Greeley's Spyce (2 page)

just that.

―Yes. But spelled C-Y-N-E-M-O-N,‖ Koali explained.

―Ernst,‖ a whinny voice reached the group. ―I don‘t want to share

you tonight. Meet them later, we have plans.‖ A slim redhead sidled up and

latched onto him.

―We should get going as well,‖ Koali murmured, even though she

didn‘t want to leave his presence. ―It was good seeing you again, Mr. Zim-

mermann.‖

―Nice to meet you,‖ Brett added. ―Ma‘am,‖ he said to the woman

holding onto Ernst like he were a lifejacket and she were drowning.

―Have dinner with me,‖ Ernst blurted, seeming totally oblivious to

the gasping woman beside him. ―Tomorrow night. I would love to talk some

more.‖

―Okay,‖ Koali responded, shocking herself. ―How about
Jack’s
at sev-

en?‖

―See you then,‖ he said with a smile.

―Until tomorrow,‖ she responded, then walked away with Brett, ig-

noring the other woman completely.

When she slid between the cool sheets in her hotel room later that

night, Koali wondered what she had agreed to. It was just dinner. Wasn‘t it?

All the next day, Ernst had a smile on his face. His teammates just as-

sumed it was because of the redhead he had gone out with the previous

night.

―Wanna grab a bite, Ernst?‖ Osten, a teammate, asked his as his dark

head appeared in the doorway.

That grin got wider. ―Sorry, man, I have a date.‖

―With that redhead? You seem awfully happy about it. A hell of a lot

more than last night,‖ Osten observed.

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Aliyah Burke

―Nope.‖ Blue eyes turned to his friend. ―Do you remember the wom-

an from the street yesterday?‖

Osten‘s jaw dropped. ―The black chick you ran into? Her? You‘re

going out with
her
?‖

Those eyes narrowed. ―What about it?‖

―Hey, I just remember her trying to get away from you. How‘d you

finagle a date?‖

―I saw her last night and asked.‖ Ernst shrugged and smiled, re-

membering how cute she looked. ―After I got her name.‖

Osten busted out laughing. ―You asked her out while you were on a

date?‖ More laughter filled the room. ―Damn, and I thought Maverick was

bad.‖

―I am not that bad,‖ Ernst protested.

Rolling his eyes, Osten shook his head. ―If you say so. Well, have

fun.‖ Then he was gone.

―I fully intend to,‖ Ernst said to himself as he smoothed out his

crewneck shirt and slid his wallet into the pocket of his khakis. Clipping the

beeper to the inside of another pocket, he walked out the door.

The teammates that were there waved and barely managed to keep

their mouths shut. As the door closed behind him he heard laughter. Ernst

loved his friends, but even he had to admit there were times they were pains

in the ass.

Some time later, Ernst entered
Jack’s
, a bar and grill he knew very

well. The regulars waved and called out greetings to him as he passed.

His pale gaze ran a gamut of the room. When his eyes fell upon Kacy

sitting alone at the bar absently stirring her drink while looking out over the

water, Ernst felt his pulse race.

What was it about this woman? Why does she make me feel this way?

For a brief moment, he just stood there and filled his vision with her

serene beauty. Suddenly, two men leaned against the counter, one on each

side of her. That got a different reaction from Ernst. His eyes hardened to ice

chips and he moved swiftly towards them, waving off the bartender who had

made to interrupt the men bothering her.

C H A P T E R T W O

Koali sat at the bar drinking a club soda with a lime twist, her sto-

mach in knots as she waited for Ernst. She‘d arrived early to try and calm her

nerves.

The ocean helped. It always had. Her body tensed again, however,

when two men settled beside her, one on each side of her corner seat.

―Evening, gorgeous,‖ the larger of the two men said. ―Can I buy you

another drink? What did you have? Martini? Gin and tonic?‖

―No, thank you,‖ Koali said, her hand tightening around the glass.

―Well, now,‖ the second man said, ―that‘s not nice. Here we are try-

ing to be nice to a sister sittin‘ alone.‖

Where was he?
―I‘m waiting for someone.‖ She met the gaze of the

smaller man. His face was baby smooth with skin was so dark it was almost

black. ―But thanks for the offer anyway.‖

The other, larger man tsked, bringing her attention to him. He looked

Hawaiian, although she wasn‘t positive. ―We‘ve been watching you for about

thirty minutes. Whoever you‘re waiting for isn‘t coming, so you can be our

date.‖

―Sorry I‘m late, baby,‖ a sinful voice broke in as Ernst turned Koali

around on the stool to face him. ―Who are your friends?‖ He leaned in and

kissed her briefly on the lips.

Koali was so relieved when she heard his voice, and when his hand

landed on her hips, her insides melted. His kiss made her feel she‘d died and

gone to heaven; she had to stop herself from following his retreating lips with

her own. ―I don‘t know them.‖

―This is your date?‖ Tall Hawaiian man asked.

―Yes. I am,‖ Ernst responded assuredly as he helped Koali off the

stool before reaching around her and grabbing her drink. ―Evening, gentle-

man.‖

16

Aliyah Burke

One hand resting on the small of her back, Ernst walked them into

the grill area toward an empty table. Ernst held out her chair for her and

enjoyed the gentle scent that wafted from her hair and body.

―I‘m sorry about that,‖ Ernst said as he took his chair.
Not about the

kiss though.

―It wasn‘t your fault. Thanks for saving me,‖ Koali spoke easily.

―I should‘ve been here earlier to protect you.‖ His eyes traveled over

her off-the-shoulder, pale-yellow blouse. It went well with the dark-blue skirt

she wore that was cut at an angle to display one shapely leg. ―You look

beautiful.‖

―You are looking pretty fly yourself.‖ She flashed him a grin as her

eyes moved over his attire.

At her grin, Ernst felt his heart skip a beat.
Did this woman have any

clue how beautiful she was?
―Glad you noticed.‖ He winked at her in the dimly

lit room.

Their waiter arrived and asked, ―Can I get you a drink to start?‖

Ernst nodded at Koali. ―Get whatever you want.‖

―Another club soda with lime please.‖

―Do you mind if I have a beer?‖ Ernst stared directly at Koali as he

asked.

―Go ahead,‖ she said, shaking her head.

―One beer please.‖

―I‘ll be right back,‖ the waiter said, ―do you want menus or the spe-

cial?‖ Meeting Koali‘s eyes again they both said ―the special‖ at the same

time. With a chuckle, the waiter nodded and left.

―Do you prefer to go by Koali, which is a beautiful name by the way,

or Kacy?‖ Ernst queried as their drinks were brought along with a mixed tray

of appetizers.

―Here you go, Ghost,‖ the server said as he set it down. ―Meal‘ll be

up soon.‖

―Thanks, Drey.‖ Ernst took a swig of the cold beer. ―Well,‖ he

prompted when they were left alone again.

Her brows furrowed as if confused, but she shook her head. ―I an-

swer to either, but most people call me Kacy.‖

Rolling the bottle between two fingers, he nodded. ―Kacy it is, then.

Tell me about you, Kacy Travis.‖

―Looking for anything specific, Ernst Zimmermann?‖ Kacy asked,

sipping her drink and reaching for a piece of fried calamari.

―Who was that guy you were with last night?‖

―Brett is one of the guys who came for the conference.‖ Her eyes

closed in pleasure as she ate the squid.

―Something between you?‖ Ernst leaned forward, resting his strong

forearms on the table as his eyes bore into hers.

―Nothing other than friendship.‖

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17

―Good.‖ He took a pan-fried oyster and ate it.

―Good?‖ Kacy‘s eyebrows rose in confusion.

Ernst nodded. ―Good.‖

They sat in silence for a while eating. Ernst watched Kacy and Kacy

watched the ocean. When their food came, she turned her attention to it.

―Are you nervous?‖ His voice broke the silence.

―A bit,‖ Kacy admitted.

―Hey, don‘t be. I‘m not going to hurt you in any way.‖ He reached

for her hand, squeezed it once and released it.

All Kacy did was tremble at his touch and smile, then eat more of her

seafood special.

―You should smile more often,‖ he commented, taking another swig

of beer.

Blushing, Kacy took a sip of her drink and asked, ―So what do you

do, Mr. Zimmermann?‖

Absorbing the sight of the woman across from him he said, ―I‘m in

the Navy.‖

―I see. Do you like it?‖

Ernst smiled. ―I thank God everyday I get to do what I do.‖

The noise in the bar area increased. They both looked and saw that a

pool game was beginning between two guys. Over the noise Kacy said, ―I‘m

glad to hear that.‖

His blond brows narrowed and he wondered, ―Why?‖

Setting down her fork, Kacy leaned in closer to him so she wouldn‘t

have to yell. ―You risk your life for me. If you love your job, then you do it

well and that…makes me feel even more safe.‖

He moved closer. ―For all you know, I could work in admin.‖

―Doesn‘t matter. It‘s all important. Although, I don‘t see you shuf-

fling papers.‖ She winked.

He was intrigued. ―What do you see me doing?‖

Her brown eyes grew two shades darker before she brought herself

under control. ―I see you—‖

―Ernst!‖ a voice interrupted, jerking them back from each other.

Pale eyes swung to the man who had come between him and his

date. Merlin. ―What, Dimitri?‖

Dark, golden eyes roamed over Kacy appreciatively and he whistled

low. ―Aren‘t you the chick from yesterday?‖

―Dimitri.‖ The name was growled. ―What do you
want
?‖

―Come help us win at pool. We‘re about to lose,‖ the tanned man

groaned.

Kacy watched the interaction curiously, but Ernst finally said, ―I‘m

busy.‖

―They‘re Deltas,‖ Dimitri threw in disgustedly.

18

Aliyah Burke

―Looks like they need your help,‖ Kacy observed, clearly not under-

standing the dislike between them.

―It would be rude of me…‖ he began.

Kacy shrugged easily. ―I wouldn‘t mind watching a game or two of

pool.‖

An unknown emotion crossed Ernst‘s face. ―Okay.‖ He grinned,

stood, and walked around the table to assist Kacy.

―She‘s a keeper. Marry her, Ernst.‖ Dimitri said, ―or better yet, I‘ll

marry her. Name‘s Dimitri, beautiful, who are you?‖

―Kacy.‖

―Back off, Dimitri,‖ Ernst warned as they wove through the dining

area back to the bar side.

Dimitri led the way to the farthest table in the back where the tension

was so thick you could chew it. Ernst had his hand on Kacy‘s arm as they

approached.

―Here‘s my partner,‖ Dimitri said to their opponents as he reached

for his pool cue.

Ernst briefly met the eyes of his teammates. ―Guys, this is Kacy Tra-

vis. Kacy meet,‖ he began and pointed to each one as he said their names,

―Osten, Tyson, Ross, Scott, Aidrian, and Maverick.‖

―Ma‘am,‖ they all said, shaking her hand.

―Nice to meet you,‖ Kacy responded with a shy smile.

The game was under way, and Kacy stood with the guys and watch-

ed.
This has got to be one of the weirdest dates I have ever been on. Fun, but weird.

And amazingly, I don’t feel scared.

A skinny waitress came by and Kacy noticed three of the men and

Ernst didn‘t give her a second look. The others did, especially when she came

back with the drinks.

The daisy-dukes–wearing, midriff-showing woman walked up to

Ernst to hand him his drink, but he nodded towards Kacy.

―He says he wants you to hold it for him,‖ the waitress said.

Kacy took it wordlessly and kept watching. The drink was pulled

from her hand as Ernst appeared beside her. ―Bored?‖

Shaking her head, Kacy smiled at the man next to her. The scent of

cologne mixed with his unique smell created one hell of an aphrodisiac. ―No,

I like watching pool. You‘re very good.‖

―You have no idea,‖ he whispered in her ear, giving birth to a whole

swarm of butterflies in her belly.

―Ernst,‖ Dimitri said as he approached. ―It‘s your turn. I‘ll stay here

with Kacy and keep her safe.‖

Narrowing his glacial eyes, Ernst quipped, ―Who‘s gonna protect her

from you? She‘d be safer with Scott, Tyson or Ross.‖ As if it were so natural,

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19

he leaned in for the second time that night and brushed his firm lips across

her soft ones. ―Be right back,‖ he murmured.

Striving to regain emotional control, Kacy asked Dimitri, ―Why

would I be safer with those he mentioned?‖

―‘Cause two are married and Ross is hopelessly in love,‖ Dimitri said

with an eye roll.

―That‘s wonderful. And none of the rest of y‘all are married?‖ Kacy

asked.

―Correct,‖ Dimitri said, ―Wanna get married?‖ He winked.

Kacy laughed; she couldn‘t help it. ―Sorry, I don‘t know you well

enough.‖

―So? Tyson married his wife and they hadn‘t known each other much