by Peyton Banks
“Man, what I wouldn’t do to have his attention.” Liza chuckled, clearly observing the sparks flying between Sarena and Marcas.
Ignoring the comment, she headed through the receptionist area and toward the doors to the waiting room.
What was he doing here?
Once she had left his house after their magical night, she hadn’t seen him. She had worked every day since, and the absence of his bike let her know he had barely been home as well.
She pushed through the doors to the waiting room and paused, trying to catch her breath as all the memories from the other night rushed forward.
Mac waited for Sarena to appear. He didn’t know why he’d just showed up at the hospital on a whim but he knew he had to see her. He’d had some explaining to do once she was off the phone with her brother.
Mac had never been one to have to explain himself to a woman, but this time he’d found himself explaining his actions before he’d even realized the words were flowing from his mouth.
“You ran a background check on me, like I’m some criminal?” she asked, pulling the covers back over her breasts.
He immediately saw the apprehension enter her eyes as she stared at him.
“No. I did it before meeting you. I like knowing who is moving into the neighborhood.”
“So instead of doing like any other normal neighbor would do and come meet me, you instead invaded my privacy and researched me?”
She slowly stood from the bed, and he knew this was going south.
Fast.
“Sarena.” He shifted to her side of the bed, placed his feet on the floor, and paused when she backed away from him. He released a curse and stood. “Really, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
“But why would you be looking into my brother?”
Her hand trembled as she pushed her hair back away from her face.
“Just because I thought it was odd that when I read your report, it didn’t give any mention of a sibling, and then you admitted to having a brother.”
“What do you mean it didn’t mention my brother?”
“He was not listed as your brother. It had you listed as an only child.”
“But how can that be?”
Her eyes were wide. He slowly made his way to her and breathed a sigh of relief when she allowed him to bring her to him. His heart raced, and he tried to will it to slow down.
Was this fear?
Fear of losing Sarena?
He gazed down into her hazel eyes and reached up to cup her face in his hand. Fear radiated from her eyes. The urge to erase all worry and doubt from her grew in his chest.
“I’m sure there is a reason. I’m not sure what your brother is into, but something or someone triggered that I was looking into him. He must not want to be found,” he murmured.
Unable to resist her kiss-swollen lips, he placed a small peck on them.
“I’m sure he’s being the big, bad SEAL and is doing something dangerous that he knows will worry me and my mother.”
He wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince, her or him. He tightened his grip on her to reassure her.
“I’ve been where he’s at and I’m sure it’s for your safety.” He pushed her hair behind her ear.
Her body softened against his as he pulled her tighter to him. He slid the sheet from in between them, leaving them naked, nestled close to each other. His cock took notice of her soft curves pressed to it and immediately stiffened.
“You know I’m still going to be mad at you.” She cocked an eyebrow at him, reaching up and entwining her fingers behind his neck.
“I think I can handle it,” he said then covered her mouth with his.
“Hey.” Sarena’s small voice brought him out of his memories. A shy smile lingered on her lips as she looked at him.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly unsure why he was really there. His face grew warm at his uncertainty.
What. The. Fuck.
Mac never got embarrassed or was unsure when it came to females.
Her dimples deepened with her widening smile. He cursed under his breath, and she giggled at his nervousness.
Here he was, Sergeant Marcas MacArthur, former Navy SEAL, current SWAT officer, who had faced the worst enemies that anyone could imagine, standing here literally tongue-tied.
“Look, I’ll admit I don’t know why I’m here.” He ran a hand through his hair.
She moved to stand directly in front of him, and he ached to pull her flush to his body, but there were several things that kept him from doing so.
The large erection pressing against his cargo pants. No need to cause him any more discomfort.
He was in full uniform, since he was on his way in to the station for his shift.
And not to mention the crowd of nurses who were gathering behind the glass window, making no excuses for staring at them.
“That’s okay. Let me guess, you were in the neighborhood?” She cocked her sexy eyebrow up at him, seemingly unaware her friends were watching and eavesdropping on their entire conversation.
His lips jerked into a rare smile.
“Yeah, something like that?” He folded his arms across his chest. He tried to will his cock to settle down, but it had a mind of its own. “I’m on my way to work and I get off in the morning. How about tomorrow night we go out? Dinner and a movie?”
Her eyebrows shot up high, and he held back a groan and knew instantly she was about to bust his balls. She sidled up closer to him, leaving only a hair’s-breadth of distance between them.
“But, Sergeant, I remember you announcing that you didn’t date.” Her perfect teeth were showing with her wide grin as she brought up the day on her porch. “I remember you mentioned that you usually don’t—”
He held up his hand to stop her. He rolled his eyes, and she burst out laughing. She fell into his body, hers racked with laughter.
“Okay, you got me,” he muttered, grasping her hip with his hand.
She leaned into him, her laughter fading. He knew she was totally oblivious of the crowd hanging on to their every word and movement. He didn’t care that they were watching. He could tell by their shit-eating grins they were excited and happy for Sarena.
Might as well give them a show, he thought to himself.
“I do?” she murmured, staring up into his eyes.
“You were very persuasive with your orders. So tomorrow, you and I are going to go on an old-fashioned date. I’ll pick you up at seven sharp,” he announced.
He gripped her chin with his free hand and lowered his mouth to hers. Her plump lips welcomed his in a soft, sweet kiss. He desired a deeper one but had to remember he was in her place of employment.
Muffled cheers and whistles echoed through the air, and Sarena jumped back from him as if she were a teenager getting caught necking by her parents. She glanced over her shoulder at the receptionist window and laughed, covering her face. He held her in place, not ashamed to be witnessed kissing the sexiest nurse alive. He shook his head and threw the women a wink, and they hooted and hollered even more.
She groaned, leaning her head against his chest in embarrassment.
“I expect a great action-packed movie, popcorn, and then an amazing dinner,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.
The catcalls and cheers continued, and she smiled.
“You’ll get all that and dessert,” he whispered into her ear. He could feel the shiver pass through her body. The darkening of her eyes let him know she’d got his message loud and clear.
Chapter 12
Sarena breathed deeply, pushing through the last of her run. She turned the corner of the street that led to her house. Relief filled her as her place came into sight. It had been a few days since her last run, and she needed to expel some energy.
His sudden appearance at her job last night had left her hot and bothered. She could barely concentrate for the rest of her shift. Lucky enough, one of her nurses asked to stay the last four hours to pull a doubl
e. Sarena would have been all over the place had she needed to take an assignment. The emergency room picked up after Marcas had left, leaving her last few hours to fly by.
Finally, she reached the sidewalk in front of her home and eased her jog to a walk to try to lower her heart rate. The sound of a car slowing filled the air. She ignored it and walked up her driveway with her hands on her hips. She tried to breathe in deeply to calm her body down, but it currently wasn’t working. Those few days without running was catching up with her.
The sound of the car turning into her driveway grabbed her attention. She turned to see a black sedan coming to a halt a few feet from her.
Sarena squinted but was unable to see who was inside. She wasn’t expecting any company, and the vehicle was unfamiliar.
The driver rolled down his window as she walked toward the car. A man in his mid-thirties to early forties smiled at her from the driver’s seat.
“Morning,” he called out.
“Good morning. Can I help you?” Unease filled her chest, and she stopped a few steps before the car.
“Yes, does Sheila Caspin live here? I seem to have gotten turned around.” He chuckled, his arm hanging out of the window.
His demeanor seemed friendly, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling he gave her. His mouth was stretched into a smile, but something was off about him.
The smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I’m sorry. You have the wrong house,” she announced, the feeling of unease growing stronger when his gaze perused down her body.
Creep.
“Is this 22553 Hilton East?” he asked, tearing his gaze away from her to look down at a piece of paper.
“No, Hilton is a few streets that way.” She pointed in the direction he needed to go. “At the stop sign, make a right and drive down about half a mile and then you’ll see it on the right.”
“Thanks.” His smile widened at her.
Relief filled her at the sound of another vehicle coming down the road. She flicked her eyes in that direction. Marcas flew down the street in his oversized truck. He slowed and pulled into his driveway then drew to a halt at the edge of his walkway. Their eyes met before his attention turned to the man in the vehicle.
“Good luck finding your friend,” she said, turning back to the stranger.
She backed away from the car to try to give him the hint it was time to leave. The sound of Marcas’s door slamming shut echoed through the air.
“I’m Silas, by the way.” He laughed. “I know this may seem odd, but what’s your name—”
“Taken,” a deep baritone voice interrupted.
She smiled, feeling Marcas arrive behind her. His possessive arm sneaked its way around her waist and pulled her back against him. She looked over her shoulder and found his glare directed at Silas.
Her heart fluttered at the feel of him behind her. Her core clenched at his dominant nature.
“Wow, um…my bad.” Silas held up his hands in defeat with shock appearing on his face. He eyed Marcas briefly before his focus turned back to Sarena. His smile was forced, and he nodded. “Beautiful woman, man. Couldn’t help but try.”
Marcas moved to her side and didn’t reply but kept his eyes trained on the man as he threw his car in reverse. She turned and looked at him. His muscles were drawn tight while he watched the car leave her driveway and go off in the direction she had instructed him to.
“He had the wrong address,” she murmured, running her hand along his chest.
He grunted a response but had yet to take his attention off the car as it disappeared from their street.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“It’s not,” he muttered, turning back to her.
She smiled, and his eyes darkened as he gazed into her eyes. She knew she was a sweaty mess from her run. Her sports bra and performance shorts were all soaked with perspiration. She didn’t even want to know what her face and hair looked like.
“I didn’t like the way he was staring at you.”
“I can tell.” She laughed, loving his possessiveness. “I was expecting you to growl and go all ‘my woman’.”
“Something like that. I already told you that your jogging outfits drive me crazy. Any man with a pulse would ogle you.”
“Well, thank goodness I’m only interested in one man ogling me.” She batted her eyes up at him. It was the truth. In the few short months she had lived next to him, he was the only one she had been trying to catch. Now she literally had him in her grasp, she couldn’t care less about any other man.
“Damn right I’m ogling.” He tried to pull her closer, but she pushed off away from him.
“I’m too sweaty.” She laughed again, shaking her head. She needed to take a shower. There was no telling how bad she reeked.
“You think I care about sweat?” he growled, pulling her flush against him.
“You know Janet is probably glued to her window, watching us.” She laughed once more, thinking of their nosey neighbor. For all the information that woman had on the people, Sarena was surprised their neighbor was able to sleep.
“Let her look,” he said, his hand sliding down to the roundness of her ass. A playful glint appeared in his eyes that she adored. “She might get front row seats to a true show out here on the front lawn.”
She loved when he relaxed. He was always so serious most of the time, but when he smiled, her heart just melted. She was attracted to his strong, alpha nature, but the soft side of Marcas had her falling in love with him.
Her heart seemed to jump into her throat at the thought.
Love?
Could she be falling in love with Marcas MacArthur?
His lips curved into a smile as he leaned his head toward her. His mouth covered hers in a soft kiss, and she knew she just might be falling for him.
Mac couldn’t keep his eyes off Sarena. They followed the restaurant host to their table. Sarena walked in front of him, holding his hand, and they threaded their way toward their table. He sent a glare to a man who was openly eyeing Sarena. He bit back a growl, wanting to lay claim on his woman.
His woman?
Sarena seemed oblivious of the attention. As usual, her outfit was sexy. She’d worn a shirt that hung off her shoulders with a leather mini skirt and heels. Her hair flowed down her back in dark waves, and her makeup was barely there. Mac couldn’t stand women who caked on makeup.
Sarena didn’t need it. Her natural beauty was what attracted him to her. She was the full package, beauty and brains with a killer body.
“Here you go, best table in the house.” The host turned with a smile.
Mac took in the room and appreciated that their booth was placed against the back wall. They could see the entire restaurant.
“It’s perfect.” He nodded before assisting Sarena into the booth. He slid in behind her. He had chosen an elegant, trendy restaurant that always had a waiting list for reservations.
“Your waiter will be here shortly.” The host nodded.
“How in the world did you get a reservation here? The wait list is like months?” Excitement filled Sarena’s face as she looked to him.
He shrugged and braced his arm on the back of the booth. “I guess it helps when you save the owner from a situation,” he murmured.
Her eyes widened at his comment.
It was the truth. A few years ago, the owner of Lucarelli’s, Sergio Lucarelli, was involved in a hostage situation. His daughter, Bella, was with a boyfriend who was deep into drugs and gang life. Sergio’s daughter had tried to cut ties with her boyfriend who didn’t take too kindly to the break-up and took her hostage and barricaded them into his home, threatening to kill her and him. The boyfriend was coked out and had access to plenty of guns in his residence.
Mac and his team had been called in due to the nature of the situation. Drugs and guns didn’t go well together, and they were able to safely extract Sergio’s daughter. Because of this, Sergio promised Mac any time he or his men wanted
to dine at his restaurant, all they would have to do is call.
“Wow. You know you are a real-life hero.” She chuckled, tucking her hair behind an ear.
“I don’t do what I do to seek attention.” He shook his head. He knew none of his team members desired fame or fortune for what they did. They got called out on a job, and it was their responsibility to ensure all parties lived at the end of the day. Some weren’t so fortunate. But it was his highly trained team that was the go-to when things were above and beyond the scope of the regular police officers.
“I’m not saying you do. I don’t know what happened with you during your time in the service or even now as a cop, but I hope you do realize that you are a true hero.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. He gazed into her eyes and knew he owed her an explanation as to why he was the man he was. Why he put up walls around himself. It wasn’t to protect him.
It was to protect those around him.
“Nurses are heroes, too. It takes a special person to stand up to snarling cops who were brought into the emergency room to be checked over after a bullet hit his vest and not back down from taking care of him,” he murmured against the back of her hand.
She scoffed and waved her free hand.
“Declan? He’s just a big teddy bear. More growl than bite.”
He barked a laugh, thinking that his friend had never been accused of being more growl than bite. He’d be sure to share Sarena’s observation with him.
“You should do that more often,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Hello, I’m Talia.” Their waitress arrived at their table, interrupting their conversation. She was dressed in the standard restaurant black pants, white shirt uniform. She filled their glasses with ice-cold water from the pitcher in her hand. “I’ll be your server this evening. May I suggest a wine for you tonight?”
They listened as she suggested various fine wines their establishment had to offer. His gaze lingered on Sarena while they listened. Her smile was bright as she paid attention to the server.
Once Talia was done with her presentation, he ordered them one of the limited-edition wines that the restaurant stocked. Talia laid the menu on the table while rattling off the specials for the night before leaving them to decide.