Latched (Coronado Series Book 1)

by Hart, Lea

  Mark watched Frisco and Birdie gather stuff to take out to the car. She seemed to be aware of him, but wouldn’t look at him. She was so friendly and open with Frisco, so why was she avoiding looking at him? Maybe she wasn’t interested in adding anyone to her friend group. She sure didn’t seem to be in a hurry to talk to him.

  Frisco took her hand, “Do you want me to stay and help with the arch?”

  “No. James is on his way. You guys have to make sure Josh gets back here in time to marry his bride.”

  As they were taking the extra flowers to her car, Birdie stole glances of Mark. He was the best looking guy she’d ever seen. He looked like one of the guys she was drooling over yesterday, but without a beard. It felt like there might be a little mutual attraction, but she wasn’t sure. Unfortunately her radar was lousy when it came to who might be interested in her. She never picked up the right signal.

  She was definitely attracted to him. He was a big guy and very fit as all of the team was, but he wouldn’t be considered good looking by most people’s standards. His features were a little rough. He looked very male - that was the best way to describe him. He had brown hair similar to hers and a scar running along his lower jaw. She noticed he had the prettiest green eyes and almost feminine long lashes which were such a contrast to the rest of him. The brute male power he exuded was a little overpowering but sexy as hell. I bet that man never hesitates when he wants something. She couldn’t decide if she should feel intimidated or turned on.

  Birdie and Josh loaded the extra flowers into her car and Mark helped them and tried to ask casually, “So is James your boyfriend?”

  Dead silence as Birdie and Frisco stared at Mark and started to laugh.

  “Only in my dreams,” Birdie responded. They finished putting everything in and Birdie grabbed Frisco’s arm and started talking to him in a low voice. She had no idea he had excellent hearing. He could hear a rock roll a half a click away. She was asking Frisco if he was able to think of any candidates yet.

  Candidates for what? I’m a nice guy. What about me?

  Birdie and Frisco walked over to the group and Josh gave Birdie a big hug, “Amazing job on the flowers. Thanks for giving us this as a gift. Maryanne’s parents really appreciate it.”

  “Of course - I was happy to do this for you both.” She hugged him back and then started talking to some of the guys. She reminded them to come by the shop during the week to get their financial statements. Mark noticed the guys were all crowded around her and he heard her laugh. The sound of her laughter rippled across the lawn and brushed across his skin and tightened his chest. He noticed how small and female she looked surrounded by all of his teammates. He rubbed his chest again, wondering what the hell was going on with him. He had barely spoken to the woman and she was affecting him in ways that had never happened before.

  Mark asked Ace, the newest member of his Platoon, what Birdie was talking about. “Birdie is a CPA. She helps out the guys by paying their bills when they’re deployed. She always did it for Josh, and as she got to know the guys, she offered to do it for them as well. Birdie also does some consulting work with a firm downtown. Her specialty is forensic accounting.”

  Mark was surprised to hear she was a CPA too. “I thought she was just the flower lady.”

  “Her Grandmother passed away about a year ago and left her the house on Coronado and her flower shop. Ace added, “She decided to take a break from her life and moved down here and took over the shop. Her fiancée cheated on her with his assistant and she decided she needed a change.” Mark looked at Birdie and tried to figure out what kind of idiot would cheat on her. But maybe it was his good luck that there were so many idiots in the world.

  Birdie was turning out to be a very interesting woman. He decided he needed to spend a little time with her at the wedding and get to know her. All of the guys started heading out to get ready for the wedding. Mark hung back trying to see if he could talk to her a little more before this James guy showed up. Frisco kissed Birdie goodbye and gave Mark a warning look.

  He waved goodbye to Frisco and walked towards the woman who had his heart beating fast. She was sitting in the front row of seats looking out over the bay looking relaxed. She had on sunglasses and was leaning back with her face pointed towards the sun. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he sat next to her and was quiet. Birdie turned her head and smiled at him. All this girl has to do is smile at me and I get a hot possessive rush. What’s going to happen when I kiss her?

  “So, you’re Frisco’s Commander? It’s nice of you to come out and help the guys today.”

  He looked down at her and smiled. Well now she is looking at me…. keep looking at me. “I guess I’ve been missing out on the dinners that the guys are always talking about. I hear you’re a great cook.”

  As he looked at her he was thinking, I guess I better ask her out on some dates. That is how it worked with real women. There had to be something between meeting her and having sex. He couldn’t just say, “Let’s go to bed” or so he presumed. He hadn’t had a date since college. If he wanted sex, he would go to a bar, cast his net and it would take about ten minutes for him to find someone. But he had a feeling that’s not how it worked with this woman. He knew dating happened before sex and there probably had to be a certain number of them before she would consider it.

  “Well it’s nice that they enjoy them. I always invited Josh over and then he brought Frisco and then they brought more of their friends. It has turned into a big group. How come no one ever invited you to come?”

  “I think they were waiting for you to invite me. But since we never met that probably wasn’t going to happen. I socialize with my team members - I just have to leave before they get arrested. I have to maintain plausible deniability.”

  “Probably a good idea because somebody has to be available to bail them out. I’ll make sure to include you next time I have a team dinner.” She smiled and he stared back at her mouth thinking how he’d like to taste her. Dating…. Conversation…. that was how he was going to be able to kiss that mouth.

  “Thank you, I can’t tell you the last time I had a home cooked meal. I’ll just hang out and wait until James comes. I don’t want you to be out here alone.” I want you to be under me and on top of me and beside me, he thought, but not alone.

  “James should be here any minute so you don’t have to wait.” She patted his leg, “It’s a nice gesture and very sweet.” Nobody had ever described Mark as sweet, he decided it might be good if Birdie thought he was. He looked down at his knee and felt a jolt of electricity. He smiled into her eyes, Touch me again Birdie, you can just leave your hand right there.

  Birdie turned towards the parking lot and saw James drive up in his truck. She got up and started walking towards him. James was the best looking guy she’d ever seen. By anyone’s standards, he was perfect. James got out and swept her in a hug, “Your prince has arrived to save the day.”

  He looked over her shoulder and noticed Mark standing by the arch and quietly asked who the very fine piece of man meat was?

  Birdie slapped him in the arm and shushed him. “That’s Frisco’s Commander - isn’t he the best looking man you have ever seen? I was thinking of asking him to have a short meaningless affair with me, but now I can’t. It would be wrong to ask a Lt. Commander to do that. What a shame, I wanted him to agree to let me use him for his body. He’s like the men we were looking at yesterday, except for the beard.”

  “How long have you been out here this morning? Are you experiencing sunstroke?” He dropped his sunglasses and looked at Mark, “He’s attractive in a super alpha man way. But he’s not good looking. Why can’t you ask a Lt. Commander to bust your slump? They don’t have sex? Is he married?” He noticed Mark staring at them, “I bet he would be interested in your plan. Don’t break his heart though.”

  “I don’t want to break anything - I want to change my juju. The guy is built like a boxer, look at those huge biceps.” Birdie dropped her glas
ses as well and looked at Mark again. “I don’t think I could break anything on him even if I tried.” She moved her glasses up, “Too bad he’s off limits to me.”

  Mark watched as Birdie was swept up in her friends arms and had the same thought again, Don’t hug him. Hug me. This guy James was one good looking son of a bitch. He was tall and had model good looks that the girls seem to go for. Even a dumb sailor like him could figure that out. Maybe this was the man Birdie was holding out for. He started walking over to the truck and introduced himself to James. They shook hands and Mark realized that the guy was probably gay. Well that worked out for him. The less men he had to push aside, the better.

  They talked for a few minutes and Birdie turned to James, “We’d better get started. I still have to get ready for the wedding.”

  Mark leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek, surprising both himself and Birdie. “See you later at the wedding. James, nice meeting you.”

  She watched him walk away and stood there with her hand on her cheek. He smells good, he smells perfect. I like the feel of his cheek and the weight of his hand on my arm.

  “Birdie, this could be the beginning a wonderful affair.” James started laughing as he looked at her.

  “I want to run my hand down his massive chest. I want to kiss him and see what he tastes like. I want to feel the weight of him. Too bad I can’t ask him for some meaningless sex.”

  James leaned back on his truck, “Those are some pretty specific plans, I think you may still have a shot. The guy was looking at you like you were the main course on his dinner menu. You may just get what you ask for.”

  “Frisco said I look like I have a body for sin, but when I open my mouth men figure out that I’m responsibility. I’m planning on being very quiet and letting my body do the talking. I’m going to send out a naked fun message. Let’s get started; I want to finish up, go home and get ready. I have a lot to transform.”

  ********

  Birdie stood in the closet running her hands over her dresses as she contemplated her choices for the wedding. It was between the Eli Saab pale pink dress and the blue Narciso Rodriguez sheath. Both were really sexy. The Eli Saab was a little heavy because of all of the beading, but she could breathe and dance in it. The Narciso was more fitted, it was harder to breathe in, but very chic. Unable to decide she walked back into the bathroom to finish her hair. She shook it out and sprayed it a little so it wouldn’t go flat before the dancing began. She returned to her closet and chose the Eli Saab dress. It was flirty and fun and almost made her look a little naked. Most of Eli’s dresses had a similar effect. The way the beading was done made it look like if you moved just right, you might get a flash of something.

  She slipped into it, added her Jimmy Choo gold heels and perfume and was ready. She looked in the mirror and was glad she’d decided to get the lash extensions that were so popular now. It made her eyes look really dramatic. Before she headed downstairs, she said a little prayer. “Please let me meet someone and please make sure he’s good in bed.” She figured it was a good idea to be specific about what she wanted - she didn’t want to be blessed with the wrong man.

  She walked down stairs and called for James. He was sitting in the kitchen reading the paper and drinking champagne. “Well how did I do?”

  He looked up and smiled, “Oh Birdie, you did good. You look like a woman who is ready for the next chapter and some really great sex.”

  “Good, I tried to vamp it up as much as I could. Do I look like I’m capable of naked fun?”

  James studied her, “Mostly… the naked dress sure sends the right message.”

  “I have a lot of family there - it’s still appropriate right?”

  “People see what they want to see. Your Aunts will see a lovely pink dress. Mark is going to see a naked dress and follow you around all night.”

  She lifted her glass in a toast, “Well, here’s hoping. A year is too long to go without sex.” She finished her glass of champagne and put it down on the counter.

  “I had no idea it had been that long. I think a couple of days is a long time, but that’s just me.” James checked to make sure she had cab money and the number of the taxi service for her return home. “Do you need a condom too?”

  Birdie waved her hand in dismissal, “I’m hoping for a kiss, not a shag in the bushes. But I’ll put them on my shopping list for next week. I think I need to be ready if I find a candidate for my plan.”

  James stood up, adjusted his clothes and grabbed her hand, “Let’s get you to this shindig.”

  ********

  They pulled up to the Officers Club and people were gathered on the front lawn where the ceremony was taking place. Birdie noticed how pretty the sky looked. It was 5:00, the sun had settled a bit and the sky had softened. It made everything and everyone look a little better.

  “Get going girl - go have fun. Dance your feet off and eat lots of cake.”

  She got out and went to his side of the car and gave him a big kiss. “Thank you, thank you for everything today. You really are my prince.”

  James looked over her shoulder, “Mark is staring at your ass right now. He’s not acting uninterested. You’d better get going.”

  Birdie stood up, straightened her dress, fixed her shoe and spun around with a big hopeful smile on her face. She stared at Mark in his suit, the guy was impressive in a tee shirt and shorts - but in a suit he was devastating. His broad shoulders filled out the jacket and she could see the fabric of his pants clinging to his massive thighs. It gave her the feeling of dynamite being wrapped in tissue paper…. completely unnecessary. Here goes nothing. She started to walk towards him, hoping she didn’t trip and fall on her face.

  Mark saw Birdie arrive in a black Mercedes and wondered if she managed to find a last minute date for this thing. He watched her lean over to talk to the driver and his mouth fell open. She was in a fucking naked dress – you could see right through that thing. He felt his body tense with anticipation and desire. He leaned forward and waited for her to turn around. He noticed she had a much better figure than he first thought. She was a freakin brick house with all of those curves. He had a very strong desire to sink his hands into her hips and kiss her up one side and down the other. He never understood why women wanted to be so skinny, they were supposed to be soft and round with hips to hold onto. Who wanted to feel like you were lying next to a fourteen year old boy? Maybe that’s just me – I’m a big guy and I don’t want to feel like I am going to break the woman if I kiss her too hard. I want to have something to hold on to when I sink into her.

  Birdie kissed the driver and the same thought popped into his mind again, Don’t kiss him… kiss me. He watched her do a little shimmy to straighten her dress and then bend to fix her shoe. I just want her under me, over me and beside me. She turned around and he got the full effect of all that was Birdie. She had a big smile on her face and her hair was down - she was soft and sexy. He could imagine the feel of her hair draped around him like a curtain and wondered what she tasted like.

  He felt light headed as he watched her walk towards him, Come here baby….come to me. Mark felt a tightening in his pants from just looking at her and thanked God for the jacket. He was a man with a lot of self-control so he willed his body to obey and was able to bring it all back down. That was until she started walking towards him and he saw her hips move in that rhythm women had. He felt sure he was going to get glimpse of something as the beading moved on her dress. As she got closer he realized the dress wasn’t completely sheer. He also noticed she didn’t look confident in her heels and appeared to be concentrating as she took each step.

  Birdie looked up, smiled and that’s when it happened. She tripped and almost fell right into him. He caught her around the waist and pulled her up against his chest. She looked up and laughed, “I almost made it. I was so close. But I looked up and saw you standing there and I got distracted.”

  She straightened up and tried to pull away, but he didn’t rel
ease her. He bent over and whispered in her ear, “You looking amazing sweetheart - nice dress.” He noticed she smelled like lilacs and summer. He had no idea where that thought came from. But he would now associate the smell of lilacs with desire.

  He pulled her in a little tighter and held her flush against his body. She was unable to respond right away, because her brain shut down. She felt all 6’3” inches of Mark’s muscular build and had the urge to settle in and stay a while. He smelled amazing, like soap and starch from his shirt and something else that was all him. She wanted to run her nose up his throat, I want him. That was the thought racing through her head. She snapped out of it and finally responded, “Thanks for the save.”

  She straightened up and patted his broad chest, “Thanks again.” They stood on the lawn in a semi embrace, staring at each other with people moving around them, not moving. She could feel all his intensity and focus when she was this close to him. It was contradicted by the very easy smile on his face. She could also feel the mutual attraction that was happening between them - it felt like an arc of electricity. She wondered if anyone else noticed what was happening between them.

  Finally he released her and took her hand in his. She looked down at their clasped hands and felt a line of electricity run up her arm. Was he feeling anything, because it felt like everything to her?

  Mark liked the feeling of her small hand in his. It felt like it was supposed to be there. “Can I walk you to your seat? I want to protect you from all of the men who are going to be staring at you in your naked dress.”

  “This isn’t a naked dress - it just looks like it. I’m not flashing anything, it’s not even short.”

  Mark shook his head, “Nope - it is a naked dress. Every man here is just hoping for a shift of those beads for a little glimpse.” He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards where the ceremony was going to take place.