Page 87 of Hot Shot

“She does, doesn’t she.”

“I think that’s why she came looking for me, yeah.”

“Did I mess things up for you?” My insides twist up as I wait for his response.

“No. Christ no. I’m not interested in getting back with her.”

I swallow, trying to be casual. “Are you sure? She’s pretty. You loved her once.”

“I’m sure.” He opens his eyes and his intense gaze meets mine. “Very sure. I’m not interested in Liz at all. That ended a long time ago.”

I nod slowly. “Okay, then.”

He strokes my back, a slow glide of his palm up, then down to rest on my butt. He lets out a slow breath and I feel his muscles relax. I press my lips to the warm skin of his chest, then rest my cheek there and cuddle into him again.

I hate Liz for hurting him, even though I’m happy things didn’t work out for them.

“I was glad you were there tonight.” Marco’s voice thickens with drowsiness. “You were awesome. And yeah, I can handle pretty much anything . . . but sometimes it’s nice to know someone has your back.”

I squeeze my eyes closed at the sudden stinging there and nod. Yeah. I have his back. Emotion swells in my chest, hot and fierce, along with it a scary knowledge that I would do anything for this man.

Marco

“I bet you look good naked.”

I freeze and blink a few times. “Uh . . .”

Carrie’s grandmother chuckles. “Oh, come on. You were in the navy. You can’t be a prude.”

We’re seated in chairs on the patio behind Carrie’s parents’ home the next afternoon.

“No, ma’am, I’m not a prude.” I manage a smile, sure my face is flaming red. “And I do look good naked.”

“Ha!” Mrs. Garner slaps her leg. “I wish I could see. Don’t be horrified. I just appreciate the male body. I looked good naked too, in my day.” She sighs.

“I bet you did.” I wink, loosening up. I was as nervous as a fox in a forest fire about coming to this. Family gatherings are so not my comfort zone. But Mrs. Garner is a firecracker.

“I have pictures,” she says. “Someday Carrie will bring you to visit me and I’ll show you.”

“Pictures of what?” Carrie appears, carrying a bunch of gift bags that have to be presents for her dad.

“Pictures of me, back in my burlesque days.”

“Oh.” Carrie nods and meets my eyes. I sense she’s about to make some excuse not to, then decides to humor her grandma. “Sure, someday we’ll do that.”

In the weeks left before Carrie goes to Spain, there will no doubt be time to visit her grandma. But the fact that we aren’t really in that kind of a relationship means that probably won’t happen. After the dance at the retirement village when Julia announced I’m Carrie’s boyfriend, we’ve played along with it. Later when we went back to Carrie’s place and had smokin’ hot sex, she was clear it was just an act. A temporary thing so we don’t have to explain how Julia knows me. Yet here I am somehow, at a family party, and honestly, I’m having a blast.

I didn’t want to come.

Families scare the shit out of me. My gut was knotted with dread and I almost bailed.

But I couldn’t do that to Carrie.

And here I am, having fun. Huh.

Carrie’s family may drive her nuts, but they’re all smart, interesting people, and Grandma Garner is a hoot.

Two little boys dash out from the house, across the patio, and onto the grass, each of them carrying Nerf swords. With lots of yelling, they begin to battle.

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