Her Sexy Marine Valentine (2 page)

She winked at him.

Everything about her was fun. He should lighten up. Besides he couldn't resist her offer without looking like a complete jerk. Not that he couldn't be a hard-ass, just ask the men and women he commanded. No doubt his face was used as target practice on dartboards all over the base.

“That's a pretty big claim. Tacos are one of my main food groups.” It wasn't a lie. He had them three or four times a week.

“Ha! I'm a native Texan,” she said with a slight twang that hadn't been there before. “If I can't make a great taco, they'll kick me out of here.” Then she batted her eyelashes at him.

He laughed. It was a meal, what would it hurt? And they had helped each other out. She'd shown she was a good sport.

“All right. You're on.” He wasn't sure he could recall the last time he'd smiled this much, and he was hungry.

As she headed to her car in her short shorts and football jersey, he put his items up on the checkout counter and smirked.

What he needed more than anything was peace and quiet, to focus on being a helicopter pilot and instructor. He'd been given a great opportunity for someone his age and he didn't want to screw it up by losing his drive.

That woman was trouble.

Damn if he didn't want to find out what kind.

* * *

W
HAT
WAS
I
THINKING
?

Mari tossed her groceries into the fridge, which was in the garage. That's where she'd set up her temporary kitchen while hers was under construction. How was she going to cook a meal for a man like him on her tiny hot plate? And where exactly was she going to serve it?

She tapped a finger against her chin. The inside of her house was chaos. A construction zone with no end in sight. She sighed. She didn't have time to worry about that now. She had to plan dinner.

One hour at a time she reminded herself. It was how she lived her life now. Otherwise it was too overwhelming.

Inspiration hit. Her back deck. It was clean and she had a great fire pit to keep her and Brody warm. The hot tub hadn't been installed yet, but there was a decent table and chairs. She rolled her eyes; she wouldn't have used the hot tub with her to-die-for neighbor anyway.

Don't go there
.

So handsome. So built. No. Not even a possibility. She needed him for one thing and one thing only—and it was not to satisfy her lust-fueled thoughts. Although feeling those manly muscles around her shoulders—and those abs.

Those abs. He must work out every stinkin' day. She shook her head as if to erase the image.

Nope. Not going there. She had a plan, or at least the beginnings of one, and it did not include having sex with the neighbor. No matter how terrific he might be.

No. Really. Stop thinking about him that way.
Mere moments ago he'd had to extricate himself from the clutches of his boss's daughter. The last thing he wanted was Mari trying to seduce him. But it had been so long. So very long since she'd even felt the urge to—

Tacos. She had to get the tacos started.

She switched on the hot place, got out a frying pan and crumbled the hamburger meat into it. After adding some spices and a bit of minced garlic, she started chopping vegetables and shredding cheese.

This meal was the least she could do for her white knight of a neighbor. When he'd appeared out of nowhere and pretended to be her boyfriend, she'd almost collapsed with gratefulness.

The ex, Gary, had left a soul-crushing mark on her, and she wasn't sure she'd ever trust another man. He'd made her believe they had a future together, and then he'd come home one night and said she was boring. That he'd had an affair at a conference and it helped him realize he wasn't as into her as he thought he was.

Whatever. The cheating jerk acted like everything was her fault.

“You're too vanilla, Mari,” Gary had said. “I'm not sure I've ever been this bored in bed. I shouldn't have cheated on you, but after that one night at the convention I knew what I was missing. And then I couldn't help myself. You're just not it for me.”

Queasiness hit, as it did whenever she remembered his words. He could have shot her and left her for dead that day and she wouldn't have been more surprised.

It wasn't the first time a romance of hers had gone down in flames. She'd dated her fair share of Garys, but she'd thought this one was different. Even if their ideas on design clashed, and he didn't like Mexican food and he demanded the towels be folded in halves, when she liked them another way. Who didn't go for a three-quarter fold? It always looked nice on the towel rack.

That should have been my first clue
. Still, it didn't keep her ex's words from churning through her head in a hateful litany. All right, fine, so she wasn't an expert when it came to sex, and she'd had to fake the majority of her orgasms with Gary.

Oh, who am I kidding? I faked them all
. But she didn't imagine she was boring in bed.

Now Gary was with a model? And she didn't even know what
bygones
meant. But she was probably great in bed, which evidently was Gary's primary criteria when it came to the woman he wanted to marry. Engaged. Already.

Ugh.

She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension, and took a couple deep breaths. It's what she did to release the nerves.

I'm definitely better off without him
. That fact didn't keep the loneliness at bay, however; and all the good guys in Corpus Christi seemed to be taken or unavailable. Even the hot, sexy Marine from across the street was too good to be true. He had women like the redhead throwing herself at him and there he was turning her down. How could Mari compete with that? Not to mention, what if she did sleep with him and he thought she was boring?

Why are you even thinking about sleeping with him?

Come on. How could she not? Those biceps and that smile. When he'd thanked her ex at the grocery store for giving her up, her heart had skipped a beat. She had to remind herself
he was too good to be true
.

But it felt wonderful to have him in her corner. And that fish face Gary had made, that was the best.

No, it wouldn't do at all for her to think about Brody as anything more than a nice neighbor.

Although he might be able to assist her with the one thing she needed most.

She'd seen him in uniform a couple of times and he was breathtaking. After he'd carried in her flooring that day, she kept meaning to take him cookies or maybe bake him a pie. But without a real kitchen it wasn't easy.

She stirred the meat and then returned to chopping.

Her cell rang and she checked it. Mom again. She swiped the screen, making the phone silent. She didn't have time for this. And she knew it was only her parents checking in. They were still worried about her breakup with Gary even though it had been months ago.

Her ex's expression when he'd taken in Brody had been hilarious. As if the idea had never occurred to him that she could attract someone like the Marine.

Even if she couldn't, she sort of loved the fact that now Gary would think she'd traded up, silly or not.

Brody...he was all man. Those biceps under his black T-shirt could not be denied. And when she'd leaned against him, those abs she'd touched were washboard-hard. That was the third time she'd thought about his abs.

No. Do not go there
.

Admittedly, in hindsight, the lack of sex between her and Gary hadn't helped their situation. It wasn't as if he had been initiating things and she was turning him down. They often came home tired. She was always busy with her interior design business and closing on the old Victorian, and he worked for one of the top architectural firms in South Texas. But she'd failed to see the signs. They had been going through the motions.

Still, it didn't mean he had a right to cheat. He'd met his fiancée at the convention and told her it had been love at first sight, and that he couldn't pretend any more with Mari.

Pretend.

She took another deep breath. The hurt still stabbed at her chest.

I'm over him
.

I'm lucky he's out of my life
.

Her brain believed her. Her heart, not so much.

Focus on dinner
.

After digging around in her many boxes, she found the small red bowls that matched the plates she wanted to use. It was late January in Corpus Christi, which meant eating outside would be chilly, but fine with a fire. She took some wood from the cord she'd bought, then dashed through the house and stacked it in the fire pit out back.

Then she set the old wooden harvest table she'd stored there on the deck.

She opened the garage door to let out the smell from the meat that was cooking, and standing there was the dreamy Marine with a confused expression on his face.

Not expecting him to be standing there, she jumped and maybe screamed...a little.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to frighten you. Uh, why are you cooking in your garage?”

“Long story.” Now she'd have to recount her very ugly history with this darn house. If he didn't already think her lame, he would soon.

Oh, well.

It's not like you wanted to make him yours
.

Liar
.

“Follow me and I'll explain everything.”

2

B
RODY
FOLLOWED
HIS
neighbor through her house, which looked like a war zone, and after several tours in the desert, he'd been in a few. It wasn't junky, but most of the walls had been taken down to the studs. And the wood floor had large holes in it.

“Watch your step,” she warned as she led him out to the backyard. “There were plumbing issues and they had to rip up some of the boards to find the pipes under the house. One of the five million things that have gone wrong since I bought this place.”

The despair in her voice was clear. Why was someone like her living in this mess? He'd seen her in heels and brightly colored dresses when she came home at night. Even in her shorts and jersey she was immaculate. It didn't make any sense.

“I knew we, I mean
I
, was in for a lot of work, but I really underestimated the project. If I'd done this with one of my clients, I'd have been fired.”

They stepped out onto a wooden deck. There was a table set with smart-looking ceramic bowls positioned near a fire pit. Strings of twinkling lights wrapped around the wood posts and portico. This was more of what he expected from Mari's house. It was casual but in an elegant sort of way.

“Clients?” he asked as he sat the chips and salsa on the table.

“I'm an interior designer. I have my own firm, but I work with architectural and construction companies around Corpus Christi and South Texas to design spaces from the ground up.”

He didn't know anything about design, but he'd helped out at his uncle's construction company every summer in North Carolina. His family had moved a lot over the years, but the summers at his uncle's were something Brody looked forward to when school was out. Even though it was hard going, he'd enjoyed being a part of building homes, or at other times doing smaller remodeling jobs. From the look of her house, she had a hard road ahead of her.

“I can guess what you're thinking.” She laughed. “I'm insane. You aren't wrong.”

He laughed, too.

She glanced at the table. “I forgot the taco shells and sangria. Or would you rather have beer?”

“I'm good with water.” Alcohol made the headaches worse and the headaches led to nightmares of his men screaming, waking him up in the early morning hours. The other night he'd left the ceiling fan on and he'd freaked out for a few seconds, imagining the blades from the Viper helicopter coming at him. Once he'd realized what was going on, he sent his fist through the bedroom wall.

Another patch job to add to his list of things to fix around the rental.

Most of the older homes in the neighborhood were stately and needed a lot of upkeep. His rental wasn't as big as Mari's, but it was just as old. Most of her Victorian had been remodeled, he noticed.

She frowned. “Oh, are you an, um— Sorry.”

“No, I don't have a drinking problem. I
can
drink. But I want to lay off for a while. Been getting headaches and alcohol only seems to fuel them.” Why was he telling her that? It would lead to more questions.

“Got it. Were you injured? Uh, I don't want to pry.” Yep. More questions.

“Yes.” He couldn't tell her. Couldn't talk to anyone about it. “My last tour we hit a bad patch.” That was putting it mildly. But Brody refused to think about that flight.

She smiled and then touched his arm. It was a kind gesture. “Oh. Sorry I brought it up. Okay. Be right back.”

He wished she'd just tell him what it was that she wanted to talk about.
Her proposal.
And he really hoped it wasn't to do with sex, although that's pretty much all he'd thought about for the last hour. He didn't think he'd be able to tell her no, but it was the wrong choice for him right now.

“That's a lot to carry, I'll help.”

“No problem. I got it. If you don't mind, maybe you could get the fire going?” She handed him a lighter from her pocket. “The temperature's good, but as the sun goes down it will get pretty cool out here.”

“Sure.” He should have suggested that they eat at his house, but he was worried about offending her. More than ever he was curious about whatever proposal she had. Strange that she'd invite him for a meal when she didn't have a proper kitchen. Not that he was one to judge. There were many times he'd used a hot plate, either in the barracks or at a temporary camp.

She emerged from the house with a pitcher of sangria in one hand and in the other hand she held a plate full of taco shells. She'd also tucked a bottle of water under one arm.

He grabbed the pitcher and the water and put them on the table.

“I had to heat the shells up in the microwave. Usually I'd do that in the oven, but I probably won't have one for another three weeks, and that's if the cabinetmaker finishes on time. His wife is having twins, so it's probably a little sad that I say nightly prayers she doesn't have those babies before he's done with my job. I'm a horrible person.”

He laughed. “You're not horrible. You made me tacos.” He meant it. The meat smelled great and he couldn't wait to dig in.

She handed him a plate with four tacos on it. “My apologies again. Didn't mean to unload on you. It's been a
day
. You were there for part of it, but before that came the plumbing news.”

She took the top off a large tray that had several small bowls. “I wasn't sure what you liked, so there is cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and some caramelized onions. Oh, and I made guacamole. I left it in the fridge. I'll get it.”

He loaded up his tacos and waited for her to return.

“This smells delicious. It's been a long time since someone made me an actual meal.” Mostly he ate at a couple of local restaurants or the chow hall on base. The last six months he'd had to remind himself to eat. Food wasn't that important to him. The second he let his guard down, the guilt overtook him.

The muscles in his gut tightened.

No
. He had to force the visions from his head. His men were gone. They'd never share another meal.

And this wasn't the time.

Focus
. He had a beautiful woman sitting in front of him and she was sweet. He could try not being a hard-ass for an hour. And he was still more than a little curious about her proposition.

“Cooking is one of the things I do to relax,” she said. “I miss it. I haven't had a kitchen for two months, well, one that had more than a hot plate in it. But enough about that. How did you end up here? What do you do?”

“I'm a helicopter pilot. I fly Vipers and Venoms, and when necessary, Stallions. I'm teaching Boots studying navigation at the base.”

“Boots?”

“New Marines.” His CO's order that he develop better camaraderie with the new squad flashed through his head. Brody didn't understand why he had to make friends. His job was to teach these guys how to best do their jobs so they didn't die. Maybe if he'd prepared his other squad more, they would have survived.

His gut tightened again, the wave of sadness culminating in the pain and tension behind his right eye. Why did it always seem that when you cared about people they ended up dead?

“Brody? Is something wrong with the taco?”

Blinking, he refocused. After taking a bite, the spices a perfect blend with the meat and toppings, he shook his head.

He pointed the taco at her. “You didn't lie. It's really good.”

“Told you.” She paused. “You don't sound like a Texan, in fact you don't have much of an accent at all.”

“My dad is an entrepreneur and we moved a lot. Sometimes two or three times a year. More after my mom died.”

“Wow.” Mari frowned. “That must have been hard on you as a kid. And I'm so sorry about your mom.”

“It was and I do miss her. But it was a long time ago,” Brody said. He still smiled when he thought of her. His mom had been the one to make all the moving seem like an adventure. “And to be honest, it taught me to travel light.”

“Still, adjusting to new schools and stuff. And always making friends. I can't even imagine how difficult that must have been.”

It was part of the reason he was such a loner. It was just easier that way. “So, Mari, can I ask why you decided to take on this house? Seems like a lot for one person.”

She grimaced and put her food back on her plate. He'd upset her, but he didn't know how.

“True. It's a lot. But I didn't have a choice really. This started out as a project my ex and I had agreed on together. I bought the house and he would pay for the renovations, which were actually more than the house was worth. By the time we'd be finished though, the house would be worth four times as much. The plan was to flip it and move on to the next place. Except...the day after I closed on the house he broke up with me.”

“Low blow,” Brody said through gritted teeth.

“Not going to argue with you. And I can think of some nastier things to say. Anyway, I was stuck. I can't sell the house as is, I won't get back the money I put into it. So my only option is to fix it up as best I can and sell. But without his money, I'm having to do it all on a shoestring.”

Her ex deserved a load of bad karma for doing this to Mari. Brody hadn't known her long, but she was sweet, and didn't deserve to be treated like that.

Thinking of the situation at the grocery store only made him angrier. After all the jerk put her through, then he rubbed her nose in the fact he was marrying another woman.

“Do you need me to kill him?”

She smiled. “You know, earlier today when I found out how much it was going to take to bring the plumbing up to code, I might have taken you up on that. No, my proposition, well, it's a little out there.”

“Just ask. Honestly, my curiosity is starting to get the better of me.”

She sipped, more like chugged, the sangria. Then she set down her glass.

“I watched you fixing the roof on your house a couple of weeks ago. And then you repaired the mailbox and put in a new post. I promise I'm not stalking you, but I've also seen you tinkering with your motorcycle. A lot. And your truck. I just wondered if maybe you might be able to help me out around here. Maybe there's something I could do for you in return. Wait. That came out really wrong. I meant cook or something.” She laughed nervously.

It took him a minute to figure out what she was proposing. “You'd like me to do handyman stuff?”

“Yes. Over the years I've learned a lot. I've even helped out on jobs. I have to bring in tradesmen for the electrical and plumbing, and those guys aren't cheap. So most of the other work is going to fall to me. This time, as I explained, I can't afford to hire the guys I normally would.”

He pressed his lips together. It wasn't a matter of him not being able to do the work. He could. But hanging around Mari all the time probably wasn't a good idea.

She was the sexiest woman he'd met in, well...forever. And he didn't need complications like that. And he sure as hell didn't want to care about her or her rickety house.

He glanced up to see her chewing on her lip again.

“It was a dumb idea. Forget I asked. Really.”

“No. It's that I'm pretty busy at the base. Lots of new recruits and...”

Liar. He could do the job in his sleep. And he was out of there every weekday at five because he didn't like being reminded of the past, which left him hours at home with nothing to do.

“Of course. Like I said, forget I asked. I don't know why I even thought it—I probably sound totally desperate. Can we just drop it? Please?” She cleared her throat and averted her eyes.

Shoot. He'd disappointed her. Her ex had left her in a bad spot, and Brody wasn't the kind of guy who could say no if someone genuinely needed his help. He'd done his best when he'd visited the families of his team members to make sure they got the benefits they were due and lend a hand any way he could. It didn't get rid of his survivor's guilt, but it made him feel useful. Mari was a kind woman who didn't deserve what life had thrown at her; he hated to see injustice of any kind, no matter what form it took.

“Tell you what, let me see what my schedule's going to be like the next couple of weeks. Maybe I can take care of a few things on the weekends, or some weeknights. Can I let you know tomorrow?”

Her head popped up and her smile did strange things to his insides, not to mention what was going on in his lower regions. He was glad she couldn't see under the old table.

“Are you sure? I mean, if you decide it's a no, I'm okay with that. You helped me more than enough today.”

He had a feeling it was going to be hard to say no to Mari, and this was just the start.

* * *

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
at her Bay Area office bungalow, Mari crossed her arms on her desk and put her head down. This was why she was swearing off men.

“I'm an idiot.”

“Hey, don't be so mean to my boss. She's a sweetheart.”

Mari lifted her head as her trusted assistant, Abbott, walked in and took a seat on one of the upholstered chairs in front of her desk. She was also her closest friend. One of the few people Mari could confess to about her crazy night with the Marine. The one where she'd put the poor guy on the spot and begged him to fix her house.

What was I thinking?

“Still an idiot. You won't believe what I did yesterday.”

Her friend steepled her fingers and waggled her eyebrows. “Oh, this has got to be good. I haven't seen you this bent out of shape since you broke up with the turd, which, let me remind you, was the best thing that ever happened to you. Do tell.”

Abbott had been joyous over the breakup with Gary. She'd always disliked him. If only Mari had listened to her friend's warnings, she might have saved herself some heartbreak.