Someone Like Her (14 page)

“Get your act together, Buchanan,” he muttered. He needed his mind to be alert and not cluttered with thoughts of a sexy, black-eyed girl holding his child in her arms.

“How’s the operation planning coming?”

Hell. He’d not even noticed the boss approaching. That just proved his point. If he didn’t concentrate on the task at hand, someone was going to get hurt . . . or not come back at all. He pushed off the wall.

“Good for the short amount of time we’ve had to work on it. Maria’s been a big help by saving us a lot of time on the computer.”

Kincaid’s eyes, always intense, glinted with a hard stare. “I know she spent the night with you.”

Jake resisted the urge to look away. “She tell you?” That surprised him. He hadn’t thought Maria would’ve spilled the beans.

“No, I was home when she came back this morning. I all but forbade her to see you again, and she all but told me to butt out of her life. So, even though I don’t like it, that’s what I’m gonna do. You’re going to end up hurting her, Romeo, but she’s also made me promise not to fire you when you do.”

He would’ve liked to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. “I guess you can still kill me, though.”

“No, she also managed to get me to promise not to do that either.” Kincaid hardened his eyes. “That part really pisses me off.”

“You know, I just might surprise you and make her happy.”

“Funny, she said the same thing.”

“Are you done with your bitching? I was headed to the bathroom.” He had no wish to discuss Maria with her brother.

“For now. I have to be in Washington Thursday. My flight leaves a few minutes before yours, so I’ll pick you up.” He turned away and headed back to his wife’s room.

“Hey, boss.” Jake waited for him to turn around. “Don’t ever call me Romeo again. I’m done with it.”

Kincaid gave a slight nod of his head. “Fair enough. What should we call you?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

As he walked away, the man gave a chuckle that sounded a little too evil for Jake’s comfort. He could hardly wait to hear what Kincaid came up with.

So Maria believed he could make her happy. Could he? As he’d never attempted to try and keep one woman happy, he didn’t know, but something in him wanted to prove her right.

The reason for the upheaval in his life walked out of Dani’s room. “Hey, Tiger Toes,” she called, a bright smile on her face. “Let’s get lunch. I’m starving.”

Her brother came out behind her and by the smirk on his face it was obvious he’d heard her. A hundred bucks said he had a new nickname.

Jake traced a finger down Maria’s arm. “Hey, yourself. Go on to the car, and I’ll be down in a minute. I need a word with the boss.”

“How much?” he asked after Maria left.

“How much what,
Tiger Toes
?”

“Dammit, boss. You’re having so much trouble keeping a straight face your lips are quivering. I’ll never hear the end of it if you call me that in front of the team. How much will it cost to buy you off?”

“There’s not enough money in the world, Tiger Toes, but I’ll make a deal with you. As long as you keep Maria happy, I’ll shorten it to Tiger. One tear falls down her pretty face and all bets are off.”

“You’re a mean bastard, you know that?”

“Just keep a smile on her face, Tiger Toes, and you got nothing to fear from me.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Tiger Toes. Tiger Toes. Tiger Toes.” Kincaid finally gave in to his laughter.

Jake gave him the finger and strode away. Once his back was turned, he grinned. He couldn’t explain it, but he didn’t mind Maria calling him that. As for the boss, it was great seeing him laugh, something he never did before Dani. However, the first one of his men to call him Tiger Toes would get a fist in his face.

After lunch at the Hot Dog House—where Jake ate a hot dog for the first time in years—he and Maria returned to K2 and went to work. Saint came in around two, Kincaid at three, and between all of them a plan took shape. They’d have the next day to refine it and then two days after that to go over and over it.

As they wrapped things up for the day, the boss said, “I have an announcement to make.”

Jake didn’t like the look of amusement in Kincaid’s eyes when the man glanced at him. What was he about to say?

Kincaid put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “As of today, you’ll no longer refer to Buchanan as ‘Romeo.’ That name’s been retired.” He gave Jake a hard look. “At least, until I say otherwise. His new handle’s ‘Tiger . . .’ ”

Jake tensed and narrowed his eyes.
Don’t you fucking dare.

Kincaid answered Jake’s silent message with a grin. “So, Tiger, looks like your plan’s coming together. I’ll stop by tomorrow afternoon and review your progress. Anyone got questions?”

Bayne and Stewart shook their heads. Jake hadn’t worked a mission with either one before and that worried him a little, but they had come up with some good suggestions so that eased his mind.

Maria popped her head out of her office doorway. “Logan, Jake, I need to see you a minute.”

“We have a problem,” she said when they followed her into her office. She closed the door. “I thought it might be a good idea to hack into your target’s computer . . . you know, just see if all was kosher. Turns out someone else hacked him, and I followed that trail back to a computer in Afghanistan. My educated guess is it’s the Taliban, and they’ve been watching Sinclair for over a month, which means they know he’s sent messages to the States. Whether they’ve been able to decipher his code, I have no way of knowing.”

Jake exchanged an uneasy look with Kincaid.

She handed her brother a printout. “Just thought you would want to know. You have a code specialist contact at the CIA, right? I’d send this to him and ask how easy, or hopefully how hard, your guy’s message would be to decrypt.”

Jake was beyond impressed. “You’re amazing, Chiquita.” Not caring that the boss stood next to him, Jake stepped in front of her and soundly kissed her.

“Good God, Maria, are you sure I can’t kill him?”

Maria glanced over at her brother. “Get lost, Logan.”

“With pleasure. Call me later, Tiger Toes. We need to talk about this.”

“Why’d he call you that?” she asked after Kincaid left.

“Who cares?” He pulled her back into his arms. “Have I told you how amazing you are? Yeah, I think I did, but it bears repeating.” Jake lowered his mouth to hers and just before he resumed kissing her, said, “You’ve turned my world upside down, girl. I think I just may like it.”

Her mouth was warm against his and he vowed then and there no man’s lips but his would ever touch hers. He reluctantly pulled away. “Got any plans for tonight?”

“I do.”

The level of his disappointment surprised him. His first reaction was to demand to know what her plans were and with whom, but his pride took over and he didn’t ask.

“Don’t you want to know what I’m doing tonight?”

He caught the little twitch of her lips. Ah, she was teasing him. “Couldn’t care less. I have plans of my own,” he said and kissed her again. “Have a nice evening.” He turned to go and she grabbed his arm.

“Hey, weren’t you about to ask me out?”

“Possibly, but you said you’re busy, so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Two could play this game, and he rather liked the fire flashing in her eyes. “I think I’ll just swing over to Buck’s, check things out. The place is always jumping on Saturday night.”

She huffed a breath. “Fine. Go play with your girlfriends until you stink of cheap perfume. Just don’t call me to come get you this time.”

He didn’t doubt he’d smelled like the inside of a whorehouse by the time she’d arrived at the bar. Had she been jealous? This was the point at which he backed off—or always had in the past. The first possessive sign on the part of a woman had him out the door before it could slam on his ass.

With this one, though, he wasn’t eyeing the door, anxious to be gone. Imagine that. He slipped his hand around hers. “You could cancel your plans, come with me . . . keep me out of trouble.”

She gave a little snorting sound. “You could use a keeper, for sure. Just give me a minute to call my lover and let him know I can’t make it tonight.” Pulling her hand away, she walked to her desk, picked up the phone, and dialed.

Her lover? Hadn’t she just been teasing him with her pretend plans? Who the hell was she calling? His cell rang. When he saw her name on his caller ID, he glanced at her and raised a brow. “Hello.”

“Hi, lover boy. Listen, I’m really sorry, but something’s come up, and I’m gonna have to beg off tonight.”

“But I have tonight all planned—it involves champagne and corn dogs, warm oil massages, maybe a little body painting before we’re done.”

“Champagne and corn dogs? Wow, how am I supposed to resist that? Hold on a sec.” She put the phone on hold, then shrugged. “I don’t think I can get out of my date with lover boy. Why don’t you call Jamie, have him babysit you?”

He formed his lips into a pout. “But Saint doesn’t drink or carouse.”

She grinned. “Exactly.”

“No, I think I’ll just go home and sulk.” He walked out of the office, his phone to his ear. He’d never played games like this before and even though it was kind of silly, it was novel . . . and fun. She was a constant surprise, and he was going to like having her for a girlfriend.

“I’m back, lover boy. What time are you picking me up?”

After a quick glance at his watch, he said, “Eight.” That would give him a little over an hour to get everything ready.

“Can’t wait,” she said and disconnected.

Where the hell did one buy body paint?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

W
hen in Pensacola, Maria lived with Logan and Dani. It had been generous of them to invite her to continue living in their home after they married, but once she was back for good, one of the first things she planned to do was find her own place. One where a nosy brother wouldn’t be lying in wait whenever she walked in.

In her room, Maria tried on three outfits before deciding on the yellow sundress. It was soft and easy to get out of, but most of all, the girl in his painting—the one he’d drunkenly admitted reminded him of her—wore one like it. Running out of time, she’d let her hair air-dry after showering, leaving it to flow naturally down her back.

She had managed a few hours of study between her time at K2 and visiting Dani at the hospital. Fortunately, she only had two exams left, and they were her easiest classes.

Regan bounced in; her Doberman, Luke, by her side. “Maria, you wanna watch my mermaid movie with me and Luke?”

How many times had they watched that movie together? A hundred, at least. Maria sat and pulled her niece onto her lap. “Can’t tonight, sweetheart.”

“Why?”

“Cause I have a date. I’ll watch it with you tomorrow, I promise.”

“What’s a date?” Luke pressed himself against Maria’s legs and laid his chin on Regan’s lap. Maria idly scratched the Doberman behind his ears. “A date is . . .” How did one explain a date to a five year old? “You know how your mom and dad say Saturday nights are just for them and they go out for dinner or a movie? That’s a date.”

Regan’s lips puckered and her eyes filled with tears. Luke, always sensitive to Regan’s moods, whined. “Mommy went away to get me a little brother, but I don’t want one. I want Mommy and Daddy to come home.”

“They’ll be home tomorrow, sugar pie. Come here and give me a kiss.”

“Jake!” Regan jumped off Maria’s lap and went running to him, Luke fast on her heels.

Almost as at home in Logan and Dani’s house as Maria, it wasn’t a surprise that Jake now stood in the doorway of her bedroom. So why was her heart doing summersaults?

With Regan wrapped around his chest and Luke’s nose stuck against the back of his knee, he came into her bedroom. “Hi,” he said.

At the heated look in his eyes, Maria’s brains turned to mush. “Hi.” It was the only word she was capable of saying. God, he was so hot she wanted to lick her lips in appreciation. He wore black dress pants and a blue button-down Oxford shirt, and looked like he’d stepped off the cover of some magazine.

Mrs. Jankowski followed him into the room. “Regan, my girl, there you are.” She took the child from Jake. “It’s time for popcorn and your movie.”

“Hi,” Maria said, walking up to Jake.

His lips twitched. “Hi again.”

Yeah, she’d said that already. “Sorry.” In the eleventh grade, she’d had a crush on a cute guy in her class. He’d stopped and talked to her once and she had gone all tongue-tied. Like now. She’d known Jake for years, and this awkward feeling didn’t make sense.

The corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement. “Maybe if you stopped clasping your hands together you could talk better.”

She didn’t get it.

“Never mind,” he said and chuckled. “Ready for our date?”

Until she managed to calm down a little, maybe it would be best not to speak. She nodded.

He took her hand and led her out of the house to his car. When he slid into the driver’s seat, he leaned over the console and kissed her. He smelled like sandalwood and spicy aftershave. She brought her hand to his cheek, feeling the smoothness of his skin. Something warm and fuzzy slithered through her knowing he’d dressed up for her, shaved even. God, he smelled good.

“Another minute, Chiquita, and I’m going to have you under me right in your brother’s driveway.” He inhaled a deep breath and started the car. After he backed out of the driveway, he took her hand and placed it on his thigh.

She liked that he seemed to want her hand on him. Making circles with her fingers, she caressed his leg, feeling his muscles ripple under her touch. He didn’t speak, and the silence between them felt intimate, as if words weren’t necessary to know their desire for each other simmered in the air. Leaning her head back against the seat, she closed her eyes and narrowed her focus to nothing but the feel of the soft fabric of his slacks covering a muscle-hard leg.

Her fingers roamed to the inside of his thigh and he made a low humming sound, its timbre vibrating in hot waves throughout her body. She barely noticed when he pulled into a parking spot in front of his condo.

“Maria.”

“Hmmm?”

He took her hand and pressed it over his erection. “See what you do to me?”

She turned her head toward him and smiled. “That’s nice.”

“Nice?” His laugh held the sound of amusement. “Right, nice. Let’s see if I can get something better than ‘nice’ out of you.” He exited the car and came around to her side. Opening her door, he held out his hand.

As she walked beside him, her hand in his, she thought she’d never been happier in her life. He glanced at her and winked. Well, that was just sexy.

She leaned her head against his shoulder as he slid his key into the lock. “After yesterday, you can’t know how happy I am to be here with you.” The door swung open and she stepped inside.

“What happened yesterday?” he asked, following her in.

Crap, crap, crap. Why hadn’t she kept her mouth shut? Seeing the painting he’d said reminded him of her, she walked over and stood in front of it. She considered telling him the last few days of school had worn her out, but even as she thought it, she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him.

“Maria?” His hands came down on her shoulders, and he turned her around.

There was no getting out of it, but he wasn’t going to like it. “Fortunada’s finally in jail.”

“So the cops found him and you didn’t tell me?”

Oh, yeah, he wasn’t happy and it was only going to get worse. “Not exactly.”

He backed away and shoved his hands in his pockets. “What exactly then?”

“Well . . . he . . . Fortunada, kind of attacked me yesterday morning.”

“He
kind of
attacked you? Where the hell was Saint?”

Icicles should be dripping from his mouth, his voice was so cold. “It wasn’t his fault.” She rushed on to explain what had happened, unnerved by his hard stare.

“And you didn’t tell me this yesterday because?” he asked when she finished.

“I didn’t want to worry you, you know, with the mission and all, you didn’t need the distraction.”

“You need to get one thing straight. It’s not your job to protect me.”

Jake had never been so angry in his life, and the hurt shimmering in her eyes at his declaration only made him madder. The bastard had gotten his hands on her, and she wasn’t going to tell him out of some misguided idea he needed to be coddled?

Soft music played on his speakers, and the lights were dimmed to a golden glow. He’d set the stage for a seduction before leaving to pick her up. Things had changed though. He flicked off the stereo and turned on the lights to full brightness.

“You’re overreacting, you know. I did what I thought was best for you.” She sat on the sofa and clasped her hands between her knees.

He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut before he said something he couldn’t take back. How she could say that with a straight face was beyond him. A battle raged inside him, half of him wanting to yell at her for trying to hide the fact Fortunada had had his hands on her, the other half wanting to wrap his arms around her and keep her there where she’d always be safe.

Turning on his heels, he went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. If he took his time drinking it, maybe he would calm down. He wasn’t used to losing control of his emotions, could keep his composure on a battlefield with bullets whistling past his ears and bombs raining down around him. How then did one slip of a girl turn him into something he just wasn’t?

Maybe he wasn’t meant for a long-term relationship, didn’t have the right DNA for it or whatever the hell it was that made a man want to stay with one woman.

Footsteps sounded behind him, but he didn’t let on he’d heard her. She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his back. Resisting the urge to turn so he could hold her, he set the glass down and braced his hands on the sink. There was no way to make her understand she had all but said he wasn’t man enough to handle knowing she’d been attacked.

“You’re right and I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have told you. I just didn’t want to worry you when you’re about to leave on a dangerous operation.”

“Yes, you should have.” He felt her arms tense, a barely discernible squeeze on the sides of his waist. What did she want from him, that one little “I’m sorry” returned his man balls back to their place?

“You know what, Jake?”

When she didn’t answer her own question, he pried her hands away from his stomach and turned. “No, can’t say I do.” Even as he said the words, he knew he was being an ass, but she’d pushed his buttons. He didn’t know how to unpush them.

If the flare in those black eyes had been real fire, he, she, and the kitchen would’ve just gone up in flames. In zero to sixty, his cock went rock hard. Obviously, his brains had decided to relocate south.

She took a step back from him. “I was going to say get over it, but now I think I’ll just say to hell with you. Good-bye.”

“Get over it?” Before she made it past the kitchen table, he moved in front of her. “To hell with me? You planning to walk home, Chiquita?” The flinch she gave at hearing his pet name for her only spiraled his blood pressure.

“If you can’t understand I only did what I did because I’m worried about you, then screw you.” She pushed at his chest.

“You really should stop talking, Maria.” Any hope of reason deserted him, and he backed her—step by step—against the nearest wall and seized the hands poking at him. To make good on his threat, he captured her mouth with his and kissed her as if his life depended on it.

He’d gone insane. He didn’t care.

Only when he’d yanked his zipper down did he think of needing a condom. A sliver of reason returned and he rested his forehead against hers. “There’re two possible answers to my question, and I may or may not agree. Do you want to go home?”

“I don’t know.”

“Not the right answer.” He scooped her up and headed down the hall.

“I don’t want to go home, but I’m also mad at you.”

“Then we have something in common,” he said as he dropped her to her feet next to his bed. “I’m mad at you, too.” In two seconds flat, he had her dress off. Since he liked the way the lacey, yellow bra and matching panties looked against her tanned skin, he decided to leave them on. For now.

“Lie down.”