Brenda Jackson - An Honourable Seduction

“What do you believe?” Viper asked.

Flipper leaned against the dresser for a minute and thought about Viper’s question. “Too early to tell.”

“Did you ask her out on a date?” Coop wanted to know. They could hear Coop’s two-year-old son, Laramie, chattering in the background.

“No, not yet.” Flipper’s attraction to her had been instant. He’d felt it the moment he looked into her face. Discussing her now wasn’t helping matters. All it did was force him to recall what a beautiful woman she was—a woman he would have to spend time with in order to discover the truth.

“Then how do you plan to see her again if you don’t ask her out?” Mac wanted to know, interrupting Flipper’s thoughts.

“I ordered a pair of earrings to go with the necklace I bought for Mom. She has to make the earrings and I’ll make my move when I pick up my purchases in two days.”

“And if she turns you down?” Viper asked.

“Not an option. I now have less than thirty days to get this all straightened out.”

“We should be there with you, watching your back,” Bane said.

“No, you guys are just where you need to be, which is home with your families. I’ve got this.”

“Well, some of our families don’t appreciate us being home,” Mac grumbled.

Flipper rolled his eyes. They’d all heard the complaints from Mac before. After every extended mission, their teammate went home to an adjustment period, where he would have to get to know his wife all over again and reclaim his position as head of the house. Sometimes the adjustment didn’t go over well. Mac had a strong personality and so did Mac’s wife, Teri. “Do we have to send both you and Teri into the time-out corners?”

“Hell, I didn’t do anything,” Mac exclaimed.

Flipper chuckled. “Yeah, right. You better get your act together, Mac. No other woman is going to put up with your BS.”

“Whatever. So what did you notice about the place today?”

Mac was changing the subject and Flipper decided to let him. “Everything matched the architectural report I was given. Even with the repairs due to the hurricane, there were no major changes. Front door. Back door. High windows. Glass storefront. No video cameras outside. There are several rooms in back. One is being used as a tattoo parlor. I didn’t see the person who runs it. I think I’ll go out tonight and do a little more investigating,” he said, sliding into a black T-shirt.

“Be careful, Flipper,” Viper said. “Although you might not have seen any video cameras, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.”

“I know. That’s why I’m wearing my Pilf gear.”

Everybody knew how much Flipper liked digital technology. In addition to all the futuristic developments the military used, Flipper had created a few of his own high-tech gadgets behind the scenes. Some had been so impressive the federal government had patented them as Pilf gear to be used by the military. Pilf was the name Flip spelled backward. On more than one occasion, Flipper had been offered a position with the Department of Defense’s Research and Development Department and had turned down each offer, saying he loved being a Navy SEAL more.

“We don’t give a damn if you plan to parade around naked tonight, Flipper. Be careful.”

He knew Mac was in his big-brother mode. “Okay, Mac. I hear you and I will be careful.”

“Call to check in when you get back to the hotel tonight,” Bane said.

“It will be late and I wouldn’t want to wake up any babies, kids or a pregnant woman. I’ll text everyone.”

A short while later, wearing undetectable military gear under his clothing, Flipper left his hotel using the stairs.

Two days later, Swan didn’t leave the shop for lunch. Instead she accepted Jamila’s offer to bring her something back from the sandwich shop on the corner. Although she’d tried convincing herself her decision to hang around had nothing to do with the fact that David Holloway would be returning today to pick up his items, she knew it did.

And her anticipation was so bad that every time the door chimed, her heartbeat would kick up a notch, only to slow back down when someone other than him walked in. She checked her watch. The shop would be closing in an hour. What if he didn’t make it before closing time? What if…?

The door chimed, and her heart nearly stopped when David Holloway walked in.

She’d told herself the man hadn’t really looked as good as she remembered from that first day, but now she saw that he did. In fact, today he looked even better than she remembered. Maybe it had something to do with the unshaven look. Men with a day-old beard had sex appeal. But it could also be his tan, which indicated he’d probably spent the last couple of days lying in the sun.

If he’d been at the beach, there was a good chance he hadn’t been there alone. But didn’t he say he was in the Keys working?

Why did she care?

She quickly dismissed all those questions from her mind as she continued to watch him walk toward her in a strut that had blood rushing through her veins. His blond hair and blue eyes seemed brighter against his tanned skin. He was deliciousness with a capital D .

But then that capital D could also stand for dangerous if she wasn’t careful. Or it could stand for delusional if she didn’t get control of her senses. Right now, she would play it safe and claim the capital D stood for David . She couldn’t allow herself to think any other way for now, no matter how tempting.

She smiled. “Hello, David.”

“Hi, Swan.”

“Your tan looks nice.”

He chuckled. “So does yours.”

She grinned. “Yes, but mine’s permanent.”

“I know and I like it.”

She didn’t say anything to that because she understood what he was implying. He was letting her know he had no problem with interracial dating. She didn’t have a problem with it either. Neither had her father, although his family had had conniptions about his marriage to Swan’s mother. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind, refusing to dwell on an extended family that had never accepted her or her mother.

She reached behind the counter and retrieved a box. “I hope you like the way the earrings came out.” She opened it to show him the final earrings.

“Wow!” He ran his finger over the stone that came closest to matching the color of his eyes. “You’re very gifted.”

“Thank you, and I believe your mother will love them.”

“I’m sure she will. I think I’ve outdone my brothers this time.”

She closed the box and placed it, along with the one containing the necklace, into a shopping bag. “You have brothers?”

“Yes, four of them. I’m the youngest.”

“My goodness. Any sisters?”

“Not a one. Three of my four brothers are married, so I have sisters-in-law. They are the best.”

“And the fourth brother is still single?”

“He’s divorced but has a beautiful little girl. And she’s my parents’ only granddaughter. They have six grandsons.”

“Sounds like a nice family. Is your father still alive?”

“Yes, Dad is still alive. He and Mom own a medical supply store.”

She nodded as she offered him the bag. “Here you are, David. Thanks again for your business.”

He accepted the bag. “Thanks. Now that this is taken care of, there’s something I want to ask you, Swan.”

She lifted a brow. “What?”

“Would you go out to dinner with me tonight?”

Normally Flipper was good at reading people, but he was having a hard time reading Swan. He definitely needed to remedy that. Although both Commanding Officer Shields and Admiral Martin were convinced of her innocence, the jury was still out for him. He had to remain impartial and deal with the facts, not speculations.