Last Virgin In California (Mills & Boon Desire) (17 page)

“Nicky, hi! I didn’t know you were back in town.”

His fisted hand relaxed but that didn’t mean his guts weren’t still churning. Just who the hell was this guy, and how did he have the right to be slapping Marie’s butt?

“Davis, this is Nick Cassaccio. An old friend.”

“Hi,” Nick said, and offered a hand to Davis. He took it, but kept a wary eye on the guy anyway. Just how old and how good a friend was he?

“So how’d it go with Patty?” she asked.

“Just like you said,” Nick told her on a big smile.

“Good, I’m glad.”

“Yeah, me, too.” He reached out tugged her ponytail and said, “I gotta be going, brat. Just wanted to say hi.”

“See you, Nick,” she called after him as he drifted off into the crowd.

“Brat?”

Marie shrugged. “He’s always called me that.”

Davis frowned. How long was
always?
“Who’s Patty?”

“Nick’s girlfriend. Well,” she corrected herself, “fiancée, now, I guess.”

“Oh.” That’s good. But if the guy was after some other woman, what’s he doing slapping Marie’s behind? And most important, he demanded silently, why the hell did
he
care?

He didn’t. No. It had been purely instinct to want to hit a man who’d hit a woman. It had nothing to do with the woman in question being Marie. Right. Even he didn’t believe that.

“So what was he thanking you for?”

Marie gave him a quick look, then turned her
attention back to Jeremy. “Nothing, really. Patty broke up with him and he came over to the garage whining about it, and I told him that she was probably tired of waiting for him to pop the question.”

“So he popped?”

She grinned. “Apparently.”

Davis’s eyebrows arched. “Batting instructor, mechanic and giver of advice to the lovelorn?”

“I am a woman of many talents,” she said lightly.

“I do believe I agree with you,” Davis told her and watched as her small smile faded into a look that was part nerves, part excitement. He reached out and ran one finger across the nape of her neck. She shivered and that tremor rocked him, too. “So,” he asked, his voice low and suddenly thick, “what advice would Dear Marie have for me?”

She shrugged his hand off and looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “I guess I’d have to tell you to stop working so hard to convince me you’re interested. And to move on to greener pastures.”

“Maybe I don’t see any pastures greener.”

“Then you should have your eyes checked.”

Does she really not know how attractive she is? he wondered. “My eyes work just fine,” he said. Then he asked, “And what makes you think I’m not interested?”

She gave a short, strained laugh. “I’ve never exactly been the belle of the ball, sergeant. Men
don’t usually chase me down the street shouting their undying love.”

Why the hell not? he wondered, but didn’t ask. Instead he said, “Maybe you just haven’t been listening.”

“Yeah?” she said pointedly. “Same to you.”

He grinned. Whether he should or shouldn’t, Davis knew that he wouldn’t be staying away from her. Trouble or not, he had to see this through, wherever it led.

“Aunt Marie,” Jeremy called from the cage, “I’m not getting it.”

“Just keep your swing even, sweetie.”

Davis looked at the kid and mentally flashed back to his own childhood. When he’d wanted to be in Little League more than anything. When the thought of belonging to a team and being good at something was the most important thing in the world.

But his childhood had been different from Jeremy’s. Growing up in a series of foster homes where he was never sure from one week to the next where he’d be living, Davis hadn’t been much of a joiner.

Until the corps. Now he
did
belong somewhere and the past couldn’t touch him anymore.

He shook off old thoughts and stepped past Marie into the cage. “Try this,” he said, and positioned the boy’s hands on the bat. Then drawing Jeremy’s arms
back, he showed him exactly how to hit high and away.

When he rejoined Marie outside the cage, he fed another quarter into the slot. He really didn’t want to think about how good it felt to be here. With her and the boy.

He just wanted to enjoy it.

The next pitch came and Jeremy connected solidly, sending the baseball high into the overhead nets. Excited, he turned around, beaming at them. “Did you see it? Did you see how far I hit that?”

“You bet I did,” Marie said.

“Do it again, kid,” Davis told him.

“Just watch me,” Jeremy yelled and turned around to face the pitching machine.

“Thanks,” Marie whispered.

“No problem,” Davis answered, and enjoyed the first real smile she’d given him.

“T
hanks, Davis,” Jeremy said, “that was great!”

The kid was bouncing with excess energy. Davis knew marines who didn’t have as much get-up-and-go as this small boy. And the kid didn’t quit, either. Even when he wasn’t doing well at the cages, he hadn’t stomped off. He’d just set his feet and tried harder. There were a few privates on base who could learn a lesson from this boy.

A cold ocean wind rattled the naked branches of the tree standing sentry in the front yard and set the strings of Christmas lights swaying. The motion left a rainbow pattern of sliding lights trailing across the front of the house.

“You did good, kid,” Davis said with a smile.

“You wanna hit some more balls tomorrow?” the boy asked, hopping from one foot to the other in his eagerness to recapture the glow of slamming a homer in the batting cages.

Davis paused before answering, mainly because he didn’t know what to say. And in that pause, Marie jumped in to fill the silence.

“Sergeant Garvey doesn’t have time to take you to the cages, Jeremy.” She reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. “You and I will go again soon, okay?”

Jeremy ducked his head, then squinted up at Davis. “If you’re not too busy, you could always just come anyways, though, right?”

“We’ll see how it goes, okay?” A stall. Perfect. Why didn’t he just tell the kid flat-out that he wasn’t interested in an unofficial Big Brother program? He was only here to see Marie. He’d never had any intention of getting to know her family.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Marie gave him a cool look before turning to her nephew. “Go on in now, Jeremy. Your mom’s probably wondering where you are.”

The boy nodded and headed across the lawn toward the house. Before he climbed the front steps though, he turned back and yelled, “Remember, tomorrow…just in case.”

Davis lifted one hand in acknowledgment, but it was so dark, he doubted the kid saw him. Once the boy was inside, Davis slid a glance at Marie, standing
beside him. It was the first time he’d actually been
alone
with her all night. This
date
hadn’t exactly gone as planned, he thought, but standing here with her in the cold winter night, he didn’t really mind.

Her scent drifted to him on the breeze and everything inside him felt as though he was going on full alert. Every sense was heightened, every breath seemed measured. She stared at him and he wished he could see every emotion flickering in the depths of her green eyes. But the light wasn’t strong enough. There was only the darkness and the soft wind blowing around them.

Then she spoke and the spell was shattered.

“So,” she said in a too-hearty voice, “thanks for everything and maybe I’ll see you around.”

In other words,
Shove off, Sergeant
.

“Around where?” he asked, just to hear her voice again.

“Just…around.” She shrugged. “It’s a small town.”

Not good enough. He suddenly wanted to know when he was going to see her again. “What if I asked you to dinner? Just the two of us this time.”

“Why would you do that?”

Why indeed? He should be climbing into his car and heading for the base. But he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. He’d come here tonight to see her. And he hadn’t had more than a minute or two of her time all night. Davis wasn’t used to sharing.

He took a step closer to her, and even in the darkness, he saw wariness flicker in her eyes. That bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Damn it, what was there to be wary of? “Let’s just say I’d like to spend time with you. Alone.”

She laughed, and it was a second or two before he heard the nervous note in that chuckle. “You don’t have to do this,” she said. “Your car’s fixed. No reason to smooth-talk the mechanic.”

Davis frowned slightly. “Who said anything about my car?”

“Look,” Marie said, and backed up a step or two. “I appreciate your being so nice to Jeremy….” her words picked up steam until she was nearly babbling. “I mean, your showing him how to hit a fly ball was really great. I’ve been concentrating on showing him an even swing, so he could lock into solid base hits. But I guess every kid wants to blast a grand slam….”

“I guess,” he agreed, and moved with her as she started to cross the lawn. “But I really don’t want to talk about Jeremy at the moment.”

“Apparently not,” she muttered, and sighed heavily. “You’re just not going to leave, are you?”

He smiled at her. “Not until I walk you to your door,” he said, then glanced at the front of the house off to his left. “Which, by the way, is over there.”

“Yeah,” she told him and pointed down the
driveway toward the frame, two-storied garage. “But I live there. In an apartment upstairs.”

“Good,” he said, glad to know he and Marie could have a little quiet time without her family hanging in doorways. Now all he had to do was convince her that she wanted a little quiet time with him.

They walked along the side of the house, the only illumination the overhead Christmas lights and a moon that peeked in and out from behind rain clouds.

At the foot of the stairs, she stopped, turned around and held out one hand toward him. “Okay, Sergeant. Mission accomplished. I’m at my door. Good night.”

He took her hand and instantly felt a swell of heat dance from her fingertips to his. That heat rushed along his arm and settled in his chest, filling him with a sort of warmth he’d never felt before. She felt it, too; he knew it. Even in the shadows, he saw her reaction written plainly on her face.

His thumb stroked the back of her hand when she tried to pull free. He didn’t want to break that connection just yet. Didn’t want to lose the warmth still pulsing inside him.

“Technically,” he whispered, “you’re not at your door yet.”

“Who pays attention to technicalities?” she asked, and he heard the slight tremor in her voice.

“Marines,” he answered. “And mechanics.”

She licked her lips and took a backward step up onto the stairs. He followed her.

“What is it you’re after?” she asked quietly, still halfheartedly trying to tug her hand free of his grasp. “Bucking for a discount oil change?”

Did she really think a man would be interested in her solely for her mechanical abilities?

“What do you think?” he asked.

Another step up, toward the door on the landing.

“I think you’ve got the wrong Santini,” she said. “Gina’s in the house. I could go get her for you.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t come here tonight to see Gina.” Her younger sister might be a nice woman, but she never shut up long enough for him to be sure. “Hell,” he added, “I thought dinner was going to be just you and me. But you knew that, didn’t you?”

Another step backward and Marie almost stumbled. Just what she needed—to go pitching headfirst down the flight of stairs. She’d probably kill him in her fall and have the entire Marine Corps down on her for knocking off one of their sergeants. On the other hand, if she didn’t kill him, they’d end up at the bottom of the steps, all wrapped up together. Arms and legs touching, bodies pressed tight. Oh, my…

If he’d only let go of her hand, maybe she could think straight. But his grip didn’t lessen and the ridiculous spurts of heat she’d felt at that first contact
with his skin showed no signs of tapering off. Another step up. Careful, Marie, careful.

Oh, jeez, she thought as she drew in a long, steadying breath. He smelled like Old Spice, marine and—she took another whiff—
trouble
. Now she knew what it felt like to be an opposing army in those old war movies. Marines never retreated. Always advancing. Always closer. And closer. The poor bad guys never stood a chance.

“So tell me,” he said, still climbing the stairs with her, “why’d you really pull the whole family dinner thing tonight?”

“Family dinners are more fun, don’t you think?”

“I think you haven’t had dinner with the right guy if that’s what you think.”

She was definitely not used to this. Marie had practically offered Gina to him on a silver platter and he didn’t seem the least bit interested. But that couldn’t be right.
All
men were interested in Gina. She was bright and perky and pretty and dainty and everything else men liked.

Marie was a
mechanic
, for Pete’s sake.

Female mechanics weren’t exactly the stuff of men’s fantasies. She climbed up another step.

How many stairs are there here, anyway? Shouldn’t she be near the top? She didn’t want to take her eyes off Davis long enough to check. She had the distinct feeling that he’d been militarily trained to take advantage of an opponent’s momentary lapses.

Just as that thought whipped through her mind, she reached the second-story landing. Her own little porch, where two pots of dead geraniums decorated her doorway. The last frost had killed them off and she hadn’t had time to replace them yet. Stupid, she told herself. This is no time to be thinking about flowers.

With her free hand, she dug into her purse to find her keys. Naturally they hid from her. She had nowhere else to go. She couldn’t back up another step, unless she decided to jump over the railing to the driveway below, and that seemed just a tad excessive.

Talk, she told herself. Say something.
Anything
.

“We’re here,” she announced as if he hadn’t figured that out for himself. “So…thanks again.”

He still didn’t let go of her hand. Instead he pulled her closer to him. Close enough that she felt as though
she
was wearing the aftershave whose scent was doing such odd things to her knees.

He lifted his free hand to cup her face, and she felt the distinct imprint of each of his fingers on her skin. Not a good sign. Breathe, Marie. Breathe. He tipped her face up until she was staring directly into his eyes. In the muted light, she saw determination glinting in their depths and she knew without a doubt that he was about to kiss her.

“I, uh…don’t think this is such a good idea,” she whispered, forcing the words past a throat so tight,
she could scarcely draw a breath. “I hardly know you.”

He smiled and Marie’s heartbeat skittered wildly for an instant. “Lady,” he said, “I’m a marine. You can trust me.”

“Yeah?” she asked on a squeak of sound. “To do what?”

He lowered his head. “Whatever’s necessary,” he told her just before he slanted his mouth across hers.

Marie gasped, shocked silly by the flood of sensations rippling through her. She’d been kissed before. Not often, but enough to know how to do it without bumping noses or biting lips. But none of the kisses she’d experienced before tonight had prepared her for this.

The earth actually did stand still.

Davis’s arms came around her, and as he pressed her tightly to him, she wound her own arms around his neck. She sighed into his parted lips as her body began a slow meltdown. Then his tongue slipped into her mouth and circled her own in a long, lazy, caress that left her struggling for air and clamoring for more.

Heart pounding, knees wobbling, Marie leaned into him, giving herself up to the sensations rushing through her. And when he finally pulled his head back, breaking that incredible kiss, she was grateful for the strength of his arms still holding her upright.

“So?” he whispered, “how about lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure,” she said and knew that if he’d just said
Why don’t we fly to the moon tomorrow morning?
she’d have said, “Sure.” But how could she be expected to think rationally when she’d just had what could only be described as a monumentally life-shattering moment?

“I’ll see you, then,” he said, and left her.

She listened to the sound of his footsteps as he went down the stairs. Then alone, she gripped the banister tightly and prayed she’d be able to move before it started raining again.

Things are starting to get interesting, Davis told himself as he parked outside Santini’s auto repair shop. Heck, even the sun had decided to shine for a change.

He got out of the car and stood in the street, staring at the little shop that Marie’s talent with cars kept going. But he wasn’t seeing the garage. Instead he was reliving that kiss on her landing. As he had all last night, he remembered every instant of the time he’d held her close. The pounding of her heart, the taste of her, her soft breath brushing his cheek and the crisp December wind that seemed to envelop them both.

At the first touch of her lips, he’d known this woman was different. Different from every other female he’d ever known before. There was a chemical
reaction between them that seemed to linger on in his bloodstream throughout the night.

In that one kiss with Marie, he’d found more than he had expected…and enough to worry him. But not nearly enough to make him back off. He needed to explore what he’d found with her, but he could still keep it simple, he told himself. Keep what they had intimate. He didn’t have to get involved with her family.

And on that thought, he started for the open service-bay doors. Even on a Sunday she was busy. A testament to her abilities.

As he entered the garage, he heard a muttered “Damn it.”

He smiled to himself. Even miracle workers get frustrated, he supposed. “Marie?”

The loud clatter of a metal tool hitting the concrete floor sounded out and a second later, she stepped out from behind the upraised hood of a small Honda. She wore a pair of bib overalls that shouldn’t have looked cute, but did, and a tiny white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail from which one or two strands had escaped to hang on either side of her face. As he watched, she lifted one hand to push the hair out of her way and left a streak of oil behind on her cheek.

“Davis, hi,” she said and pulled a shop towel out of her hip pocket. Wiping her hands on the once-white fabric, she walked toward him. “Is it lunchtime already?”

Not exactly the eagerness he’d been hoping for, but at least she hadn’t forgotten all about their date.

“Yeah,” he said. “You ready?”

“Actually,” she told him, with a glance at the Honda, “no.”

“No?”

She lifted both hands and shrugged. “Well, a friend of mine dropped her car off this morning and it’s an emergency, so I told her I’d fix it right away.”