Smooth Moves

by Marie Harte

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “Yes, but I’m your idiot. You have to keep me. No one else will.”

  That he believed that nonsense bothered the heck out of her. “You’re gorgeous, strong, and smart, and you protect people. Women are always eyeballing you, and everyone at work is in mourning because you’re not there bossing them around.”

  “Yeah?”

  She smiled against his chest. “Don’t sound so happy about it. Even Smith was more mopey today than usual.”

  “God, don’t mention him.”

  “You have to deal with him sometime.”

  “Yes, but not today.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Today is just for us.”

  “Help me up, would you?”

  She got them both into a sitting position. When he patted his lap, she straddled his thighs and sat carefully so she could look into his eyes when she set the rules.

  “Now, you shush and listen to me.” She stared him down, waiting for him to nod. “I love you. Period. That means the good parts and the bad parts. And you said you loved me back.”

  “I—”

  “Save all questions ’til the end, Marine.”

  He smiled and remained quiet.

  “I’m not immature, irresponsible, or unintelligent. I make up my own mind, and I’m decisive. I’ve decided I want you. No one else. So this is what happens. We start living together. We make choices together. We talk, and when we argue—and with us, it’ll be a lot—we always go to bed happy, no arguments between us. Good?”

  He nodded. “Yes. I think—”

  “Shut up.” She bit her lip to contain her smile, especially when he frowned. “Swear to God, talk about failure to follow simple instructions.”

  He rolled his eyes, and she snickered.

  “Now, as I was saying. This relationship is about respect. We’ve had this conversation, so I’m going to drop it. I say what I mean. No passive-aggressive crap is allowed in our relationship.”

  “Thank God.”

  “I’ll allow that.” She gave him a look, and he quieted but remained smiling. “I want us to be equals. That means we share money, we share chores, and we share bodies. I like fucking you.”

  He gave her the goofiest grin.

  “I like loving you too. So no more talking down about yourself. If I can get over being unsure of myself for the first time in forever, then you can get over feeling like a loser. I don’t date losers. And I sure as hell won’t marry one.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Still talking. Friggin’ Marine.”

  He ran his hand over her thigh.

  “Stop that. You’re in no condition for nookie.”

  He looked so sad she had to laugh. “No BJs either, not until you take a few days to heal. Then I’ll blow your mind, okay?”

  “How about cuddling?”

  “Fine. Now shut up. I’m almost done.”

  He nodded.

  “Cash, I love you. We both have issues, and together, we’ll work them out. We will fight. We will make up. But we have to be open to screwing up. Note I’m tell this as much to myself as I am to you. It’s tough not being the best right now. I’m a sucky civilian. But I can be a better one. I gave up my dream of retiring from the Army when I left. Now I need to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. But whatever I do, I want to do it next to you.”

  “Okay, Ms. Bossy. I’m done shutting up.”

  “Must have killed you to be quiet for all of four seconds,” she muttered, thoroughly in love with her Marine.

  “You love me. I love you. But you need to know what you’re getting. I’ll never cheat on you. I’ll never betray you. I’ll try really hard not to lie. Rafi made up the part about me having some kind of brain bleed. I’m fine.”

  “He’s such a punk.”

  “I like the kid.” He gripped her thigh. “Jordan, I love everything about you, and I never want you to change. I’ll be with you every step of the way, no matter what. But you have to know. I’m not some snooty college guy and never will be. I’m blue collar and happy about it. Heck, I might be moving couches when I’m sixty. You gonna be okay with that? Because I doubt I’m ever going to be rich.”

  “If I decide to be rich, maybe I’ll be the one making the money.”

  “Outstanding.” He crooked his finger, so she leaned close. He kissed her. “I never want to go to bed mad either. I’ve still got a mess to sort out with Smith and my supposed real dad. My family is Reid—and soon Naomi—Evan and Aunt Jane. And you, of course. That’s it.”

  “You’ll meet my parents. You already know my lying, drug-pushing brother. And you’ll end up meeting the perfect Leanne and Mr. Teeth.”

  “I can’t wait. Sugar Boots, we’ll take it slow. You and me, we have time. Let’s get to know each other better. Live together, make love all over that damn house. Oh, and you have to help me with the furniture. Because we have none.”

  “Sounds fun. Just one thing.”

  “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

  “If I said your soul?” She arched a brow.

  “Take it.”

  “So easy.” She gave a fake cackle. “But seriously, that last voucher. You try proposing on paper or via text, it’s over.”

  He nodded. “Got it. I just thought I’d put it in there so you know where I’m heading with all the flowers and chocolates. I’m seducing you into keeping me.”

  “Done.”

  “Man, and you said I was easy.” He smiled.

  Jordan felt as if she’d won the lottery.

  Sometime later, as they watched Cash’s favorite reality TV show while she fed him chocolates and a decadent lasagna he’d purchased to impress her, he brought up the topic she’d been expecting.

  “So Smith admitted it? He’s actually my brother?”

  She nodded.

  He was quiet for a moment before a slow smile crept over his face. “But more importantly, the entire crew misses me, eh?”

  She snorted on laughter. “Yes, but I’m sure with Evan we’ll make do.” Which reminded her… “Did I tell you I’ve conned Evan into dealing with Miriam, our latest ‘work problem’?” she ended in quotes. She explained the situation then gasped when he planted a kiss on her.

  “Man, and you wonder why I love you. Just promise me you’ll wait until I’m there to see it unfold.”

  “Of course I know why you love me. I’m Little Army, and I conquered Mount Griffith.”

  “You did indeed, my drama queen. Now shut up and watch. I think Michele’s back for revenge.”

  She reached across him for the popcorn. “Oh, I can’t wait.”

  * * *

  Evan hadn’t waited to give his notice. To his surprise, Vanessa had been nice about him leaving.

  “We’ll definitely miss you, Evan, but I understand. I’m taking weekends and early Fridays starting next week. I miss my baby girl and Cam.” Her husband.

  He’d stared in shock, and she’d laughed.

  “What? I am human, you know. Call me if you need a reference, and don’t be surprised if we shoot some clients your way. You’re too good not to continue in the job.”

  “Thanks, Vanessa.” They’d shaken hands a week ago, sealing the deal. Evan and the dragon lady, who’d realized what he had—that life could pass you by if you didn’t stop and smell the…

  “What is that smell?” he asked his cousin as he exited Reid’s office. Someone must have had big plans for the evening. It smelled like the cologne counter at a department store.

  Before Reid could answer, Cash entered the lobby, the crew waiting to welcome him back before they turned in for the day. Cash looked a lot better than the last time Evan had seen the guy. The shiner had faded, and only a light purple bruise underscored his eye. His arm was now in a cast and woul
d be that way for the next eight weeks, but it was the way Cash walked, with purpose, not in pain, that showed he was on the mend. The light in his eyes as he rejoined his friends, and Jordan, was telling.

  Here stood a guy who had everything. Evan envied him, but he knew Cash had more than earned it. Such a great man, one Evan was proud to call family.

  As one, the group ignored the mostly sullen Smith, who lingered by the wall. Though Smith hadn’t been hostile to Evan yesterday, during Evan’s first move with Vets on the Go!, he hadn’t been friendly either. Evan had no idea how Jordan got along with the guy, but then, she got along with everyone. He loved working with her because she was up front about procedures and didn’t let anyone screw with the “new guy.”

  “Um, Evan?”

  He glanced up to see everyone looking his way. “What?”

  Hector sighed. “Reid, he has to. I saw the landlord talking to her yesterday. The guy glared at me in my Vets on the Go! shirt. I told you she hasn’t forgiven or forgotten the situation.”

  Reid groaned.

  Ah, yes. The Miriam’s Modiste issue. Evan shook his head. “Are you serious? You told me you were going to handle it while I finished up at work last week.”

  “I’m sorry. I meant to.” Reid ran a hand through his hair. “She sent me an email via her lawyer earlier. Hector’s right. Can you go talk to her? I, ah, kind of told her I’d be sending someone to handle the situation.”

  Evan shook his head. “Show me the email.”

  Then Cash swaggered past. “I’ll talk to her. I don’t need a stupid email to make things right.”

  “Hell.” Evan hustled past him and stopped Cash with a hand to his chest. “I got this. Go back into the office. All of you.” He didn’t turn to see if they obeyed. Instead he walked to Miriam’s Modiste and pushed through the door.

  “Hi. We’re open and just getting ready to start in the back. Oh, hello, handsome. And what can I do for you?” asked a middle-aged woman in a diaphanous jade-green dress.

  Evan blinked, feeling distinctly out of place, especially when he saw two women in bathrobes lie down on blankets in the back room. Distracted by what appeared to be a settee in the middle of the room, surrounded by those blankets, Evan murmured, “Reid sent me to solve your problem.”

  “Ah. I see.” She smiled at him, and Evan had a feeling he’d stepped into something he shouldn’t have.

  * * *

  Jordan and Cash exchanged a grin. The rest of the group joined them as they tiptoed down the hallway toward the still-open door of Miriam’s.

  Cash could see a hint of a gauzy green dress and Evan’s pant leg. It was all he could do to suppress a laugh.

  “Shh. Quiet, guys,” Jordan told the group. “What’s he saying?”

  Cash put his ear closer to the slowly closing door and managed to hear Evan’s surprise.

  “Um, Miriam? Are you sure we should go into the back? I—Is that woman naked back there?”

  Silence, some scuffling as the pair moved away. Then Evan again. “Holy shit. Is this legal?” A pause. “What? No, I’m not taking my clothes off!”

  Cash turned to Jordan and planted a big, wet kiss on her mouth. “I really, really love you.”

  Jordan laughed. “I know.”

  “Quick, he’s coming out hot. Let’s fly!”

  * * *

  They disappeared back down the hallway toward the office. But not before Evan caught sight of them. He sighed, both amused and annoyed he’d fallen like an easy mark.

  “Damn. I guess I really am the FNG.” The fucking new guy.

  Someone reached around the door to the office and taped a piece of paper to the door.

  WELCOME TO VETS ON THE GO!, NEWBIE!

  Evan laughed. Ah well. Time to act the part.

  And get even.

  Order Marie Harte’s next book

  in the Veteran Movers series

  Handle with Care

  On sale August 2019!

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at the next book in Marie Harte’s Veteran Movers series!

  Chapter 1

  The sight that met Evan’s eyes had him staring, unsure of what to do. Though he owned part of his and his cousins’ local moving company, he’d only been doing the grunt work of actually moving people for the past two weeks. With one of his cousins temporarily out due to an injury, Evan had willingly stepped in to take up the slack.

  At first, being able to get out from behind a desk, away from a past life of accounting, had seemed a blessing. Sure, he was still sore, taxing his muscles on a daily basis doing manual labor, but he considered the physical exertion to be just the thing to kick-start his new life.

  No one had mentioned what to do when the client got into a free-for-all in the middle of the living room.

  The client, Rachel Kim, a petite Korean woman with a soft demeanor and a cute dimple, was wrapped around a tall, statuesque black woman. Rachel had her in a headlock, clinging to her like a koala on a tree.

  “I’m taking it!” she shrieked and refused to let go. “It’s a memory, and it’s mine!”

  “Idiot, it’s not yours,” the other woman managed, gripping at the forearm across her neck. “It’s ours! Ask Kenzie. Rachel, get off!” She swung around, and the two did an odd dance as the poor woman tried to shake her human burr. “Besides, you don’t deserve it! Leaving me for a man? Way to idolize a penis, love slave.”

  O-kay. That was more than he wanted to hear. Evan had been hired to move Rachel’s things, not involve himself in her private life.

  “Shut up, Lila. You’re just jealous! Backstabbing bitch.” Rachel started going off in what sounded like Korean.

  Lila choked, and Evan stepped forward. Then he realized she was laughing. Well, as much as one could laugh while gasping for oxygen. She continued to struggle for freedom, to no avail.

  Evan decided he should probably get involved before Lila passed out. But just as he took a step to separate the two women, sunlight beamed through the front windows, illuminating the avenging angel who stormed through the front door, her brown eyes blazing.

  His world stopped. As if the woman had been bathed in radiance, she made everything around her pale in comparison. He found it difficult to breathe.

  Long, light-brown hair floated around her shoulders, framing an attractive face full of life and emotion. She looked to be about his age, and she moved with grace and energy. “You two are being ridiculous,” she huffed as she tried to pull Rachel and Lila apart. Dressed in ripped khaki shorts, a Drink Local T-shirt, and flip-flops, she shouldn’t have appeared so impressive. But she did.

  Evan just stood there, staring, trying to figure out what the hell was happening as his heart raced, his focus narrowed to this one incredibly arresting woman.

  “Well?” the angel snapped at him. “You going to help me with these two or what?”

  He started. “Oh, right.” But he hadn’t taken a breath before Rachel shifted to the new arrival, latching onto her and including her in the weird three-person tango.

  “Nooo,” Rachel moaned. “Everything is changing too fast.”

  Evan blinked, and the three women dissolved into tears, crumpled to the floor, and hugged one another. No one made any sense as emotions and a jumble of words, everyone talking over everyone, filled the air.

  He cleared his throat. “Ah, you guys need help?”

  They continued to wail, ignoring him, so he left them to their emotional crisis while he tried to figure out why he’d…panicked? Frozen? Lost his mind?

  He’d once done the Heimlich on a choking man in a crowded restaurant while everyone else watched in shock. He’d prevented a young lance corporal from shooting his instructor at the rifle range during training back in his Marine Corps days. And he’d more than once talked down his oldest cousin from a fight, saving him from jail time and accompanying
fines. Evan didn’t panic, and he always knew what to do.

  So why the hell had the sight of that woman frazzled him?

  He walked out to the moving van, grabbed his water, and guzzled it. August in Seattle typically proved to be hot, but temps had been higher than normal, and the current heat wave had his shirt plastered to his back. The sun continued to blaze overhead, spotlighting the charming home he’d parked in front of. A small Craftsman-style cottage with a surprisingly wide doorway, thank God. Getting furniture through some of the older homes in the city took real work, and Evan always wondered how the people had gotten their furniture in to begin with because not everything came in pieces from IKEA.

  He held the cold bottle against the back of his neck and studied the front walkway. The front door remained open, and he could see and hear the three women crying, laughing, and talking together.

  Talk about weird.

  “Yeah, they can be a bit much to take.”

  Evan spun around to see a lanky teenager approach. “Huh?”

  The boy nodded to the home. “Chicks. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”

  “Wise words from one so young.” Evan grinned.

  The boy smiled back. “I live down the block, but this area is usually pretty loud. I think the women who live here had some kind of party pad. Lots of guys coming over, to both places.” The boy nodded to the home next door as well. “My mom told me to steer clear, but maybe now that the crazy lady is moving soon too, I can swing by more.”

  “Crazy lady?”

  “Yeah.” The boy peered at the doorway. “See that woman with the long brown hair? Not Lila, the African goddess—she makes everyone call her that. She’s kind of mean. I’m talking about the crazy one.”

  “Rachel?”

  “Nah, she’s just hyper. The other one is batshit nuts.”

  His angel. “Ah. How crazy, exactly?”

  The boy sighed. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone because my mom says it’s bad to spread gossip, but I’d be careful if I were you. She tried to stab some guy who broke up with her a month ago. At least I saw her screaming and waving a knife at some dude. Then another guy calmed her down, and her wacko friends stepped in.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, but it was a mess. Had the cops down here.”