Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance

by Gina Watson

  Looking at the clock, she realized she had time to wait yet, so she put coffee on and sat at the table in the small kitchen. The apartment was an efficiency and painted mint green with white curtains. It was very beachy and peaceful, and she’d immediately loved it, but it did nothing to curb her desolate mood. Holding her left hand in front of her, she admired her ring just as she’d done a thousand times before. Tears filled her eyes. She stood and turned on the radio, refusing to give in to the emotion begging to be let out. She’d spent too many hours wondering what had happened, what she’d done, what could have been. A knock at the door took her attention from her musings and she was thankful.

  She opened the door to Augie in a pinstriped slim-fit suit and tie. He was perfection. “Augie.” Her voice was weak.

  As she took in his entire body from head to toe, he was doing the same to her. He opened his mouth, but said nothing. He held his hand out.

  Mumbling, he managed, “Your mail.”

  She opened the door wide to let him pass. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yeah.”

  He sat at the small table and watched her every move as she poured him a cup and stirred in lots of cream, just as he liked it. “Here you go.”

  His hand landed on her arm. “You’re beautiful, breathtaking even. Your eyes are the same color as that dress.”

  “Thank you. You look very handsome in your suit.”

  “The Fireman’s Ball,” they said in unison.

  They were both going to the ball; she should have guessed as much. She didn’t like the idea at all. He’d have to go with someone. A date. A woman. A large breasted blond haired Southern woman.

  “I’ll give you a ride.”

  “Thank you, but Keith is picking me up. He’s one of the Fighting Nineteenth’s candidates.”

  “I know who Keith is.” His voice was harsh. His brow furrowed and his jaw clenched tight. “Here.” He tossed the envelope on the table. “This came from the state. It’s addressed to Michael Roy.”

  “Ah. That’d be my identification. Technically my name is Michael Roy.”

  “How’d you meet Keith?” Augie leaned back in the chair, hands in his pant pockets.

  His suit pulled tight over his taut muscles and she missed running her hands over all of that hardness. “Evie and Clay invited me to dinner and he was there. Then he asked me to the ball.”

  “And you said yes.”

  He seemed annoyed.

  “Yeah, I did.” She played with the ring on her finger. “I never went to prom or any other school dances. I want to go; I think it’ll be fun.” She shrugged. Did he think she shouldn’t have said yes? Her situation was so messed up. She was married to him, wore his ring, shared his name, he’d been her first lover, but then it had all dissolved into nothing. If he was bothered by her and Keith, it served him right. In fact, she hoped he was.

  She got up when there was yet another knock at her door.

  “Keith, you’re early.”

  “And you’re beautiful. Damn, girl, I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

  “Thank you. You look very nice as well.”

  And he did, impeccably dressed in a three-piece suit. But where Augie was dark and brooding, Keith was too perfect.

  “Oh, I got you this. Great minds, huh? Purple orchid.”

  “Thank you. Please come in.”

  She turned and almost ran into Augie. He was standing directly behind her, scowling at them both.

  “Um, Keith, do you know Augie?”

  “I do. Hey, Sheriff.”

  Keith stuck out his hand, but Augie only grunted and turned toward Mia. He seemed about to say something, but he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

  “What a dick. He’s your landlord, right?”

  “Um, yeah.” She didn’t like that Keith called Augie a dick, but he deserved the insult since he was in fact being a dick. Something hadn’t been right with him since they’d been back.

  “Nice apartment, though.”

  They rode to the ball in Keith’s truck. He was a super nice guy, holding doors open and asking her what kind of music she liked to listen to, and at twenty-six he was closer to her own age than Augie was. There was only one problem: she couldn’t stop thinking about Augie.

  The event was being held at a nice hotel. The ballroom had been decorated in silver, black, and blue. Twinkly lights and silk draping had been slung over every available surface. She felt like a princess in a fairy tale. The festive atmosphere had her stomach feeling as if a school of fish swam around inside. The first thing they did was have their picture taken under a balloon arch. A local professional photographer snapped shots and charged twenty dollars for a five by seven.

  “How many would you like?” Keith took her hand and pulled her over to the monitor. A picture of them emerged on the screen. “We’re the best-looking couple here by far,” he whispered in her ear. His outrageousness had her giggling.

  She eyed their screen image for a long time. Having never been to prom or school dances, she wanted this picture for the memories. “I definitely want one.”

  Keith turned to the photographer. “Mr. Lewis, how have you been?”

  The man was older, and Mia wondered how Keith knew him.

  “Good, kid. How’s the Nineteenth treating you?”

  “Can’t complain. Great work tonight; we’d like two please.”

  “You still over on Austin Street?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Got it.” He noted something on a little pad he kept in his shirt pocket.

  “Come, I want you to meet my buddies.”

  Keith put his arm in Mia’s and they searched the room for his firemen friends. She spotted Augie at a table, alone, one finger rubbing his upper lip. His gaze followed them when they passed.

  “There they are,” Keith said.

  She saw two guys about Keith’s age leaning against the bar.

  “Mia, I’d like you to meet Colin, and this is his date, Reese.” The joke earned Keith a punch in the arm.

  Reese put his arm around Mia while Colin nodded and said, “Beautiful.”

  They were nice guys and regaled her with firefighting stories while Keith ordered drinks—a piña colada for her. Keith had dark features, eyes and hair, and his skin had been bronzed from the sun, but Colin was quite blond and sported blue eyes and reminded her of the California surfers she’d seen in movies. Reese had quite the southern accent and wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat with his suit. He had light brown eyes and a friendly demeanor.

  His arm still around her, but now around her waist, Reese said, “I wonder if Keith has delighted you with stories of our first week as firemen.”

  “He hasn’t, but I’d love to hear about it.”

  They walked to a table and sat. Augie was too close for her comfort. He still at alone, but it was early yet. She wondered who his date would be. He glared at them; she shifted her chair. And turned her attention to the young firemen.

  The guys told her a story about Keith and how he had to wear a French maid’s costume whenever he served fire department meals and when he cleaned the station. She laughed until tears streamed down her face.

  “Why do you have to wear it?”

  “I lost a bet to Clay.”

  “What bet?”

  Colin said, “He bet Clay that he could beat him at a hose-binding drill.”

  Keith shrugged. “Turns out Clay is some kind of superhero.” He sipped from his drink. “But I was top of my class.”

  She felt his embarrassment. “I’m sure you’re a great fireman.”

  Reese added, “His nickname is Colette.”

  “Ah, the French maid thing. Funny.”

  Evie and Clay had arrived and now sat with Augie. Catching her eye, Evie waved her over. Mia leaned into Keith and excused herself. Nerves bunched in her stomach as she crossed to them. She caught Augie’s eye, and he sucked her in, her forward momentum driven solely by him. At the table he pulled a chai
r out for her and she sat next to him, wishing harder than ever that she were his date for the night. .

  “Mia, you look beautiful,” Evie said. She shimmered next to Clay in an indigo-blue gown.

  “Thank you. So do you.” She smiled. Her sister looked happy. Perfectly content.

  Clay cleared his throat. “You two are the most beautiful women in all of East Baton Rouge Parish.” He kissed Evie’s palm and she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.

  Their obvious affection for one another made Mia nauseated. No, it was her jealousy that had her stomach roiling. Jealousy that shot through her like poison. She stood.

  “Well, I just came over to congratulate Clay.” She forced a smile at him. He was so nice that she started to feel like less of a fraud when the smile became sincere. Before turning to walk away, she looked down at Augie. She shouldn’t have done it, should have just kept her mind focused on getting back to her table, but her body defied her. The room and everything and everyone in it fell away and in that moment it was just the two of them staring at one another. Stewing with words left unsaid. Deep brown pupils, almost black, searched her soul, stripping her bare. She was so overcome with emotion she was rendered immobile.

  Immobile until someone pulled her hand and propelled her forward.

  Colin. It was Colin.

  “Come on, we gotta go bid before all the cool stuff is auctioned.”

  His excitement was contagious, and she practically skipped along with him. At the other end of the ballroom, behind a black curtain, a table was set with odds and ends of all kinds. There were restaurant gift certificates, vacation packages, cruises, concert passes, winery tours, spa passes, brewery tours, and even shotguns and pistols. The array was maddening.

  They found Keith bidding on a fancy duck-call contraption. Leaning over his shoulder, Mia asked, “What is all of this?”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. It felt strange, but she didn’t dislike it. “This is the silent auction. Anything catch your eye?”

  Her gaze landed on a life-sized plush Bengal tiger. “Wow, who would want that?”

  “That tiger?”

  “Yeah, it’s so big. What would you do with it?”

  He cocked his head at her. “Baby girl, are you not aware of the local college mascot?”

  “A Bengal tiger?”

  “Yeah, LSU tigers. That thing will go for hundreds.”

  “Really? Once you win it, what do you do with it?”

  “Strap it to the top of your vehicle. Take it with you to every game. Some people actually buy a seat for their tigers.”

  “They don’t.”

  “No shit Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers.

  “You were a Boy Scout!”

  “Ten years.”

  She smiled at him and then the lights went down and dinner was announced. He escorted her back to their table, where a cup of crawfish bisque and a salad waited at each of their places.

  He pulled her chair out for her and then took his seat. “Do you like crawfish?”

  “Definitely, but we call them crayfish.”

  “Crazy Canadians.” He smiled while shaking his head.

  The next dish was sausage and shrimp jambalaya, and it was so spicy the first bite made her cough and her eyes water. Keith rubbed her back.

  “You okay?”

  Holding her hand flat against her chest, she said, “It’s really spicy.”

  “That’s Creole, baby.”

  Yeah, well, she couldn’t really eat it, so she concentrated on the salad and garlic bread.

  Ten minutes later the waiter removed her uneaten jambalaya and replaced it with a filet and scalloped potatoes. It looked delicious and her stomach growled at once, but this was a fundraising dinner and knowing how much Evie had paid for her plate of seafood, she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t order this.”

  “The gentleman at table sixteen sent it over.”

  Table sixteen? That was Evie’s table. Not able to help herself, she looked over. Augie was watching her without even trying to hide his interest. What? He didn’t want her but he didn’t want her to enjoy herself either? Beyond frustrated, she turned her head and concentrated on the plate. It was too good to waste and she dove in. “Mmm.” She savored the first bite.

  “Steak a little better?” Keith smiled at her delight.

  “Much better.”

  The steak was great and she wanted to enjoy it, but she was irritated. At whom, she didn’t know.

  Keith was a great guy, but Augie met her every need. And if he couldn’t meet them, he found someone who could. She enjoyed having someone watch out for her. Since childhood she’d been the one holding everything and everyone together. She’d been a little adult from such a young age and she’d grown tired of having to always act serious and think about things like addiction and doctors and bills.

  She ate every bit of food on the plate and when she was done, she crossed her knife and fork across the empty dish. She sat back in the chair and turned to find him. His smoldering gaze fired her up, and she smiled at him. His smile started at one corner of his mouth and slowly spread.

  She didn’t know why he was so intent on her. She’d given up trying to figure him out. The effort took too much of her energy without giving her anything in return. She’d never solve the puzzle, so she’d given up trying.

  A local physician took the stage and announced the lineup for the night. Several society bigwigs presented awards, including the LSU football coach, who presented Clay with his new credentials as fire chief.

  Once the awards had been given out, the first notes of music twanged from the stage. Immediately there was fast-tempoed excitement on the dance floor. She heard accordions and something she couldn’t quite place. On the stage, one musician rubbed a washboard, and there were brass instruments as well, and the joyful sound had the dancers shuffling away in a two-step waltz.

  Next to her Keith stood and stretched his hand to her. “Dance?”

  She shook her head. “No way. I don’t know how.”

  “This is perfect then. You just mirror me.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “It’s really fun, and I promise no one will know it’s your first time.”

  She stretched her neck to check out the dancers. Her feet wouldn’t keep still and were jumping for a chance to move, so she placed her hand in his and let him lead her across the room.

  “All right, just follow me. Couldn’t be simpler. It’s four basic steps. There’s the water”—his foot went out to the side—“cayenne”—his foot went back in—“shrimp”—his foot went behind him—“and roux”—his foot went forward. His grin was huge. “Simple, right?”

  She laughed with her entire body. She was having fun, something she hadn’t experienced in a while. “It’s officially the easiest dance I’ve ever attempted to learn.”

  He didn’t need to know it was the only dancing she’d ever done.

  “Only because I’m such a good teacher. I make it look easy.”

  “Of course!”

  One hand clamped around her waist and one went to her palm.

  “Ready?” Keith asked.

  She nodded and they started to move. Once she had the steps down, they added momentum and she was whisked around the dance floor. He was a great dancer and the music carried such a celebratory beat that she was in love with all things Louisiana, including its men.

  They danced for an hour before taking a drink break.

  “So you like zydeco.”

  “Zydeco?”

  Keith handed her a cup of fruit punch. Pointing to the dance floor, he said, “This music and type of dance is called zydeco.”

  “Yeah, I love it. I’m having a blast.”

  “Cool.” He smiled and poured more punch into their empty cups.

  When they finished, they joined his buddies. Each of them escorted a busty woman around the floor. Another hour passed and the music slowed, forcing them close
r together. Other than with her father and Augie, Mia hadn’t been physically close to any men. Keith’s closeness was different. Not bad, just different. Augie was intense, but comforting at the same time. Keith was energetic and uncontrolled. His touch lingered for a moment and then moved on to some other place on her body: shoulder, waist, arm. His touch wasn’t dominant or confident, it was just a touch. It felt friendly. When Augie touched her, she burned. And God help her, she wanted to burn.

  Piano chords filled the room. The sound was different from anything they’d played all night and some of the crowd on the dance floor shouted out and booed. Mia looked around curiously.

  “It’s the last song of the night.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because in the South, Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” closes out every event.”

  Mia was crushed because she’d hoped to dance at least once with Augie.

  She stood on the dance floor in a daze. A hand at her back urged her to move.

  “Dance with me.”

  That breath next to her ear, the voice that was so familiar, caused a Pavlovian reaction that was anything but friendly. His voice … His touch … She turned in his embrace.

  “Augie.” Her voice whispered his name, but it was more than his name. It was every emotion she had for him released into a single word.

  He pulled her to him, her hand resting on his chest as his arm snaked around her waist. Her head cradled between his shoulder and his jaw. She could smell his cologne, its scent heated by his body temperature. In his embrace she was finally comfortable, comfortable because she was home. Heat radiated from his pores and into her body, traveling down to her core. God, she loved this man, this man who saw and met her needs without asking. This man who was conflicted about love. This man who was her first and who she wanted to be her last.

  Chapter 23

  Damn, he was barely holding it together. He’d wanted to tear Clay apart for helping Evie nail down a date for her sister—and Keith of all fucking people—only he couldn’t think of anything wrong with Keith or of a reason to hate him. He’d touched her though, and that had damn near killed Augie. He had to bite the inside of his cheek until it bled to keep from getting up and beating the poor bastard into the floor. She was his, goddammit. She wore his ring, had his name, and he had her innocence. He held her waist tight, pulling her as close as possible to keep from feeling she was slipping away.