Giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Fancy remained silent, biting her lip. Brody wanted to rescue the abused flesh and nibble on it himself, along with a few other places on her body. Damn, he had it bad for this woman.
“Anyway,” Templeton said, interrupting Brody’s wayward and inappropriate thoughts. “We were only a few blocks away when the call was dispatched, and recognized the address. Unfortunately, whoever it was, did a good job of making himself unrecognizable. We just took a look at the security camera feed. Black sweats, black hoodie, dark shoes or sneakers—hard to tell because the recording is so grainy. Hell, I can’t even figure out if the guy is white, black, or green with purple polka dots.”
Letting out a deep breath, Brody chuckled. That was one thing he loved about men and women in the military and law enforcement—their wry sense of humor. Addressing Fancy, he asked, “Were you here?”
She shook her head and spoke for the first time since he got there. “No. It happened right before I got here. In fact, I pulled up at the same time the officer, Freddie, and the sergeant did. Freaked me out until they said there wasn’t a bomb.”
“Yeah, well, they have a tendency to do that, but I can’t complain since they’ve helped my team out a few times.”
“And vice versa,” the sergeant added.
As Sal headed inside to start sweeping up the mess, and the uniformed cop finished taking down notes for his report, a navy-blue truck came flying into the parking lot. Brody stepped in front of Fancy to protect her from any threat as a dark-haired man with a frown on his face jumped out and ran toward them, leaving the driver’s door wide open. “Fancy, what happened?”
The worry on the man’s face and in his voice was evident. When he reached the group, Fancy stepped around Brody and threw her arms around the man’s neck as he embraced her. Disappointment filled Brody’s gut. It was evident Fancy was close to this man, and he wondered if his shot at getting to know her better was as shattered as the store window. He took a step backward as she told the newcomer what had happened.
Someone bumped his shoulder and Brody turned his head to see Freddie had closed the distance between them. Keeping his voice low so only Brody could hear, the cop said, “Don’t worry. That’s her brother-in-law—he’s with Tampa F.D. But be forewarned, Fancy’s like family to my cousin. If you’re just looking for a little something on the side, then look somewhere else. She’s had enough heartache in the past.”
His jaw tensed. It was a friendly warning, and he knew it just meant Fancy had people who cared about her, whether they were close to her or not. But it didn’t mean he had to like it. “Understood.”
He wanted to ask what “heartache” the cop was talking about, but this wasn’t the time or place. Clearing his throat, he was about to say her name to get her attention, but he overheard her brother-in-law say something about this not being the first incident. He stepped forward. “What else happened?”
The fireman’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Brody. “Who are you?”
Stepping to the side, Fancy gestured back and forth between the two men. “Corey, this is one of my new regular customers, Brody Evans. Brody, this is my brother-in-law.”
Not letting it show, Brody was surprised she used his full name. He had never heard it sound so lyrical before and wanted to hear it again. Instead, he temporarily pushed aside the warm fuzzy feelings it brought as neither man did anything more than nod while sizing each other up. As if she noticed the tension between them, Fancy turned back toward him to intercede. “Corey was referring to some vandalism I had last week. A bunch of nasty comments were spray painted on the wall facing the parking lot. I filed a report, and my landlord cleaned it with a power washer. It was really no big deal.”
Seriously? “Well, one incident, might not be a big deal to you, but this just upped the ante. How good are your cameras and security system?”
When she looked a little confused, his gaze shot to Freddie. “Tell me.”
The cop shrugged. “Not the best. Certainly not on the level I know you’re referring to.”
“Well, that’ll change.”
The uniformed officer handed Fancy his card with the report number on it so she could contact her insurance company, and gave her the standard “what to do next.” It was to call a glass company, which wouldn’t be available until at least 9:00 a.m., so Brody pulled out his cell and scrolled through his contacts to find the number he wanted. Hitting send, he brought the phone to his ear and waited for the call to connect.
“—ello. Oose this?”
“Parker, wake your ass up.”
The owner of New Horizons Construction had obviously been sound asleep. “Brody? What the fuck, man? It’s. . .shit, it’s not even six o’clock. What the fuck is wrong?”
“I need a favor.”
Within five minutes, arrangements were made for two of Parker’s workers to head over with sheets of plywood to close up the window until Fancy’s insurance company ordered the glass to be replaced. When he disconnected the call, Templeton and Mendoza said their goodbyes, but it was the stunned expression on Fancy’s face which caught his attention. “What?”
“You just called someone to cover my window at six o’clock in the morning?”
“Yup. A friend of mine has a construction company. His workers will be here in about twenty minutes. In the meantime, let me take a look at your security setup.”
“Why?” This time, it was Corey who spoke—truthfully it was more like a growl—and he clearly wasn’t happy that not only was Brody still there but was taking over. Well, too fucking bad.
He shrugged. “Because it’s what I do best.”
Shaking her head, Fancy gaped at him. “That’s awfully sweet of you, Brody, but I can’t afford a new security system right now.”
Ignoring the brother-in-law’s glare, Brody smiled at her. “That’s not a problem. Just pay me in pastries.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re crazy.”
“Nope. I just have an enormous sweet tooth that loves your baking.” And now he had the perfect excuse to be around her some more. It was a win-win for both of them. She just didn’t know it yet.
* * *
Striding into the Trident Security building, with the company dog, Beau, on his heels, Brody went straight to Ian’s office and rapped on the open door. His friend glanced up before returning to his computer screen. “Egghead, what carbs did you bring today to make my teams fat?”
He snorted while taking a seat in front of the boss’s desk. Ian had been enjoying Fancy’s delicacies just as much as everyone else had. “Some sticky pecan things. You’ll love them.” He paused until Ian shifted his eyes back to him. “I need today off, Boomer’s help, and a new system, which I’ll pay for.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed as he frowned. “You fucking serious? For what, or should I say whom?”
“Fancy’s having some problems at the bakery. Vandalism. And she’s got a shit system. I told her she can pay me by satisfying my sweet tooth.”
Rolling his eyes, Ian leaned back in his leather chair. He knew exactly who Fancy was between Angie raving about their new wedding cake baker and Brody bringing in the pastries every day. “Just your sweet tooth? I have a feeling you want her satisfying more than that.”
Not bothering to deny the truth, Brody shrugged. “So can I have Boomer and the training day off?”
“Yeah, okay. Marco can play drill sergeant today. Just don’t fucking forget you’re on Princess duty later. She’s got that shindig tonight, and you’re on with Omega. Be here in your monkey suit by 1600 for the briefing. Amar will be here to run through everything.”
Shit, he’d almost forgotten all about the detail. Timasur’s Princess Tahira was in town and had a charity function on her schedule which meant more security than usual. Mousaf Amar was the head of the royal bodyguards, and Trident worked well with him when members of the royal family were visiting one of their vacation homes in Clearwater Beach. The man had been trained
with special ops teams from several countries and Brody was impressed with his eye for detail in security. He rarely missed anything when it came to protecting the royal family.
Brody stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be here, no worries. And thanks, Boss-man. I owe you.”
“Just keep sharing the baked goods.”
A half hour later, he was pulling back into the parking lot next to Fancy’s bakery with several boxes in the bed of his truck and Boomer sitting in the passenger seat. Brody wasn’t surprised to see Fancy’s brother-in-law leaning against his own vehicle with his arms crossed, trying to look intimidating. While the fireman was physically fit and stood over six feet, the former SEAL could take him with one hand tied behind his back.
As they climbed out of the truck, Corey approached Brody with a scowl on his face. “If you think this is going to get you into her pants, think again.”
Rounding the back of the truck, Boomer raised his eyebrows, giving his teammate a silent what the fuck? But he didn’t interfere. Brody crossed his arms over his massive chest and scowled back at the man who was glaring daggers at him. “Seriously? You think that’s why I’m doing this? I would think you'd be glad she’s going to be better protected.”
Corey mirrored his stance. “Fine. But I’m paying for the system. You can show me how it works when you’re done. I don’t want Fancy worrying about a thing. After that, leave her the hell alone.”
“Huh?” The guy was starting to get on his nerves, so Brody decided to change tactics. “So you’re married to her sister?”
“What? Who the fuck told you that? Fancy doesn’t have any sisters. She was married to my brother.” It was at that moment, Brody realized he hadn’t known the man’s last name. “He was killed in a car accident a few years ago, and she ended up in a coma for weeks. So excuse me if I’m a little over-protective of her. I’m the only family she’s got around here.”
Brody noticed the slight shake of his teammate’s head, and he knew he had to put this pissing match to rest. “Look, man. I like her. She’s really nice. I met her through a friend who hired her for a wedding. But I’m not some asshole who would expect sex in return for helping her stay safe. I understand where you’re coming from, and the last thing I would ever do is hurt her. That’s not the kind of guy I am. Let me just do this for her so we’ll all know she’s safe, all right?”
After a long pause, Corey nodded and held out his hand. “Truce?”
“Truce.”
For the first time since they got there, the fireman acknowledged Boomer. “Hey, sorry about that. Corey Maguire.” He extended a hand.
“Ben Michaelson, but everyone calls me Boomer. And no worries. I’d do the same.”
As the two shook hands, Brody dropped the tailgate of his truck bed and started sorting through the multiple boxes they’d brought. With Maguire’s help, they had everything inside within a few minutes. With the plywood covering the window, the table area on the right of the store was darker than the rest of the shop, so Fancy had turned the light dimmer on high for them. After making sure his sister-in-law didn’t need anything, Maguire left, promising to come back later to see how the new system worked since he had the spare keys to the place.
By the time noon came around, Boomer and Brody had the camera system up and running, as well as new security locks and alarms on both the front and back doors. All they needed to do was wire the new window which was currently being put in place. Fancy’s insurance company had sent an adjustor out right away since the only damage was the broken window. As soon as the man had taken his pictures, Brody had gotten Parker’s glass company on the phone. As a favor to Brody, Parker had asked the owner to put them at the top of the repair list.
The teammates were packing up their tools and things they were done with when Fancy walked over with two large bottles of water. “Here, you two look like you could use these.”
While the air conditioning had been blasting earlier due to the 103-degree temperatures soaring outside, it had done no good with the hot air coming through the empty window frame, which had just been filled. Brody grinned at her. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Rolling her eyes, she fought a smile and lost. “Does that fake accent actually work on women?”
When Boomer barked out a laugh, Brody smacked him hard in the gut causing him to cough and gasp for air instead. He winked at Fancy. “It’s not fake, darlin’. I was born and bred right outside Dallas. I just learned to hide it in the Navy. But when I’m relaxed it tends to come out a little stronger.”
She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. “Why would you have to hide it?”
“I was a Navy SEAL, and we had to go into places where having a southern accent stuck out like a sore thumb. The only thing worse was my buddy Marco’s New York accent.”
Swallowing some water, Boomer nodded his head. “Yup. It’s the Yankee meets the hick when those two get going. And if you think hiding his accent was bad, you should see him with his hair dyed. Most of the countries we went into didn’t have people with blond hair.”
“So you were both SEALs?”
Widening his stance, Brody got comfortable and tried to hide his satisfaction at her sudden curiosity. Three questions in under two minutes? Wow, that was a record for her with him over the past two weeks. Usually it was him asking questions, trying to get to know her better, and Jamie jumping in to answer when Fancy wouldn’t.
As Boomer explained the little he could about their careers on SEAL Team Four, Brody thought back to what Maguire had said earlier. Actually, it had been on his mind ever since he’d learned she was a widow. He guessed she was about thirty, which would have made her twenty-seven or so when she lost her husband—way too young to have to go through such a horror. How long had they been married? His gaze roamed her face and then her body. She had no noticeable scars or disabilities from the accident and subsequent coma. How long had it taken her to recover?
Sometime in the past few hours, his feelings toward her had changed. They had gotten stronger, and she was no longer just some woman who was a potential conquest. She was bringing out the inner Dom in him. He was one who could switch it off now and then. He had dated plenty of “vanilla” women, some who enjoyed a few D/s things he introduced them to, and others who he knew it was a line they wouldn’t cross. What category did Fancy fall into? While he didn’t mind dabbling in the vanilla world every once in a while, he did know any long term relationship would need a D/s dynamic for him—at least in the bedroom.
The bell over the front door jingled, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the glass guy stride in with a clipboard in hand. He had Fancy sign off on the work order so he could submit it to the insurance company, and then gave her a copy of the receipt.
Brody was about to start grabbing what they needed to alarm the window when a hand on his forearm stopped him. His eyes traveled up the feminine arm, to the shoulder, neck, face, and then eyes of the woman who had been invading all his dreams lately. The contact sent a tingling through him, and he fought the urge to shiver. Damn, he couldn’t remember a single time a woman’s non-sexual touch had made him want to pin her to a wall and do wild, nasty things to her.
Fancy’s brown eyes stared back at him, and when her eyebrows shot up, he realized she was waiting for an answer. And God help him, he had no idea what the question was. He gave his head a slight shake. “I’m sorry. Zoned out there for a second. What did you say?”
The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, and for a brief moment, he knew he was seeing the real woman behind the multiple masks she had used to keep him at a distance. “I asked what I can get you both to eat for lunch. I’m sending Jamie across the street to the Italian deli, and the least I can do is feed you for all you’ve done for me. I know I said the upgrades weren’t in my budget right now, but I can make monthly payments. I can’t let you do this for free.”
Placing his hand over hers still resting on his forearm, he purposely lowere
d his voice to Dom mode. “I offered to do this, Fancy. And I meant what I said. Pay me in sugar and whatever else you put into all those yummy things behind the counter. That and seeing a smile like the one you just gave me every day will be payment enough.”
She blushed as she giggled. “Sugar and a smile every day? Hmmm. I’ll think about it. Today, though, you definitely earned them.”
They stood there staring at each other as the seconds ticked by, and the rest of the shop faded away. Brody was about to lean forward and kiss her, but thankfully, the bell on the door sounded again as new customers entered, pushing the thought from his mind. As much as he wanted to kiss her, here and now was neither the time nor the place. He had to take this slowly. This woman was turning him inside out without even trying, and for the first time in his life he thought he might have found “the one.” He only hoped she would give him a chance.
Chapter 4
With his black tie hanging undone around his neck, Brody climbed from his truck and grabbed the tuxedo jacket he’d put on the hook behind the driver’s seat. Who the fuck had thought of holding a black tie event on a Friday night in the middle of September in Tampa? It was a quarter to four in the afternoon and the outside temperature was still over the one hundred-degree mark. Damn, he was ready to fucking melt. At least the air conditioning would be on full blast in the offices and later on at the Hilton where the gala was being held.
Entering the warehouse that had been turned into the Trident offices, he hung the jacket up on the coat rack in the reception area before heading to the conference room. As he passed the secretary’s desk, Colleen was packing her things up to leave for the day, but she paused long enough to give him a wolf whistle. “Looking good, Brody.”
He laughed and winked at her. “You know it. Have a good time in Miami.”
Tickle His Fancy: Trident Security Book 6 (Trident Security Series) Page 4