Three
Swan pushed away from her desk and took another huge gulp of ice-cold lemonade. It had been that way for her all day. Instead of concentrating on the online orders she needed to fill and ship out, her mind was wrapped around that kiss from last night.
All she had to do was close her eyes to remember every single detail, specifically every sensuous lick of his tongue inside her mouth. Even now, the memory sent multiple sensations coursing through her body, causing pleasure the likes of which she’d never encountered before.
She looked up at the sound of a knock on her door. “Yes?”
Jamila stuck her head in. “Mr. Make-you-have-an-instant-orgasm is back.”
Swan didn’t need to ask Jamila what she meant or who she was talking about. “Any reason you can’t wait on him?”
Jamila smiled naughtily. “I could use the pleasure but he specifically asked for you.”
Swan nodded. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay, I will let him know.”
Swan reached over and took another gulp of her lemonade. She didn’t want to admit it, but after that kiss last night, David could become an addiction. Besides putting down a gallon of lemonade, she’d been twitching in her seat most of the day, thinking that if his tongue could do that to her mouth, then Lordy...she could only imagine what else he would be able to do...
She quickly stood, refusing to go there even as a naughty part of her mind wished that he would. Leaving her office, she rounded the corner and stopped.
David stood in the middle of her shop wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a muscle shirt. The sight of his muscled abs and strong legs made Swan bite back a groan. Just when she thought he couldn’t get any sexier, he’d proved her wrong.
He must have heard the sound of her footsteps because he turned and smiled.
As if on cue, she smiled back. “Hello, David, you came to make more purchases?” Hopefully he would take the hint that she didn’t expect him to just drop by without a reason.
“Yes. I’m buying jewelry for my three sisters-in-law and would love for you to offer suggestions.”
Swan couldn’t help but smile since she liked making sales. What store owner wouldn’t? “I’d love to help you pick out pieces of jewelry for them.”
An hour later, Swan stood at the cash register to ring up all of David’s purchases. With her assistance, he’d selected some really nice pieces, with a number of the stones chosen specifically because that’s what he’d said they would like. Then he wanted earrings to complement the necklaces, which he paid for in advance. They decided to select stones for the earrings tomorrow since they’d spent a lot of time on the necklaces today and her shop would be closing in less than an hour.
From their conversation, she knew the Holloways were a close-knit family. He’d even pulled out his phone to show her pictures of his young niece and nephews.
“No pressure for you to marry?” she asked when he tucked his phone back into the pocket of his shorts.
“None. My parents have been married for more than forty years and are still very much in love. They make sure their kids and grandkids know that. They believe we will know when it’s time for us to marry without any pressure from them. We’ll be the ones to have to live with the people we choose. They just want all their children to be happy.”
She nodded. “I like the way your parents think. I want to believe that, had my parents lived, they would have a similar philosophy. Dad used to tell me all the time that he wanted me to grow up and be whatever I wanted to be and do whatever I wanted to do, and that he and Mom would always have my back.”
She suddenly felt a deep sense of loss. “Appreciate your parents, David. You never know how truly great they are until they’re gone. But in all honesty, I think I’ve always known I had great parents.”
At that moment, he did something she wouldn’t have expected from him—he reached out and took her hand. “They sound great and I know they’re proud of your accomplishments.”
“Thanks.” That was a nice thing for him to say. To avoid thinking about just how nice he was, she slid the bag with his purchases toward him and gave him the credit card slip. He signed it and gave it back to her.
“How would you like to go to happy hour at Danica’s with me?”
After talking about her parents and missing them like crazy, she could use more than just an hour of happiness. She would love to be able to have a lifetime of that feeling.
It wasn’t that she was unhappy, because she wasn’t, but there were times when she wondered if maybe there was more out there for her than what was currently in her life. Perhaps she was shortchanging herself on some things. What those things were, she had no idea.
“I would love to go but good luck getting a table at Danica’s. They have the best hot wings and are always crowded, especially for happy hour. I think the entire island heads over there at five.”
“Since I know you don’t close your shop until five, how about if we meet over there at five-thirty? I guarantee we’ll have a place to sit.”
“Um, sounds like you might have connections, David Holloway.”
“We’ll see.” He took the bag and turned to leave, and just like before, she watched his movements until he was no longer in sight.
* * *
“Wow. You do have connections, don’t you?” Swan said, sliding into a stool at the bar. “I’ve been here a number of times and the best seat I’ve ever gotten is at one of those tables outside.”
Flipper smiled. Like at Summer Moon, he’d arrived early and was waiting for her. He liked seeing her stroll down the sidewalk looking as beautiful as ever.
Today she was wearing a pair of shorts and a pretty top. Her legs were long and shapely and he could imagine them wrapped around him while...
Whoa, he didn’t need to go there. Ever since that kiss, he’d been trying not to go there—no matter how tempted he was to do so. Quickly, he changed the direction of his thoughts.
“I know Danica personally,” he said, trying hard to keep his naughty thoughts in check.
She lifted a brow. “Really? How?”
There was no way he would tell her the whole story. Danica was the godmother of former SEAL team member Nick Stover. Nick had given up being a SEAL a few years ago to take a job with Homeland Security after his wife had triplets. Instead of the whole history, Flipper gave her a modified version. “Her godson and I used to work together.”
“Oh.” The bartender chose that moment to take their drink order.
“I know you used to be in the military at one point but what do you do now?” she asked once the bartender had walked away.
Flipper had expected that question sooner or later and had a prepared answer. “I travel a lot and my job deals with ocean marine work. I guess you can say I’m a specialist in that area.”
“Sounds interesting.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, it is.”
The bartender set their beers in front of them along with a huge plate of hot wings. They dug in.
“Your assistant at the store seems nice,” Flipper commented. “I hope she didn’t get offended when I asked specifically for you.”
“No, very little offends Jamila, trust me.”
“You’ve known her a long time?”
If his question seemed odd, she didn’t mention it. “We met a couple of years ago when she moved to the island. The first time she came into my shop she nearly bought out the place. Like you, she has a huge family living up north and wanted to buy holiday gifts for everyone. Thanks to her, I made my month’s quota in that one day. She earned a friend for life.”
Flipper took a long swig of his beer. What Swan had just told him was interesting. Based on the naval intelligence report he’d read, Jamila didn’t have any family. No parents, siblings, aunts, uncles or cousins. She’d been adopted and her adopted parents had been killed in a car accident in her last year of high school. And they hadn’t lived in the north but out west in California.
Why had Jamila lied?
“So you hired her that day?” he asked, grinning, trying to make a joke of what she’d told him.
“No, she had a job as a ship captain at one of the day cruise companies in town. When things didn’t work out for her there, I hired her on part-time.”
He’d read the report and knew why Jamila had been let go and knew about her pending lawsuits. There was a big chance both cases would be settled out of court in her favor. “Is the reason she’s part-time because she’s a student?”
“Sort of. She saw how much money Rafe makes and—”
“Rafe?” He knew who Rafe was, but Swan didn’t know that.
“Yes, Rafe. He rents space in my shop where he operates a tattoo parlor. He’s good and always has a steady stream of customers. Some are so pleased with his work that they recommend him to others. I’ve known people to fly in just to use his services.”
She took a sip of her beer, grinned and added, “Jamila decided to give him some real competition by becoming a tattoo artist as well. I have to admit she’s pretty good. But Rafe doesn’t seem worried. He even allows her to assist him sometimes. I guess you can say he’s taken her under his wing. I think that’s nice of him.”
Flipper took another swig of his beer. “Yes, that is nice of him. Real nice.”
* * *
Later that night, as they waited for a car at the taxi stand, Swan turned to face David. “I had a wonderful time this evening.”
Once again, she had enjoyed his company and hated that their time together was about to end. It didn’t come as a surprise to her that the sexual chemistry between them was more explosive than ever. The kiss they’d shared the night before had ignited something within her. From the way she’d noticed him looking at her, she believed something had ignited within him as well.
More than once, her smooth bare legs had brushed against his hairy ones. The sensual contact had sent a gush of desire through her.
The first few times it happened, she’d pulled away. But finally, she’d decided not to pull her legs back and he’d given her one of those I know you did that on purpose looks and she had smiled innocently and sipped her beer.
He had initiated the next physical contact and she could envision his mind at work trying to decide how to push her sensual buttons. She doubted he could push them more than he was already.
“I’m glad I got to meet Ms. Danica. After all the years I’ve been living here, this was my first time meeting her. She’s nice.”
“Yes, she is.”
“And I definitely appreciate this,” she said, holding up the bag of hot wings the older woman had given Swan to take home.
“I think she appreciated how much you enjoyed them.”
She chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
“What do you have planned for later?” he asked in a deep, husky tone that seemed to have dropped a purposeful octave.
He had taken her hand when they left Danica’s to walk to the taxi stand. The feel of his fingers entwined with hers had stirred something within her, something that grew with every step they took. She was aware of every detail about him as they walked together. Because of his long legs, more than once he had to slow his pace so she could keep up with him.
Swan could have walked home but figured he would suggest walking there with her. She was still cautious about letting him know where she lived. When she left Jamaica to begin living on her own, her mother had drilled into her the danger of letting a man know where you lived too soon. In her heart, Swan felt David was safe, but still...
“It’s near the end of the month and I need to work on the books for my accountant.” No need to mention she had tried doing that very thing today at work and hadn’t been able to concentrate for remembering their kiss from last night.
“How about dinner tomorrow night?” he asked her.
She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she broke eye contact with him and glanced down at the sidewalk. Hadn’t they seen each other enough these last few days? Where was this leading? Wasn’t he leaving the Keys in less than a month?
She glanced back at him. “Why? We’ve gone out twice already. I wouldn’t want to dominate your time.”
“You’re not. And the reason I want to take you out again is because I enjoy your company.”
She certainly enjoyed his. “Can I ask you something, David?”
He nodded. “Yes?” Considering her history with William, it was something she probably should have asked David before going out on their first date. She’d discovered the hard way that a man not wearing a wedding ring didn’t mean anything these days.
“What do you want to ask me, Swan?”
She met his gaze and hoped she would be able to see the truth in his eyes. “Do you have a wife or a significant other?”
Instead of guilt flashing in his eyes, she saw surprise. “No. I’m not married and I’ve never been married. I dated a woman for years but because of my frequent travels, she decided to end things. That was over six years ago.” He then leaned against a light post and asked, “What about you, Swan? Have you ever been married or is there a significant other?”
“Of course not.”
He nodded slowly. “Then I assume there is a reason you thought that maybe I was in a relationship?”
“I needed to be sure.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked at her as if tumbling her answer around in his head. “But like I said, I assume there is a reason you needed to know.”
“Yes.” However, she didn’t intend to go into any details.
“Well, rest assured there is not a Mrs. David Holloway out there anywhere. Nor is there any woman wearing my ring. Satisfied?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, a taxi pulled up. “Thanks for dinner again.” She was about to move toward the taxi when he reached out, took hold of her hand and tugged her to him. He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her quickly but soundly on the lips.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, his words a soft whisper against her wet lips.
“Tomorrow?” she asked in a daze from his kiss.
“Yes, we’re supposed to go over designs for the earrings, remember?”
It was hard to remember anything after a kiss like that. “Yes, I remember,” she said.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded, and when he opened the door for her, she quickly got into the taxi and headed home alone.
* * *
The moment Flipper entered his hotel room he went to the small refrigerator beneath the wet bar and pulled out a beer. Just then it didn’t matter that he’d already drank a couple at Danica’s. He needed another. There was just something about Swan that was getting to him, touching him on a level he wasn’t used to when it came to women. He had truly enjoyed her company tonight.
He and his SEAL teammates had just returned from a two-month mission in South Africa and more than anything he had needed to unwind. He would be home in Texas doing just that had he not been summoned to the admiral’s office.
So here he was, and although he was in Key West on official military business and he was supposed to be investigating Swan, he loved spending time with her.
Tonight, when she’d met Danica, it had been priceless. You would have thought Swan had met a Hollywood celebrity. He had sat there while the two women conversed, immediately as comfortable as old friends.
The sound of Swan’s voice had been maddeningly sexy with a tinge of sweetness that had stroked his senses. For the first time since returning to the States, he had allowed himself to uncoil, to loosen up and relax while appreciating the richness of her personality. Her persona was uniquely hers and the sensuality of her very being called to him in a primitive way.
And that wasn’t good.
Taking a huge swig of his beer, he switched his thoughts to what he should be focused on—what she’d told him about Jamila and Rafe. Remembering what she’d said, he pulled his phone out of the pocket of his shorts and with one click he connected to his friend Nick Stover.
“This better be good, Flipper. Natalie is taking an art class at the university tonight and I have babysitting duties.”
Flipper couldn’t help but smile. Like Bane, Nick had triplets and from the sound of the noise in the background, the triplets had him. “Stop whining. Taking care of a trio of three-year-olds can’t be too bad.”
“Then you come do it.”
“Sorry, I’m on assignment.”
“So I hear. In the Keys, right?”
He figured for Nick to know that much meant he’d either talked to Bane, Viper, Mac or Coop. “Yes, I’m in Key West.”
“While you’re there, be sure to stop by Danica’s. Give her a hug for me.”
“I did that already. Tonight, in fact.”
“Good.”
“I think she has more photos of the triplets than you do.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. So if you can’t be a backup babysitter, why are you calling?”
“When you arrive at your cushy job at Homeland Security tomorrow, there are two people I need you to check out for me. I’ve read naval intelligence reports on them, but something isn’t adding up. Call me a suspicious bastard, but after that situation with Bane, when those traitors within the agencies were exposed, I’m not taking any chances.”
He then told Nick about the discrepancies between what the reports said and what Swan had told him. “Somebody is lying. Either Jamila lied to Swan or someone falsified the report, and I want to know which it is.”