suspicions.
He guided his date to
his normal table.
Ava slid onto the vinyl
seat of the retro Fifties diner, ordering a coffee without looking at
the menu. The waitress, a thick waisted, full busted, sharp-tongued
woman turned to Grady.
“And what about you
honey bun? The usual?”
Grady nodded yes and
conversed with the waitress while Ava furiously typed on her
Blackberry. Even under the harsh lights she was beautiful.
“You sure you don’t
want anything to eat, sweetie?”
‘No, thanks. Sorry
that was a client,” Ava said to both of them as she placed the
phone on the table. The waitress shrugged, sliding a pencil behind
her ear as she sashayed back to the counter.
“Actor or model?”
He glanced up at the third story window. The light still hadn’t
come on. Shit.
“Worse. A model who
thinks she can act.”
Distracted, he didn’t
respond and he heard Ava tap the table with her fingertips. The
window illuminated with brightness causing an inner sigh of relief.
“Okay, what exactly
do you do?”
He looked back to Ava,
once again giving her his full attention. “What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. You took
this specific table, that seat, so you could watch the door and you
keep looking up at the 3rd window to the right.”
“So much for the dumb
blonde theory.”
“I’m not a real
blonde.”
Grady knew that. There
was no way that shade of honey existed outside of a bottle. Not that
he cared but he was pleased she was honest about it. Something he
couldn’t be right now.
“So are you a cop?
FBI? Oh, oh, Homeland Security?”
“Something like
that.”
Christ. A text
from his partner and former Navy SEAL Giordano, bleeped on the screen
of his phone. Who’s the hot blonde?
“So we’re on a
stakeout of some sort?”
“Unofficial,” said
Grady as he typed NOYB .
“Oh, the in-between
assignments thing.”
“Look, I’m sorry.
It’s just...” Grady debated whether to answer back to Giordano’s
crude comeback.
“What?”
Leaning forward he
allowed himself to be caught up in those innocent blue eyes,
reminding him of what he was fighting for. “You intrigue me.”
Ava leaned back against
the seat. “If you don’t want to act, I could get you a job as a
movie consultant.”
Grady knew an evasive
tactic when he saw one. Did the magnetic pull between them scare her?
“Don’t you ever stop working?”
“Look who’s
talking.”
Grady laughed. “Well
played.”
The phone twilled and
he expected her to answer it. After taking a glance at the screen she
ignored the call. Why? She was an admitted workaholic. Curious
he asked, “Another client?”
“Ex-client.
Ex-boyfriend. He’s a serial cheater.”
“You deserve better.”
With a disarmingly shy
smile she said, “I do.”
Overseas for months at
a time and even when home his mind wasn’t present and accounted
for. A woman needed a man by her side. He decided long ago that he
wouldn’t marry until he was out of the service. “Which is why I
shouldn’t have asked you out for coffee.”
“What? You’re a
cheater?”
“No,” he laughed.
Grady couldn’t remember a woman who made him enjoy the here and
now—who made him at ease. But in combat or in love it was dangerous
to let down your guard. “I’m married to my job.”
“I understand.” She
waved her phone in the air.
He nodded as his
breakfast arrived. He wolfed it down as Ava nursed a cup of coffee.
“Do you sit here all
night?”
“No, my apartment is
upstairs.”
“Upstairs, huh?”
Ava raised an eyebrow and erotically stirred the coffee with a spoon.
God, she was all
shades of sexy. “You should go home.”
“In real life you’d
ask me up,” stated Ava.
He leaned forward. “In
real life we would’ve skipped the food and I’d be making love to
you right now.”
Chapter 3
Ava drew in a slow
breath. She should feign shock at his words, however, he was so right
about making love. And had several orgasms by now. “Well,
who says this
He guided his date to
his normal table.
Ava slid onto the vinyl
seat of the retro Fifties diner, ordering a coffee without looking at
the menu. The waitress, a thick waisted, full busted, sharp-tongued
woman turned to Grady.
“And what about you
honey bun? The usual?”
Grady nodded yes and
conversed with the waitress while Ava furiously typed on her
Blackberry. Even under the harsh lights she was beautiful.
“You sure you don’t
want anything to eat, sweetie?”
‘No, thanks. Sorry
that was a client,” Ava said to both of them as she placed the
phone on the table. The waitress shrugged, sliding a pencil behind
her ear as she sashayed back to the counter.
“Actor or model?”
He glanced up at the third story window. The light still hadn’t
come on. Shit.
“Worse. A model who
thinks she can act.”
Distracted, he didn’t
respond and he heard Ava tap the table with her fingertips. The
window illuminated with brightness causing an inner sigh of relief.
“Okay, what exactly
do you do?”
He looked back to Ava,
once again giving her his full attention. “What do you mean?”
“Oh come on. You took
this specific table, that seat, so you could watch the door and you
keep looking up at the 3rd window to the right.”
“So much for the dumb
blonde theory.”
“I’m not a real
blonde.”
Grady knew that. There
was no way that shade of honey existed outside of a bottle. Not that
he cared but he was pleased she was honest about it. Something he
couldn’t be right now.
“So are you a cop?
FBI? Oh, oh, Homeland Security?”
“Something like
that.”
Christ. A text
from his partner and former Navy SEAL Giordano, bleeped on the screen
of his phone. Who’s the hot blonde?
“So we’re on a
stakeout of some sort?”
“Unofficial,” said
Grady as he typed NOYB .
“Oh, the in-between
assignments thing.”
“Look, I’m sorry.
It’s just...” Grady debated whether to answer back to Giordano’s
crude comeback.
“What?”
Leaning forward he
allowed himself to be caught up in those innocent blue eyes,
reminding him of what he was fighting for. “You intrigue me.”
Ava leaned back against
the seat. “If you don’t want to act, I could get you a job as a
movie consultant.”
Grady knew an evasive
tactic when he saw one. Did the magnetic pull between them scare her?
“Don’t you ever stop working?”
“Look who’s
talking.”
Grady laughed. “Well
played.”
The phone twilled and
he expected her to answer it. After taking a glance at the screen she
ignored the call. Why? She was an admitted workaholic. Curious
he asked, “Another client?”
“Ex-client.
Ex-boyfriend. He’s a serial cheater.”
“You deserve better.”
With a disarmingly shy
smile she said, “I do.”
Overseas for months at
a time and even when home his mind wasn’t present and accounted
for. A woman needed a man by her side. He decided long ago that he
wouldn’t marry until he was out of the service. “Which is why I
shouldn’t have asked you out for coffee.”
“What? You’re a
cheater?”
“No,” he laughed.
Grady couldn’t remember a woman who made him enjoy the here and
now—who made him at ease. But in combat or in love it was dangerous
to let down your guard. “I’m married to my job.”
“I understand.” She
waved her phone in the air.
He nodded as his
breakfast arrived. He wolfed it down as Ava nursed a cup of coffee.
“Do you sit here all
night?”
“No, my apartment is
upstairs.”
“Upstairs, huh?”
Ava raised an eyebrow and erotically stirred the coffee with a spoon.
God, she was all
shades of sexy. “You should go home.”
“In real life you’d
ask me up,” stated Ava.
He leaned forward. “In
real life we would’ve skipped the food and I’d be making love to
you right now.”
Chapter 3
Ava drew in a slow
breath. She should feign shock at his words, however, he was so right
about making love. And had several orgasms by now. “Well,
who says this
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