Page 21 of Too Lethal to Love

Kane tugged her up the walk. He pulled her against him as she reached a hand toward his grandfather’s car. “No touching. I polished her a couple of days ago.”

“Sorry.” Beth rolled her eyes. “She looks like a movie star should be driving her with those sleek lines and sexy curves.”

No, Beth looked like a movie star in her sugarplum coat and oversized sunglasses. And not just any movie star. The kind who took control of her career, didn’t let anyone stand in her way, and used her stardom to help others.

And the kind who needed protection from a crazed stalker who wanted to claim her as his own.

Not going to happen, buddy.

He couldn’t blame the guy who knew everything about Beth for being infatuated though. From the moment they’dmet, he’d thought she was like his grandfather’s Buick—a classic beauty with sleek lines and sexy curves. But the more time he spent with her, the more he learned there was more to Dr. Parker than a pretty exterior.

Beth ogled the car over her shoulder. “Can we take her for a drive with the top down?”

He placed his hand on her back and opened the door. “And while we’re at it, we can fly a banner that says, ‘Abduct Dr. Beth Parker here.’”

“I didn’t mean now, wiseass.”

He inhaled the smell of freshly baked apple pie as he ushered inside. “I’ll make a deal with you. Stop arguing about your safety and I’ll take you for a ride when it’s safe.”

“Deal, but only if I can drive.”

He dipped his head to hers. The scent of lilac floated into his nose, and he inhaled. He heard her breath catch in her throat. Wanting more of a reaction even though he shouldn’t, he grazed her ear with his lips.

“Not a chance, sugarplum. Gramps and I restored that baby. Before I left for my last deployment, he promised to give it to me when I got back. He died while I was gone, and then this happened…” He tapped his steel leg. “And then Gran drove the Buick out here to take care of me. Now I take care of her and the Buick, which means no one drives it but me and Gran.”

He expected a snarky comeback. Instead, she breathed his name. He wasn’t sure if the sound that turned his cock as hard as a candy cane was a reprimand or a plea. He went with the first. His grandmother’s booming voice saved him from exploring the latter.

Kane stared after Beth as she walked out of Gran’s kitchen and toward the bathroom down the hall. The dark jeans she wore with tall black boots hugged her perfect, heart-shaped ass to perfection. He couldn’t even think about her red V-neck sweater showing a hint of black lace underneath.

As soon as the door closed, Gran clapped her hands together. “She’s the one for you.”

Kane snapped his gaze to her. “Wait. What?”

“That girl you’ve been looking at with puppy-dog eyes since you walked in. She’s the one for you.”

Kane shook his head as he stabbed his fork into the warm apple pie. He should have known better than to think Gran wouldn’t pick up on the feelings for Beth he wasn’t ready to have. Since he was a kid, his grandmother swore she could sense when two people were destined to be together. “I don’t believe that nonsense, Gran.”

Total nonsense. It had to be.

“Pay attention to me, boy. I’ve been right about all my brothers and sisters; God rest their souls. And I was right about every one of your cousins.”

“And what about Livvie. Is her boyfriend right for her?”

“That girl has a habit of jumping in headfirst with her wild heart. It’s one of the things that make her special but it’s also reckless. This is one of those times she’s going to wind up hurt. She needs to listen to me before she marries that whiny bitch.”

Kane choked on his food. “Gran.” He took a big gulp of milk. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

She shrugged as she sat down in the chair across from him. “I’ve learned a few things from hanging out with you and your VIPER friends.”

“We don’t say shit…I mean stuff like that when you’re in the room.”

She tapped her hearing aid. “I can hear you guysperfectly from the kitchen when you sit around the dining room table, eat like you haven’t seen food in days, and curse like sailors. And whiny bitch describes your sister’s man perfectly.”

“Are you going to tell Livvie your opinion? That should go over well.”

Gran waved her hand. “She won’t listen. Nobody believes I can predict these things until they’re madly in love or their heart is broken. She’ll have to learn the hard way. Don’t be stubborn like your sister. Listen to your grandmother. Those quickie booty calls of yours are a waste of time.”

“Gran.” His ears turned red, but she wasn’t wrong. He didn’t even stay the night when he had a hookup. Hell, he didn’t even fully get undressed, let alone spend time with the same woman twice. “You know I can’t think about settling down until I’m out of the military.”

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