SEAL Under Covers (SEAL Brotherhood Series Book 3) (23 page)

“Sounds like fun.” She leaned forward and kissed him again. “Can I tie
you
up this time?”

“Sweetheart, you can do anything you like as long as it’s with me.”

Chapter 23

The long, lingering kiss she gave Armando in the front seat of his Hummer caused a minor traffic jam in Gina’s parking lot. The car immediately behind them honked.  Neither one of them wanted to separate, but Gina moved first, grabbing the door handle and waving to the handsome SEAL behind the wheel.

“See you in an hour,” she said as she blew him a kiss.

Armando drove away as the car behind them slowed and the driver, a young punk, rolled down the window and shouted, “Fuckin’ get a room!” He sped off in a cloud of exhaust.

Before getting clothes inside her apartment, Gina decided she’d pick up a couple of things on her own, as a prelude for what she hoped would be a totally wonderful night. She stopped at her favorite food store and placed some cherries and strawberries, as well as a can of whipped cream, in her shopping cart. Didn’t have to be a SEAL to know how to improvise. She knew he’d get a chuckle out of it.

She meandered through the aisle with the personal care items. She found some lubricating, warming gel and smiled. She had some pretty good ideas how this could be used.

Returning to her complex, the packages in one arm, she unlocked her apartment door and was surprised to find Sam sitting in the corner of her living room. She nearly dropped her keys. He wasn’t in his leathers, either, so this was a personal visit, not part of the job.

Straddling the doorway, she managed to keep the door ajar with her heel while she struggled to find words. Air was in short supply. Her mind started racing through her options. She could hardly speak, as words got stuck in her throat, but she pushed forward, trying to draw strength from the fact that Armando would be joining her in just a few minutes. She wanted to call him immediately, but didn’t want to force Sam to make a move they’d both regret. He wore a dangerous expression. She worked to sound calm.

“Sam, how did you get in here?” she asked as she glanced down the hallway. No one was about. She twisted the deadbolt in the locked position, so when the door closed behind her it hit the extended bolt and remained slightly ajar.

“Showed my badge to your manager.” He remained seated. He was not smiling.

Trying to act unaffected, Gina set her packages down in the kitchen, fingering her cell phone to make that 911 call. She pre-dialed the number but left the cell in her pocket as she entered the living room.

Sam was uncharacteristically quiet, and that worried her.

You can do this, Gina. Only call for backup if he comes after you.
Her fingers touched the send button, but she did not push it. She’d try some diplomacy first.

“Don’t you think that’s a little creepy? I asked for your help. I didn’t mean you could break into my apartment.” She worked to take the urgency out of her voice, but wasn’t sure it was working.

“Baby, I can protect you better if I’m around more often.”

This was not what she wanted to hear. “No. You broke into my apartment. Let’s tell the truth. I said I wanted your assistance but I don’t need you doing this. Anything wrong with a phone call? I’ll have to report this if you don’t get out.” She held up her phone and pressed the Send button. The phone began to ring the emergency dispatch.

“Suit yourself.” He rose and carefully cracked his back and rolled his neck.  He walked like he had a lead weight between his legs as he swaggered for the door. Gina closed her eyes and sighed. She spoke to his back as she heard the dispatcher’s voice on the line. Sam could hear it as well.

“Sam, you gotta observe my boundaries or I’m taking you off the case.”

Sam slowly turned, an evil grin on his face. “You, little Miss Hot Pants, taking
me
off the case? You don’t have that kind of power.”

“Nine-one-one. State your name and your emergency, please.”

Sam ambled over to her and stood a foot away, showing his lack of concern for her 911 call. Gina chose to stand her ground and didn’t flinch. She stuck her chin out, feeling righteous courage. He smiled as if he weren’t afraid of any of her threats, or of the dispatcher’s voice. “But if you had that kind of power, Gina, Lord knows how good that would feel.”

“Please state your emergency.”

She slapped his face and was going back a second time when he caught her wrist in midair. His riveting stare was deadly for a second, and then turned soft as he forced a smile. He released her arm and stepped back, giving her a long careful perusal up and down from her ankles to her neck. “You have a nice day, baby. Just wanted you to know I was checking up on you. This is dangerous business, sweetheart. Can’t be too careful. Call me if you need anything.”

“You’d be the
last
person I would call. Now get out.”

Gina was relieved when the big cop turned and left. Her door attempted to close behind him. She undid the deadbolt and sighed as she pushed it securely closed and heard the reassuring click shut. She double latched the lock with shaking hands.

Then she remembered the emergency call. “I’m sorry, my friend’s child hit the button by mistake,” she said to the cell phone.

The dispatcher started to say something, but Gina quickly disconnected the emergency call. She hoped it wouldn’t result in a required response by a patrolman.

Checking her phone, she realized she didn’t have more than a couple of minutes left before she was to meet Armando. And she’d not called him yet.

Checking the street outside, she saw no evidence of Sam, but watched as Armando’s Hummer pulled into the parking lot. He tweeted the beast locked and gave her a wave that helped ease some of her jitters. She checked the sides of the street, the bushes and around parked cars and still saw no evidence of Sam. She was going to have to tell Armando about Sam’s visit.

Later.

She opened the door for him. The first thing she felt was the difference in the energy that wafted into the room. Armando gave her a gentle peck on the cheek and walked past her, into the apartment. He turned.

“Ready?”

“Not quite. I just have to get a couple of things.”

Should I tell him about Sam?
She watched him scan her apartment, as if making a mental recording of the way she lived.

If he only knew
. Shame percolated in her chest. She had to stuff it down, along with her common sense and everything else that fried whenever she was around the SEAL. It was sad, in a way, but he was investigating the Gina that didn’t exist. She didn’t have any of her houseplants, her watercolors, or her sewing machine. That part of her was a complete stranger to this man.

I can’t level with him yet. Soon. But not now.

“Well, I’m ready, Gina. You just going to stand there? Have you changed your mind?” he asked.

Gina stood like her feet were planted in the floor, unable to move. She watched him finger some of her hot sexy novels with the yummy male torso covers and then wiggled his eyebrows.

“These any good?” he asked.

She blushed and grabbed the book away from him. “Of course they’re good. Why do you think I have them?”

He flashed her a smile. “Why don’t you bring that one, and you can read it to me, tonight, okay?”

“That’s silly. You don’t want to read this stuff. It’s for women.”

“If it gets you all hot and bothered, I’m all for that.” He handed her one book. “This one stays. I’ll bet you could write something hot as hell.”

“Why, you wanna give me pointers?” She hoped he heard the flirt in her voice.

“I’m good with that.” He smiled. “Go get your stuff or you’re leaving without anything.”

She turned her back on him and entered her bedroom, stowing her purse with her gun and badge into a duffel bag. Then she added some panties, a new bra and a change of clothes. She tucked in a brush and walked across the hall and added some personal items, including condoms.

“Gina, I see you’ve been shopping,” she heard from the kitchen. She also heard him shake the whipped cream and squirt out a little. Slinging her bag over her shoulder Gina walked to the living room, her excitement heightened. Armando stood in the archway of the kitchen, the tube of jelly in one hand and the can of whipped cream in the other. He had a smudge of whipped cream on his upper lip.

“Which one will it be? Hot or sweet?”

“I’ll let you decide this time. I leave it all in your capable hands.” She turned to exit. God, it felt great to know that his eyes were all over her ass.

The
Boudoir de Paris
was busy this Saturday morning. The parking lot was nearly full to capacity.

The proprietress was Dori Harrelson, who’d retired the year before Gina joined the force. She’d opened the store along with one of her coworkers, a homicide detective who had recently gone through a very tough and publicly messy divorce.

The crusty ex-cop with the baritone voice recognized Gina and greeted her, handing her a wicker shopping basket, but stopped just short of saying her name, after taking a look at Armando. Gina was grateful Dori was so discreet.

Armando held her hand as he led Gina through the aisles of pink and white lace-covered shelves.

He fingered a skimpy bra and panty set and held them up to her chest.

“You look good in pink.”

She relished the spark in his brown eyes. His shoulder muscles rippled under his thin cotton T-shirt when he laid the panties down.

A fanciful display of masks adorned one wall. Below it was a display case filled with creams and lubrication gels. Again, Gina’s cheeks began to flame. Armando slipped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her backside into the prominent bump in his pants and whispered in her ear, “I love to watch you blush. I’m going to make you blush all night long, sweetheart.”

The kiss he planted on her neck sent a shiver down her spine.

I can hardly wait.
“Maybe I should have bought two cans of whipped cream,” she whispered in return, reaching behind her to rub her palm up against his erection.

“Maybe I won’t let you leave.”

She stiffened at first, and then turned to look deep into his eyes. He had no idea what he’d said. She started to tear up.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. Bravely, she looked up at him. “Nothing that a night of new things couldn’t cure. I have a specific use in mind for that whipped cream, and I won’t be stopped.

“Counting on it.”

“I get to pick something you’ll wear, okay?” she said.

Armando nodded. She found a black satin Zorro mask and held it up to his face. “This. This is you.” She stepped close enough to touch her thighs to his, and slipped the elastic band around the back of his head. His brilliant smile offset the traces of curly hair around his temples and at the back of his neck. His face was obscured above the nose.

“Very sexy,” she whispered.

He slid the mask up on the top of his head. “And now something for you.” He picked a pink sequined fabric mask with jewels around the eye detail. “I think we should try these out to make sure they fit,” he said.

He slid his mask down, leaned towards her face and their lips touched. The warmth of his flesh on hers as he slid back and forth over her mouth sent a tingle all the way to her toes. Armando’s kisses were expert. She could only imagine how they would feel on her body if all she wore was the dainty pink mask.

They took turns picking up some warming gels, stimulating gels, feathers and flavored lubricants. He brought an expensive box of colored French condoms from behind the counter. Dori’s grin as she set them on top made Gina blush. Again.

As Armando paid for their purchases, the door opened behind them and an unlikely couple walked inside.

“Clark, nice to see you two today,” Dori said as she extended them a wicker basket. At the sound of the man’s name, Armando turned abruptly.

“Detective, Daisy.” Armando extended his hand but didn’t look at Daisy.

Detective?

Riverton squinted as he searched between Armando and Gina’s faces. “Armando, you were perhaps the last person I expected to see in here.”

“Watch it,” Dori called out. “Don’t mess with my customers.”

Gina could see Daisy was self-conscious about being ignored. The beautiful blonde woman with the enormous rack extended her hot pink polished fingers and whispered, “I’m Daisy.”

Gina was focusing on the tension between Armando and the detective, but she politely shook Daisy’s hand and smiled. “Nice to meet you too.”

“I need a word with you sometime soon,” Clark said.

“Honey, this is Detective Clark Riverton from the San Diego P.D. We worked on something together last year.”

Gina shook Riverton’s hand. The wizened old cop was no dummy. She wondered what he wanted with Armando. Something about the way he looked at her made her wary.

“Gina here has something perhaps you should know about, Clark.” Armando was going to continue, but Gina cut him off.

“Armando?” Her scowl and frown worked.

“I apologize. It seems I stepped out of line for a second.”

Gina wanted to get as far away from the detective as she could. Had he seen her before? She couldn’t remember his face, so perhaps not. But as one of the few women on the force, she was probably more high profile. Worst of all, he probably knew Sam, and if he did, there was a good chance he’d know about her.

“I think we should be going,” she nudged Armando.  The pink and black striped plastic bag crinkled in her grip.

“Okay, Armani,” Riverton chuckled, eyeing the bag. “Better let you get that stuff refrigerated.”

Daisy slapped his arm. “Come on, Clark, leave them alone.”

“Nice seeing you, nice meeting you too,” Riverton said as he nodded in Gina’s direction. He extended his card to Armando, who examined it. “Give me a call, okay?”

Armando answered, “Sure thing. I’ll call you Monday morning.” He placed the card in his wallet.