A Major Distraction (13 page)

“Why not?” She wasn’t fighting him.

“Because I couldn’t love a woman that much, not after what Dana did to me, if she was that ugly inside and out. Baby, you’re gorgeous. But it’s more than your looks. You’re funny, smart, snarky, and a little mean. I love everything about you.” He ground his pelvis against her, aroused as usual. “Especially our chemistry. We connect on every level. But you’re going to have to forgive my lapses. I’m not perfect.”

“No kidding.” She arched into him, increasing their contact. “You need to believe in me.”

“I will if you give me a chance.”

“What’s it worth to you?”

He kissed her then wiped her tears away. “Whatever you want.”

“Hmm.” She kissed him back, and the brush of her lips against his stoked his lust into an inferno. “Maybe we tie you up again. And this time, we shoot for two beads.”

“I don’t know if I can survive that kind of torture.”

Her slow smile lit him up from the inside out.

“But for you I’ll do anything. And I mean
anything
, Jenny. I love you.” He swallowed hard, putting it all on the line. “I want everything with you. Marriage, babies, the works. And I’ll admit that scares me to death.”

She sighed. “I love you too. We’re going to give our relationship time. We’ll work on trust, showing each other it’s okay to doubt—a little—as long as love wins out in the end.”

“Thank God. I love you, baby.”

“Me too. But you’re going to have to prove it. Now that I’m thinking about it, I think you need at least four beads so I know you’re serious about me.”

He smirked. “I’m hard just thinking about it. Do your worst, Jenny. Because payback’s a bitch.”

****

And two years later, when Mrs. Genevieve Cava lay in the hospital giving birth to twins, she could be heard to say, “I’ll get you for this, Cava. Five beads next time. See if I don’t!”

Thank you so much for reading
A Major Distraction
! 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, make sure you check out the first two books in the series! 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].

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

A Major Distraction

Coming Soon

Ludos Deorum

Dark Fates Anthology

From USA Today Bestselling Author, Marie Harte comes the second book in her Good to Go Series:

A Major Seduction

Eight years ago

Oh God. He was here.

“Quick. Undo me,” Maria ordered, frantic she get this just right.

Her best friend, Olivia, sighed. “Seriously? This has to be the dumbest idea you’ve had yet.” Still, Olivia helped unknot the back of Maria’s bikini top.

Overhead, the moon lit up the ocean, not a cloud in the sky. Sparkles danced over the dark water, and the private alcove on the beach provided the perfect atmosphere to finally snag a certain someone. Too bad the breeze had died. Maria wiped sweat from her brow and wondered if she should put her hair in a ponytail. Long hair wasn’t sexy plastered to one’s face.

“Really dumb idea,” Olivia repeated as she looked around and eased off the dock into the backyard. The wooden dock had served to host more parties and summer shindigs than Maria could remember. Heck, she’d spent her seventh birthday in this very yard at this very beach. She might not be a Cava by name—yet—but she was where it mattered. In the heart.

This has to work. “I’m sixteen, officially a woman.”

“Really? I didn’t know we had a certified date for turning all womanly.”

“Shh. Now scram.” Maria heard footsteps getting closer. Her heart raced at remembrances of the tall, dark, and handsome Marine she’d fallen in love with at first sight. An older man. So forbidden. She felt all Lolita-like and cool, not cute or darling. Finally.

“Good luck.” Olivia left without making a sound, disappearing into the shadows.

Maria shifted on her towel and winced when a splinter dug in her butt.

“Olivia?” Even his deep voice gave the shivers. Lieutenant Mike Cava was a dream. Every girl who saw him knew it. But he had so much more than his looks going for him. Kind, caring, sexy as all get-out. She sighed.

She rose up on her elbows and saw her tiny bikini top waver over her small breasts—the only problem with her plan. She didn’t have curves like her best friend. Unfortunately, Maria took after her mom. Petite, blond, and stick-thin, though she’d been called pretty over the years. Cursed with the cute gene, but, hey, most guys liked boobs of any size, didn’t they? This would work.

She could feel it.

She cleared her throat. “Over here, Mike.”

More footsteps. She thrust out her chest and shifted on the deck. The water lapped right next to her, and she wondered if Mike would want to make love in the ocean. How romantic would that be? Her first love, her first time.

“Oliv—Maria?” He blinked. “What are you doing out here?”

She smiled and batted her eyelashes. He looked confused, not attracted, so she tried again, adjusting herself on her towel. Perhaps if she moved back, her top could “accidentally” fall off. She scooted back on her hands and butt and winced as the splinter in her tush dug deeper. Keep it together, girl.

Mike stared at her. Any minute now, he’d see her breasts and be overcome with lust, finally seeing her as more than his—“Ack!”

“Shit.”

She splashed into the water, and boy, the temperature of the ocean sure did drop in the evening. She shivered as she treaded water.

Mike knelt over the side, all concern. “Hey, Maria, you okay?” He glanced over her shoulder and blinked. “Ah, is that your top?”

Crap. “Oh boy. I think it is.” Perhaps a way to salvage the situation… “Could you help me out?”

His smile seemed sincere, but it was growing a little too wide for her taste. As if he bordered on laughter. He stood and gripped the bottom of his T-shirt then yanked it off.

The mother lode.

She couldn’t speak. Good Lord, those Cavas made fine-looking people. Mike had muscles all over the place. His abs rippled as he chuckled, but seeing that bare skin made his laughter easy enough to bear.

As she waited for him to undo his pants, she mentally chanted, I told you so to Olivia and continued to tread water. Oh God, this was going to be magical. She knew it.

Unfortunately, Mike didn’t unsnap his jeans. He tossed his shirt at her. “Put it on, and I’ll help you out.”

“What?”

“Come on, Maria.” He sounded a bit rushed. “I have a date in half an hour. Let’s get a move on.”

A date. With someone else.

Sighing, she put his shirt on then took the hand he reached out to help her from the water. Instead of letting him help her out, she tugged him in.

He swore and landed with a loud splash.

She climbed onto the deck, dripping wet. A glance over her shoulder showed he looked even better drenched, his dark brown eyes almost black in the moonlight, his amazing shoulders and chest more like the body of a sea god than a mere human.

“What the hell?” he growled. “Maria—”

“And
…back to the drawing board.” She wrung water from his shirt and swore as she walked back to the house, entering in the side so the colonel and Olivia’s mom wouldn’t see her.

“How did it go?” her BFF asked when Maria entered her bedroom.

“Not good.”

Olivia shrugged. “Told you so. Now can we please get back to our Chem final? If we don’t study, there’s no way I’ll be getting an A in the class.”

“My love life is doomed.” Maria dried off and put on clean clothes, moping. “He’s going on a date.”

“With a woman his age, I’ll bet. Maria, he’s twenty-four, a lieutenant, has his own car, and doesn’t have to study for finals. Of course he’s got a date.”

“While we have to serve out our junior year,” Maria muttered.

“I like school.”

“You would.” It still surprised her that she and Olivia could be so different yet be best friends. “So about Mike… Guys like younger women, don’t they?”

“There’s younger, and there’s statutory rape younger.”

“I’m almost seventeen,” she snapped.

“Next year maybe.”

“Hey. I’d never tell.”

“You’re jail bait, plain and simple.”

“I fit all the qualifications. I’m blonde. I’m young.” She squeezed her boobs. “I’m perky.”

Olivia cringed. “Okay, first, ew. Second, you’re his little sister’s best friend—invisible.”

“Nooo.” Maria wanted to cry.

“How many times do we have to have this discussion? He’s out of your league for now. Wait until you’re twenty then try again. Now come on over and study.”

Maria sighed. “Fine. But I’m not giving up. He’s mine.”

“Whatever. Now what’s the definition for entropy?”

Down but not out, Maria planned to bide her time. Mike Cava was hers, damn it. And no matter how long it took, she’d keep after him until she nabbed the sly Marine. Age was nothing but a number. She just had to make him see that.

Present Day, June, Eight Years Later

“I’m so excited he’s back. Gosh, Mike’s been gone forever.” Olivia chattered happily while Maria helped another customer in her mother’s craft shop.

“What’s that?” She’d decided to be low-key. The years of pursuing Olivia’s slick brother hadn’t proved successful yet. She’d pretended to be demure, sexy, aggressive, shy, but none of her personas ever made her less invisible. Mike had gone so far as to rub her on the head two years ago at Christmas, like she was a stray dog he’d decided to kill with kindness.

Bah. She wondered if she’d been fighting a losing battle for too long. Sometimes her tenacity could be a drawback.

“Mike. My brother, the one you’ve had your heart set on forever? That Mike? He’s back and won’t be leaving again for the next three years at least.”

“That’s nice.” Bobby Thorn had asked her out last week. Since he’d mostly wanted a booty call and she hadn’t been in the mood, she’d waffled. But after nearly six months with no sex and no Mike on the horizon to even fantasize about, perhaps she’d do best to take Bobby up on his offer. Like Mike, he was a Marine, had a nice build, and had his own place on the beach. Unlike Mike, Bobby actually saw her as a desirable woman. According to Olivia, he would have made a major play for her if she hadn’t given him—and every other guy she dated—the “we’re just casual friends and lovers” speech, her heart already belonging to someone else.

“Hello? Earth to Maria. Mike’s back.”

“Good for him. For all of you. I know you missed him.” Maria shrugged. “But I think I might be over him.”

Olivia blinked. “Are you serious? You told me you wanted to marry him in second grade. You have your dress picked out. I’m a bridesmaid. We already have the church planned.”

“But not reserved. I can change my mind.”

“Um, okay.” Olivia stared at her with those big brown Cava eyes. Her dark hair and olive complexion, so like the rest of her family, made her stand out as a true beauty. Next to her, Maria always felt pale and tiny and—let’s face it—flat as an ironing board. Her chest had not grown as she’d thought it might. A B-cup was totally pushing it.

She glanced subtly from her chest to her friend’s, buoyed by the thought Bobby had asked her and not Olivia. “So after work today, want to hit a movie?” she asked, consigning Mike to the back of her thoughts, pleased when he stayed there. Maybe she really was over him.

“I can’t.” Olivia shook her head. “We’re having a welcome home dinner for Mike. Why don’t you come over?”

“I know about the dinner, moron. I practically live at your parents’.” When she wasn’t at the apartment she shared with Olivia or visiting her own mother in Swansboro, a hop, skip, and a jump from the beach.

“Then when are you coming?”

“I don’t think I should. This is a family thing.”

Olivia frowned. “Since when are you not family?”

“You go. I think I’ll call Bobby.”

“Bobby Thorn? Really? I thought you guys were done.”

“We’re on again, off again. It works for us. I thought you’d be happy I’m done mooning over your brother. Haven’t you always told me to let it go and move on? Well, I’m moving on. You’re right. He’s too old.”

“Seven years older than you isn’t too old.”

“And he’s never here.”

“He just got orders for Camp Lejeune. Which is here.”

“Duh. I passed geography years ago.”

“Yeah, but barely. He’ll be here for at least the next three years. That’s time to work your wiles on him.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion I don’t have any wiles. I mean, what’s the point? I’ll always be his little sister’s best friend. It’s demoralizing.” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She blinked to hold them back, embarrassed at feeling so unattractive and stupid whenever Mike’s name came into play. “Bobby likes me.”