by Susan Stoker
Mozart’s hand still rested again her skin and Summer could feel it clench in reaction to her words. Her nipple immediately peaked again.
Reluctantly, Mozart took his hand from her breast and pulled her bra up to cover her again. He ran his hand sensuously down her stomach and over until it rested on her hipbone. “You’re too skinny. The next time I see you I want some meat on your bones.”
“Okay.”
“And if you run out of food, you call Tex, he’ll take care of it.”
“Okay.”
“And I want you to call me every day while I’m gone. Leave me a message so I know you’re all right.”
“I don’t have any money to make long distance calls.” Summer was honest with him.
“I’ll leave a calling card for you.”
“But, you won’t even get the messages if you’re out of the country.”
“Sunshine…”
“Okay, okay. Bossy. I will.”
“And please, God, lock this door and stay safe.”
“Okay.”
“I gotta go.”
“I know.”
“I’ll be back.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be back.”
“I know.”
“Kiss me one more time before I go.”
* * *
“Wolf? This is Mozart. Can I talk to Ice?” The second Mozart pulled out of the parking lot of the Big Bear Cabins and away from Summer, he picked up his cell and called Wolf. He needed to talk to Ice now.
“Everything all right?”
Mozart knew Wolf would protect Caroline from any danger, emotional or physical. He didn’t get pissed. Mozart knew Wolf was just protecting his woman. For the first time in his life he got it. He felt the same way about Summer. Mozart didn’t even give Wolf any crap about it, just answered, “Yeah, everything is okay. I just need a favor.”
“Hang on.”
Mozart waiting impatiently, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as he headed down out of the mountains. He had no idea how much it would hurt to leave Summer. Everything was so up in the air and he hated it. Hell, he hadn’t even slept with her and he couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day. He had it bad.
“Hey, Sam, what’s up?”
Mozart didn’t think he’d ever get used to be calling Sam, but for Ice, he didn’t complain.
“I need you to expand your posse during this mission.”
“My posse?”
“Yeah, your group. You know, you girls get together and support each other while we’re gone.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I met someone. I’d like for you to call her while we’re gone. Make sure she’s okay. You know…include her. She’ll worry like you guys will, and I’d like for her to have a support system.”
“You met someone?”
“Yeah.”
“You met someone?”
“Yeah, Ice. What the hell?”
“Hold on.”
Mozart actually took the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen in confusion for a second. He knew this would be weird, but Ice was acting even stranger than he thought she would. He smiled a second later when he heard Ice let out a muffled screech in the background then exclaim, “It’s about time!” She sounded completely calm and composed when she came back on the phone. “What’s her name?”
Mozart chuckled. “I told Summer you’d act like this.”
“Summer? That’s her name?”
“Yeah.”
“And you told her you’d be calling me and I’d be excited that you’d met someone?”
“Not exactly in those words, but yeah.”
“I like her already.”
“You’ll like her. But, Ice, she’s got some hang-ups…” Before he could continue Caroline interrupted him.
“Who doesn’t?”
“I just mean, I told her you’d call her. If you don’t…it’ll destroy her.”
“Don’t worry, Sam, I’ll call her.”
Not able to keep the relief out of his voice Mozart said, “Thank you.”
“Now tell me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, how you met, where she works, what’s going on…you know…everything.”
Mozart chuckled. When Ice got her mind set on something, there was no shaking her. At least it’d make the drive back to Riverton interesting.
By the time Mozart pulled into the parking lot at his apartment complex he felt a lot better about leaving Summer. He still wasn’t happy about it, but he knew Ice and the other women would take care of her for him until he could get back. He’d have to live with it until he could convince her to move down and to live with him. The thought of her living with him didn’t even freak him out. She was his. Period. But, the thought of her needing him when he wasn’t there, did freak him out. He knew it stemmed from Avery’s kidnapping and feeling helpless in the aftermath, but it was what it was.
He’d been honest with Summer that the thought of her being cold or hungry made him crazy. He knew all the times he’d made fun of Wolf or Abe or Cookie while they’d been on a mission would come back to haunt him. He knew now why they felt so anxious when they were away from their women. He felt it now. They were protectors at heart and being in a position where they couldn’t protect their women, was not a good feeling.
Chapter Eleven
Hey, Mozart, it’s me. For the record, again, I think it’s silly that you ordered me to leave you a message every day. What if your message space gets used up and someone important needs to leave you a message? Anyway, nothing is going on here. The guest load has still been light, so that’s good for me. Henry is as ornery as ever. Not sure what’s up his butt, but he’s leaving me alone. I still have ten tons of food to eat, so that’s all good. Joseph has been working on upgrading the rooms a bit. Apparently the fridge and microwave in the room thing that you did for me made Henry think, and he’s putting one in every room. Not sure it’ll help bring people in, but it’s something. Joseph has also been trying to spruce up the grounds to make them look better. Today he started painting some of the unused rooms. He’s been a great help around here. Anyway, I hope you’re all right and your…thing…is going okay. I miss you. Bye.
Summer hung up the phone. It really was ridiculous that Mozart wanted her to leave a message every day, but she couldn’t deny it gave her goose bumps to think of him listening to all of them when he got back. It was like she was leaving a diary of her days and it was intimate. Even if it was only a message.
She didn’t really have anything interesting to tell him though, and Summer worried about that. Her life was pretty boring. She didn’t have a car, so she just hung around the motel all the time. But at least now she was warm and wasn’t constantly hungry.
She hadn’t heard from Mozart’s friend though. She didn’t really expect it, no matter what he’d told her, but it still hurt. It reminded her of how she felt when she’d first met Mozart. He’d said he’d come back and hadn’t. Even though Summer didn’t think he was serious, a part of her, deep down, believed him. He’d been so earnest when he’d told her that this Ice person would call, he’d made her believe. Now, four days had gone by and her phone hadn’t rung once.
Summer loved being able to skip breakfast in the office. She’d always hated how Henry glared at her when she’d taken extra food to eat later. Now that Mozart had set her up, she didn’t have to worry about it. She was able to sleep in and get ready leisurely in her room. This morning she didn’t have as much time as usual, however, because Henry told her they had a few more people than usual checking in that day. Check-in was typically three o’clock, but this group had requested an earlier arrival time. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but because Joseph was painting some of the rooms, they didn’t have as many to rent out. Summer had to start work earlier than usual in order to get the rooms ready. It wasn’t a big group, only three rooms, but Henry was desperate for whatever business he could
get, so he was acting as if they were about to entertain the queen of England or something.
Summer had just closed the door to the last room she had to clean for the day when she heard a car drive into the small parking lot. She glanced over as she headed toward the storage building to put away her cleaning supplies and to stow the cart, and saw three women climb out of a big-ass SUV. The vehicle looked new and it was huge. Summer knew she’d never be comfortable driving something like that around. She just shrugged and continued on her way. She couldn’t wait to crash in her room. She was tired and a bit depressed. She missed Mozart more than she thought she would and she just wanted to watch TV and veg for a bit.
As she was walking back to her room, the three ladies came out of the office. Summer looked over at them and was shocked when one called out her name. Summer stopped and turned to look at them. They were now walking toward her. Summer clasped her jacket more firmly around her. When guests talked to her, it always made her nervous. She was adamant about turning in anything that was left in the rooms, but it was inevitable that one would eventually accuse her of stealing something they’d misplaced themselves. Summer didn’t recognize these women, but that didn’t mean they didn’t remember what she looked like. She was the only maid at the motel.
“Yes?” The word came out a bit harsher than Summer intended, but it was too late to take it back.
“You are Summer right? Sam’s Summer?”
“Sam?”
One of the other women laughed. “Mozart. Caroline means Mozart.”
Summer could only stare at the women in confusion. “Uh, I know Mozart if that’s what you’re getting at.” Were these some of Mozart’s previous conquests? She felt completely in the dark.
“Shit, you guys, you’re scaring her. Summer, I’m Fiona. That’s Caroline and Alabama. Did Sam tell you about us?”
Summer was floored. She thought Caroline was going to call her. Not show up here, and not with anyone else in tow. She nervously smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He said you’d call me.” She said bluntly, looking at the woman called Caroline.
“I know. He phoned the minute he left here on Sunday and asked if I’d call you. But I talked with Fee and Alabama and we decided we should take a road trip. We wanted to meet the woman who brought Sam to heel, and we also wanted to do what he wanted us to—reassure you about our men. That they know what they’re doing and that they’ll be back in one piece.”
Summer still didn’t know what to say. She felt completely awkward. “O-kaaaay.”
Caroline laughed and took a step forward and linked her arm with Summer’s as if she’d known her for years, rather than minutes. “I know, I sound like a crazy lady. But I swear I’m not.” She looked at Summer with a seriousness she hadn’t shown before. “You’ve caught Sam’s eye. That doesn’t happen. Ever. So when he told me he was worried about you and he wanted me to give you a call, I knew we’d be coming up here. You’re one of us. Being with a SEAL isn’t an easy thing. In fact there are times when it down-right sucks. So we wanted to come up here and show you our support. We have to stick together. So how about it?”
“Are you staying here?”
Alabama spoke up for the first time, “It’s not exactly the Ritz is it?”
“Uh. No. I’m sure you guys could find a better place than this.”
“Yeah, but this is where you are. So here we are.” Fiona said bluntly. “Come on, Summer. What do you have to lose to spend some time with us? Are we so bad?”
Horrified these women might think for a second that she didn’t want to spend time with them, that she wasn’t excited to have them here, Summer quickly sputtered, “Oh no. God. No, I’m thrilled you guys are here. I just don’t really understand why, but I’m still thrilled. Anyone that is Mozart’s friend, I hope is my friend too.”
“Are you done for the day?” Caroline asked.
Summer nodded.
“Good. Let us get settled then we’ll go and see what trouble we can get into. We’re hungry.”
“Okay. Meet back here in fifteen minutes? Is that enough time for you guys?” Fiona asked the group in general. Everyone agreed and scattered to their rooms. Summer stood in the parking lot for a moment before shaking her head and heading toward her room. She wasn’t sure what was in store for her tonight, but whatever it was would be interesting.
* * *
Summer threw her head back and laughed hysterically. These women were hilarious. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d had this much fun. They’d met back in the parking lot and all crawled into the monstrous SUV. Caroline had laughed and said that Matthew had bought it for her because he wanted her to be safe. It sounded very familiar to Summer.
They’d eaten dinner at the same steak place Mozart had taken her to when he’d first met her, then they’d moved their little party to a run-down little shack of a bar. Fiona wasn’t drinking, but the rest of them proceeded to down drink after drink. It was fun to be able to let loose for the first time in a long time. Summer wasn’t sure she’d feel comfortable enough with these women to let down her inhibitions, but she quickly decided she trusted them enough to get a bit tipsy.
“Do you guys remember when we all went out that one night and the guys followed us and sat in the corner glaring at every man who even looked at us? The manager was so glad when we finally decided to call it a night. I think he was afraid our SEALs would unleash hell on the other patrons and he’d never be able to recoup his losses.” The women recounted story after story of their men being protective and bad ass, and they’d done it with a laugh. None of them minded their men’s actions.
Seeing Summer’s confusion with their stories, Fiona tried to explain, “Summer, being with a SEAL is a balancing act. They’re taught from the first time they set foot in boot camp that they are there to protect others. Their teammates, women, other countries, the abused and neglected…it’s a part of who they are. While you and I both know we can navigate this world without someone constantly looking over us, they can’t get it through their thick skulls. We just have to learn to manage it. We allow them to follow us around when we go out because the rewards outweigh the irritation tenfold.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hunter will do anything for me. All I have to do is ask. He will make sure no one harasses me. He’ll put aside anything and everything, and has, just to see to me. When you’re sad, they’ll want to make you happy. When you’re happy, they want to know what’s causing it so they can make it happen over and over again. And the sex. Whew. I’m assuming you know this, but the sex is out of this world. I never thought in a million years that I’d ever be able to enjoy sex again after what happened to me, but having Hunter focus completely on my satisfaction in bed is something I’ll protect and nurture with everything in me.”
Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Summer didn’t filter her words as she normally would. She could sense something was different about Fiona but didn’t know what. “After what happened to you?”
Fiona put one of her hands over Summer’s. “Yeah, I’ll tell you the whole story someday, but quick version is that I was kidnapped and taken to Mexico to be a part of a sex slave ring. Hunter and the team came down to save someone else, and found me too.”
Summer was appalled. She’d read about those sorts of things happening, but had never dreamed she’d meet someone who’d actually survived it. “What?” she shrieked, standing up suddenly, knocking her stool to the floor with a clatter. “Are you shitting me? Did they get them?”
Fiona didn’t even look alarmed at her reaction. “Sit back down, Summer, I’m okay. See? I’m here, I’m talking to you. I’m fine. They didn’t catch them, but I don’t care. Hunter saved me. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I love that he watches over me. I love that he’s concerned about me. I’ll take his overprotectiveness any day of the week over living through what I did again.”
Summer sat down, tears in her eyes. She looked at the other women suddenly, not
icing finally that they had been quiet. “What about you guys?” she demanded urgently. “Did that happen to you too?”
“Sam didn’t tell you anything about us? Really?” Caroline asked curiously, not answering her question.
“No, now tell me. I can’t stand this.” Summer rubbed her chest.
“I saved Matthew’s life, then he saved mine back after I was kidnapped by terrorists,” Caroline said simply.
“I met Christopher when we were at a party and the building caught fire,” Alabama said quietly.
“Are you guys serious? Really?” At their nods she continued. “Oh man, I’m so screwed. I’m so boring compared to you guys. I can’t save anyone. I haven’t done anything. I’m so normal it isn’t even funny.”
Fiona leaned toward Summer again. “But don’t you see? It doesn’t matter. You caught his eye. I think you know that Sam doesn’t ‘do’ relationships. Ever. The fact that he wanted Caroline to call you and bring you into our circle says everything. You obviously don’t have to do anything. You being you is what caught his eye.”
Slurping the last of her sugary drink out of the bottom of her glass, Summer looked up and muttered, “What if Mozart thinks I’m boring in bed?”
Caroline was the first to react. “Are you saying that you haven’t slept with him yet?”
“No, we’ve slept. But he didn’t want to…you know. He said he wanted to wait. I don’t know why. Maybe because he doesn’t like me that way?” Summer didn’t really believe what she was saying. She’d known Mozart was aroused when they’d messed around on the bed before he’d left. It was obvious he wanted her, but he hadn’t taken the opportunity. She needed another woman’s opinion.
“That proves it, Summer,” Caroline said earnestly, sounding much more sober than she was. “If Sam hasn’t made love to you yet, he’s yours. You don’t get it, and I’m sure you probably don’t want to hear this, but he’s slept with a lot of women. A lot. And they all meant nothing to him. Hell, he probably couldn’t tell you any of their names.” At the look of disappointment on Summer’s face, she hurried to make her point. “He’s never held back, not once. If he’s with you, it means you mean something to him. Hell, it means you mean everything to him. He’s not a man that goes out of his way to spare the feelings of the women he sleeps with. Don’t you get it? It’s because he hasn’t slept with you that shows how much he cares.”