Speed King (Men of Action 1)

I lock my knees to keep from storming to her.

“I can’t seem to find the shirt I’m looking for.” Her eyes are dancing with delight as she raises them.

“Take your time. I’m enjoying the show. The heels are a nice touch.”

She blows out a frustrated breath and tosses clothes on the bed. I press my lips together to keep from laughing as she jerks a tight tee over her head and slips on cut-off shorts, throwing the shoes in her bag. “I’m ready.”

I make it to her in three strides, yanking her back in my arms. “I amend my statement earlier. Purple is quickly becoming my new favorite color. And at some point, I plan to take my time undressing you and getting an up close and personal view. If that was a preview of your surprises, I can’t wait.”

“I’m thinking you have a will of steel.”

“I’m trained in patience and discipline. But even the strongest man can break. I said I wasn’t fucking you for the first time against a shower or on top of my dresser. I didn’t make many more promises.”

Her breath hitches, and she glides her hands under my shirt, sliding them up my back. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

In a quick move, I have her over my shoulder. “Put me down.” She wriggles to get free, and when we get to the kitchen, I plop her on the center island.

“There you go.” I kiss her nose.

“You don’t play fair.”

“I can say the same thing about you.”

“Fine! I’ll behave.”

“Who’s behaving?” Talon strolls in, fresh from a run, wearing nothing but shorts and dripping sweat. Ford is behind him in the same state.

I open the wine and pour her a glass, throwing them each a bottle of water and grabbing a beer for myself. When I hand her the wine, I notice her eyes glued to their chests.

“Babe, it’s not a good idea to ogle other men in front of me.” My attempt to tilt her chin fails.

“Doesn’t bother me.” Ford flexes for effect.

“Yeah, let her look.” Talon smirks.

I follow the path of her eyes and the hair on the back of my neck prickles when I realize what she’s seeing. “Baby, look at me.”

She snaps out of her daze. “Sorry, I zoned out.” She tries to cover, but one glance at Talon and Ford and they know she’s put it together.

Our identical tattoos.

“I’ll explain later,” I mumble softly.

She nods, taking her wine and flashing them a smile. “I’m thinking I could sell tickets to the Casanova Club if this is the way each Friday night kicks off. Achilles serving wine, half-naked men prancing around the kitchen. A girl can get used to this.”

“I don’t know, I miss the sex kitten sprockets wrestling in the bushes from last week,” Talon teases.

Her cheeks flame. “We weren’t—“ She stops herself and drops her head. “Yes, we were totally dressed like sprockets, but the wrestling was a fluke. You scared the shit out of us.”

“Let’s do that again.”

“Not on your life. My days of spying are over. I can’t speak for Jewls, but I learned my lesson.”

“Don’t be too embarrassed, Jay. It worked out pretty well, don’t you think?” Ford goads her.

She peers up at me through her eyelashes and nods. “Yes, I think it did.”

“I’m not sure what a sex kitten sprocket looks like,” I admit.

“They’re exaggerating.”

“Somehow, I doubt it.”

“Maybe I’ll add it to my list of surprises,” she says low enough for only me to hear.

The air in the room changes, her words full of much more than just promise. I lean down, touching my lips to hers. “So much to look forward to.”

She grins, taking a sip of her wine and turning back to them. “Are you guys eating with us?”

“I’m sure they have plans.” My icy tone backfires immediately. They exchange a glance and say “sure” at the same time.

Dipshits.

“We’re grilling.” I jerk my head to the back door, which is their cue to leave.

When they’re gone, she wraps an arm around my neck and runs her fingers through my hair. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“That they’re crashing our night?”

“It’s not crashing if I invited them. And besides, I like this. Being with your friends, joking, hanging out. They’re a part of you and know so much that I don’t about your life.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

She hesitates for a second and I wait her out, pretty sure what’s on her mind. “The tattoos. On your left pecs, near your heart, they’re all the same. I saw the similarities with Major last week in the pool. I thought it was a coincidence. But it’s not, is it?”

“No, it’s not a coincidence.”

“What do they mean?”

“They’re the dates we walked away alive from specific missions.”

“You have an extra date.”

“I do.”

She places her other hand on my chest, covering the spot where my ink is. I can see the question forming in her mind, and my gut tightens, waiting for her to ask the inevitable. “Why?”