The Greatest Fight of All (The American Soldier Collection 5)

Amelia began to move past him, and on instinct or maybe just the need to touch her, he grabbed her wrist. She paused next to him and he inhaled the light, floral fragrance of her perfume. It was appealing not pungent.

“You look pretty in this dress.”

“Thank you.” She moved toward the back of the table.

He watched her as she smoothed out the front of the dress again with her hands. The movement caused her breasts to push together and as she bent slightly, he was able to see the deep cleavage of her breasts. The woman was voluptuous.

“So when are you moving in?” he asked her and she jerked her head up toward him, obviously confused by the statement.

“To the cottage on the ranch. I thought you were doing that today.”

“Oh, yes, I am, later on. Like I was telling your friends, this was unexpected, but they needed my help. Plus my car only arrived two days ago. It’s been crazy.”

“What time do you have to stay until?”

“Noontime. Then Felicia is going to take over until four o’clock.”

“I’ll help you move so that it won’t take too long,” Murphy told her as he stood by the table with one hand on his hip. Three guys came up and bought some tickets before she could reply to his statement. They flirted with her and she was polite, but didn’t flirt back. Did she do that because he was there? Maybe she was a flirt and a tease?

His mind screamed that he was wrong. She was too sweet.

“Thank you and have a nice day,” she told them.

He noticed the folded paper on the table. She didn’t even look at it. Instead she tossed it into a box on the ground.

“What was that?”

“Huh?”

“That, you just tossed into the box?”

“Oh, just a phone number.”

“A phone number?” He leaned over and looked at the multiple pieces of paper in the box on the floor.

“Guys have been dropping their phone numbers to you on paper?” He raised his voice and she quickly looked around them, then back at him.

“Not a big deal,” she replied.

He felt that blood pressure rise again. This woman got under his skin in every aspect of the words.

He looked at his watch.

“You don’t have to help me today. I can handle it, Murphy. I know you have a lot to do for Velma’s party on Sunday.”

“No, I’m good. My brothers and I can handle it. It will be a little bit relaxing tonight.”

“Really?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Well, it’s Velma’s twenty-first birthday and she’s going out partying. I thought for sure you would be acting like bodyguards and escorting her everywhere she went.”

“Hey, I’ve got people watching her. You know, keeping an eye on things.”

Amelia held his gaze. “Regan, too?” she teased then ran the palm of her hand across the empty part of the table. Murphy grabbed her hand, covered it, and leaned forward.

“Maybe, I even have people keeping an eye on you.”