by Marie Harte
Maria exchanged a look with Olivia. It wasn’t like Brad to be so snide, and especially not about a woman. He was more likely to charm a woman into taking his side than battle with her. Like all the Cavas, he had appeal in spades.
“What does she look like?” Maria asked.
“What the hell does that matter?” Brad barked.
Mike nodded. “Ah, she’s sexy and won’t give little bro the time of day. I like her already.”
Brad fumed. “You’re not helping.”
“Look, just talk to her, Intel geek to Intel geek. If that fails, I’ll sic Maria on her.”
Brad deflated and sagged on the couch. “I might take you up on that. God, I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Olivia snorted. “Yeah, thirty-two is positively ancient, Major Cava.”
“I’d say screw off, but you’ll just tell Dad on me.” Brad groaned. “Man, you guys have it so easy. None of your women ever backtalk you.”
Kyle raised a brow. “Are you high?”
“He did not just say that, did he?” Olivia asked.
Maria shook her head. “Sadly, it seems Brad has become a sexist ass. And I had such high hopes for him. They even promoted him to major and everything.” His family couldn’t have been prouder for him.
“That’s what she called me. Me! A sexist ass? Please.” Brad stormed off the couch after swearing a few more times. The front door slammed shut behind him as he left.
Maria just looked at Mike before they both burst out laughing. Always on the same page—two heads, one heart.
“What?” Kyle asked. “I think I missed the joke.”
Mike sighed. “It’s the ones who get under your skin that you have to be careful about.”
“Oh. Good point.” Kyle gave Olivia a look that had her smirking.
Maria kissed Mike. “I wonder if Brad will invite us to his wedding.”
“Major and Mrs. Pain in the Ass. They sound perfect for each other.”
They all started laughing.
She winked at Olivia. “I told you he was mine.”
Olivia laughed. “So you did.”
The End
Coming Next: A Major Distraction
A Thank you from Fated Desires
Thank you so much for reading A Major Seduction! We’re so happy that you had a chance to look into the new military romances we have with Marie’s series, Good to Go. We do hope if you liked this, that you would please leave a review from where you purchased this or on another platform. Not only does a review spread the word to other readers, they let us know if you’d like to see more stories like this from us. Marie loves to hear from readers and talks to them when she can. You can reach her through her website and through her Facebook and Twitter accounts. You guys are the reason we get to do what we do and we thank you.
If you are looking for more stories like these, you don’t have to wait much longer! The next book, A Major Distraction rolls out next month, and A Major Attraction is already out on the virtual shelves! Plus, as always, Marie always has something else cooking.
If you’d like to know more about Fated Desires, check out our website, www.FatedDesires.com or email us at [email protected].
About the Author
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit MarieHarte.com and fall in love.
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Also from this Author
Now Available:
Ludos Deorum:
Ever After Anthology
Beasts of Burden
Good to Go:
A Major Attraction
A Major Seduction
Coming Soon:
Good to Go:
A Major Distraction
Ludos Deorum
Dark Fates Anthology
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From USA Today Bestselling Author, Marie Harte comes the first book in the
Good to Go Series
A Major Attraction
Major Kyle Waters sighed with pleasure as he looked at his house, washed in moonlight. It had been eight months and four days since he’d first left North Carolina aboard ship for the Mediterranean. Marines called it “going on float.” The exact opposite of a luxury cruise, he thought with wry amusement, just grateful to be stateside.
He walked up three steps onto the porch, comforted to see the gray stone that still needed repainting, and approached the screen door. It opened without a murmur, and he hastily unlocked the heavy oak door barring him from home.
Once inside the small foyer, Kyle dropped his bag and closed the door. Leaning back against it, he closed his eyes, contentment blanketing him with warm homecoming.
After months at sea training to become special operations capable, he was more than ready for some rest and relaxation. He’d been stuck in his office for the past week, going over reports and overseeing their debarkation. His homecoming—and his house—had to wait. Now, though, he was finally home. A few hours of administrative work tomorrow, then he was looking at a solid month of leave.
“Outstanding.” He stretched and yawned then trudged up the stairs, discarding his uniform as he climbed. By the time he’d reached his room, he’d dropped all but his trousers and underwear.
Exhaustion beat at him as he walked through the trail of moonlight filtering through the original paned glass of the bedroom window. The light made a shadow of the bed, so that half the room lay under the blanket of night, a peaceful respite for a travel-weary warrior.
Kyle dropped the rest of his clothes where he stood and eased into bed. He closed his eyes the minute his head hit the pillow and dreamed of her again, as he had from the first moment he’d seen her.
****
Olivia Cava blearily opened her eyes when she heard a rumble of sound. She blinked into darkness and closed them shut, relieved she still had time before she needed to wake.
After the day she’d had, a good rest had definitely been in order. Protesting the cool October air, she snuggled deeper under the covers, curled on her side. She floated back into a dream world where her coffee and muffins rated an article in her favorite foodie magazine Bon Appétit, where her days never started before ten in the morning, and where her fantasy man held a healthy appreciation for both her work and her luscious —his description, not hers—body.
She hummed with pleasure when his callused palm cupped one of her full breasts, toying her nipple into a tight little pebble. He pressed his iron-hard erection against her ass, sliding a large shaft between her soft cheeks.
“Mmm.” She groaned and arched back into his touch, needing more. His hot breath brushed her ear before his tongue delved into the sensitive canal, causing her belly to flutter. A rush of moisture flooded between her legs, and she wanted to melt into him.
Then his hand moved lower, skimming through the curls at the apex of her thighs and slipping between the folds of her sex. He rubbed with slow pressure, stirring her body into fiery arousal. God, it had been so long since she’d felt this good.
“So sweet,” a hoarse voice murmured as he dipped one finger into her, then another. In and out, with deep strokes that not only brushed her clit but that sensitive spot inside her, he played with her until she came with a soft moan. The intense pleasure consumed her, and he pushed harder against her backside, sliding dangerously near virgin territory. Finding purchase in the tight, puckered hole, he prodded for entry.
The intrusion startled her into consciousness. Suddenly, her dream became all too real. Panic filled her when she realized the hand palming her belonged to an actual man, that she lay naked next to a stranger.
Struggling to overcome the hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, Olivia desperately recalled the defensiv
e moves drilled into her by the men in her family.
She reached for the stranger’s hand between her legs and gently removed it. Then she found his thumb and, with a wrenching twist, bent it toward his wrist.
A menacing curse shot from his mouth when she let go and fought to escape the bed. The covers around her hampered her movements, and before she knew it, the elbow to his gut and knee to his groin had served only to enrage him.
Easily evading her blows, her attacker wrenched away the tangled covers and shoved her onto her back, looming over her, an indistinct shape in the shadows. He scared the hell out of her when his fully naked and aroused body pressed disturbingly against hers.
Terrified he’d rape her, she struggled for all she was worth.
“Damn it,” he seethed. She flailed, her too-short nails raking him across the chest instead of the eyes for which she’d aimed. “Stop moving!” He suddenly found her wrists. Pinning them to either side of her head, he growled, “One more move and I’ll knock you out. Understand?”
She nodded then realized the futility of the gesture, considering the heavy blackness around the bed. “Yes,” she whispered in a small voice, praying for freedom.
She shifted to get away from his nudity, and he swore.
“Don’t move unless you want to get really close.”
She froze.
“Good.” He pulled away from her, for which she was decidedly grateful. The earlier eroticism of her dream had faded the moment she realized her dream lover was in fact an all-too-real stranger.
“Wh-who are you?” she managed.
“Who the hell are you? Why are you in my bed, in my house?” His voice sounded deep, dark, and threatening.
“Your house?” Surprise alleviated her fear for the moment. “This is my house.” Silence descended, and she cringed. Good going, Olivia. Now the lunatic will rape you then kill you.
He sighed. “I really don’t need this.” She felt him leave the bed. “Let me put some clothes on and try to figure out what the hell is happening here. Make one move and you’ll wish you hadn’t.”
Something thudded onto the ground and clothing rustled. Olivia had a feeling the stranger was just waiting for her to contradict his order. Thus far fear had kept her still. But thoughts of what might happen if she didn’t move terrified her. With desperation, she shot off the bed toward the moonlit doorway. From her vantage, she had just as much opportunity to escape as he had to catch her.
Praying for an extra burst of speed, she had almost reached the hallway when a muscular arm roped around her stomach and hauled her back against a rock-solid chest.
She screamed and pried at his hands. Before she could do any damage, he shoved her against the wall, effectively stealing her breath.
As she tried frantically to fill her lungs with air, he entered the light.
“Olivia?” he asked in an incredulous voice.
“You,” she rasped. She didn’t know his name, but she recognized the short brown hair cropped to frame a handsome face. He had the same sculpted cheekbones, square jaw, and full lips. His green eyes blazed with surprise, as opposed to the warmth that used to greet her not so long ago.
“Oh shit.” He immediately released her. “I am so sorry,” he began in earnest before his gaze traveled down her body. “I had no idea it was…you,” he ended in a husky tone, making her extremely aware of her nudity. Her nipples tightened, her thighs slid against each other because of the hot, wet desire he’d aroused in her, and her womb suddenly ached for the long, thick flesh between his legs.
“Could I have my robe?” She forced herself to stare only at his face. As she pointed to the garment’s place by the door, a rush of renewed lust both confused and embarrassed her.
“Oh, sure.” He fumbled against the darkened wall but eventually reached the hook holding her terrycloth, mid-thigh robe and handed it to her. He watched her put it on without blinking.
She tied the robe tight then knotted it for good measure. “Now that the immediate crisis has passed, maybe you can explain what you’re doing in my house.” She crossed her arms over her chest, uneasy when he continued to stare at her with such intensity.
His eyes narrowed, and he frowned. “Your house? Honey, I’ve lived here for three years. I have the mortgage papers to prove it.”
If he paid the mortgage, then that meant…“Don’t tell me you’re Major Kyle Waters?”
He smiled, a dark grin that rekindled his sensual allure. “In the flesh.”
Kyle couldn’t believe his good fortune. Oh sure, waking to find his thumb nearly ripped off by a strange woman hadn’t been enjoyable, but finding the strange woman to be Olivia Cava, a naked Olivia Cava, couldn’t have been better. The things he’d done to her thinking it was a dream...
Both dressed, they sat in the kitchen drinking coffee as they tried to make sense of the situation.
“Tell me again what you’re doing here.” He took a swallow, his eyes drinking in her tousled hair and voluptuous body wrapped in a skimpy robe.
“This is so awkward.” She clutched the neck of her robe with one hand, her other gripping a mug. “Rebecca Morris sublet to me six months ago. Since Cava’s Java is just down the street, this location seemed perfect. Rebecca was moving and thought I’d make a great replacement, at least until the lease runs out in another three months. I can’t believe she tricked me like that.”
“Yeah, about that. How did you not know I owned the house?”
“Rebecca always called you—her boyfriend—Ky. She never told me you and her landlord were the same person. I mean, I made my checks out to M.K. Waters, so I never made the connection.”
“Mitchell’s actually my first name, but everyone’s always called me Kyle.” Now he understood the confusion. Freakin’ Rebecca.
Cava’s Java, the coffee shop Olivia owned, had been Kyle’s favorite morning stop before he’d left for the Med. He and Rebecca had often shared an evening treat sitting around the shop, talking with friends and neighbors before they’d broken up. He grimaced at thoughts of Rebecca and Olivia becoming friendly. He could only imagine their discussions, none of which would paint him in a favorable light.
“The house is mine,” he explained. “Becca leased it from me while we were dating, until the day I found her screwing the guy down the street. She hasn’t lived here in months, so she had no right to lease you what she no longer had claim to.”
Olivia’s eyes widened. No doubt she’d heard a different version of events from Becca. “But I don’t understand. I made the checks out to you. Didn’t you wonder why I gave you any money?”
“Olivia, I’ve been at sea for the past eight months. I had my brother handle my finances while I was gone. He knew Becca owed me some money. He probably thought she was using you to pay it back. God knows she has no problem using others to bail her out of trouble,” he muttered. He still couldn’t believe how naïve he’d been about the woman. Beneath those innocent blue eyes and simpering smile lurked a shark.
Olivia’s gaze clouded. “You know, I thought it was odd that she suddenly seemed to warm up to me. When I’d see her in the shop, she seemed cold.” She shrugged. “But when she offered me this place, it seemed like a godsend. I didn’t think to ask if she had the right to sublet to me. Geez, I even helped her pack her things.”
Kyle rubbed his eyes, worn out from his trip yet wired from their earlier encounter. He looked up and found Olivia staring at him as if he were an ogre. The thought bothered him more than it should have. Surely she could see none of this was his fault?
“Look, Olivia, you’re not blaming me for this, are you? Becca took us both for a ride.”
“It’s not that. Of course I don’t blame you,” she said without hesitation, and something within him eased. “It’s just that, well, I’ve seen you before, in the coffee shop, but I never could have imagined meeting you like this.” She gave him a wry grin before focusing on her coffee.
He flushed, both with shame at how he’d manhand
led Olivia earlier and with the arousal that refused to fade when around her. Damn, she’d been so tight, so wet around his fingers. And her breasts were even more perfect than he’d imagined.
He coughed and cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m, ah, really sorry about my rough treatment earlier.”
She blushed and stared a hole through her cup.
“I was having this incredibly erotic dream,” he said, unable to resist mentioning it. “Then someone bent my thumb back at an impossible angle.” He rubbed the tender digit. “I reacted to a threat. Had I known it was you, I never would have thrown you against the wall.”
He still couldn’t believe he’d done that. For the past nine months he’d been fantasizing about Olivia Cava. And this was what she’d remember from their first encounter in a private setting?
“Oh, your thumb.” She let go of her cup and leaned over him. Taking his thumb in her hands, she caressed him, gliding silken fingertips over the reddened knuckle.
Heat flared in his body, and a telling response rekindled the throbbing between his legs. She leaned down to get a better look under the diffused kitchen light, and her robe gaped. He could see the cleavage he wanted to explore with his tongue.
“I’m sorry about your thumb,” she said in a husky whisper that drew his attention.
She looked guilty. And highly aroused.
His heart rate increased. He wanted nothing more than to push her up against the wall, to plunge in and out of her until he had her screaming his name and coming all over him. But he’d made enough mistakes for one night. One more wrong step toward her and he chanced ruining something he finally had an opportunity to pursue.
With a heavy heart, he forced himself to ease away from her. “You know, it’s late, and we both need rest. What do you say we sleep on it and decide what to do about this tomorrow? I’ll take the couch.” Thoughts of the short couch made him want to groan, but he resolved to suck it up. A Marine credo rang in his mind—What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. No, the couch wouldn’t kill him, but it wouldn’t help his aching body any. The last time he’d fallen asleep on the thing he’d been kinked up for a week. And that was without the hard-on from hell.