by Tawny Weber
“Why don’t we start with an office,” he suggested, tilting his head toward the door. She stepped around him, offering him a mouth-watering view of her backside. The red fabric hugged, slid, tempted. Mitch hurried forward to open the door for her, hoping he didn’t have drool on his chin.
As soon as they stepped into the weak December sunshine, he added, “I’ll see what I can do to find one with crates.”
Her eyes widened then she burst into laughter. The sound turned heads. The heads stayed turned out of appreciation as people caught sight of how gorgeous she was with the sun glinting off her hair.
He’d thought he’d been excited about calling her again. He’d known he was looking forward to seeing her again.
But obviously he’d had no clue how strongly he’d want her, crave her—God help him, need her.
And that was after just one look.
What would he feel after he’d spent more time with her? Gotten to know her? Tasted, touched and buried himself in her?
He couldn’t wait to find out.
* * *
RELIEF POURING THROUGH her with enough intensity to make her lightheaded, Livi took a good, deep breath for the first time in two days. Ever since her mother had told her she’d gone ahead with the SEAL workout idea, Livi had been worried. They’d agreed that they’d discuss it after the New Year. She’d figured that would give her time to talk to Mitch, to make sure he was okay with it. But when she’d spoken with him after Thanksgiving, she’d chickened out. He’d said he’d be out of touch, which she’d taken to mean he’d be off doing intense SEAL things. She hadn’t wanted to waste their little bit of time on that when it was so much more fun to ask him what he was wearing. She’d do it during the next call, she’d promised herself, sure there would be at least one before the New Year.
She slid a sidelong glance at Mitch, grateful to see he didn’t seem put out by her visit—or the reason behind it. Seeing her look, he offered that warm smile of his and Livi forgot her worries. She almost forgot her name.
He was just so yummy.
Livi was a woman gifted with a vivid imagination. So vivid that it sometimes overruled her memories, painting them with a much rosier hue than the reality had been. So she’d wondered if she’d built Mitch up to be better-looking and sexier in her mind.
As he led her across the compound toward a bank of low buildings, she kept sneaking glances at him. Her appreciative gaze took in the breadth of those amazing shoulders, the chiseled perfection of his biceps and the slender angle of his waist as it tapered beneath his simple blue T-shirt.
His cap, the same blue as his eyes, cast a shadow over the upper part of his face. But that only served to highlight his mouth. Oh, what a mouth.
Livi almost tripped over her own feet, she was so distracted by the memory of how tasty that mouth had been.
“You okay?” Mitch’s fingers tightened on her elbow.
“Mmm,” she murmured, shifting her eyes forward to watch where she was going.
Yes. She definitely had a vivid imagination.
But her imagination had nothing on the reality of Super Hottie.
Her brows rose at the sight of a dozen men jogging past in shorts and tanks, each one a testament to the sexiness of fitness. As they passed, she noticed they were all soaked, as if they’d just come out of the ocean. Despite her appreciation of the view, she shivered a little.
“Cold?” Mitch asked.
“No, but I think I would be if I were them.” She tilted her head to indicate the column of men that’d now passed. “I know we have good weather, but December is a little chilly for swimming, isn’t it?”
“Sea Air Land—that’s what SEAL stands for and that’s where we train. Weather doesn’t matter.” His eyes amused, he gestured to a path angling to the right. “If I were still in Virginia, we’d be doing the same workout.”
“Doesn’t it snow there?”
“Weather doesn’t matter,” he repeated.
Another group passed, these men all wearing white uniforms, complete with caps. Livi smiled at them and one or two smiled back, while the rest kept their eyes forward.
“This is like a movie set,” she realized as she glanced around. “One of those wonderful black-and-white ones with moody background music and a tragic opening scene.”
“Starring the prerequisite femme fatale in a tight skirt?” He glanced at hers and gave an appreciative smile. “Looks like you’d fit the role.”
Delighted both at what she took as a compliment and at the fact that he’d watched enough old movies to appreciate the genre, Livi put a movie star oomph into her step.
“Yeah, you’d definitely fit the role,” Mitch murmured with an appreciative smile.
“I’d need a very charming, very sexy leading man,” she decided, tapping her finger against his bicep. It was all Livi could do not to give a long hum of approval. “A big, handsome SEAL determined to save the world.”
“The whole world?”
“Sure, why not?” she said with a laugh, waving her hand to indicate everything around them. “This seems like a saving-the-world kind of place.”
“Is this your first visit to the naval base?” he asked, guiding her into one of the larger buildings.
Livi hesitated, not quite sure how to answer. She’d visited the naval base once before in an attempt to meet her grandfather. But she’d never made it out of the visitor’s center.
Thankfully, before she could figure out if she should share that or not, they came face-to-face with a group of men who had clearly just finished an extreme workout.
“Oh, my,” she said quietly, appreciating the view as only a woman devoted to fitness could. It was like seeing her professional Holy Grail.
Muscles gleamed and rippled beneath their damp T-shirts, all of them exuding the sort of energy that came from intense physical exertion. Livi wanted to bottle that energy up and take it with her to show clients just why they should push their bodies.
Even better, she’d like to take the men. If they didn’t inspire a woman to want to feel her best, Livi didn’t know what would.
“Yo, Donovan. We thought you deserted.” The speaker was roughly the size of a house, his red hair shaved in an old-fashioned flattop.
She felt the subtle change in Mitch.
He didn’t move. His expression didn’t change. He simply shifted his stance. As soon as he did, the group quieted, settled.
Command, she realized. He didn’t question it and neither did his men. But every one of them respected it.
“Livi, meet...” His words trailed off as the men made a show of jostling each other out of the way to get to the front of the group.
Livi bit her lip to keep from giggling. Mitch shook his head then waved a hand to address the entire group.
“Meet part of the team,” he said. “Gentleman, this is Olivia Kane. She’s here to discuss our fitness program.”
“Best in the world,” one man said.
“Ain’t nothing like it,” another added.
Suddenly the crowd was made of people who expected her to converse instead of impressive examples of fitness devotion. Butterflies danced through Livi’s stomach, making it hard to breathe for a second.
Common ground, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath. Just focus on common ground.
“Everything I’ve heard says you’re definitely the best,” she agreed with her brightest social smile. “I’ve studied similar programs and spent a week training with a former Green Beret, but even he said your program is impressive.”
“You trained with a Green Beret?” the redhead asked, looking her up then down, as if trying to figure out how.
“While I was getting my ACSM certification,” she confirmed. She’d taken extensive courses with him later as well, but mentioni
ng that would probably be considered bragging. It hit her that she really wanted Mitch to know her qualifications. To realize she was serious about her career—dedicated to being the best she possibly could.
Before that need overruled her hesitance to brag, a voice called from the back of the crowd.
“Whose ass do I have to kick to get out the door?”
A few guys laughed and a few others shifted to open a path for the speaker. Tall and lean, his short black hair gleamed almost as much as his golden skin did.
When he saw Livi his eyes flashed to Mitch for just a moment before he offered her a grin.
“Well, well. I knew you were the type to stop traffic.”
“Gabriel,” Livi greeted with a smile, holding out both hands to take his. “How are you?”
“Who?” muttered the redhead.
“Gotta mean Romeo.”
“You talking about Thorne?”
Gabriel rolled his eyes, but otherwise ignored the mutters.
“Hit the showers,” Mitch ordered quietly, an amused expression on his face.
Before Livi could blink, the crowd was gone. For such large men, they moved incredibly quickly. Only one remained, a tall, lean guy with sea-green eyes too dreamy to belong to a military man.
“They don’t know your name?” she asked Gabriel.
“We’re new,” he explained. “It takes some teams a while to decide if they want to be on a first-name basis or not.”
“I thought you’d been here for a while,” Livi said. She didn’t have to count backward to Halloween. The seven weeks had been marked with tally marks in the back of her mind.
“Time’s relative.” Gabriel shrugged. He tilted his head to indicate the quiet man next to him. “Besides, Irish, Scavenger and I have been here, there, everywhere since Halloween—”
“Why don’t you meet us tomorrow?” Mitch interrupted. “You can fill Livi in then on the intricacies of social graces among the men.”
Gabriel rocked back on his heels with a grin. He tilted his head toward the man next to him and said, “I dunno, Scavenger. I think Irish might be trying to get rid of us.”
“Sounds like he’s trying to get rid of you,” the other man said with a fleeting smile. “Me, I’m already gone.”
With a polite nod, he murmured “Nice to meet you” to Livi. He gave Mitch a modified finger-to-forehead salute.
“He’s shy,” Gabriel explained with a shrug, his expression making it clear that even though he knew the word, he really didn’t understand the concept.
But she definitely understood. Livi sent a sympathetic smile toward Scavenger’s retreating back. Poor guy.
“Why don’t you go help him work through that issue,” Mitch suggested pointedly. Arms crossed over his chest, he gave Gabriel an arch look.
Which Gabriel deliberately ignored.
“Nah, he’s fine.” Shifting his weight a little so his shoulder was toward Mitch, Gabriel gave Livi a brilliant smile. “So, gorgeous, how’ve you been? And even more importantly, how is your angelic friend?”
Amused, Livi shifted a little bit toward Mitch to include him in the conversation.
“Tessa is great,” she said. “She’ll be sorry she missed seeing you.”
His expression woeful, Gabriel shook his head and sighed deeply enough to bring his shoulders into the act.
“Now, see, you need to practice lying. You say the words right, but that sweet innocent face of yours tells a different story.”
“And what story is that?” Livi asked, laughing.
“Angel is a complicated woman,” he told her, dropping his voice as if he were sharing a secret. “She’s as complex as she is gorgeous. Smart, sexy, savvy and seductive. But sadly, she’s missing something.”
“As her best friend, I might be inclined to agree with your assessment if I knew what you think she’s missing.”
“Me.” He smiled, that devastatingly gorgeous face lighting before he winked. “Now, I hate to do it because I know how much Irish wants me to stick around. But duty calls, so I’ve got to go.”
He gave Livi a friendly hug, punched Mitch in the shoulder and headed out the door. Before he went through, he tossed over his shoulder, “You tell Angel she still owes me.”
“She’ll be thrilled,” Livi deadpanned.
“That’s the thing about Romeo,” Mitch told her, gesturing to a door on the right. Since half of the wall was glass, she could see it led to an empty room. “He always collects.”
“Then this should get interesting.” Livi brushed against him when she crossed the narrow hallway, her shoulder skimming his chest. Just the lightest touch of his body, with layers of fabric between them, and she felt heady with excitement. Who knew what’d happen if he kissed her again.
Given how much she’d thought about it over the last seven—yes, of course she’d counted—weeks, she was pretty sure the touch of his tongue on hers would inspire yet another orgasm.
She was more than willing to test the theory, too.
“We’ll have at least a semblance of privacy in here,” Mitch said, gesturing for her to precede him through the door. Livi stepped in and wondered if she should have left her purse behind so they both could fit.
“Snug,” she said with a smile, angling her tall form into one of the two metal chairs framing a small table.
Mitch didn’t sit. Instead, he leaned one shoulder against the closed door, his arms crossed over his chest and one ankle over the other.
“So... The Body Babe is looking for fitness advice from the SEALs?”
Livi tried to laugh despite her sudden discomfort, but all she managed was a smile.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, clasping her hands in her lap as she leaned forward. “I know you weren’t expecting to see me yet, and definitely not under these circumstances.”
“Why don’t you tell me how these circumstances came about,” he invited. He didn’t sound angry or even annoyed. Simply curious.
Livi wet her lips, wondering if anyone could actually be that even-tempered and confident. She knew she hadn’t seen a lot of Mitch, but their meetings had both included situations that she realized were likely to at the very least irk another man. Being beaten—draw or not—by a woman at a physical contest never sat well. But Mitch had only smiled and done an incredible, orgasmically impressive job of paying his bet. And now this?
Livi pursed her lips and considered. Maybe if they spent enough time together, some of his confidence would rub off on her. She’d have to rub against him as much as she could, just in case. Or, at the very least, watch and see if she could learn any tips.
“These particular circumstances came about because Roz was bragging about Halloween, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, my manager was brainstorming a new video idea and Roz was calling in favors,” Livi explained with an apologetic shrug. “I figured it’d take them until the first of the year at the earliest to put something together, and by then I’d have had time to talk to you in person.”
“I’m impressed your manager was able to pull it off. A lot of people have tried, and the usual response is no.” His smile flashed with charm. “I’d love to know whose buttons they pushed.”
Livi had asked, but she still didn’t know who Pauline or Roz had contacted in order to pull this off.
“My manager can be a bit aggressive,” she said instead, offering the understatement with a grimace. “I hope this isn’t a problem.”
She waved her fingers in the air to indicate her, him, the situation, everything.
“A problem seeing you again?” Mitch’s smile widened, deepened with a warmth that lit an answering heat low in Livi’s belly. “You’re kidding, right?”
“And discussing the program with me?” she asked hesitantly.
“Orders are orders,” Mitch said with a shrug. “I was instructed to assist, and I’m here to do just that.”
Livi couldn’t tell how he felt about it, but at least he didn’t look angry.
“So what do you need?” he asked.
“Advice, insights, general guidelines,” she elaborated. “I’m happy with anything you’d like to offer.”
His blue eyes darkened for a moment, as if he were imagining other offers that might make her happy.
More than ready to get the official stuff out of the way so she could find out what he had in mind, Livi flipped open the clasp on the black, patent leather cylindrical purse and pulled out a notepad and pen. Then she gave him an expectant smile.
“Okay, shoot.”
A half hour or so later, Livi had filled over a dozen pages with notes, a few sketches and a couple of diagrams. She’d gone over the file Mitch had been instructed to share and clarified training phases—recovery and regeneration, adaption and plateaus.
Flipping through the pages, she felt a little giddy. The way some women did in a shoe store or others did when cruising through Tiffany’s. It was a bone-deep appreciation with a little zing of avarice and a whole lot of sexy thrown in.
“Can I see your gym?” she asked, looking up from her notes.
Mitch’s indulgent smile dimmed for a second, then he shrugged. “Sure.”
Livi could tell he wasn’t crazy about bringing her into man-land. She wasn’t surprised. Some men were territorial about their workout space. Used to the attitude, Livi kept to the edges of the gym, making sure she didn’t step onto the actual workout floor. She didn’t let her eyes rest on any one of the dozen or so exercising men for more than a second, and she kept her body language unobtrusive.
But she saw everything.
“My, you have some nice equipment here,” she said quietly, doing her best Tessa impression, complete with husky voice, slumberous eyes and wicked laugh.
“You should see me use it,” he shot back with an appreciative smile.
Livi’s breath caught, her body tingling at the very thought. Oh, my, she’d love to see that.