Page 2 of Tempest

The honeyed Texas drawl was gone, and was replaced with something that had a sharp bite. Shit, that probably hadn’t come out right. Saying what you thought without a filter probably wasn’t a good idea in civilian life. “I just meant…it was entertaining. The shake, shimmy, and roll had the men’s attention.”

Her arms crossed as her eyes narrowed further. Nothing good ever happened when a woman did that. Girding himself, he waited for the blast that was about to happen.

“That’s rude and completely inaccurate. Lord have mercy upon the poor woman who finds herself in your company.” Turning away, she opened her purse and dug out a pen. “What if I said something like that to you?”

Ryan remained silent as she mumbled to herself and twisted her hair into a bun on top of her head. She shoved a pen into it and then smooshed the whole thing down. Was there anything this woman did that wasn’t sexy? Finally, he said, “Nothing on me shakes or shimmies, so I don’t know why you would.”

Smirking, she spared him a glance. “Oh, please. What if I said you lumbered through the room, throwing everyone a death glare just to prove that what you have hanging between your legs works? How would you feel then? Your whole I’m-plotting-your-demise thing reeks of desperation. We are in the middle of a five-star hotel in a lovely neighborhood. The biggest threat you’re facing is my shoes.”

Glancing down, he laughed. “You think those bondage sandals are a threat? That’s funny.”

“Mock my shoes. Let’s see how well that turns out for you. I’ll enjoy your surprise when I slam one into your foot and watch you crumble.”

Taking a gulp of beer, he stared at her flashing eyes. The fire there made him wonder what she looked like when she was turned on. A chance to run his mouth along her skin seemed like a really good idea and he relaxed for the first time since coming to Florida. Matching wits and throwing smack were two of his favorite pastimes. The fact that he was doing it with a woman who was sexy as hell was a bonus. She wasn’t the least bit intimidated, and he enjoyed the hell out of that fact. “Honey, I don’t crumble.”

Throwing her head back, she let out a crack of laughter. “Oh, sugar, you would. Like a cookie.” Draining her drink, she grinned. “Your lack of charm has worn thin.” She waved to the waitress and motioned for the bill. “I thought you might be interesting, but clearly I was wrong.”

“I was just playing. I thought you enjoyed our verbal foreplay.”

“If you think that’s enjoyable, then I’d hate to see you in the bedroom. Foreplay. That’s funny.” When the waitress approached, he told her they would have two more along with some cheeseburgers and fries. He figured Ivy was going to throw a fit, but he wasn’t ready for whatever was happening between them to end. “I’ll buy you dinner and we can discuss your idea of foreplay more thoroughly.” When her sexy mouth flattened into a straight line, he realized that perhaps there wasn’t any difference between him and all those other saps in the bar. It had taken five minutes for him to want a chance with a woman who he was pretty sure was a bad idea.

“I’m guessing you have a lot of success with the ladies, and what you’re currently doing has worked in the past. Though, I’m not sure how it would.” Shrugging, she stared out at the room. “There’s no accounting for taste.”

The waitress delivered their drinks and she took a sip. “Millie Sue had always refused Bobby’s advances until he brought her a baby piglet. I know what you’re thinking: who in their right mind brings a piglet to seduce a woman? Well, I thought the same thing. But old Bobby was smarter than we all gave him credit for, because that tiny piglet was about the cutest thing you ever saw. Forget the fact it was going to grow into a big old pig that was going to end up as pork chops.” Taking another sip, she shrugged. “But I digress. The point is that Bobby made Millie Sue look at him a whole new way. He ended up winning her heart, and they’ve been relatively happy together. Bobby isn’t a catch, considering he’s got a job at the mortuary. But Millie Sue sees him as the boy who brought her a precious baby piglet. As I said earlier, there’s no accounting for taste.”

Ryan had no idea how the baby piglet had anything to do with what was currently happening in the bar at the Ritz-Carlton in Florida, but he wasn’t about to ask for a clarification. Ivy hadn’t run off yet, so he just smiled and drank his beer. There was an insult in there somewhere and he was just going to ignore it. The same way he ignored things that didn’t serve the mission at hand. He never let anything get in the way of what he wanted. And Ms. Ivy was suddenly something he wanted. Why, he couldn’t tell you. But he was about to find out. “So, are my chances better or worse than Bobby’s? I don’t have a piglet handy, but I’m sure I can figure something out.”

“You’re going to need a lot more that a cute baby pig to pull your ass out of the fire it’s currently in. The shake, shimmy, and roll comment has your fate just about sealed.”

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the room and made Ivy appear like a jewel in a shiny box. A jewel he suddenly wanted very much. The fact that she was probably more work than BUD/S didn’t seem to bother him as much as it had ten minutes ago. When she glanced at him with narrowed eyes, he wondered if she was armed. He knew folks from Texas believed in the Second Amendment and he figured she was a gal who might like to have a gun at her disposal. “Are you packing?”

“I’m from Texas and traveling alone. What do you think the answer is?”

“Are you going to warn me before you shoot, or is it going to be a surprise?”

“The way you’re looking at me makes me think that I’m not going to bother with a warning.”

“Fair enough.” When she smiled in response, he figured he’d do just about anything to get about five hundred more of those smiles. Yep, it was official. Retirement equaled losing your fucking mind.

“Let me guess. You’re newly retired from some spec ops job and you’re losing your shit. And I’m the lucky recipient of aforementioned loss of shit.”

Staring into her honey eyes made him wonder if she had a magic ball sitting next to the gun in her purse. How she’d figured him out so quickly was concerning. Could she also see the dark places in his mind? He hoped like hell she couldn’t, because it wasn’t pretty there. “My shit is firmly in place and to answer your question…yes, I’m recently retired. How did you figure it out?”

“I’ve become acquainted with your ilk and it’s hard to miss. You all are more alike than you think.”

“In what way?” Staring into her eyes made him wonder how thin the ice was beneath his feet. She was pissed that he’d invaded her space, and her good manners were all that was standing between him and her throwing him out of his seat.

A born gambler, he enjoyed the thrill. Adrenaline was hard to come by in civilian life, and he took it where he could. He was reduced to seeing if a woman would share a meal with him. That was his excitement for the week, and the tragedy of that fact wasn’t lost on him. Was he doing this because, as she put it: he was losing his shit? Or was he really interested in getting to know her? The answer, not immediately evident, plastered his butt to the seat. Worse case, she shot him. It wouldn’t be the first time and probably not the last.

The waitress approached and set down their meals. “Thank you,” Ivy murmured with a smile.

Ryan took a fry and lifted it to her. “Here’s to meeting to new people and baby piglets.”

“Anything else I can get you?” the waitress asked.

“A to-go box,” Ivy said politely.

“No, honey, were eating here.”

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