“She’s kind of got anI Love Lucything going on with the hair and all of her little accidents and quirks.”
“She does,” I say with a chuckle. “Luuuuucccy, you’ve got a lot of ’splaining to do,” I say in a terrible Cuban accent.
“Boss. No. No accents,” Gill deadpans.
After another round of callouts, I make my way through the middle of the crowd. This kind of work can be boring as hell, but I’d rather have a boring event than something happen on my watch. I walk through quickly. I know I’m trying to get back to Red, but I should be focusing on my job. The truth is, I’m not actually working tonight. I’m just observing the two new recruits. Gill has control of everything, so I’m okay doing a little surveillance on the peculiar woman.
When I spot her, I watch as she slides her shoes off and on her feet numerous times. That tells me that either the shoes are new and she’s not used to them, or she’s not a heel-wearing woman. She leans against the wall, bringing first one foot and then the other up so she can rub them. She’s not a heel-wearing woman. A definite pro.
Another part of her attire that seems to bother her is the dress. She looks beautiful and classic in the black lace dress, but it must be itchy. She’s scratched her neck and forearms until they’re red and blotchy. I’ve also observed her pulling down the back of her dress numerous times and attempting to hide the fact that her ass itches, too. She’s not accustomed to wearing fancy cocktail dresses? Another pro.
As I edge closer, I can’t help but notice just how pretty she is. She doesn’t seem to be wearing much makeup, if any. Shedoesn’t need it, though. Her skin is porcelain with a smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose and cheeks. I watch her lips as she takes another drink from her beer bottle. As I turn away, I hear a belch. Not a dainty little burp either. No, it’s abelch.
My God, this woman is priceless. I want to turn to see her face, because I’m positive she’s blushing after her little faux pas, but I can’t let her see me. I’m not here. I work around the edge of the space and step into a dark corner. I scan the room, deciding to do my job for once, but my eyes find her again. She’s made her way over to a group of about five men standing near a bar. They’re all on their phones. I’ve passed them five or six times, and they haven’t moved except to get more to drink or eat.
Red taps a stocky guy on the shoulder, but he shrugs her off. She taps one more time, and he turns to give her an angry look. Shrugging, she turns away from the group, and she’s now facing my direction. Her sweet face is pink, and I can see her chin trembling slightly like she’s about to cry. I hate that. Even though she’s been alone tonight, I can’t help noticing how natural she is as she takes all of her little mishaps and issues in stride. I think I need to rethink my first impression of her. I don’t believe she’s a rich bitch. She’s not like any of these assholes here tonight. She’s unique, original, a breath of fresh air. She’s one of a kind.
I’m pulled out of my contemplation by Gill. “That guy she’s with is an idiot.”
“Why do you say that?” I know why he said that, but I’d like to hear his take.
“She’s been over there a couple of times. He ignores her every time. He never leaves his buddies, and none of those tools can get off their stupid devices. What an asshole. Plus, it’s almost midnight,” he adds.
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Seriously, boss? It’s NewfuckingYear’s Eve. The nighteverygirl wants a kiss at midnight.”
Sure enough, a loud bell starts to chime. It’s the equivalent to the clock striking out the count until midnight. I look at my girl and see her chin quiver again. I watch as one shiny tear slides down her cheek. I’ve watched her beautiful face turn from excited and joyous to sad in just a few moments. She looks at her watch and then at her date, who continues to ignore her. I can’t take it. It’s too painful to watch.
“That guy doesnotdeserve her,” mutters Gill angrily.
No. He doesn’t. I step away from my hideaway and stride toward her. Just as the bell chimes a final time, I stand in front of her and look directly into her clear blue eyes. I slide my hands into her silky hair and pull her toward me gently. I lean down and slide my lips over hers, softly at first. She gasps in surprise, and I take the opening of her mouth as a sign. I deepen the kiss and moan when I feel her little tongue slide over mine. Shit, she’s sweet. I tilt her head a little to the left and move in for more. My tongue sweeps into her mouth, tasting her beer and the chocolate she must have sampled.
I slowly pull away from her and watch her blink rapidly. No doubt she’s confused about the stranger who’s just taken her mouth. I give her a small smile as I remove my hands from her gorgeous auburn locks, letting my fingers linger on the tips of her hair. Before leaving, I whisper in her ear, “Happy New Year, beautiful.” I turn and move quickly out the door, down the hall, directly into the communications room. Damn. That was, hands down, the best kiss I’ve ever had.
Gill pulls me out of my fog the minute I walk into the comm room. “I can’t believe you just did that, boss. The boyfriend ispissed.” We watch him approach her. He says something she must not have liked, because she jams her hand on her hips, taking a very sassy stance. She’s saying something back to theguy, and his face is turning bright red. Next, the douche stomps off back to his boys near the bar. It’s a good thing, because now I don’t have to go out there and drag his ass out of the party. We watch as she turns around to face her blonde friend.
Gill laughs again. “She’s a pistol, boss. And her friend is seriously hot. I could live happily ever after with her. That’s for sure.”
I chuckle. He’s just as single as I am, but I think he really does like the idea of settling down, while I have no intention of ever doing that shit. Ever.
“You gonna see her again?”
I blink at his question. “Who? Red?”
“Yeah. Red.”
“Um, I didn’t get her name.”
“No worries. I’ll get it for you.”
I should stop him. I really should. His ability to find anyone and anything, thanks to his mad computer skills, should only be used for business, not for my personal life. But it ismycompany… right? And Gill Tillman is my closest friend. We met in the service. He joined our unit after Payton and Adam died. He knows all about them; he’s heard all of the stories. Even though he never got to meet them, I know the four of us would have been a force to be reckoned with. Yeah, my heart broke when I lost those guys, but I’m thankful every day that at least I’ve still got Gill.
CHAPTER THREE
WHAT THE…?
I watchas my dream man walks away straight out the door of the ballroom. Poof, like smoke, he’s gone. I sigh, thinking about his kiss. The best kiss of my entire life. It was soft and sure at the same time. That man knows his way around a girl’s mouth. Oh. And his voice. It was deep and manly when he called me beautiful.“Happy New Year, beautiful.”Holy moly. There’s a shiver in me britches. Oh, and don’t get me started on his scent. Delish.
