Had he really just said that? God, she hoped so. Two peach Bellini’s and she’d lost her damned mind.

Her sister Anika had given her that stun gun when she’d first started going to the university, and never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would use it. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to allow some strange man push around Miranda’s friend, he could have really hurt her. For the slightest second she’d been scared, then instinct had taken over and she’d had the weapon in her hand and the man was on the floor.

Okay, so she hadn’t defended Kenna because of the alcohol, she would have done it no matter what. But taking off her jacket, when she knew that her shirt was riding up and showing her belly button? Well, that was definitely the fault of the second peach Bellini. She’d thought her shirt was okay when she left the house, but as soon as she started to move at the club she’d realized it wasn’t staying in place so she was stuck with her jacket, but that thought flew out the window when she saw Gray.

So here she was in his arms, behaving like another woman, and loving every minute of it.

Thank God he was so strong, because he held her up when her legs turned to jelly. Not jelly, melted caramel. She clutched Gray’s neck and inhaled his scent as she found herself pressed against his chest.

She shook her head just a little, trying to clear it.

“Does that mean you want to stop dancing?” he asked as they swayed together.

“Huh?” Her eyes shot up at him for just a quick moment, then she looked back down at the floor. “Oh, no, I love dancing, at least with you. I don’t always like dancing, but with you, it’s great. Just not always.”

“Honey, just how much have you had to drink?”

“Two peach Bellinis,” she admitted.

“I thought I smelled peaches and raspberries.”

“The raspberries are from my shampoo.” She shifted so that she could get a better grip on him. He looked down at her with crystal clear blue eyes.

“How often do you drink?”

“I don’t know, once a quarter, maybe. I’m just feeling a little floaty. I couldn’t have stunned idiot-boy if I was drunk, that took a little bit of focus and eye-hand coordination. But my inhibitions are lowered enough to appreciate how you look in your jeans and ask you to dance.”

Riya slammed her face into his chest. Was it possible to smother herself in his shirt? She’d never heard of death by cotton, but she’d been the first in her class, why couldn’t she be the first one in the world to kill herself this way?

She heard a low hum of laughter at the same time that she felt it against her cheek.

“So you like how I look in my jeans, huh?”

“A gentleman would have pretended he didn’t hear that.”

Gray moved her around the dance floor and then whispered in her ear. “You’re right, a gentleman would not remind you of what you said.” Gray slowed them down and once again they were swaying in place. Riya felt his thumb move. Just a little, then a little more. Then he began to draw intimate circles on the small of her back. It took everything in her not to shudder. Riya looked up and saw Gray watching her. The man knew the havoc he was wreaking.

“Can I tell you how much I like your shampoo? I think raspberries are the perfect metaphor for you, tart and sweet.”

Gray Tyler spoke directly to her feminine core. Riya had seen him sitting off with Kenna and Miranda’s husbands and there he’d seemed safe enough, but boy had she’d figured that wrong. Dex and Griff were cuddly teddy bears compared to Gray.

How long was this dance going to last?

Forever if she had anything to say about it. Somewhere in her hormone saturated brain she thought she heard the singer say something about a dress hitting the floor and the world going black. Riya felt her nipples tighten. Was it the song? Or was she picturing herself wearing a dress that Gray would peel off her body?

Gray applied the smallest bit of pressure and she swayed closer against his rock hard frame.

Am I out of my mind?

Why had Gray stopped moving? Darn it all, she’d liked the way their bodies had swayed and flowed together. Why were they standing still?

“The band’s taking a break, Riya,” Gray whispered softly.

That was when she realized everyone was leaving the dance floor. The music had stopped. She blushed. How had she missed it?

“I better get back to the girls.” She pulled her hands away from his neck, but he didn’t let her go.

“How are you getting home tonight?”

“Patty and I are sharing an Uber, why?”

“Then I was thinking I could spirit you away from the crowd and arrange for another Peach Bellini for you. I’d offer to pay, but they’re on the house.”

Riya giggled before she could stop herself and Gray raised an eyebrow in question.

“What?”

She bit her lip. “It’s nothing. Why don’t you tell me why the drinks are on the house.”

“Why don’t you tell me why you’re giggling.”

“Miranda and Kenna were right. You are a mother hen. She said that you outdid their husbands in spades.”

He finally released her from his embrace, but kept his hand on her lower back as he began to escort her off the dance floor.

“Interesting. I’m going to have to disagree, though. If anyone’s ass is warm enough to hatch an egg, it would be Dex Evans.”

Gray stopped as Riya stood in place, trying to stop her laughter. “Can I tell Kenna you said that?” she finally asked.

“I would be heartbroken if you didn’t.”

Riya smiled up at him as he continued to move them toward another part of the cavernous bar. “Now tell me why the drinks are on the house.”

“There was a bit of an altercation over at the eighties bar. The guys and I took care of it, so the bouncers decided to set you up.”

“What happened?” Riya persisted. “What kind of altercation?”

It was obvious he didn’t want to tell the full story. As a matter of fact, he looked a little bit uncomfortable. Riya liked it, because God knows, she’d been feeling off kilter since he’d started tracing circles on her back.

“Just some drunken joker who needed to prove his love…with a gun.”

Riya stumbled, but Gray was there to keep her upright.

“A gun? Are you serious?”

“I wish I weren’t.”

Riya rapidly flipped through everything she had seen and heard during the last two hours while at San Diego’s popular new dancehall. It was a huge complex, with three different bar areas and two separate dance floors. She’d heard yelling from the opposite side of the building, and what she’d thought had been the crack of chairs being broken. At that same time, the three military weren’t at their table.

“Let me get this straight. Are you saying those were gunshots that I heard, and not something else like I originally thought?”

Gray gave a slow nod.

The alcohol began to lift. “Interesting,” she said slowly. “I heard some yelling as well, but no sirens. Is it safe to assume that you and your men were able to disarm this man who was trying to ‘prove his love’?”

Gray’s lips twitched.

“How do you know they are my men? Did Miranda tell you that they work for me?”

“She didn’t say your rank, but I know that Griff is a POFC in a small SEAL team. They’d been talking about you earlier and said that you were the leader. That would make you the lieutenant, ergo, you.”

“Ergo?” Gray’s lip twitched.

“I know, I know,” Riya waved her hand. “I always get teased for using that word. But I like using the right words when they fit the situation.”

“Well, Ms. Patel, you have surmised correctly. I am Lieutenant Tyler. What else have you accurately deduced?”

“I like that word too,” Riya grinned. She looked down as he clasped her hand. So cool, they were holding hands. There was so much to like. “Deduced, it just sounds good coming off your lips.”

“I kind of like the word lips,” Gray said as he continued to walk with her.

“Shhh, I’m deducing. Kind of like Sherlock Holmes.” But now she was looking at his lips. Come on Riya, play detective. He raised his eyebrow for her to continue.

“Now this next part is conjecture, mind you.”

He nodded.

“You, Dex and Griff were gone when I heard loud sounds that must have been the gunshots from the drunken joker. I am assuming you took him out in such a way that the police were only required to scoop him up and take him away. That must have been the reason why I didn’t hear any sirens. If I had to take another guess, you’re less than pleased that any shots were fired at all.”

Gray had been slowing down with every word she uttered until they finally came to a complete stop.

“Am I right?”

Riya realized he was looking at her with an expression that she couldn’t read, hardly a new sensation for her. Damn it, had she blown it? Was he thinking she was a freak because she could figure it out? She should know better than to act like some kind of know-it-all.

When will I learn?

Gray nodded solemnly. “You were right on the money, perfect marks. Something tells me you’re used to getting perfect marks.”

“Great, I got perfect marks,” she sighed.

Yep, she should have kept her mouth shut. She’d ruined it again. But seriously, did she have to screw things up just minutes after he’d whispered sweet nothings in her ear? Her eyes felt gritty and she blinked fast. He’d even used the word deduced.

Riya looked over at her table. She could see the girls watching them with curiosity. He followed her glance.

Gray pulled his hand from hers and slid it to her waist as he subtly turned her away from the bachelorette table. Riya looked up into his face but he was intent on guiding them through the crowd so that she wasn’t jostled. Riya marveled that Gray managed to find the one open tall table against a wall next to the pool tables, in a corner that was relatively quiet.

“This okay?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Riya answered with wonder. “I thought you were going to head for the hills,” she admitted softly. He was smiling, was that a good sign?

His blue eyes held hers, the eye contact making her feel uncomfortable. “Does that happen a lot?”

“Yes.” She felt a sting and realized she was biting her lip. She sighed and decided to come clean. “But this time it would have mattered.”

A red-headed waitress with a competent air appeared and Gray handed her the empty glasses that had cluttered the table.

“What would you like?” she asked Riya with a wide smile.

“Sparkling water with lime, if it isn’t too much of a problem,” Riya requested.

“Easy enough, Sweetie.” She didn’t write it down. Riya guessed that she’d been waitressing most of her life, and she looked like she enjoyed it. How great was that?

“And you, Tough Guy? You get to choose from the top of the shelf. Loved your take down. I’m betting military, not cop. Am I right?”

Riya watched as Gray gave her an easy grin. “Why are you betting on military?”

“My husband’s a cop. He would have stuck around to talk to the police. You and your buddies left it to our crew.”

“Navy,” Gray confirmed. “I’ll take a sparkling water too, but just to keep you guessing, how about lemon? What’s your name?”

“Rosie.”

“I’m Gray, this is Riya,” he smiled as he introduced them.

“Nice to meet you. I think I can keep your drinks straight,” she winked and sidled through the crowd to the next table.

Riya settled on the edge of the tall seat, resting her forearms on the table, and played with the coaster. Gray covered her hands and that was when she noticed she’d started to tear the thing into confetti.

“I thought we established I wasn’t running for the hills? As a matter of fact I culled you from the herd so we could get to know one another better.”

Her lips twitched. “Interesting phrase. Do many of the women you meet like being compared to cows?”

Gray laughed. He had a great laugh.

“I’ve got to admit, that wasn’t my smoothest line. So, are you part of the wedding party?”

“Bridesmaid number forty-seven.”

Gray looked over her shoulder as Rosie came back to the table.

“Here’s your water,” Rosie said with a flourish as she set down two wine glasses. “Do you want me to pour?” She set the green bottle of Italian sparkling spring water along with a bowl of lemon and limes.

“I think I’ll do the honors,” Gray answered.

“Okay, I’ll be back to check on you in a few.”

“We’re definitely getting the V.I.P. treatment.” Riya noted. “Just how bad was the ‘little altercation’?” she asked, using air quotes.

“On a scale of one to ten, it didn’t even make it onto the scale,” Gray said seriously as he filled her glass.

She considered what he said, and immediately decided she needed to read up on Navy SEAL operations.

“What would make it on the scale?” she asked.

“Bridesmaid forty-seven? Sounds like it’s going to be a big wedding.”

“Got it, no more talking about work,” Riya laughed.

“We could talk about yours. What does liaising with TAID entail? What exactly do you do?”

Damn, couldn’t this wait until the second date?

“Riya?” Gray prompted with a lazy smile.

She sighed.

“I’m a scientist. One of my doctorates is in Molecular Virology, and I spend a lot of time in the lab trying to get a handle on arenavirus molecular and cell biology. Maybe we can go back to me describing my bridesmaid dress? Wouldn’t that be more interesting?”

“Mmmm, my choice is lilac colored chiffon or what I can remember from the not so fun part of high school biology? I think I need to call Rosie back and ask for a beer. Then again, I’m not sure I want my brain too foggy with a woman with two doctorates. Please tell me it’s only two,” Gray pleaded with a sinful smile. He then gently pulled yet another coaster out of her hands.

She started to relax. “It’s only two,” she assured him.

“Good. I think if you’d said three I would have started having an inferiority complex.”

“Do you need anything else?” Rosie asked them as she passed by their table.

“I’m good, how about you Riya?”

“I think I’m good, too.”

“You are definitely a couple of steps up from good.” Gray enjoyed watching a soft blush wash over her face. “So, I’m guessing you can’t really talk about what you’re working on right now since it’s with Miranda, right?”

“Right.”

“Do you like working with her?”

Riya’s eyes lit up. “Hell yeah. She’s kick-ass.”

“Have you seen her in action? From what Griff tells me, on rare occasions she has been known to eviscerate someone who’s tried to undermine a project she’s in charge of.”

“Susan calls it the Porter Surgical Strike.”

“I like it,” Gray said admiringly.

“I’ve only seen her do it once. The woman deserved it. She’d been undermining one of the men on our project for months, but he’d never said anything. We were in a staff meeting when it became obvious what she was doing. In three sentences Miranda handed this woman her ass. Miranda was professionally contemptuous, and you could see this woman shrink in her seat. She stuttered out an apology to Bill. It was beautiful.”

“Did this woman ever try to undermine you?” Gray asked.

“She tried. But I’m not as easy of a target as I look. More than that, she couldn’t really understand what I was working on, so there was no way she could try to take credit for what I was doing.”

“So what’s your second doctorate in?”

“Microbiology.”

“Were you always a science geek?” Gray immediately regretted his teasing question when he saw Riya pick up another random coaster off the table. He knew she was going to start ripping it to pieces.

“Hey, Steven Hawking is one of my idols.” He smiled as he pulled one of her hands across the table and forced her to drop the coaster. Gray rubbed his thumb along the line between her heart and life lines. “The way your head line curves, you’re a creative thinker who imagines many approaches and outcomes to a situation. Is that you, Riya?”

She tried to pull her hand away, but he continued his gentle hold. “I wouldn’t have thought a military man would read palms. How do you know the characteristics of the head line?” He watched her hunch her shoulders.

He continued to caress her palm. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I’m not upset,” she protested. “Why do you like Steven Hawking?” Riya questioned.

“Are you changing the subject?”

She hunched her shoulders further and shook her head, her long black hair flew around her, shielding her face.

“I guess.”

“I read A Brief History of Time. Some of it made sense, some of it didn’t but most of it made me think of things in a much broader context. Then I watched the movie The Theory of Everything and realized how that disease was ravaging his body…” Gray shook his head. “He was an amazing man.”

Riya smiled. “You’re right. I met Dr. Hawking once. His spirit is overwhelming.”

“Now will you tell me what I did to upset you?”

She gave him a wry smile. “I have issues,” she admitted. “I guess questions sometimes feel intrusive. It reminds me of when I was little and all the tests they used to administer.”

“What tests?” he asked gently.

“I.Q. tests,” she sighed.

Again she tugged at her hand. This time he released it and watched her cup her water glass with both hands that trembled ever so slightly.

“Sounds a little like Sniper training. You’re tested all the damned time. I’ve never been through such intense training and testing in my life.”

He watched as she relaxed enough to pick up her glass and take a sip of water. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. Less than half of us would graduate, and trust me it was a rigorous selection process to get in.”

She smiled slowly. It was a punch in the gut. “But you graduated.”

Gray nodded.

“So you’re a sniper and a lieutenant?”

“Yep. Are you a genius?”

She grinned. “Because I figured out you were a sniper? Yep.”

“So you’re a smartass and a genius. My favorite combination. Tell me about your testing.” Gray encouraged as he refilled her glass. “Why was it so bad?”

“My parents were first generation Americans. They came from Bangladesh and didn’t understand the Californian school system, and were confused by some of the things the teachers were telling them. In their defense, I think they were getting conflicting information. This started when I was in kindergarten. It took a while before they were able to navigate the school system and get me properly tested.”

“How did they figure it out in the end?”

“Because nobody could agree on anything, they left me in normal classes, so by second grade I began acting out and I was flagged as having behavioral problems.”

“That must have been tough,” he commiserated.

Her dark eyes sparkled. “Actually there were times I made the most of it. If I was expected to act out, I really acted out.”

“How old were you?”

“I was seven,” she said.

“So how did seven-year-old Riya act out?”

He couldn’t wait to hear this.

“We used nothing but pencils to turn in our work, right?”

Gray nodded.

“One day I managed to hide in the coat closet while everyone else went to recess. I erased everyone’s name off the papers they’d handed into the teacher.”

Gray laughed. He loved it.

“Did you have your hair in a long dark braid?”

Riya’s eyes got wide. “How’d you know?”

“I could just picture it. You were probably the picture of innocence, nothing but beautiful black hair and big black eyes. Did they suspect you?”

“Not Mrs. Ayers, but the counselor did. But he couldn’t prove it.” She squeezed another slice of lime into her water. “Luckily, my second grade teacher graduated from UCLA, so she was affiliated with the California University systems. She ended up getting me correctly tested at UC San Diego. She worked with my parents and walked them through the system.”

“Was it overwhelming?”

“My parents got really excited when they found out I could be part of a research study, so yeah, it was a lot of testing. I absolutely despised the exams, but once I got into the meat of the classes, I thrived. Not every child did.”

Riya’s eyes got wide with surprise. “I’ve never shared all of this with anyone outside of work. What kind of palm reading magic did you do?”

“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be magic.”

Riya gave him a considering look. “I’m thinking the real magic is that you’re nice.”

Hell, the last time he’d been called that had probably been as a child. At eighteen he’d entered the Naval Academy and left there a man and an officer. Later he became a SEAL.

Nice? That hardly entered into it.

Good. He strove to be a good man. Hell, not even Felicia, who he’d lived with for two years had called him nice. When they’d split, and they’d split on fucking great terms, she hadn’t called him nice. Nope, she’d called him impeccably fair.

“You still with me?” Riya asked.

“I’m just trying to get over the fact you called me nice,” he admitted. “I’m trying to determine if I like it or not.”

“I meant it in a good way, if it matters.”

She was adorable. Then she bit her lip. Next thing she’d be reaching for a coaster. “I know you meant it in a nice way.” Gray gave her his best smile.

“Whoa, your smile sure does pack a punch.” She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “If you don’t like being called a nice guy, how should I describe you?”

“Let’s not pigeonhole one another. I say we take some time to get to know each another.”

“How much time?”

It was fun seeing her back to flirting. “Well we’re almost done with this bottle of water, want to go for another?” Gray asked.

She sat up straight and shook her head. “I’ll end up floating out of here if I have any more. What else do you have?”

Oh yeah, the sparkle in those black eyes had him thinking all kinds of naughty things. “I can think of something. How about if we discuss my ideas as I get you back to your friends?”

“Sure, we can head back,” she said as she quickly hid her disappointment behind a bright smile. It reassured him that his next step was the right one.

Riya slid off the high stool. “I’ve probably been gone long enough. You want to lead the way?” she asked. She waved her arm to indicate he step ahead of her.

“I was hoping you’d let me lead.” Gray trailed his fingers from the inside of her elbow down to the tips of her fingers, watching her shudder. “Let’s not hurry,” he said as he sidestepped her outstretched hand and pushed into her personal space. He bent toward her so they were almost nose to nose. She looked down at the floor. Her sudden shyness intrigued him.

“Lead where?”

“First there was dancing, then there was conversation, I have an idea for the next step in our getting to know one another sequence.”

Her eyes widened beneath her thick lashes. “I do a lot of sequencing in my job. In fact, I really enjoy it. Will this be as fun as dealing with next-generation sequencers?”

Gray barked out a laugh. “I’ll give it my best shot.”

He traced his knuckles from the top of her cheek, down the silky trail to her jaw, then he moved his thumb so that it tested the tantalizing plump softness of her lower lip.

Riya looked up, watched him intently. Then he moved his palm so he could cup her jaw. She was so delicate. His little finger caressed the shell of her ear and she let out the smallest cry of need as her eyelids fluttered shut. Riya swayed against him and he felt the stiff rasp of her nipples between their clothes.

God, she was killing him, and he hadn’t even tasted her.

“Gray?” She whispered his name and it was flavored with lime and another essence that he couldn’t define, but he needed to explore.

“I’m here,” he assured her. Then he touched his lips to hers.

For some reason he couldn’t fathom, Riya was tentative. All of the sass and confidence that she’d exhibited on the dance floor had deserted her, but Riya’s innate sultry heat shone through. Her arms crept up his chest and then higher. Gray shuddered as her warm hands crafted magic against his skin. He felt like he had slipped into a dark night where only the two of them existed.

His eyes opened as she whimpered.

He curled his arms around her and walked her backwards so that she was ensconced in a dark corner, hiding her behind his big body.

She’d caught fire. He traced his tongue along the seam of Riya’s plush lips, and she welcomed him inside. Heat exploded and he tasted the flavor of her passion.

Arousal hit Gray low and hard. It took everything he had not to lift her up and wind her legs around his hips. Where was his calm? Where was his composure?

Shot to shit, that’s where.

He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting for a semblance of control. When his head stopped spinning, Gray stroked a soothing hand down the side of Riya’s trembling body. It took long moments for her to come back to herself. Thank the good Lord he wasn’t the only one in a state of extreme need.

“Uhmm,” she murmured as she rested her head against his chest. “Sequence?” she finally croaked out.

Gray smoothed his hand down her long, silky black hair. “That got out of hand. I’m sorry.”

Her head jerked up, her eyes wounded. “You are? You’re sorry?” She gave him a forlorn look.

“I’m not sorry for kissing you,” he said. “I’m sorry that something so passionate, so intimate, wasn’t done in a private place.”

“Oh.” Her smile was slow to come, but when it did, it dazzled. “We should arrange some private time.”

His mind boggled at the thought as his hands moved up to rest on her shoulders. “Honey, I think we need to take things a little slower than that. Do you have a date to Susan and Mike’s wedding?”

She shook her head.

“Would you like to be mine?”

She nodded her head.

“Good answer.”

“Do I get another kiss?” she asked hopefully.

He touched the end of her nose. “Not here. Not now.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” she pouted.

“That’s because you’re a genius. Now why don’t you give me your address.”

Riya fumbled with her cross-body purse. He stayed her hand. “Just tell me. I’ll remember.”

She rattled off an address in a trendy neighborhood west of San Diego.

“Got it. Now let me take you back to the ladies before they send out a search party.”

“Oh my God, you’re totally right.”