The Marine Meets His Match

by Cathie Linz

  “She heard the story last night when she came to our house for dinner. But we shouldn’t monopolize your time this way,” Ellie noted apologetically. “There are lots of people waiting to congratulate you.”

  Next in line were Heather and Tiana, two of Serena’s most loyal customers. They were part of the romance reader group that Serena had started a few months ago and two of the nicest people she’d ever met. Tiana was a paralegal and Heather a teacher happily married to a handsome lawyer.

  “So when’s the wedding?” Heather asked. “Have you set a date yet?”

  Serena just shook her head. Their honest excitement and joy over her “good news” ripped open Serena’s scab of guilt. What kind of person was she to lie like this? She’d sold her soul to the devil for fifty percent off on her rent.

  She stood there, frozen, as people continued to hug her and congratulate her.

  Inside she was overwhelmed by it all, falling deeper and deeper into a well of panic.

  Rad wasn’t doing so well himself. Heidi had once again confronted him at work. At least she hadn’t ambushed him this time. He’d seen her coming but had had no time to escape.

  “I’ve been looking all over for you.” She said the words as if accusing him of deliberately hiding from her. “I got the greatest idea.”

  He was afraid to ask, and he wasn’t a man who was afraid of much. He was sure whatever her idea, he wouldn’t like it.

  “I’m going to throw a huge engagement party for you and Sabrina.”

  Yep, he didn’t like the idea one bit. “Her name is Serena and we don’t need a party, thank you, ma’am.” He deliberately kept his tone extremely formal.

  “You don’t want a party?”

  “Affirmative, ma’am.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Why don’t you want a party? Most couples would be happy to have a party in their honor.”

  “Serena and I aren’t most couples.”

  “I noticed that.”

  The general’s daughter was wearing that suspicious look again.

  “It’s just that I like keeping my private life quiet.”

  “That’s what Serena said.”

  “You talked to her about having a party?” She’d skin him alive. Not that Rad was worried about her anger. He was a Marine, he could handle anything thrown his way. But juggling his stories between these females was getting complicated and requiring more effort than he’d anticipated.

  “No, I didn’t talk to her about this. I wanted to talk to you first.”

  “Good.”

  She beamed. “So you’re glad I came to talk to you?”

  “I’m glad you talked to me first about the party so I could head you off at the pass.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I don’t want a party, thank you anyway, ma’am.”

  “What if Serena wants one?”

  “She doesn’t.”

  “How do you know? Have you asked her?”

  “I don’t have to ask her. I know how she thinks.” Not true or he’d know why she’d taken off as if chased by a SCUD missile after they’d made out in his Corvette. Not that the bucket seats made for the easiest location for such activities. But he hadn’t cared. He’d been so into their kiss that he’d lost track of everything else.

  “Maybe I should talk to her,” Heidi was saying.

  “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Why not? Are you afraid she’ll say something she shouldn’t?”

  “Negative.” He fell back on his military terminology. “As I said, we thank you for the offer, but my fiancée and I prefer to spend our time together as a couple at this time.”

  Heidi just shrugged.

  When Rad’s phone rang, he reached forward to answer it, glad for the interruption. By the time he’d completed the call, Heidi had left. Another land mine successfully avoided.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Serena warned Bella as the cat strolled over to her water dish with her toy in her mouth. “Do not drop that in there.…”

  Plop. Too late. Bella glanced at Serena with a satisfied grin. Gotcha!

  So much for Serena being in charge. She couldn’t even get her cats to behave. What chance did she have with a sexy Marine?

  Serena fished the soaked fuzzy toy out and squeezed the excess moisture from it.

  Bella gave that special small meow that, translated, meant, That’s mine, throw it to me. Now!

  Serena tossed it and had to laugh as Bella’s paws skidded on the wood floor as she tried to gain traction, making her look like one of those cartoon characters with the pinwheeling feet.

  Bella brought the toy back and dropped it at Serena’s feet. While they played this retrieving game, Serena told the more serene Oshi about the disaster of her day. “The book signing went well. We sold all the books we had. But now everybody thinks I’m engaged. I should have anticipated something like this happening. It feels like my life isn’t my own anymore.”

  Oshi purred her understanding and rubbed her head against Serena’s leg.

  Serena was letting her answering machine screen her calls, but when she heard Lucy’s voice, she picked up.

  “So how is the pseudo-engagement going?” her friend inquired.

  “Terrible.” Serena curled onto the couch, making herself comfortable. She had a feeling this conversation would take a while because she needed to talk. “I met his family last night.”

  “I didn’t know that was part of the deal.”

  “It wasn’t.”

  “Typical. You give the guy an inch and he takes a mile. How bad was his family?”

  “They weren’t bad at all. They were great. I felt like such an evil person for lying to them. His grandmother thinks I’m three-quarters Polish.”

  “Are you?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Then why does she think that?”

  “Because Rad told her.”

  “Then he’s the one who should be feeling guilty, not you.”

  Serena paused before admitting, “He kissed me.”

  “The rat buzzard.”

  “I liked it. A lot.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “I totally melted. Like butter. He’s an incredible kisser.”

  “Great technique, huh?”

  “Five star.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So what are you going to do now?”

  “Take a bath and go to bed. I had the book signing today and I’m beat. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “He stayed the night?”

  “No, he didn’t. But I kept thinking about him all night.”

  “Not a good sign.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “No, you tell me about it. Maybe you were just caught unprepared by his first kiss. Maybe his next one will be—”

  “It was even better.” Serena got up and headed for the kitchen, reaching into the freezer for some ice cream. She only had Cherry Garcia, but she’d make do.

  “He kissed you twice?”

  “Yeah.” Serena skipped the bowl and dug right into the pint container with a spoon.

  “Like twice in a row, or two totally separate occasions?”

  “Two totally separate occasions.”

  “Did he sneak up on you?”

  “The second time I kissed him.”

  “What for?”

  “I was trying to prove a point.”

  “Which was?”

  “Never mind. It didn’t work anyway.”

  “That sort of thing rarely does. So how did he respond?”

  “Oh, he responded just fine. I’m the one who went racing from his car like a thirteen-year-old on her first date.”

  “You were making out in his car?”

  “He has a Corvette.”

  “Oh that explains it then,” Lucy noted mockingly. “You always make out with guys who drive Corvettes. Espec
ially if they’re bossy Marines.”

  “I know, I know.” She brought the ice cream with her and plopped back onto the couch again. “This is all so totally unlike me.”

  “Is he using the discount in your rent to try and make it with you?”

  “No, that’s not it at all. He’s not applying any undue pressure or trying to twist my arm to get me to do anything I don’t want to do. That’s the problem. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted his arms around me. Then I panicked.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, as you said, he’s a bossy Marine.” Deciding she needed to display some willpower here, Serena set the ice cream aside. “I don’t intend to follow in my mother’s footsteps and become subservient to an autocrat. I mean, come on. Rad and I have nothing in common.”

  “Aside from liking to kiss one another, you mean?”

  Serena sighed. “What am I going to do?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  “Of course I am. You’re my best friend. Giving advice is your job.”

  “If you don’t want to get involved with him, then don’t kiss him anymore.”

  Serena bit her bottom lip. “Am I a bad person?”

  “Of course not! Where did that come from?”

  “His family is so nice.” Serena knew her voice sounded wistful but there was nothing she could do about it. “His brother is married to a woman who has a six-year-old daughter. And his grandmother is a real sweetie. She gave me her secret recipe for pierogies. She’s very proud of being Polish. She’ll hate me when she finds out I lied to her.”

  “How is she going to find out?”

  “I don’t know. I just have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that this charade is going to come un-done and that it will all be my fault.”

  Rad jiggled the bag of Chinese take-out he held and dialed Serena’s number again. It had been busy for half an hour. He couldn’t believe she didn’t have call-waiting or caller ID or something. Unless she knew it was him and was trying to avoid him?

  Too bad. They had things to discuss. And there was no time like the present.

  The line rang and this time he got her answering machine. He glanced up at the light in her windows. “I know you’re there. Pick up, Serena.”

  She did. “Hello?”

  “I’m outside your building with food. Well, actually I’m now halfway up the stairs.”

  “What kind of food?”

  “Chinese. From your favorite place. Your assistant told me what you like. Egg rolls plus walnut shrimp and scallops.”

  Serena unlocked the door and let him in. She was interested in the food, not in him, she told herself. Yeah, right.

  He looked good. Rad always looked good. It didn’t matter if he was wearing his Marine uniform or jeans and a T-shirt. He was just that kind of a guy. The kind that could steal a woman’s heart without even trying.

  Denim had been invented for men like him, ones with muscular legs and awesome butts.

  She watched him walk past her and tried not to drool. She told herself she was salivating over the smell of her favorite Chinese food, but it was Rad that she wanted to nibble on.

  She remembered how he’d sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and taken delicious little nibbles while kissing her.

  Lack of sleep must be weakening her defenses. She’d only gotten a few hours rest last night, and that had been haunted by the hot dreams she’d had. In fact, this entire week had disrupted her usual sleep pattern.

  Hey, that sounded like something Serena Serious would say.

  Which meant that Serena Sensual was back under control again.

  She hoped…

  Rad paused as two streaks of gray flew past him.

  “My two cats,” Serena explained. “Oshi and Bella. They’re shy.”

  So was Serena. At times. Rad only now realized that, despite her hot response to his kisses. Serena was not a man-eater. Not like Heidi.

  Serena was different. Complicated. She had a way about her. She did things to him. Her smile, the way she walked, the softness of her hair, her laugh. They all did things to him. Serious, call-in-reinforcements kinds of things. Mushy, sappy, un-Marine-like things.

  “I’ll get some plates,” Serena said.

  Rad watched her walk away. She was wearing some kind of soft-knit cotton pants and a matching tank top that looked like they could be slept in. Nothing fancy. Totally casual.

  His heightened sense of observation took note of the fact that her bare skin showed between the top and bottom of her outfit.

  That brief glimpse of the small of her back had the power to make him all hot and bothered.

  This was a new experience for him. Women had been eager to display their bodies to him before.

  But not this woman. This woman had the power to mess up his mind with the slightest of things.

  Like the way she ate. She had a healthy appetite, he had to give her that. He watched as she finished off her egg rolls and dug into the walnut shrimp and scallops. His mouth was too dry to talk much, hers was too full.

  Afterward, Rad cleared the table and ordered her to rest on the couch. He knew she was exhausted because she actually obeyed him for once. It was time he told her his big news.

  He returned from the living room to find Serena laid out on her couch, sound asleep.

  There was only one thing he could do….

  Chapter Seven

  Serena sat up, her heart pounding in her throat, unsure what woke her.

  Then she heard the noise again.

  Footsteps.

  Directly above her bed.

  Wait a second! Disoriented, she looked around. The last thing she remembered, she’d laid down on the couch in the living room. How had she gotten into bed?

  Rad. He must have carried her into her bedroom.

  Okay, that was one mystery solved.

  She was still wearing the same clothes, thank heavens, which meant he hadn’t stripped her and put her in a negligee. That was a good thing.

  But none of that explained the noise from upstairs. The third-floor apartment had been vacant since Mrs. Schuler had moved out a month ago.

  Serena quickly glanced at the LED display on the radio/alarm beside her bed. Two in the morning.

  Oshi and Bella lifted their heads and stared up at the ceiling. As the footsteps moved again, both cats bolted under the bed. Serena grabbed for the phone and dialed 911.

  “Someone has broken into the apartment above me,” she whispered to the dispatcher even as she hopped out of bed and quietly hurried to make sure all the dead bolts on her apartment door were latched. They were.

  She also checked the door from the kitchen that led out onto the fire escape. Bolted, too. Good.

  She gave her information to the police and was assured that officers would be there shortly. As she talked, Serena walked back and forth, too nervous to sit still.

  All the while she kept the lights off. She didn’t want the intruder upstairs noticing any sudden illumination coming from her place. A night-light in the hallway allowed her to see where she was going.

  Exactly eight minutes later there was an emphatic knock on her door. “Police. Officer Krandell.” That was the name that the dispatcher had given her.

  Even so, Serena looked through the peephole in her front door before undoing the locks and opening it. She also turned on a light. “Did you catch the intruder?”

  “He says he owns the building.”

  Serena blinked. “What?”

  “I can’t believe you called the police,” Rad growled. He was glaring at her, his expression one of classic male aggravation.

  How dare he try and make this her fault. “What else was I supposed to do when I hear noises coming from a vacant apartment?”

  “It’s not vacant any more. I’m moving into it.”

  “In the middle of the night?”

  “Ma’am, can you verify that this man, Rad Kozlowski, is indeed the building owner?”

  Serena nodded. “Y
es.”

  “I’m also her fiancé,” Rad added, not appreciating the way the young cop was eyeing Serena.

  “Is that right, ma’am?” the officer asked.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Did you two have an argument?”

  “No.”

  Officer Krandell nodded at his partner who took Rad aside.

  “Do you mind if I come inside for a moment, ma’am?”

  “No, I don’t mind. Can I make you some coffee or something?”

  “No, thank you.” Officer Krandell closed the door behind him, shutting Rad and his protests outside in the hallway. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m still a little nervous.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because hearing those footsteps over my bed in the middle of the night scared me. I’m sorry I called you out here for nothing.”

  “You’re sure you’re not afraid of the Marine out there? Your fiancé?”

  “He told you he’s a Marine?”

  “Captain Rad Kozlowski. Yes, ma’am. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

  She was disconcerted by the way Rad made her feel, but she wasn’t afraid of him.

  “Ma’am?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s been a long day. I had a big book signing at my store downstairs today, and then they found out about my engagement and started giving me advice…Never mind, that’s way more information than you wanted, I’m sure. No, Officer Krandell. I’m definitely not afraid of Rad. Aggravated with him for scaring me this way, but not afraid of him.”

  “You’re sure? Because there are family outreach services that can help you.…”

  “I’m fine. Really. If I’d known it was Rad upstairs I never would have called the police. Again, I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

  “No bother, ma’am. That’s our job.” The officer opened the door. “Okay, it looks like we’re done here. Next time, you might want to let your fiancée know your plans ahead of time,” Officer Krandell told Rad before leaving.

  “What are you doing here sneaking around in the middle of the night?” Serena demanded.

  “Let me in and I’ll tell you.”

  When she hesitated, Rad became even more aggravated. “What? You trust a total stranger and let him come into your apartment but you don’t trust me?”