He started walking down the path and then picked up the pace. He pushed past the pain. At least the aching sensations gave him something to focus on beyond the fact that he still wanted to kiss the woman, even though he was fairly certain she was a crazy liar.
Like my ex-wife in a wig.
Except his ex had wanted the plumber all to herself. She’d never tried to involve Dante in her sex games with the man he’d hired to fix the pipes while he was out ridding the world of terrorists.
“What did you do?” Ronan called as he ran up to Dante’s side and slowed his pace. “Walk in circles? You’re about where I left you.”
“I stopped to take a phone call,” Dante lied. There was no way he was telling his teammate that he’d tried to rescue a damsel who wasn’t exactly in distress. Though she had been fighting for breath. But maybe that was how she got her kicks.
“Your mom?” Ronan asked. “Is she still worried about you? You know if she wants to come out and share the hotel suite, I wouldn’t object to a homemade lasagna.”
Aw hell, could this day get any worse?
“We’re not inviting my mom to Vegas.” Dante turned and headed for the parking area. His knee, and his pride, had taken enough abuse for one morning. At this point, the only thing keeping him going was the fantasy of what it would have been like to press that singer’s lips against his.
Chapter Three
Dante stepped into the hotel’s hospitality suite…and his day spiraled into clusterfuck territory. Sure, the men in suits appeared unarmed. And yeah, boxes of pastries and doughnuts lined the folding table in the corner, filling the room with an intoxicating scent that beat his usual doom-and-gloom scenario. But the woman he’d “saved” this morning stood in the center of the room.
She’d ditched the long black wig. And an I Heart Nashville T-shirt now covered her sports bra. Still, he’d memorized her curves earlier. Now, he had a pretty good guess which music video the backup singer was shooting.
“His” video my ass. I knew she was lying.
The woman he’d attempted to rescue didn’t work for some cowboy who sang love songs. She worked for Chrissie Tate. Hell, she probably knew Casey, Ronan’s girlfriend.
“Ms. Tate.” A man in a three-piece suit that seemed at odds with his shoulder-length hair stood and headed for the center of the room. “I’d like to introduce you to the soldiers who have offered their leave from the army—”
“We’re with the Navy, sir,” Ronan cut in. “The SEAL teams.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Dante saw eyes widening. A young lady wearing a hotel uniform just about dropped the pastries she was unloading.
“Of course,” the suit said as he stopped beside the woman Dante had almost kissed in the canyon. “These Navy SEALs will be keeping an eye on you while we’re in Vegas.”
Dante’s gaze narrowed. He studied the blonde who’d flat-out lied to him this morning. She didn’t work for a country star. She was the freaking star! Miss Chrissie Tate, America’s current country sweetheart.
“It’s nice to meet you gentlemen,” she said with a cursory nod in their direction.
Look at me dammit!
“But I don’t need bodyguards. I’ve been careful to wear different wigs when I go out. It’s not like I’m a Kardashian. No one’s recognized me so far.”
“Ms. Tate,” the suit said carefully. “You found a fan in your trailer in Phoenix.”
“One crazed fan,” she said firmly. “Plus the venue here is providing security. On their dime. Not ours.”
The suit shook his head. “Your safety comes first. I’ll rework the budget, but we both know you can afford a little added muscle. And these soldiers—”
“They’re sailors, Mason,” the starlet said. “And what kind of manager are you? You’re supposed to help me make money, not spend it all.”
“Ms. Tate,” Ronan said, stepping forward. “I served with your brother. And I can’t think of a better way to honor his memory than to keep you safe, ma’am.”
Her tough-as-nails expression vanished as she turned to Dante’s redheaded teammate. “You knew Joe?”
“Not well. And I wasn’t with him on his last deployment. I’d joined the SEAL teams by then. But I know he’d want me to look out for his little sister.” He held out his hand. “I’m Ronan.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I still don’t think I need two Navy SEALs to watch over me. But you’re welcome to stay for tonight’s show.”
“How about you let us do our job, Ms. Tate,” Ronan said.