by Cathie Linz
“Wanda. Striker and his wife Kate and their baby son Sean. They flew in for the weekend. Didn’t Ben tell you, Rad? I told him to tell you but he said you were busy.”
Rad had been busy. Busy trying to seduce Serena. A minute later they were joined by the rest of the family. Introductions were made.
Striker was the oldest Kozlowski brother, the one who managed the family’s oil business in Texas. He was smiling and at ease now, but Serena could tell this was a man who could keep secrets.
Ellie had told her that Striker was a former Force Recon Marine. His wife Kate had a classy elegance that could only come from being born into wealth. The smile the two shared told of their love, as did their affectionate attention to their son, sitting in a stroller and gurgling up at them with energetic waves of his little hands and that killer Kozlowski smile.
Seeing the family together, Serena couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have a child of her own. She hadn’t wondered about that as much when she’d visited Ben and Ellie’s house because Amy was older. And it wasn’t just seeing a baby that did it. These thoughts hadn’t occurred to her when her godchild Becky had been born ten years ago.
No, these thoughts were recent, coming to her in the past week or two. And they weren’t just general musings, they were specific. Not what would it be like to have just any child of her own, but what would it be like to have Rad’s child.
She’d tried to put the brakes on such fantasies. But they were incredibly powerful and gaining strength every day. It scared her, but at the same time it filled her with anticipation of what might happen next.
In the bookstore, she often talked about a compelling book—one that had her turning the pages quickly to read what was going to happen next. That’s what her life felt like right now. Compelling. Forcing her to keep going to see what would happen next.
Serena tried to return to the present by making small-talk. “It’s a beautiful day for this, isn’t it?”
Wanda nodded. “October is one of my favorite months.”
“Because it’s Polish Heritage Month, right, Busha?” Ben teased her.
She smacked his arm affectionately. “Not just for that reason, but that is a good thing. October was chosen because it coincides with the death of the American Revolutionary War hero General Casimir Pulaski. Celebrating our heritage is something that should not be forgotten. It is up to us to instill Polish pride in the younger generation. If we don’t do it, who will?” She turned to her oldest grandson. “Remember that, Striker, as you raise little Sean here. He comes from a proud heritage strong in family, faith and community.”
“You could give any proud Texan a run for their money, right Busha?” Striker noted with a grin. “As proud as a pup with a new collar.”
“That skunk ain’t gonna mate,” his wife Kate said. “That’s Striker’s favorite Texas saying because he made it up himself.”
“It’s sad to see what Texas has done to you,” Rad noted with a regretful shake of his head.
“That dog won’t hunt,” Striker retorted.
“Another one of his favorites,” Kate said.
“There are many wonderful Polish sayings as well. Bez pracy nie ma kolaczy. Roughly translated, that means Without work you won’t get any cakes.”
“Tell Ben that the next time he doesn’t want to mow the lawn,” Rad suggested to Ellie.
“Uncle Striker, will you tell daddy to put a miniature golf course in our backyard?” the ever-persistent Amy requested. “I can’t drive yet, so I can’t play whenever I want.”
“Hey, want some cotton candy?” Striker said. The distracting question worked, as the two of them headed off to the vendor.
“She’s a persistent little thing, isn’t she?”
“Sometimes you have to be to get what you want,” Ben noted with a tender look at Ellie. He paused for a quick kiss before adding, “Hey, has anyone heard from Mom and Dad?”
“We got a call right before we flew out here,” Kate replied. “They seemed to be having a great time in New England. I meant to congratulate you earlier, Rad, on your engagement. Busha told me your good news.”
“You didn’t say anything to Mom and Dad about it, did you?” Rad demanded.
Kate shook her head.
“Good. I haven’t had time to tell them yet.”
Wanda frowned at him. “This is not a good thing to keep secret. Make time to speak to your parents.”
“I will, Busha. But I want to do it my way.”
“Oh, you.” She socked his arm as she had his brother’s earlier. “You always want to do things your way. And it is never an easy way.”
“Marines aren’t into easy,” Ellie and Kate noted in unison before cracking up.
“Yeah, I’m learning that,” Serena noted.
“I hope you don’t mind my family butting in on our day together,” Rad said as he and Serena walked along the beach later that evening.
“You have a nice family.”
“They can be a little overwhelming en masse like that.”
“That was only part of your family.”
“I know. It’s a real madhouse when everyone is around. Unfortunately it doesn’t happen all that often, with our various schedules and deployments. So we enjoy the time we do have together.”
“That sounds like a wise thing to do.” She would love to just do that with Rad, simply enjoy the time they had together, not worry about the future, not worry that he was too much like her father. That had been her goal for today. To live in the moment.
“Looks like there might be a great sunset coming,” Rad said. “Over the sound. Want to watch it?”
Serena nodded.
“There you go.” Rad peeled off his denim shirt and laid it on the sand for her to sit on. That left him wearing a white T-shirt and jeans. He made a grand gesture, bowing as if he were some knight from one of those beautifully illustrated fairy tales she sold in her bookstore.
Taking his hand to steady herself, she sank onto the soft denim material. It was still warm from his body heat and the feel of that on her bare legs was somehow incredibly erotic.
Rad didn’t sit beside her, but instead sat behind her, his splayed legs on either side of her body. “Just pretend I’m a chair,” he told her. “Lean back against me.”
There was no way she could imagine him as a piece of furniture but she did allow herself to rest against him. That allowed him to loosely wrap his arms around her waist and rest his chin on top of her head.
“There, isn’t this a nice way to watch the sunset?” he murmured.
Nice didn’t come close to describing what she was experiencing. In his arms she was a different person, forgetful of everything but the magic he created.
She turned her head and almost smacked his Adam’s apple with her hair clip. “Sorry about that. I should take this out.…”
“Allow me.” He carefully removed the clip, his lean fingers creating dashes of fire wherever they touched on her scalp, then on her nape as he smoothed her hair as it tumbled down.
Yeah, being held by Rad was kind of like standing in the middle of a sunset. Basking in the glorious radiance, awed by the experience.
Shivers of pleasure raced through her as he played with a silky strand of her hair.
Rad brushed her bare arms with his large hands. “Are you cold? Here…” He bent his knees and leaned forward, effectively creating a warm hollow for her with his powerful body. “That better?”
She was surrounded by him. But instead of being overwhelmed by the experience, she was relishing it.
Clouds feathered across the sky, their presence adding to the show Mother Nature was staging for their benefit. Intense sunset colors were reflected in the water, creating a spectacular mirror image. The light fell in splashes: vivid yellow in the center with streaks of pink, crimson and indigo.
At the height of the chromatic display, Rad shifted her slightly in his arms and kissed her. Serena closed her eyes and gave herself ove
r to the tender passion of his embrace. Unlike their previous sensual encounters, this time they lingered to enjoy the slightest of touches, to experiment with new angles of lips and mouths.
It was a Southern kiss, slow and hot, leisurely and luxurious. Not leading somewhere else, not angling for sex, but meant to be enjoyed for the journey itself and not the destination. For the first time since she’d met him, Serena stopped thinking and just let herself live in the moment.
One of her last coherent thoughts was that a girl sure could get used to this.…
Chapter Nine
Two days later, Rad was leaving Serena’s apartment in the early evening when he almost ran into someone—a female with short dark hair and suspicious eyes.
She looked him up and down before saying, “So you’re the fake fiancé.”
“So you’re the college roommate,” Rad replied, guessing that this had to be Lucy. Serena had told him that she’d confided in her best friend.
“I’m someone you do not want to upset. So don’t do anything to hurt Serena.”
Ben had told Rad how Ellie’s friends had threatened him with bodily harm should he break Ellie’s heart, but this was the first time Rad had experienced anything similar. Women had tended to throw themselves at him in the past, they’d been the ones to chase him. Sometimes he slowed down enough for one of them to catch him temporarily.
But none of them had ever sicced their friends on him.
Not that he really believed Serena had told Lucy to issue her warning. He had complete faith in Serena’s ability to speak her own mind and fight her own battles.
Rad decided to turn the tables on Lucy. “Do you think Serena is stupid?”
“What? Of course not!”
“You don’t trust her judgment?”
“Well, she does try to find the silver lining in bad situations.”
“Looking for favorable outcomes is not a bad thing.”
“I don’t want anyone taking advantage of her.”
“Neither do I. So we’re on the same side on this. Allies.”
He smiled at her before leaving.
Serena opened the door to find her friend standing there with a bemused look on her face. “I thought I heard voices out here.”
“You did. I was talking to Bossy Marine Man.”
“And how did that go?”
“He certainly has a way about him. Within two minutes he had turned things around so that he and I are allies in making sure no one takes advantage of you.”
“I told you that he could be very convincing.”
“No kidding. And very good-looking.”
“I tried to warn you about that, too. But there’s no way to prepare for one of his smiles. You don’t see them coming, and wham, they hit you, making your tummy go all fluttery.” Serena sounded dreamy.
Lucy frowned. “Yeah, but remember, this is the guy who scared Becky in school.”
“He intimidated her, he didn’t scare her. Rad has a very powerful presence and that’s what threw Becky. But I’ve seen him with his six-year-old niece Amy and he’s incredibly good with her. He’s good with his entire family. Well, I haven’t actually met his entire family, just his grandmother and two of his four brothers and his two sisters-in-law and niece and baby nephew.”
“He comes from a really big family, huh?”
“Yeah. All his brothers are Marines. Well, his older brother is in the reserves. Striker spends most of his time running King Oil in Texas these days.”
“Marines with money.” Lucy shook her head. “A rare thing indeed.”
“The money is not the attraction.” Serena tried not to sound too defensive.
“So you’re admitting there is an attraction?”
“You saw him. He’s an attractive guy.”
“So this is just a physical thing?”
Serena sank down onto the couch with a sigh. “I wish it were that simple.” That day spent at the autumn festival had marked a significant turning point in her relationship with Rad. She’d let her guard down and instead of bossing her, it was almost as if he were courting her. Not just trying to get her into his bed, but wooing her. Rad hadn’t tried to rush her into something she wasn’t ready for yet. Instead he’d seduced her with slow hot kisses in the sunset. Her toes curled with remembered pleasure.
Lucy joined her on the couch. “Are you sure you’re not the one complicating things?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that given your background, you have a track record of bailing on relationships before things get serious.”
“This is different.”
“Right. You told me this was supposed to be a simple business arrangement. But judging from the look on your face, there’s nothing simple about it, is there?”
“No.”
“So what are you saying? That you’re falling for this guy? For real?”
“I could be.” Even saying the words both scared and elated her.
“Which means you are. So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t have a clue,” Serena admitted, picking up one of the colorful throw pillows she’d made and hugging it against her tummy, which had gone all funny again.
“How does he feel about you?”
“We seem to share a pretty powerful chemistry between us.”
“Chemistry? That’s all?”
Serena shook her head. “What am I going to do?”
“Play it by ear. See how things go.”
“What if I do fall for him even harder?”
“Would that be so awful?”
“He only started this fake engagement to get away from another woman.”
“From a general’s spoiled daughter. That’s what you said, right? And how has that part of the story turned out?”
“I haven’t seen Heidi lately. She dropped by the store once or twice in the beginning. Clay fell for her instantly.”
“The poor guy.”
“I know. She looked right through him. Sometimes I think I catch something in her eye…loneliness or something. But then she says something outrageous that makes you want to smack her.”
“Has she bought the story about your engagement to Rad?”
“She appears to have.”
“But she hasn’t backed off sufficiently for him to end the charade.”
“No.” Serena’s stomach dropped at the realization that Rad could call things off at any time. Serena Serious put her foot down. “I shouldn’t fall for him. It would be incredibly stupid. Not only is he totally wrong for me, but this whole thing is just make-believe.”
Serena’s attraction to Rad was in direct conflict to her vow never to be controlled again. Her aversion to bossy, military types hadn’t disappeared.
While it was true that he wasn’t as bad as her father, she couldn’t kid herself into thinking that he was easygoing by any stretch of the imagination.
But when she was with Rad, she didn’t think about any of those things.
Instead she was overcome by how great it felt to be with him, to watch how a rare smile took hold in his eyes before showing up on his sexy mouth.
She’d been experiencing all the classic signs associated with infatuation—nervousness, anticipation, accelerated heartbeats and that empty feeling that comes when you’re not in their company.
But this was more than infatuation. This was big trouble.
“So tell me the silver lining,” Lucy prompted her. “You can always find a silver lining.”
“Well, I am finally getting my kitchen sink repaired.”
“Is that why Bossy Marine Man was wearing that tool belt? Here I thought you two were into some kind of kinky role-playing sex game.”
Serena reached forward to grab a Publishers Weekly magazine; one of the skinnier issues, off the coffee table and toss it at her. “You’re bad, do you know that?”
“Of course I do. Now get out the chocolate and let’s really talk.”
Two hours later, Lucy had
long since departed and Serena was enjoying the view of Rad stretched out on her kitchen floor, part of his upper torso hidden by the cabinet as he worked on the leaky plumbing. “So did your friend warn you off me?”
“What makes you think we were talking about you?”
“Weren’t you?”
“Maybe. Briefly. Then we discussed my goddaughter’s Halloween costume.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“I find it hard to believe that a Halloween costume could be that fascinating.”
“While you, on the other hand, are eminently fascinating, right?”
“You said it, not me.”
“How did you learn how to do this kind of stuff anyway?”
“What kind of stuff? Being fascinating, you mean?”
“No. I mean this handyman kind of stuff.”
“My dad. He felt all his sons should know the basics of home repair so we could manage that stuff when he was deployed overseas.”
“You must have moved around a lot.”
“Yeah, but you know how that is.”
She did. Staying just long enough to make friends only to pull up and move—having to start all over again. The most important thing she’d brought with her from place to place were her books. She’d left clothing behind to fit her books into the limited space her father had allowed her. “Four boxes, that’s it. We can’t be lugging junk all over. Show some discipline.”
Rad’s muttered curse returned her attention to the present. “Are you okay down there?”
“Just peachy.”
“Did that connector you got at the hardware store work?” That’s where he’d been headed when he’d run into Lucy outside Serena’s apartment.
“Yeah, but the old one was a real dog to get off.” She looked down at the play of muscles on his wash-board abdomen as he wrestled with the plumbing. She was wrestling with Serena Sensuous again. It was so tempting to kneel down beside him and feel his warm skin. He’d removed his T-shirt earlier, baring his perfectly honed chest to her. The waistband of his jeans rested low on his hips, revealing his navel. Talk about prime masculinity poured into faded denim. Oh my….
Serena sank to the floor beside Rad. He was only inches away. It would be so easy to reach out and touch him, to trace her fingers over the ridges and planes of his abdomen.