SEAL the Deal Read online

  “Teach me,” Her throaty tequila and lemon breath and throaty voice were sexy as hell. The longing in her face broke his heart. He knew for certain then that Devon was a virgin. But he bet she’d suffered trauma too. He beckoned and she obeyed, getting near enough to touch his chest if she wanted. His knees were splayed to the sides as he remained seated on the couch.

  “Hands here.” He placed her palms against his chest. One of his hands held the back of her head. “Head back a little.” She leaned away from him and let him support her head. “Lick your lips, Devon.”

  She tried to lean back and pushed against his chest. He angled a look at her and she relaxed.

  “Can we get this over with?” she finally said. He could tell she was feigning indifference. It looked more like she was nearly paralyzed with fear.

  “We certainly can. So. Resume the position.”

  She put her hands on his chest again and he felt the wonderful electricity of the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. He began to feel her come alive as she touched him. She licked her lips and slowly leaned her head back into the cradle of his palm.

  “Open your mouth, Devon, just a little.”

  She was awkward and glared at him for a second.

  “And close your eyes, please.”

  She shut them and mechanically opened her mouth like she was a marionette. He felt her shaking like a leaf.

  He stood and allowed his chest to come in contact with hers. Pressing against her breasts he brushed his fingers over her cheek, following with a thumb on her lower lip. With a slow exhale, he bent down, and met the flesh of her lips with his.

  He didn’t press. He didn’t probe. He let her feel the strength and resolve of his passion, waited for her discover her own as it rose within her.

  And she did. She leaned into him, pressing their lips together as she took a breath and then pressed again. The woman was starved for affection. He felt her nipples tighten under the cotton T-shirt. He could practically feel the pheromones rising to her skin and sneaking around to entangle him. He kissed his way to her ear, down her throat, and then back to her waiting lips. Her fingers had at first dug into his pecs, but now her hands slipped up around his neck as she pulled his head into hers. He dropped his hands to the back of her waist, desperately wanted to pull her groin into his, but he stopped at her waist. If she was alert enough, and he thought she might be, she might feel his erection looming.

  He kept a safe distance so as not to scare her. They ended the kiss with her palms pressed against his cheeks as she searched his eyes. He’d opened the doorway all right. The lady had a need maybe as strong as his own. But he had an idea she was feeling it for the first time, or just recognizing it for the first time.

  He dipped his head to give her another kiss and she immediately backed away.

  Damn.

  She quickly turned, but not before he saw she was wiping tears from her eyes.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Wow. Just wow,” she said as she stared at the door, arms wrapped around herself with her back to him. Nick sat back down on the couch and watched as she slowly turned in his direction again. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Thank you would be nice. But you can also tell me to go to Hell if you feel like it.” Nick smiled at the flush on her cheeks, the way her neck got red and blotchy, the fact that her hands fluttered in the air without anything to do. He loved watching her float on the cloud of passion, as she realized that she wanted to experience more.

  And all he could do right now was watch and hope that her passion would continue to fully bloom for him.

  Chapter 9

  “You can stash your things in there,” Nick pointed to the second bedroom down the hallway from Sophie’s. “Best to rest up. Tomorrow will be a killer of a day.”

  She was feeling tired, but her back and neck were sore. She rubbed her shoulders and let her head roll from side to side.

  “Go set your things down, and then I’ll give you a neck rub, get you all ready for bed. I guarantee you won’t know what hit you.”

  She did as she was instructed yet paused to lean against the doorway and study him on her way back. “You must be exhausted too, Nick. I think I’ll just slip into bed. Thanks for the offer, though.”

  He was looking straight ahead, having left a spot on the couch for her to sit.

  “Come here.” He beckoned again with his fingers.

  “I’m okay. Really. You don’t have to do that.”

  “Remember, I can make you fall asleep so fast you won’t know what hit you. Honest.” He walked around to where she was standing and grabbed her hand and led her to the couch before gently pushing her down to sit.

  Nick sat right next to her. His hands tenderly found the top of her spine and he began to press. The pressure was so pleasurable, Devon thought she’d see stars. The rhythmic motion of his fingers rolled and cajoled the soft flesh between the ridges in her spine and neck. She felt herself leaning backward and to the left. Against him.

  Devon awoke sometime after midnight with a start. At first, she loved the feel of the warm chest underneath her, and then she realized she was sleeping on top of Nick. His hands were wrapped around her back and waist and a light blanket had been pulled over their legs.

  She arched up.

  “Hey there,” he whispered. “Have a good sleep?”

  She sat up as Nick adjusted his legs to allow her feet to hit the floor. He remained prone, one huge arm underneath his head. She could see his eyes twinkling in the moonlight, as well as the outline of his lips. The ocean she’d been hearing in her dream was his breathing.

  “I guess you weren’t kidding about the shoulder rubs. Sorry I doubted you,” she said before she could stop herself.

  “You were out in less than 5 minutes. And, just so you know, I didn’t try anything. I was a perfect gentleman.” She could see the Cheshire grin glowing back at her.

  “How would I know?” she challenged.

  “You wouldn’t. But I would. I don’t do that.”

  Well, there was the end of that conversation.

  “Dev,”

  “Devon.”

  “Back to that again? Okay, Devon, you have a big day tomorrow. Why don’t you run to the bedroom and finish your sleep on a real bed?”

  “I should.” The harshness of her comment about her name got to her a bit and she felt herself soften. “I’m sorry I’m so disagreeable sometimes.”

  “You are a handful, I’ll give you that.”

  “I don’t mean to be difficult, but I want my boundaries respected.”

  He was nodding in the moonlight. Perhaps he was staring at the ceiling.

  “Sounds like someone with trust issues, or someone who has been hurt by someone. Were you hurt by someone, Devon?”

  “No,” she said too quickly. There wouldn’t be any further discussion of her past.

  “Go run along. I’ll get you up early and we’ll make Sophie a nice breakfast.”

  She had an idea. Probably not very wise, but it was an idea. “Nick, if you promise to completely behave yourself, I mean no touchy and stuff, you can come in and sleep on the bed next to me.”

  “I’m fine here,” he said.

  “Well it can’t be very comfortable, and here I was pressing against you—“

  “I didn’t mind that one bit.”

  Of course. You walked right into that one, Devon.

  “Besides,” he added, “this couch is way more comfortable than the cots and dirt floors I’ve had to sleep on. Almost a luxury.”

  She shook her head. “How do you do all that?”

  “All what?”

  “All that stuff over there. The killing, the danger, all the fear. How do you sleep?”

  “Very carefully. Many days we don’t. We catch it when we can, when someone is looking out for us.”

  “So that’s how the Team buddy thing works, then.”

  “Yup. We watch out for each other. We listen for signs of d
anger. We develop a sixth sense about it. If you don’t feel the danger before it comes, then it kills you. So you either feel it and react, or you’re dead.”

  “I don’t understand how you can take it.”

  “Well, you drive along the freeway, right? You see shops and buildings at the sides. You watch other drivers. You look for bad drivers. You look behind you and to the sides so you know where you are at all times. You see billboards, listen to things on the radio, watch the clock and you’re alert when you drive, right?”

  “Right.”

  “That’s how we do it. Except we’re trained to look for other kinds of danger, and deal with them without thinking.”

  “But doesn’t it bother you?”

  “What?”

  “The killing, the stuff you’ve seen.”

  “You see stuff every day on the news and read about stuff in the paper every day that’s even worse. Evil lives all over the world. We’re trained to contain only a part of it. We’re trained so we don’t have to think about it. We just act. And hope to God we got the message in time.”

  “I’m not sure I could do that.”

  Nick smoothed a hand over her shoulder and down her back in a neutral way without a sexual overtone. “And so that’s why I’m here. So you don’t have to do that. So you can go to the mall, drive cars, sell houses, go to the movies and have a life. We protect that way of life. And we love doing it. For you guys.”

  Devon began to tear up. She was so sad that this man was going to lose the only family member he had left. And in spite of all his training, his strength, his can-do attitude, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to prevent it.

  “Offer’s still open.” She took his hand and held it between both of hers. “If you’ll behave, you can share the bed.”

  “No can do, Devon.” His piercing look was unmistakable. At first the realization was frightening, and then it made her glow inside.

  After Devon left, Nick knew he’d get restless sleep. He programmed himself to wake up at 05:00, to shower and be ready to wake her up in case she overslept.

  Then he stared out the window at a nearly full moon just beginning to slip behind Bennett Peak. He wished he believed in God. Maybe it would be a good time to start thinking about that so that when Sophie passed, he might be able to somehow connect with her, God willing. Armando’s mom, Felicia Guzman, prayed to her God all the time and just about everything she’d prayed about came to pass. So maybe he could adopt hers.

  He decided to try it.

  Okay, Sir. If you’re there, please get things ready for Sophie. She’s a pistol and she swears too much, but she has a good heart. Protect her until I can come and relieve you, if that’s how it works.

  He listened to see if God left him some sign and was disappointed to find nothing. But he felt better. Just a little. Then he prayed to Mama Guzman’s God to help his heart be strong for the coming days.

  And to melt Devon’s.

  Chapter 10

  Nick and Marc were taking instructions from Sophie when Devon got a call about the property. It was odd that it came on her cell phone, but she picked it up anyway.

  “Ms. Brandeburg, we’ve never met,” the heavily accented voice on the other end of the line continued, “but I represent an interested party in your nursery listing.”

  “That’s wonderful. I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”

  “Ulysses Silva. I was wondering if I could come by later this afternoon.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Silva. As the listing says, we’re not open for showings until after the weekend. We’re getting everything ready for showing.”

  “But I must insist. I believe my client wants to make an offer tonight.”

  “Well, that won’t be possible. I’d be happy to entertain an offer, but we want to give the property the right exposure, and right now it doesn’t look as good as it will.”

  “What if you don’t have to do all that work? What if my client will do all the cleanup?”

  Devon was wary of an offer from a broker she didn’t know. And she never liked it when the buyer was doing all the pushing. Sophie was indeed in a financial bind, as she’d finally admitted to her and Nick this morning, but there wasn’t any reason to make her appear desperate.

  “I’ll talk to my client. Can I reach you back at this number?”

  “Please understand, Ms. Brandeburg, we are very interested in the property and are willing to pay significantly more than the asking price for it.”

  That got Devon’s attention.

  “I see. Well let me speak to her, and I’ll call you back later this afternoon if I can.”

  “I understand she is very ill.”

  This definitely raised hackles on Devon’s neck. “That’s not something I’m willing to discuss, Mr. Silva. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy getting ready for our big sale.”

  “Sale?”

  “We’re having a big plant sale extravaganza this weekend. Get rid of all the inventory and declutter what’s here.”

  “You are closing down the sales office, then?”

  “Well, not right away, but yes, unless a new owner wants to keep everything.”

  “This is a possibility.”

  Somehow, Devon didn’t trust this caller. But she had to discuss the next right action with Sophie, and perhaps Nick too. The eagerness of this man’s desire for the property without asking any of the questions the potential buyers usually asked—like the output of the well, the profit and loss of the business, or the value of the inventory—felt off. Her gut feeling was that this buyer wasn’t real. They hadn’t even gotten the pest report, or well and septic testing.

  “You know we’ve had a lot of interest.”

  “That surprises me.”

  “Well, we have. I need to go. You will hear from me this afternoon.” Devon hung up.

  She decided to go speak with Sophie, who was outside with Nick and Marc, planning out the scope of work.

  “Those annuals are looking pretty sad. We can put a little fish emulsion on them and see if they perk up. Anything that doesn’t, gets put in the trash bin behind the shop. Garbage pickup is on Fridays, thank God. Haven’t filled it in months.”

  She was instructing for Marc to move wooden boxed trees when Nick noted the look on Devon’s face.

  “Something wrong?”

  “I just got the strangest call. The guy says he has a buyer,” Devon began, but Sophie overheard and had turned.

  “Already?” Sophie exclaimed.

  “Yes. He wants to come over today. I told him we were getting ready for a big cleanup, but he was rather obnoxious about coming over before anyone else could.”

  Sophie straightened, sparks shooting out of her eyes. “Did he have an accent?” she demanded.

  Devon forced herself not to back away from Sophie’s intensity. “Yes, he did.”

  “You know who I’ll bet it is?” Sophie had her hands on her hips. “That dipshit neighbor of mine.” She pointed to the vineyard on her right. “He’s been after me to sell for a couple of years now.”

  “Really? Sophie, you never told me about this. He’s got practically the whole valley. Having this strip of land wouldn’t do him any good,” Nick added.

  “I’ve got a commercial well, hundred gallons a minute. I think he wants the water for his vineyard.”

  Devon nodded. “I didn’t think of that. Doesn’t he have water on his land?”

  “You go over there and look at the wells he’s dug as close to the property line as possible. He’s been trying to tap into mine for months now. I’m guessing he hasn’t succeeded. And he can’t improve or expand his vineyard without more water.”

  Nick whistled. “So the water rights are more valuable than the property? Maybe we need to rethink this, Devon.”

  “It’s just one factor, but isn’t the whole thing,” Devon began. “I think we should do what gives us the best opportunities to reach the largest number of potential buyers. Putting our eggs in one
basket doesn’t seem wise. I say we stay the course, but Sophie, it’s up to you.”

  “It will be a cold day in hell before I’d ever sell to that asshole. He hasn’t played nice since he bought the vineyard. A bully, if you ask me.”

  “I’ll bet that’s what he’s after, Soph. That might pay off for you. Why not use it for your advantage?” Nick had his hands on his hips, the sunlight doing all kinds of sparkly things to the sweat around his collar and his upper lip.

  “And that means he’ll level this place. I’d like to save it for someone who will work it, turn it into the beautiful nursery I envisioned,” Sophie said.

  “But Soph,” Nick began, “who cares if he’ll give you a good price?”

  “I don’t care about a good price. I just want enough to pay the debts and a little extra for you two. It’s not like I’m going to be around here for ten years to spend it?”

  Nick nodded his head and looked at Devon. She did, after all, have a point. This was the story of Sophie’s life. Too stubborn and principled to live in society without rocking the boat and occasionally getting tossed overboard.

  But that was why Devon loved her so much.

  They’d been working all day repairing the ripped sunshade and tossing dead plants. Devon was wearing one of Nick’s old SEAL Team 3 hats. The guys ordered a pizza from a local delivery, with a salad for Devon. Sophie tried a little cottage cheese, but Devon found her throwing it up behind one of the sheds an hour later.

  They had a pile of plastic containers and six-packs several feet tall. Marc was shoveling the dead plant material into a wheelbarrow. Sophie had been watering nonstop, and Devon knew something was bothering her.

  Devon and Nick were sorting plants and deadheading.

  “Never thought I’d enjoy doing this kind of work,” he said.

  “Know what you mean. Even with the gloves, though, my hands are a mess.”

  “I rather like your hands, Miss Devon.”

  “So now it’s Miss Devon?” she said tilting her cap up off her forehead. “I guess that’s a good compromise. Better than Dev, anyway.”

  “Sort of makes you sound matronly, though, doesn’t it?” Nick said.