Someone Like Her (A K2 Team Novel)

by Owens, Sandra

  Jake squirmed on the car seat. His pants were soaked through, his ass was wet, and his skin gritty with sand. Maria hadn’t fared much better. Her dress was probably ruined, but she didn’t seem to care as she talked to her brother on the phone, assuring him she was happy they’d contacted Miguel Garcia.

  “Oh, and I’m engaged.” She glanced at him and winked. “And we’re going to San Diego on our honeymoon so I can meet my father.”

  The closeness of the two had always been obvious. Jake was glad because without her brother, God knew what her life would be like today. The one thing he did know was that he’d have never met her and now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.

  He turned the car onto his driveway. “Hang up, Maria. Tell him we’ll come by in the morning and you can talk his ear off.”

  Maria told Logan she’d see him the next day, then handed Jake his phone back. She’d wanted to call her father—it still astounded her she could say that—as soon as they returned to the car, but Jake had convinced her she should wait until they got home.

  She was still trying to take everything in. Jake had said he loved her, asked her to marry him, then told her he’d found her father. Her mind was so scrambled by the thrill of it all, she didn’t know what to do with herself.

  “I know you’re dying to call your father,” Jake said when they walked inside his condo . . . their condo? “Let’s get you in the shower first so you’re not picking at pieces of sand stuck to your legs while you’re talking to him.”

  The next thirty minutes, she was treated like a princess as he bathed her, washed her hair, dried her, and wrapped her into a fluffy white robe that still had a tag on it, explaining his mom had given it to him one Christmas. Obviously, he’d never worn it and just as obviously—and pleasing—no other woman had.

  When he leaned back and looked her over as if approving his work, she put her hands on his shoulders, lifted up on her toes, and kissed him. “I love you,” she said as her lips brushed over his. He made a little growling noise and clasped her bottom with his hands, pulling her against him. Their tongues tangled for a few moments before he gave her bottom a little slap.

  “Go make that call. I have plans for you the minute you hang up.”

  “He really wants to talk to me?”

  Jake flicked a finger under her chin. “Yes, he really does. His number’s on the coffee table. Go on.” He gave her a little push.

  “Aren’t you coming with me?” She needed him beside her for moral support.

  “No, I need to throw some clothes on, then check my e-mail.”

  He was purposely giving her privacy, but she wanted him with her. “I’ll wait. Besides, I like watching you get dressed, especially the part where you remove the towel.”

  Hazel eyes instantly heated. “Then we’ll never get around to your making that call. Go. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  The number was on the coffee table where he’d said it would be, and she stared at Miguel Garcia’s name. What should she call him? Could she ask him questions now, or should she wait until they met? Did he remember Lovey Dovey? Probably not. Had he ever wondered if he had another child somewhere in the world?

  “I thought you’d be talking to him by now,” Jake said, setting two glasses of wine and a box of tissues on the table.

  “I’m scared.” She was petrified to be honest. This was something she wanted too much and if she sensed Mr. Garcia—Miguel?—wasn’t particularly thrilled about learning of her existence, she’d be devastated. “I don’t even know what to call him.”

  Without a word, Jake picked up the phone and dialed, then handed it to her. “Just say, hello, this is Maria.”

  “Put it on speaker,” she said, surprised she could talk while her heart was in her throat.

  It rang twice, then a man’s voice. “Is this Maria?”

  No words came out of her mouth and she turned to Jake, panic welling up inside her.

  He smiled and leaned toward the phone. “Miguel, this is Jake. Maria’s here, but she’s feeling a little shy. I think she’s worried you won’t like her.”

  Maria punched him.

  “Understandable,” a voice she liked very much said. “Jake said you look just like my second daughter, so how could I not like you?”

  “You have another daughter? Jake only told me about Elena.” Thank God, she could speak after all.

  An amused chuckle sounded from the phone. “Since you’re older, that would make you my first daughter, Maria.”

  Oh. Oh. She’d not dared to hope he would think of her that way, at least not until someday down the road after he got to know her. “Thank you,” she whispered before her throat completely closed up and she really couldn’t utter a word.

  “I’m only sorry I didn’t know about you sooner. Jake promised you’d send me some pictures of you. He also said you might come here soon and we’d get to meet. You probably have a lot of questions.”

  Jake handed her a tissue and she swiped at her eyes. “He asked me to marry him tonight, Mr. . . . I don’t know what to call you.”

  “What would you like to call me?”

  “I don’t know.” That wasn’t true, she wanted to call him Dad but couldn’t bring herself to tell him.

  “Elena calls me Papa, but if that’s too uncomfortable for you, maybe we can work up to it. How about Miguel for now?”

  Papa. She liked how that sounded. “Okay. What I was going to say is, Jake asked me to marry him tonight, and we’d like to come to San Diego for our honeymoon. If that’s okay with you.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes before agreeing to talk again in a few days. When they said good-bye, she could no longer hold back her tears. He’d hinted that he’d like to attend her wedding and that someday, he’d like her to call him Papa.

  She looked at Jake through her tears and shrugged. “All I’ve done tonight is cry.”

  And the man she loved wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried because there was so much joy in her heart it couldn’t be contained.

  “Can you take the rest of the day off?”

  Maria glanced up from the Excel spreadsheet to see Jake leaning in the doorway, looking just as hot in his K2 uniform of cargo pants and an olive-green T-shirt as he’d been in a suit and tie Saturday night. Maybe even hotter. It was hard to decide.

  She might as well take the day off as she’d been pretty useless, unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. It had been such an emotional weekend and she was still riding on the high of all that had happened.

  Tapping her pen on her lips, she sat back in her chair. “What’s the boss going to do if I leave? Fire me?”

  A grin spread across his face. “I could kidnap you. Carry you out against your will.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” As soon as she said the words, she realized her mistake. His face went blank—warrior mode, she called it—but the little crinkles of amusement at the corners of his eyes gave him away.

  “I’m on a mission and you’re my objective.”

  “Jake, no!” she cried when he scooped her up.

  “Maria, yes.”

  When he walked past the K2 staff with her in his arms, they clapped and cheered. Just as she started to bury her face against Jake’s neck, she caught sight of Logan. When their gazes met, he mouthed three words, winked at her, and slipped back into his office.

  Love you, brat.

  Tears burned her eyes. Her brother had just given his approval, was letting her go. He’d been her friend, her protector, her mother, and father from the day she was born. She chided herself for being silly. It wasn’t like she would never see him again, yet she understood he’d just turned her care over to Jake. Not that she couldn’t take care of herself, but these K2 men liked protecti
ng their women, considered it their duty.

  “Why are you crying, Chiquita?”

  “I’m not.” She pressed her face harder against his skin, willing the tears to stop. It seemed like all she’d done the past three days was cry.

  “Are too. My neck’s wet.”

  He walked out of the building, stopped at his car, and set her down on the hood. Leaning back, he studied her. “Tell me.”

  “I’m happy.”

  “So they’re happy tears?”

  “I’m sad.”

  “I see.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “No, I don’t see.”

  Not that he could ever understand, but she tried to explain. “Logan just gave me to you. It made me happy and sad.”

  “He did? How did I miss that?”

  “You were too busy playing caveman and abducting me. It was just something I knew by the way he winked at me when you were carrying me out.”

  “To say that pleases me is an understatement considering his previous threat to kill me if I came near you.” Tilting his head, he studied her. “He’s always been there for you, protecting you, and now he’s passing the mantle so to speak.”

  “Yeah, I guess he is. Is it possible to feel sad and happy at the same time?”

  He chuckled. “So it appears. Bet I can help with the sad part.”

  Maria spread her legs and tugged on the belt loops at his sides. “You think so, Tiger?” she said when he stepped against her.

  “I’m pretty certain of it.” Cradling her face with his hands, he lowered his head and kissed her.

  God yes, he could make her forget her own name. His tongue found hers and she laughed into his mouth when their duel for dominance began, a game she loved playing with him.

  He leaned back and raised an arrogant eyebrow. “Mmm? You find kissing me funny?”

  That set her off, and she really didn’t know why she was laughing so hard except that she was just so damn happy. His mouth went from mock insulted, to a smile, then a wide grin, and then he was laughing with her.

  “Time to go,” he said when they finally caught their breath.

  She hopped down from the hood. “Where to?”

  “Not telling you. It’s a surprise.”

  A few minutes after making love to his future wife, Jake sprawled on the sofa, Maria between his legs, her head on his chest, neither of them paying attention to the ball game on TV. Instead, they admired the new diamond engagement ring on the finger she held up in front of them.

  She turned her hand this way and that, catching the light. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “Almost as beautiful as you.” The little pink camisole he’d left on her when he’d stripped her of all her other clothes was sexy as all hell. He especially liked how it stopped just above her belly button, showing off the little silver ring. “Nice,” he whispered, tugging on it.

  He was going to have to do something, however, about the throw pillow she’d tried oh so covertly to cover her naked lap with. How she could still be shy after the wild makeup sex they’d just had, he couldn’t comprehend.

  They’d had their first fight as a newly engaged couple. Two disagreements to be precise. She’d balked at the size of the diamond he’d wanted to put on her finger. His man-self had wanted something so big that no other male could miss seeing she was taken.

  Not wanting to spend money she didn’t think he had, she’d picked out a ring that required a magnifying glass to see the stone. Finally, the jeweler had taken him aside and asked his budget, then had taken it from there. The result was an engagement ring closer to what he’d had in mind.

  The next balk was on his part. She’d wanted them to pick out matching wedding bands. He didn’t want to give up the ring he’d braided from her hair. To him, it held more meaning than any circle of metal ever could. They’d finally compromised, agreeing he would move the hair ring to his other hand when it came time to put a wedding band on his finger. Still, he felt a little sad about that.

  “What’re you thinking?” she asked, her voice drowsy.

  He combed his fingers through her hair. “I’m trying to list all the reasons why I love you, but I’m having trouble coming up with any.” That got her attention, and he swallowed a grin when her head jerked up.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, let’s see. You can’t cook, so that’s not one. Tomorrow, you’re bringing that creature you call a pet to live with us. That’s a big strike against you. Can you clean house?”

  She turned her head to the right, then the left, surveying the mess they’d made of the living room. “I could try.”

  “Hmmm.” He stroked his fingers along the back of a thigh up to her ass. “You need to do better than that. A good little wife keeps her man’s house neat as a pin, has his dinner on the table at precisely six, and always dresses pretty as a picture for him.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Whatever.”

  He gave a burst of laughter. “Ah, Chiquita. I don’t need a reason to love you. I just do.”

  “Do you mean it?”

  The camisole’s strap slipped down her shoulder, catching his attention. His cock took notice of the pert little nipples clearly outlined by the silk. “I mean it. Now come here.”

  She grinned and crawled up his body until her face was inches from his. “I love you, Tiger Toes.”

  Jake wrapped his arms around his whatever girl and silently vowed she’d never be sorry for loving him. All that mattered was that they were together.

  At last.

  Acknowledgments

  There is nothing that authors love more than to know people are reading their books. Without you, dear reader, we might as well shut down our computers, throw away all the yellow sticky notes plastered all over the place, and go do something else like clean the house or start the laundry that has piled up while on deadline. So above all else, I want to thank you for reading books, whether they are mine or others. (And if you’re reading this right now, then it’s my book in your hands and I love you for it.) To those readers who take the extra time to leave a review, you have my heartfelt gratitude.

  I am blessed to have a supporting cast of family and friends who believe in me and cheer me on. Jenny Holiday, Erika Olbricht, Nancy Goodman, and Lindsey Ross, my world would be sorely lacking without each of you in it. Thank you for everything (and y’all know what everything is). To my sister Embracing Romance authors, I’m honored to be one of you. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my Golden Heart®, Lucky 13 sisters for all their support and cheerleading!

  Just when you think you’ve written, revised, then revised some more until you have the perfect book, it goes to your editor. Ah, turns out it wasn’t quite perfect after all. I have an awesome team of editors at Montlake Romance, but the one I work the closest with is Melody Guy, my developmental editor. This acknowledgment wouldn’t be complete without profusely thanking Melody for showing me how to take my story to the next level. I just hope you’re my forever editor. Maria, Thom, Jessica, Kelli, and Scott, I heart each one of you.

  Always there to hold my hand through the process of writing my books is my agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan, of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Courtney, all I have to say is, you rock!

  About the Author

  Photo © 2013 JCP

  A native of Florida, Sandra Owens once managed a Harley-Davidson dealership before switching from a bike to an RV for roaming the open road (though she’s also chased thrills from skydiving to upside-down stunt plane flying). In addition to Crazy For Her—a 2013 Golden Heart® Finalist for Romantic Suspense—her works include the Regency Romance novels The Letter, winner of the 2014 Golden Quill for published authors award, and The Training of a Marquess, winner of the 2013 Golden Claddagh Award. A member of Romance Writers of America, and potential cat owner, she lives
with her husband in Asheville, North Carolina.

  Connect with Sandra on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/SandraOwensAuthor

  Twitter: twitter.com/SandyOwens1 (@SandyOwens1)

  Website: www.sandra-owens.com/