AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Oh, crap, she hadn’t asked his name.
“Cade,” he supplied, guiding her through the maze of masked people toward the milk-chocolate fountain surrounded by a mountain of eat-me-now goodness.
“Lucia.” The last trace of tension she’d sensed earlier faded when she said her name. “So Cade, did you come for the art or the chocolate?”
“Gorgeous, I came to find you.”
Chapter Two
Not much distracted U.S. Navy SEAL Cade Daniels from a mission. But he could watch Lucia eat chocolate all night. And with each bite, his reasons for being there slipped farther away from his mind. The way her full lips wrapped around the strawberry left him picturing all the things she could do with her mouth. She licked the creamy coating off the berry and sighed as if the taste was a one-way ticket to the explosion she craved.
His jaw tightened, and he looked away from her lips. He’d approached the masked bombshell with a decidedly sinful fantasy in mind, but as soon as she told him her name, he’d realized he might have bitten off more than he could chew.
There was a chance he’d found the wrong Lucia. Watching her right now, a damn good one. This woman didn’t come close to his best friend’s description of her shy, reclusive sister from Tennessee.
The Lucia before him had curves that rivaled a fifties pinup’s. He could spend a week worshipping her breasts with his mouth before moving south to explore her full hips and perfect ass. When he reached her shapely legs, he’d run his mouth up her thighs for a taste…
Fuck me. He closed his eyes as she reached for a third strawberry. If this really is Natalie’s sister, I can’t touch her. I promised to obey the freaking best friend code.
And he knew better than to go back on his word. Natalie, the feisty bartender who’d been his best friend from the moment he’d set foot in Coronado for BUD/S training, had extracted a promise when she’d called and begged him to spend his first night back in Sin City keeping an eye on her little sister. Natalie had offered a long explanation about an email from Lucia detailing her sibling’s plan to pick up a stranger at a Vegas restaurant opening. Even though Natalie had had him from her first heartfelt “please,” coupled with a “you owe me,” he’d listened patiently, gathering information.
Plus, she was right. He had a debt to pay. He’d wanted a dog but was away from home too often to care for an animal. Natalie had agreed to semi-joint custody of Mufasa, the Great Pyrenees rescue he was pretty sure she didn’t want. So he’d listened and asked for details about his target.
He could still hear the way his best friend had described her sister.
Lucia isn’t your pretty, party girl type. She hates people looking at her. And she’s always struggled with her weight. Picking up a guy in Vegas? That is not something Lucia would do. I’m worried she’ll end up cut into little pieces and dumped in the desert.
If the masked woman was in fact Natalie’s little sister and not her goddess impostor, he needed to work on his best friend’s definition of beautiful.
“So, Cade,” she said, her brown eyes fixed on the fountain as she dipped another strawberry. “What brings you to Vegas?”
A visit to my still bitter dad. Still bitter about what? Oh, that. Well, Mom left him ten years ago when he made it clear she’d never be as important to him as the Navy.
Didn’t that say it all? Cade had held a grudge against his dad for years, but now Cade was just as dedicated to the Navy. He knew from watching his parents’ marriage disintegrate that being a SEAL didn’t leave room for a real relationship. He’d heard enough from his teammates on their last mission about how their wives struggled with their long deployments. Hell, Dante was probably using the downtime to file for divorce after coming home and catching his wife with the plumber.
Relationships were out. But a weekend of debauchery in Vegas with the woman in front of him? Hell, yes.
“I came to Vegas looking for a good time,” he said, tracking her movements. He needed to get a grip on his interest and start asking the questions. He had to be damn sure he’d found the right woman.
“Good answer.” Her mask covered everything but her eyes and lips. He wanted to see more, to read her expressions.
“And when you’re not partying in Vegas, what do you do?” she asked. “Prepare for your role as the next James Bond?”
“No, I don’t work alone.”
She cocked her head as if trying to make sense of his words.
“I’m a SEAL in Uncle Sam’s Navy. When I’m working, I have a team of guys who could kick James Bond’s ass watching my back, covering my six at all times.”
The honest answer seemed best. If she really was Natalie’s sister, then the fewer lies he told her the better. But Natalie had made it clear her little sister would run if Lucia suspected he was there out of pity for his best friend’s supposedly shy, overweight sibling.
She lowered the half-eaten berry. “I’m familiar with the SEALs. My sister lives near Coronado. She’s a bartender at Bottoms Up. Have you heard of it?”
“Yes, I have.” And just like that, he had confirmation. This gorgeous woman was his mission, and not in a way that would satisfy the parts of his body begging to get acquainted with her curves.
“Have you ever been down to visit?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head, her long, straight black hair moving over her bare back. In another city, her red dress would have bordered on indecent. The fabric hugged her breasts, the sweetheart neckline dipping in just the right place to present a peek at her cleavage.
