His By Sunrise: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 1) by Talina Perkins Page B

darted between his cock and mouth so many times there was no way his dick missed the memo. Thank God his jacket covered him, or the rocking grandma to his left cranking out the tunes on the piano would have had an eyeful.
    To top off the fuck-tacular job he was doing as best man, toward the end, he fumbled taking the ring out of his too-damn-small jacket pocket—give him his dress blues any day.
    With a hard tug of his hand he’d quickly produced the ring, but he didn’t miss Esmeralda’s faint giggle. Or the death stare from the groom.
    He cringed just thinking about it. The guys would rip him hard for being such a damn klutz, but that flirtatious laugh of hers eased inside him and touched a part of his heart he thought closed off for good due to his grade-A asshole of a father who thought taking lit cigarettes to a child was good sport. The bastard wouldn’t stop until he’d made Gabriel cry, and sometimes that didn’t even stop him.
    Gabriel ran a hand down one arm then the other out of habit. The red, puckered marks were almost faded, but nothing could erase the mental scars.
    That ugly world had no place here. He raked a hand through his hair, pushed back from the table he shared with five other guests, and stood, watching as the band ushered in the start of an all-nighter filled with heavy drinking and dancing.
    Low chords made to reach into a man’s soul strummed into the night. The heavy beat of the ocean waves added to the sensual vibe of the first song. A tango. Wasn’t his strong suit, but he could hold his own thanks to a very dedicated dance instructor—a.k.a. his mother.
    Gabriel turned to the side opposite the band, catching the hint of a melodious voice on the warm air currents. It reminded him of silk sheets and passion. Delicate, rich, and exotic. Her words marked with a Latin inflection that cranked up the sultriness no matter what she said.
    His gaze flitted over the crowd, this time honing in on the real music to his ears.
    There. To his three o’clock.
    He watched, mesmerized by the lovely Latina dressed in a knee-length skirt. With every move, the sequins decorating the front of her strappy top captured the sun. Waves of warm light danced around her like magic. Over the last year they’d been seeing one another, she’d definitely cast a spell over him.
    A rush of heat hit his system and his balls drew up tight, remembering the treasures hidden beneath all those hand-stitched sequins.
    During the ceremony wild fantasies played out in his mind like a nonstop train with how her full-length royal blue gown for the wedding damn near made love to her figure.
    But the number she’d chosen for the after party outlined every feminine curve of her heavy breasts and teased him with a view of her shapely, tanned legs. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
    He straightened his pants a little to the right. Esmeralda provoked the same reaction from him each time they were together. And this time was no different. Her soft lips turned up in a radiant smile that lit her beautiful chocolate-colored eyes with a tenderness that never ceased to amaze him. She was a picture of sensual elegance compared to his brute self, for damn sure.
    Anticipating Esmeralda’s path, he pushed through the growing crowd, his target the bar in the corner, conveniently situated next to an exit he intended to use. Nice.
    “Hey there.” Gabriel leaned on his elbow and flashed a grin at the barista. No matter where in the world the job took him or his unit, the grin worked in any language. “You gotta have something better than this glass to drink out of, right?” He passed over the little burro double shooter and dialed up the Don Juan for the faux red-haired lady behind the bar.
    “Hmmm… es possible, señor ,” she said with a tease and a flutter of lashes. At another point in time he’d be working his mojo on her, ready for a love ‘em and leave ‘em all-nighter. Lately though, his mind kept wandering back to one