Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance (10 page)

“The rules, Mia, what are they?”

She turned with the knife in her hand. “I don’t remember, okay? I’m really tired. I was just trying to do something to help. I didn’t mean to break your stupid rules.”

He leaned against the counter next to her. “The rules exist to protect you. You could have been kidnapped or killed. How would I even know? You were supposed to be inside.”

“Are you going to stay mad at me all night?”

“I’m at about an eleven.”

“An eleven.”

“On a scale of one to ten, one being the least mad, I’m at an eleven.”

“That’s pretty bad.”

“You frustrate me. Every time you deviate from the rules, you risk all our lives. Mine, yours, now Gloria’s. Maybe it would do you some good to think of someone other than yourself before you make a move.”

He walked away, leaving her remorseful. Tears fell from her eyes and splashed on the newspaper, absorbed on impact.

“Say
I love walleye
.”

“What?”

She turned, and Augie snapped a picture with his phone.

He grimaced. “How ’bout a mulligan?”

“What?” His mood swings disoriented her.

“You’re not smiling in that picture. Do you want to retake it?”

“No.” She picked up the knife and sliced through the belly of the fish.

“Looks like you know what you’re doing.”

“I do.”

“Like I said, impressive.”

“I take it girls in the States don’t fish?”

He snorted. “No way. They do spa days, salon days, marathon shopping.” He shook his head. “Their outdoor activities consist of lying out with piña coladas and those movie star magazines.”

“Well, that’s why you like them, right?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know.” If he couldn’t figure it out, she wasn’t going to tell him.

“I made you cry again.”

“And I made you mad again.”

Cooking relaxed her, and she wished he would just let her be with her thoughts. He clouded her ability to problem solve.

“I can’t believe you caught and gutted this mammoth beast.”

That made her laugh. He squeezed her shoulders and walked off. Probably going to talk to Gloria. Mia watched him go, then turned her attention back to dinner. Digging around in the basement, she found everything she’d need to make walnut-crusted walleye. She also found a bag of potatoes and a loaf of French bread in the freezer and grabbed a can of tomatoes from the shelf.

Augie was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when she returned. He was sipping a beer. “What’s that?”

She placed the food on the center island. “How about mashed potatoes and tomato gravy?”

“Damn, woman. Nothing I love more than tomato gravy.” He squatted and began pulling wine bottles from beneath the island. “A nice wine is in order. They’ve got some decent ones here too. This pinot looks good. How about I pour us each a glass?”

“Where’s Gloria?”

“Shower.”

He slid her glass across the counter and sipped from his, tasting it like he was some wine connoisseur. “Mmm, it’s oak-ey.”

She laughed. After his playful drama, that was his grand conclusion? “Oak-ey.”

“Yeah, I’m shit at wine tasting. Expensive, inexpensive all taste the same to me.” He took another sip. “Don’t get me wrong, I really do like wine, I’m just not good at being pretentious.”

She held the bottle up and looked at the vintage. “Hmm, 2009. Hope this wasn’t an expensive bottle.”

“Trust me, no one leaves the good shit at their vacation home.” He sipped the wine. “So what do you make of it?”

“Of the wine?”

“Yes, what’s your expert analysis of this here vintage?”

His relaxed banter put her at ease. Playful Augie was once again in the house.

“Well, let me see…” Sipping and swirling the wine on her tongue, she analyzed the taste and then swallowed. “Oh!” She sputtered a little. “Wow.” She held the glass in front of her face and eyed the contents. “With the way people put this stuff away you’d think it would at least taste good.”

Augie smiled, looking like a much younger man. “Have you never had a drink then?”

“Na.” She shook her head. “Strongest I’ve had is sparkling cider.”

He took her glass to the sink. “Starting with wine was a mistake. You need to start with something like sex on the beach.”

Spoon in hand, she turned away from her gravy making, her eyes wide. “Yes! I want that. How can I get it?”

Squatting to dig around beneath the counter, he said, “Relax, it’s the name of a drink. Hmm, let me see. Basically any fruit juice will do.” He set a can of pineapple juice on the counter. “And then you just need some fruity alcohol.” When he stood, he had four bottles cradled in his arms.

“Oh my God. We’re gonna drink all that?”

He looked down at his arms. “It’s nothing. I’ll make it very small.”

“Do you drink it?”

“Well, see, I’m old so these sugary drinks give me a headache.”

“How old are you?”

Looking up from his mixing, he offered a cocky grin. “Older by far than you, my dear.”

He set about opening and measuring, pouring and tasting, before he nodded as if to say,
That’ll do
. After plopping ice into the glass, he stirred the concoction with a spoon.

“Here you go, one sex on the beach.”

As she took the glass, he winked. “Bottoms up.”

She sipped, worried it’d be tart like the wine, but the taste was sweet. “Mmm.” She rubbed her lips together, and then took a big gulp. “It’s really good. Tastes like a Sweet Tart or fruit punch.” She took another gulp. “I like it.”

“I used a half ounce for each liquor, so there’s two ounces of alcohol in there. That’s a lot for a lightweight, so take it easy.”

She sidled up next to him. “You want a sip?” She waggled her eyebrows.

He frowned. “Give me that.” He took the drink from her hands and dumped what was left in the sink.

Gloria strolled in fresh from a shower, saying, “Hey, anything I can do to help in here?”

Mia coveted her thick shiny hair that was so long it almost touched her butt. “No thanks, I got it.”

“I’m going to set up the laptop then.”

“Sounds great,” Augie said. “Thanks again for coming all this way.” He smiled at her and she side-hugged him. “There’s some of that beer you like in the fridge.”

“Awesome.”

She helped herself as Mia watched. Augie knew what she liked to drink and they had an ease around one another, far from what Mia had with him. He was always glaring at her for some breach in the rules she hadn’t known she’d committed.

Augie held the plates so she could fill them. As she plated up the dinner, she was reminded of his hands catapulting her body into another dimension. Now that she’d had a taste of Augustine Roy, she wanted more. Hell, she wanted to devour him. It was all she could do to keep her mind off his erection. God, it had been heavy and hot in her hand. Whenever he was around, her eyes were drawn to his crotch. He was large, huge even, and she wondered how her body would accommodate him. But to spend all day trying would be bliss. He’d be sweet and worried about her comfort and safety like he always was. She’d be short of breath with an elevated pulse and desire strong enough to part the Amazon River.

Damn, what was in that drink?

“Michaela?”

She blinked. She’d gotten herself so worked up she hadn’t known she’d stopped scooping the food.

“What—Are—You—Thinking—About?” He enunciated every word clearer than the last.

“Um, nothing.” She cleared her throat. Steely hands grasped her arms and turned her to face him. His mouth whispered in her ear.

“You’re flushed. Pulse is elevated, and I can guarantee you’re wetter than an April day in Southwest Louisiana.”

Her mouth opened on a gasp.

“Do you deny it?”

When she didn’t answer, his hand snaked into her jeans, bypassed her underwear, and played along her seam. Coffee-bean eyes turned almost black at what he found.

“Fuck, you’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever met.” His hands trailed up her abdomen and his shimmering-wet fingers went straight into his mouth. Licking them like they were coated in melted chocolate, he never turned his eyes from hers.

Sparks ran through her core and belly, and she could no longer think of food; other hungers much too strong. “You have something I want,” she said. Of its own will, her hand grabbed his crotch and fisted there.

He gasped and palmed her head, pulling her back by her hair to expose her neck. Laying a trail of kisses, his lips ran the length of her neck, to her jaw, and finally landed at her lips. Softly at first, he tasted her. Then his efforts turned frantic. His whiskers burned her sensitive skin as his lips and tongue explored her mouth. When his hand squeezed her breast and nipple, she broke away to cry out.

He backed away from her. “I’m sorry, Mia. When I saw you standing there all flushed and looking like a dominant’s sex kitten, I lost it.”

Her palm went to his cheek. “I like when you lose it.”

And she did. But she’d clearly shocked him with her admission. He turned away and mumbled something about washing up.

Mia washed her own hands and then picked up the plates again. “Bon Appetite,” she said, setting the plates on the table.

“It looks delicious.” Gloria said.

“Well, don’t eyeball it. Eat before it gets cold.”

“Mmm, wow, Mia, this is truly amazing,” Augie said.

Sounds of pleasure escaped from deep in his throat. “It’s hands down the second best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”

His eyes simmered at her, and she dropped her fork. It clattered to her plate with a crash. Christ, she’d lost her appetite for food. She needed him. Now.

Gloria cleared her throat. “So, Mia, you’re a fisherman? Or should I say woman?”

She’d forgotten Gloria was in the room with them. “Oh, I uh, I used to go out with my dad when I was young.”

“What’s this we’re eating?”

“Walnut-crusted walleye.”

“It’s a really solid meal.”

Mia smiled, not sure if she’d been complimented or not.

“Gloria hates fish.” Augie smirked.

“Augustine, that’s not true.” She threw her napkin at him.

“Whatever. And stop calling me that, you know I hate it.”

Augustine.
Puke. Watching them banter made her want to hit something. Gloria perhaps
.
Yeah, she wanted to hit her in the face. She didn’t know where these feelings of hatred came from she just knew she didn’t like the connection Gloria had with Augie. She was jealous of their history.

“Delicious gravy too. You some kind of chef?” Augie beamed at her.

“Actually, my mom did work at Le Royal, this little French bistro, and it was great because she’d bring food home all the time and cook it up.”

They talked in general throughout the meal, and after dinner Augie helped her clear the table while Gloria worked on locating a signal for the laptop.

“I’m going to go take a bath,” Mia said.

His hand on her shoulder, Augie said, “That’s a good idea. A long hot one. You need to relax.”

She was glad to finally get away from the two of them. She certainly didn’t need to hear Gloria pronounce the name
Augustine
again, in that sultry way she did.

Chapter 9

Mia climbed the
stairs and thought about her dirty clothes. She’d kill for some clean ones. She’d left everything behind: her home, her clothes, her mom. She’d be leaving her country behind soon.

As the water level rose in the tub, she felt an overwhelming sorrow strike. She didn’t even have a toothbrush. At least she had some dental floss in her purse. She supposed it could be worse—they could be dead and none of those things would matter. That thought made her even bluer.

She tried to channel her thoughts into something pleasant. As she stripped, she thought of her and Augie, cozy on the couch where she’d had him in her mouth. Now naked and cold and alone, she stared at herself in the mirror. No, no curves anywhere. Turning to the side, she leaned forward and stuck her butt out, trying to give herself the curves Gloria had.

“
Oh, Augustine
.”

“Mia?”

“Augie!” Straightening up, she felt her face flame. “Don’t you knock?”

“What were you doing in the mirror?” He pointed at her reflection.

“Nothing. What do you want?” She covered herself with her hands, but he was there, patting them away.

“Don’t do that. You’ve never done that with me before. Why start now?”

“I just … ” She shook her head. “What do you want?”

A bag landed on the countertop. “I thought you might need some things, so I asked Gloria to grab some essentials on her way up.”

“Oh my God, thank you.” She sighed happily. “And thank Gloria.”

His hand palmed her cheek. “Is everything okay?”

She nodded as warmth from his hand seeped into her cheek. She loved his touch. “Thank you.”

He backed out, leaving her to tend to her bath.

In the bag she found jeans, a T-shirt, panties, socks, deodorant, toothbrush, paste, and a hairbrush. A smile broke across her face and she felt hopeful that things might just work out. Sinking into the warm bath water, she sighed.

“God bless Gloria for bringing me the necessities.”

Mia could appreciate the other woman, but that didn’t mean she had to like her. No, she definitely didn’t like her. Augie and she seemed close. Had he dated her? And if he had, was that the kind of woman he liked, exotic looks and petite little curves? She was beautiful. Mia had never thought she was ugly, but standing next to Gloria, she would fade into the dust. She shook her head to rid it of negative thoughts and then plunged her body beneath the water, wetting her hair.

She washed and shampooed. As she toweled off, her body shook when pain radiated through it. It was her leg. It wasn’t too red but it was slightly swollen. She placed her hand over the wound and felt warmth, too much warmth. Maybe she should ice it again like Augie had her do that first night.

She dressed in the new clothes provided by Gloria and brushed through her wet hair. Occasionally she heard feminine laughter, and she couldn’t help feeling ostracized. She lay back on the bed in the room Augie assigned to her, but since she’d napped, she wasn’t tired. Curious, she crept to the top of the stairs. After delicately climbing over Augie’s booby trap, she took each step quietly. Halfway down, she could make out their words, so she sat on the stair and listened.

There was no denying it—she was eavesdropping.

“Not the first time I’ve saved your ass.”

“Gloria, I owe you my life.”

“How are the nightmares, Augie?”

“Not as frequent.”

“Have you given anymore thought to reporting the botched extraction?”

“What good would it do?”

“It might help with those nightmares.”

“Every day is one more day behind me. I don’t need to report it. You saved my life that day, and we’ll forever share that connection, but I can’t relive those days during a court-ordered rehash. I have to move on.”

“But you’re not moving on. You may think you are, but your subconscious isn’t. That’s why you’re having the dreams.”

“Gloria, please. I don’t want to go down that road. Besides, Mia helps with the nightmares. If she’s near when I start to have anxiety or dreams, I don’t get lost. It’s like she anchors me to the present. Something about her … ” He sighed. “No one has ever had that effect on me. Now my fear is that something bad will happen to
her
. I get anxious just thinking about losing her. I can’t explain it.”

Mia’s jaw dropped. She’d no idea she’d helped him in any way.

They were quiet for a moment. Mia felt like a jerk for having listened to their intimate discussion, but she couldn’t move while they were silent. They’d hear her for sure.

“So have you been intimate with her?”

“I’m not telling you that.”

“You just did.”

“What?”

“Your lack of information tells me all I need to know.”

“Fuck, Gloria, why do you care anyway?”

“Did you tell her about us?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Mia heard Gloria snort.

“She seems innocent.”

“She is, but she’s not like other girls.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s not into marriage and babies and doing her nails.”

“Come on, Augie, she wants that.”

“How do you know what she wants?”

“Because that’s what every girl her age wants.”

“You didn’t want that.”

“Oh, I wanted it. I just never had the opportunity to go after it.”

“You wanted those things?”

“Desperately.”

“But you never said anything.”

“It’s not like I would tell you and risk you running as fast as your feet would carry you away from me.”

Mia didn’t care if they heard her—she didn’t want to hear any more. She stood and climbed the stairs swiftly, so fast that she got tangled in the damn fishing wire he’d strung. She went down amid the noise and knocked her shin against the top step. She hollered out in pain.

Flat on her back she saw Augie as he ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time.

He scooped her into his arms like she weighed ten pounds and carried her to bed.

“Are you hurt?”

She didn’t want him to think she was more pitiful than he already did, so she said, “No, but I almost fell down the stairs.”

“I told you to watch out for the wire.”

“I forgot.”

“You can’t forget the things I tell you. Learn to focus. Do you remember what I said about getting away from here if it becomes necessary?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

She huffed out a breath. “I run next door and lock myself in the cabin, and stay put until the coast is clear. Then I go to Larry’s and use the phone.”

Gloria had joined them in the room.

“And where is the key to the cabin?”

Feeling her empty pocket, she realized her error. “Uh, I left it in the other jeans.”

“Gloria.”

“I’m on it.”

“Perhaps you should focus on the safety of this mission and less on eavesdropping. It doesn’t become you.”

Her face flamed at his criticism. Gloria handed her the key. She placed it in her pocket and turned away from them, feigning tiredness.

When she heard the door close, she sat up. To her shock, Augie was in the room, removing his belt. Then he started on his boots.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting ready for bed. Gloria’s going to keep watch since I need to get some sleep.”

She wasn’t happy about his presence in her room. He’d made her feel like a child. An errant child. To be fair, she had been acting like a child. She scooted under the covers to put distance between them. “There are three bedrooms up here, you know.”

“But those beds don’t have angry warm females in them.”

He slid under the covers and spooned her from behind. She fought him for a moment, but the strength differential was ridiculous.

“Stop struggling. You’re not getting away from me.”

More than aware he was in his boxer briefs, she was glad she’d kept her jeans on. Warm fingers slid around her waist and expertly unfastened her jeans. Hands slid inside and pushed the material down her thighs. “You can’t be comfortable sleeping in these, and I want to feel your skin. Take them off.”

She rolled over and sat up, removing her pants.

She leaned back in his arms and he slid his leg over hers and rested one arm on her hip, the other under her head. His breath heated her neck. Her frustration melted away and she went boneless in his arms, inhaling deeply. With the steady reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat against her back, she drifted to sleep.

*

Heat and moisture seeped through Mia’s shirt, making it stick to her back. Something squeezed the breath from her and she tried to pull away, but she was trapped.

Gasps rang out in the otherwise quiet room, then she heard, “Go, go, go.”

Augie. He was having a dream. A nightmare. Unable to free herself from his unyielding grip, she squirmed around in his hold until she faced him. The torment on his face had her gasping.

“No!” His expression contorted into one of pain and rage. His lips pulled into a snarl. “Don’t touch her.”

“Augie, wake up.”

She wormed her hand free and stroked his jaw. His hold broke.

“I’ll kill you!”

She pressed harder, and whispered, “Augie, it’s Mia. You’re safe.”

More sighs and groans of despair escaped his throat.

“I’m here.”

God, he was in so much pain, she just wanted to take it away. If she could have shouldered some of it, she would have. Since she couldn’t, she kept whispering his name and stroking him, letting him know he was safe.

His eyes rolled underneath the thin skin of his eyelids, and his face smoothed.

“Yes, that’s right, baby, I’m here and I need you.” She kissed his lips.

His hand slid up her back to fist in her hair. Her lips parted, giving him access, and his tongue entered her mouth. He pushed at her aggressively, as if he wanted to consume her from the inside out. The intensity of his need stung her body and soul. No longer was it only about him being her savior. She needed him—that much had been clear—but he needed her too.

“Mia.”

Raspy whispered notes hit her ears. She straddled him, palming his cheeks. She kissed him delicately to counteract his force. Yin and yang, they fit together as one.

“I’m here Augie.”

Slipping his hands under the material of her panties, he kneaded her ass. He kissed her mouth, abrading her chin with his whiskers. In one deliberate move, he rotated her so her back rested on his front. His fingers slipped between her folds.

“Augie, I want you.”

“I’m here, baby.”

“I need more.” He massaged her, but she wanted to be connected, she wanted him inside her. His thumbs hooked into her panties, and she lifted so he could slide them off. He did the same to his. When he resumed his assault on her body, she felt coiled tight. She needed him, but he thought himself undeserving and his perspective saddened her.

Her gasps came involuntarily, and she was unable to control her movements as his fingers brought her closer to that place she yearned to be.

“Take it, baby, take what you need. I want you to come on my fingers.”

At his coaxing words, Mia’s body began to tremble and writhe, and she felt moisture pool between her thighs. Surprisingly unembarrassed, she also heard the dampness as he worked between her legs.

She felt his stiff length when he rested it between her thighs, rubbing himself through her moisture. She tried to turn, but he held her in place with his other hand.

“Lubricate me with your wetness.”

Frantic, she held him in place as his hand gripped her outer thighs and squeezed her legs together, cradling him in the gap at the top of her legs. Using the tight grip he had on her, he pumped her body up and down, creating friction as his cock rubbed between her legs.

She thought her sight blurred from the intensity of his touch, but her eyes could have been filling with tears. Tears for him and his self-condemnation.

“Augie, penetrate me.”

“No, baby. I’m no good for you. You deserve someone fresh, like yourself. I’m used up.”

Tears streamed in a river down her face. He was panting, breathing so hard her hair blew across the back of her neck. He seemed to grow even larger between her thighs. A strangled growl erupted from his throat, and she watched as the come spurted from him and dripped down her legs. She wiped her eyes.

“Wait here,” he said, his voice low.

Where was she going to go? What just happened? She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t just have sex with her. He didn’t want to use her in that way, but he was using her just the same. Every time they touched, their force solidified her feelings for him that much more. She already loved him for the man he was, saving her and her sister and her mother. She also loved him for the man he strived to be—a man worthy of her, an innocent, a virgin. It was a ridiculous notion that she now wished she’d never mentioned.

He returned with a washcloth that she used to clean herself. He turned out the light and this time they each moved to their respective sides of the bed—no spooning, no loving, no hugging. Alone. Two halves, but no whole.

Yet he needed her just as she needed him, and she would die trying to get him to understand that.