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“Yes,” Cal murmured. “It means you want to take a woman to bed.”
“Is it another slang for rape?”
“No, no,” Sky said quickly. “It’s slang for a man wanting to take a woman to bed, is all.”
“Sex on the brain,” Cal explained. “Well, sex on the big and little brain.”
“Cal!” Sky gave him a warning glare. “Enough! I want to have a nice dinner conversation, not this frat house boys club crap…”
“Okay,” Cal said, chastised. He looked around Sky and told Alex, “we’ll have beers in the basement after dinner. We’ll play some pool and I’ll talk about this slang thing later, okay?” And then Cal brushed Sky’s flushed cheek, seeing she was genuinely upset. In some ways, she was so innocent. And he loved her fiercely for it. Her turquoise eyes grew warm when he stroked her cheek. “I’m sorry,” he told her, meaning it. “We’ll keep the rest of our conversations above the belt.”
“Thank you,” she muttered defiantly. “I feel like I’m in a teenage boy’s locker room.” She saw Alex grin. So did Cal.
They were hopeless.
“Well,” Alex said, catching Sky’s gaze, “I think Lauren is a very beautiful woman. I am happy to hear she has no man presently in her life. That is good for me.”
Groaning, Sky said, “Alex, don’t make the mistake of chasing Lauren. She’s one tough lady and doesn’t take crap from anyone. Especially men.”
“Mr. Driscoll was very proud of Lauren,” Alex pointed out, finishing off his second bowl of salad. “She is their chief sniper. She’s served in Iraq and Afghanistan with Special Forces and SEAL teams on many ops.” His eyes sparkled with challenge. “I prefer a strong woman like her. She knows her own mind. She knows who she is. I have great respect for women, anyway. But a strong woman? Well, that catches MY attention.”
Cal slid off the stool and gathered up the empty salad bowls, taking them to the sink. He pulled on two oven mitts and opened the oven. Over his shoulder, he said to Alex,” Lauren studied Krav Maga over in Israel. Did you know that?”
“No. That is impressive. I have always wanted training in that Israeli fighting method.”
Cal pulled out the venison steaks and sat the dish on a trivet on the island. “Ask her to teach you. Lauren is one of Driscoll’s instructors at Shield. She usually teaches the finer points of sniper shooting, but I’m sure she’d like to knock you on your ass and knock some respect into your head regarding her,” and he gave the Ukrainian a wolfish grin that spoke volumes.
Alex laughed heartily. He watched as Cal brought over five baked potatoes, added a bowl of sour cream along with cut up scallions in another dish, and crumbled bacon and shredded cheddar cheese on platters, as well. “In Spetsnaz, we have woman warriors, too. But,” and Alex gave Sky a smile, “none as beautiful as red haired Lauren. She is truly a prize worthy of being captured.”
Groaning, Sky cautioned Alex, “You don’t capture a woman you like. Capture is the wrong word. You’re mixing words up here.”
English was not his first language and Alex nodded. “What word should I use, Sky? I want her to not feel threatened by me.”
Her heart went out to Alex. He was hopelessly smitten with Lauren. Only Lauren didn’t want anything to do with him. Sky knew Alex was tall, rather awkward, somewhat shy and a bumbler. He was being dropped into American culture, of which he knew nothing. And from her perspective, Lauren probably thought Alex was little more than a bull in a china shop. “Alex, if you like a woman in Ukraine what word translates?”
“Ah,” he murmured, “well, it depends.” He eagerly took three venison steaks and settled them on his plate along with two huge Idaho baked potatoes. “If I was in love with this woman, I would woo her. I would sing to her old Ukrainian love ballads. I would take her for walks at my side and we would talk of many things. I would want to hear what makes her smile. What makes her laugh? I would ask her what is important to her life? I would want to show her that I am a big, strong man. And that I can care for her. Protecting her.”
Sky took one steak. “I guess there’s a huge difference between Ukraine and America when it comes to courting a woman you love.”
Cal snorted. “Just a little.” He chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t think Lauren would appreciate love ballads.”
Giving them a good-natured smile, Alex shrugged and cut into the thick steak. “Then, you two can help me court Lauren properly. Teach me American ways that she prefers.”
Groaning, Sky eyed Cal. He grinned. She recognized that evil grin. The hunter stalking his prey. Giving him a warning look, she muttered, “Lauren is NOT meat on the hoof, Cal. Don’t you DARE go that direction with her! She’s my best friend.”
“No worries,” Cal soothed her, sliding a few blond hairs behind her delicate ear. “Lauren is like a sister you never had. I get that.” He peered around her to look at Alex, who was wolfing down the first venison steak. The medic was starved. Of course, Navy hospital food wasn’t at the top tier, either. “I’ll instruct Alex on how to court Lauren properly. Okay? With respect. Treating her like the equal she is to any male.”
Sky gave him a mutinous look. “You’d better, Sinclair, or you’re answering to me.” She watched his mouth draw into a faint smile as he slathered sour cream into his steaming baked potato. “Remember how kind you were to me at Camp Nichols? I never felt like you were stalking me. I honestly looked forward to talking with you when you’d suddenly show up out of the blue.”
Nodding, Cal said between bites, “Sweetheart, trust me. I’m not throwing your best friend to this Ukraine black wolf. Okay?” And then his voice lowered to a gritty growl. “I was stalking you, Sky. But you never realized it. Us black ops types can be damned subtle when we want to be,” and Cal gave her a wicked smile.
Sky shook her head. “Now, the truth comes out,” she griped, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “Seriously? You WERE stalking me like the wolf in sheep’s clothing you are?”
Cal tried to appear humble. “I fell so damned hard for you at first sight, Sweetheart. But I could tell you were jumpy and nervous about men. So, I went into stealth mode with you. I got you to trust me just a little, to let down those shields you were hiding behind.” He shared a warm smile with Sky. “And it worked. When I kissed you in the hospital after you’d been shot, that sealed our fate with one another. You knew it and so did I.”
Sighing, Sky nodded. Alex was listening politely even though he was eating nonstop. “You’re right. That one kiss… wow… I never forgot it, Cal.”
Cal slid his hand across her shoulders, giving Sky a quick kiss on the temple. “I won’t, either. That one kiss kept me going until I finally found you in Peru.”
