan remembered it to be—the best place in Nevada to get a home-style meal, and that included his own mother’s kitchen.

  Zoe seemed to study him as he unapologetically dug into his Pork Chili Verde burrito. He had to work at holding back a groan at the first bite. There was a reason MRE’s—aka, shitty-ass pouch food—didn’t taste half as good as the bite of burrito in his mouth. If they did, the entirety of the armed forces would be obese.

  He washed his bite down with ice water, realizing Zoe hadn’t touched her food. She’d been quiet for the better part of the drive, and she hadn’t said more than a dozen words since they sat down. Most of those were to order her meal.

  “Your food is going to get cold.”

  “I figured you for the beer type,” she told him, still staring at him like he was a puzzle she was trying to solve.

  Aidan wondered how many other assumptions she had made about him.

  “I’ve been known to have a few, but not when I’m responsible for making sure you get home safely. Even if you weren’t with me, I wouldn’t have more than one. Not when I’m on the bike.” He was adventurous, not stupid. As far as he was concerned, it wasn’t worth the risk. Not to mention the trouble he’d be in with his CO if he got caught drinking and driving.

  “Sounds responsible.”

  By the surprise in her tone, Aidan guessed her ex didn’t live by the same philosophy.

  “Well, don’t let it get around,” he teased. “Now, eat. You’re going to give me a complex about how fast I’m about to wolf down this burrito, and it would help if you would at least take a bite before I finish my entire dinner.”

  They ate in silence for a couple of minutes before Zoe asked, “How long are you home on vacation?”

  Now it was his turn to study her. It was a simple thing. Semantics, really. On leave. On vacation. The two were different enough for him that he had to wonder if she knew what he did for a living.

  How would she know? Your parents are proud, but they’re also private people.

  It was true. His family didn’t broadcast the fact that he was a Navy SEAL, and Boss wouldn’t have said anything, either. There was no way she would know unless Aidan told her. She would find out eventually, but he liked the idea of getting to know her without his job getting in the way. And as a SEAL, his job always got in the way.

  “Ten days.”

  “It’s nice that your job gives you that much time off.”

  He earned every fucking second of it. “My bosses are cool like that.”

  “Bosses? You have more than one? The place you work must be big.”

  “Yeah. It’s pretty good sized.” The last he heard, there were over three-hundred-thousand active men and women in the US Navy.

  What did Zoe think he did for a living? It was on the tip of his tongue to find out when she changed the subject.

  “Did you get to spend much time with your parents yesterday?”

  With the topic of his job seemingly in the rearview, Aidan settled into the conversation. And his burrito. Fucking thing was amazing. “We had lunch, and then I saw them later at the car show.”

  “They seem like good people. They’ve been really nice to me since I got to Vegas. Your mom has brought me food a couple of times and your dad always offers to look at my car.”

  “Is there something wrong with it?”

  Zoe laughed, her cheeks darkening to an adorable shade of pink. “It’s old and finicky.”

  “I’ll take a look at it.”

  “You don’t have—”

  “Let’s not start that again.”

  Her mouth thinned to a mutinous line. “Aidan.”

  Aidan set down his fork and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Damn, you’re as stubborn as your grandfather ever was.”

  At the mention of her grandfather, the air between them changed from light to somber in a heartbeat. He wanted to kick himself for darkening the mood.

  “You mentioned the two of you were close. Did you spend a lot of time together?”

  “Not as much as I would’ve liked in the years since I moved to California, but when I was younger, yes. He was nice to me and my sisters from the get-go. Always looking out for us. Sneaking us treats. Giving us advice. He was a good man.”

  Now that they were talking, Aidan took a chance and asked the question that had been burning a hole in his throat for years.

  “How is it that we’ve never met? I was ten when my parents bought the house next door to your grandfather, yet in all those years, you never came to visit.”

  It had broken Boss’s heart, too. Aidan could see it in the old man’s eyes on those rare occasions he would talk about her. His little Zoe.

  Zoe stared at her plate. “How much do you know about my parents?”

  “I know your dad was Boss’s son, and that Boss basically washed his hands of the man years ago. Other than that, nothing.”

  Zoe nodded slowly as she drew lines through her chili verde with her fork. “I have snippets of memories of Grandad from before my parents split, but nothing substantial. The memories I have of my dad are…”

  She set down her fork and met his gaze. The strength and determination he saw there took his breath away. He didn’t know what she’d been through in the past, but she hadn’t let it break her.

  “Let’s just say those memories aren’t good. My dad wasn’t a good or nice man. If he ever was, it was before my time. I didn’t know until recently all of the things Grandad did to try to help my father, but in the end, his addiction to drugs, gambling, and women were too much. There comes a point when there’s nothing left to do but walk away. That’s what my mother had to do, too.”

  “Is your father still alive?”

  “I don’t know. Grandad didn’t know, either. By the time Mom took me and left, things had gotten ugly. She cut ties to everything and everyone she knew so my dad wouldn’t find us and try to get her to come back. She didn’t want me to have anything to do with his side of the family. I was young enough that I didn’t even realize what I was missing.”

  The regret in her voice tore at his chest. “How did you come to be here now, then?”

  “I was helping my mom clean out the storage room and came across a file. You know.” She gestured with her hands. “The thick, accordion kind. Anyway, there were letters in there. Letters my grandad had written to my mom, begging her to let him see me.”

  “Boss knew where you were?”

  “Yes. He hired a private investigator to find us.” Her eyes turned glassy and Aidan reached out, cupping one of her hands with both of his.

  “He begged her, Aidan,” she said to their joined hands. “He begged her, and she denied him for no good reason. After I found the letters, I was so angry. I called her out. Of course, she stood by her decision, which is why we aren’t on the best of terms right now. She robbed me of years with my grandad, but she doesn’t se
e it that way. She said she couldn’t trust the man whose DNA created my dad. I reminded her that Grandad could’ve made trouble for us, could’ve come for me at any time, yet he hadn’t. He respected her wishes, even when it broke his heart.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me. As I’m sure you came to learn, he loved you very much. He didn’t talk about you much. I think it was too painful for him. When he did, there was no denying how he felt. You were the light of his life.”

  A deep V formed between her eyebrows. “What do you think he’d say if he knew we were out together tonight?”

  “He wouldn’t warn me away from you.” There was no doubt in Aidan’s mind about that. “He’d be happy to know we’ve … connected.”

  “I’m glad, too,” she said so softly Aidan almost missed it.

  Something in his gut fluttered, like he’d swallowed a goddamn hummingbird. He took a swig of water, hoping to douse its wings. “How long ago did you find the letters?”

  “Eight months or so. It took me some time to make contact and plan a trip, so it was about six months ago that I came to Vegas for the first time.”

  Right around the time he arrived at the SEAL camp on the Horn of Africa.

  “After that, I came as often as I could. Most weekends, when my car wasn’t acting up. We talked every day, no matter what. It was like he knew our time was limited, and he didn’t want to waste a moment of it.”

  She sat up straighter and pulled her hand from between his, as though she wouldn’t let herself rely on him for strength and support.

  “When I went home after the funeral, I didn’t plan to ever come back. Then, I got a call from an attorney who told me Grandad had left some money and the house to me.” She shrugged. “So here I am, for the time being, at least.”

  “You’re not staying? He left you the house.”

  “It’s a big, expensive place to live for a single girl like me.” She picked up for fork and started back in on her burrito. “The money he left would help for a while,” she said between bites, “but it won’t last forever.”

  “Do you have a plan?” He finished the last bite on his plate.

  “Sell the house. Add that money to what he left me and move somewhere else.”

  “Got any place in mind?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure yet.” She pushed her plate away. “That was delicious, but I can’t eat another bite.”

  He tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “You’d better make room, because we’re not done yet.”

  “We aren’t?”

  Not even close.

  He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. As though he’d done it a hundred times, he laced his fingers through hers. “We haven’t had dessert.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And I have a surprise for you.”

  She glanced up at him, wary. “Should I be scared?”

  “Never.” He brushed his fingers across her cheek on the way to tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Damn, she was soft. Soft and beautiful and smelled like something out of a pastry case. Edible and sweet. “I’ve got you.”

  “So you keep saying.”

  She let him keep her hand in his while he paid the tab and got a piece of homemade apple pie, to-go. She didn’t pull away until they were back at the motorcycle. While necessity demanded the use of both hands, he missed the skin-to-skin connection.

  Ten minutes later, he parked along the side of the road and helped Zoe off the bike. She took off her helmet. Holy shit. Watching Zoe free her hair and shake it loose was one of the sexiest things Aidan had ever seen. He wanted to bunch those pretty blonde waves in his fists, just so he could release them and watch her do it all over again.

  Fuck. He needed to stop thinking about Zoe’s hair and all the other satiny places she might let him touch. An erection would make for an extremely uncomfortable ride home.

  “Where are we?”

  The reverence in Zoe’s tone told him he’d made the right choice for their next stop. The view from the overlook was one of his favorites.

  Aidan pulled the bag containing the pie and a couple of forks out of the saddlebag.

  “That’s Lake Mead.”

  “It’s … beautiful up here.”

  “Just wait.” Aidan winked and took her hand again. “Come on.”

  He threw a leg over the guard rail, then helped her do the same.

  “Are you sure we should—”

  “We’ll have a better view from over here.” And they’d have more privacy from the traffic on the road.

  He led her over to a rock overhang that was flat enough for them to sit on, but not wide enough for them to sit side-by-side. It was the perfect spot for what he had in mind. Zoe had been wrapped around him on the motorcycle. Now, it was his turn.

  Aidan sat down on the edge of the rock. He stretched one leg out and let his other one hang off the side so his boot could rest against the ground. Using his boot for leverage, he readjusted until his back was propped against the rock behind him. Then, he patted the open space between his legs. “Front row seat,” he told her.

  “Front row seat to what?”

  He pulled the container out of the bag. “Pie.” He waved an arm to indicate the lake in the distance, as well as the surrounding mountains. “And one of the prettiest damn sunsets you’ll ever see.”

  “Pie and a sunset? How am I supposed to resist that?”

  “You’re not.”

  Laughing, Zoe climbed onto the rock. Aidan could tell she was nervous by the way her eyes darted, as if she was trying to decide where she should sit.

  “Right here, sunshine.” He tugged her down to sit within the V of his legs. The warmth of her backside penetrated the fly of his jeans. His dick stirred, suddenly very interested to get in on the snuggling.

  Sorry, buddy. Not tonight. Settle the fuck down.

  “This okay?” he asked once she was settled.

  She nodded. “It’s nice.”

  He slipped the arm holding the container of pie around her and rested it against her thigh. He closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the feel of her curves against him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d just held a woman. Come to think of it, had he ever?

  In the past, dinner served as nothing more than a prelude to sex. It was easier that way. Less complicated.

  Holding Zoe while the sun started to set over Lake Mead didn’t feel complicated. It felt … fucking perfect, if he was going to be honest.

  He could be in real trouble here. As in the kind of trouble that lasted a lifetime.

  Aidan grabbed the forks, offering one to her.

  She took one, turning a little so he could see her profile. “This really is a gorgeous spot, Aidan.” She toyed with the end of the pie before finally breaking off a forkful. “I’ll bet you bring all the girls up here,” she said, right before the pie disappeared into her mouth.

  Jesus Christ.

  That mouth. Lips, pink and lush. She’d taste like pie now, and he was aching for a sample.

  Before he could talk himself out of it, he slid a hand under her hair and cupped the back of her neck. He moved slow, giving her plenty of time to stop him. She didn’t. Not when he squeezed the hair at the back of her neck, encouraging her to look at him. Not when he leaned in so close he could feel her breath against his mouth. And not when he brushed his lips against hers.

  “Actually, I’ve never brought anyone up here,” he whispered against her lips. No doubt about it. He was in trouble with a capital T. “Girl or otherwise.”

  And then, Aidan did what he’d been dying to do since the moment he’d seen her lying on Boss’s couch.

  He kissed her.

  8

  It wasn’t fair. No man ought to be able to kiss like that.

  Zoe stared at the ceiling above her bed—the same ceiling she’d been staring at for most of the night—and replayed the confident, almost dominant, way Aidan had worked her mouth.

  The way she’d let him work her mouth.

  God. She coul
d still feel him there. Gently nipping, coaxing her lips open. Licking his way inside. Exploring the contours of her mouth. And explore, he had.

  As the sun set over Lake Mead, Zoe had gotten lost in the intoxicating rhythm of Aidan’s kiss. He didn’t rush. Didn’t push for more. He just took his time, kissing the ever-lovin’ snot out of her on that overlook, with a spectacular sunset that glinted off the lake as their backdrop.

  The perfect seduction scene, and she’d fallen right into his trap.

  Okay, maybe trap was a bit dramatic.

  Whether or not Aidan had planned to seduce her with a sunset and pie, she’d fallen tongue first into his mouth without so much as a fight. He didn’t coerce her. He didn’t even try to cop a feel, although she doubted she would’ve stopped him if he had.

  She’d been an active and willing participant.

  He kissed her, then held her against him as they finished off the pie and watched mother nature’s show. Then, he’d dropped her off at home with a brush of his lips against hers—nothing more—before making her promise to set the alarm again once she was inside.

  Last night had been one of the best nights of her life.

  And she didn’t know what to do about it.

  Being around Aidan felt strangely easy. Natural. She’d practically vomited her entire family history over dinner, and that was a story she didn’t share with anyone. Not her friends. Not Max. Not the handful of other men she’d dated.

  Aidan listened. Made her feel cared for. Safe. And unbelievably turned-on.

  He made her forget her determination to stay away from guys like him.

  She knew it was unfair to judge. She wanted to believe Aidan was different from her usual type where it mattered—on the inside. But…she’d thought Max was different. Look how that turned out. She had a slightly crooked nose and a phone full of missed calls and aggressive text messages demanding to know when she was coming back to Carson City. To him.

  Not in this lifetime.

  She refused to follow in her mother’s footsteps. If she hadn’t been sure before, Max’s recent behavior proved it. She’d be better off alone.