Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance (21 page)

“Mia, you look beautiful,” Evie said. She shimmered next to Clay in an indigo-blue gown.

“Thank you. So do you.” She smiled. Her sister looked happy. Perfectly content.

Clay cleared his throat. “You two are the most beautiful women in all of East Baton Rouge Parish.” He kissed Evie’s palm and she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Their obvious affection for one another made Mia nauseated. No, it was her jealousy that had her stomach roiling. Jealousy that shot through her like poison. She stood.

“Well, I just came over to congratulate Clay.” She forced a smile at him. He was so nice that she started to feel like less of a fraud when the smile became sincere. Before turning to walk away, she looked down at Augie. She shouldn’t have done it, should have just kept her mind focused on getting back to her table, but her body defied her. The room and everything and everyone in it fell away and in that moment it was just the two of them staring at one another. Stewing with words left unsaid. Deep brown pupils, almost black, searched her soul, stripping her bare. She was so overcome with emotion she was rendered immobile.

Immobile until someone pulled her hand and propelled her forward.

Colin. It was Colin.

“Come on, we gotta go bid before all the cool stuff is auctioned.”

His excitement was contagious, and she practically skipped along with him. At the other end of the ballroom, behind a black curtain, a table was set with odds and ends of all kinds. There were restaurant gift certificates, vacation packages, cruises, concert passes, winery tours, spa passes, brewery tours, and even shotguns and pistols. The array was maddening.

They found Keith bidding on a fancy duck-call contraption. Leaning over his shoulder, Mia asked, “What is all of this?”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. It felt strange, but she didn’t dislike it. “This is the silent auction. Anything catch your eye?”

Her gaze landed on a life-sized plush Bengal tiger. “Wow, who would want that?”

“That tiger?”

“Yeah, it’s so big. What would you do with it?”

He cocked his head at her. “Baby girl, are you not aware of the local college mascot?”

“A Bengal tiger?”

“Yeah, LSU tigers. That thing will go for hundreds.”

“Really? Once you win it, what do you do with it?”

“Strap it to the top of your vehicle. Take it with you to every game. Some people actually buy a seat for their tigers.”

“They don’t.”

“No shit Scout’s honor.” He held up three fingers.

“You were a Boy Scout!”

“Ten years.”

She smiled at him and then the lights went down and dinner was announced. He escorted her back to their table, where a cup of crawfish bisque and a salad waited at each of their places.

He pulled her chair out for her and then took his seat. “Do you like crawfish?”

“Definitely, but we call them crayfish.”

“Crazy Canadians.” He smiled while shaking his head.

The next dish was sausage and shrimp jambalaya, and it was so spicy the first bite made her cough and her eyes water. Keith rubbed her back.

“You okay?”

Holding her hand flat against her chest, she said, “It’s really spicy.”

“That’s Creole, baby.”

Yeah, well, she couldn’t really eat it, so she concentrated on the salad and garlic bread.

Ten minutes later the waiter removed her uneaten jambalaya and replaced it with a filet and scalloped potatoes. It looked delicious and her stomach growled at once, but this was a fundraising dinner and knowing how much Evie had paid for her plate of seafood, she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t order this.”

“The gentleman at table sixteen sent it over.”

Table sixteen? That was Evie’s table. Not able to help herself, she looked over. Augie was watching her without even trying to hide his interest. What? He didn’t want her but he didn’t want her to enjoy herself either? Beyond frustrated, she turned her head and concentrated on the plate. It was too good to waste and she dove in. “Mmm.” She savored the first bite.

“Steak a little better?” Keith smiled at her delight.

“Much better.”

The steak was great and she wanted to enjoy it, but she was irritated. At whom, she didn’t know.

Keith was a great guy, but Augie met her every need. And if he couldn’t meet them, he found someone who could. She enjoyed having someone watch out for her. Since childhood she’d been the one holding everything and everyone together. She’d been a little adult from such a young age and she’d grown tired of having to always act serious and think about things like addiction and doctors and bills.

She ate every bit of food on the plate and when she was done, she crossed her knife and fork across the empty dish. She sat back in the chair and turned to find him. His smoldering gaze fired her up, and she smiled at him. His smile started at one corner of his mouth and slowly spread.

She didn’t know why he was so intent on her. She’d given up trying to figure him out. The effort took too much of her energy without giving her anything in return. She’d never solve the puzzle, so she’d given up trying.

A local physician took the stage and announced the lineup for the night. Several society bigwigs presented awards, including the LSU football coach, who presented Clay with his new credentials as fire chief.

Once the awards had been given out, the first notes of music twanged from the stage. Immediately there was fast-tempoed excitement on the dance floor. She heard accordions and something she couldn’t quite place. On the stage, one musician rubbed a washboard, and there were brass instruments as well, and the joyful sound had the dancers shuffling away in a two-step waltz.

Next to her Keith stood and stretched his hand to her. “Dance?”

She shook her head. “No way. I don’t know how.”

“This is perfect then. You just mirror me.”

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s really fun, and I promise no one will know it’s your first time.”

She stretched her neck to check out the dancers. Her feet wouldn’t keep still and were jumping for a chance to move, so she placed her hand in his and let him lead her across the room.

“All right, just follow me. Couldn’t be simpler. It’s four basic steps. There’s the water”—his foot went out to the side—“cayenne”—his foot went back in—“shrimp”—his foot went behind him—“and roux”—his foot went forward. His grin was huge. “Simple, right?”

She laughed with her entire body. She was having fun, something she hadn’t experienced in a while. “It’s officially the easiest dance I’ve ever attempted to learn.”

He didn’t need to know it was the
only
dancing she’d ever done.

“Only because I’m such a good teacher.
I
make it look easy.”

“Of course!”

One hand clamped around her waist and one went to her palm.

“Ready?” Keith asked.

She nodded and they started to move. Once she had the steps down, they added momentum and she was whisked around the dance floor. He was a great dancer and the music carried such a celebratory beat that she was in love with all things Louisiana, including its men.

They danced for an hour before taking a drink break.

“So you like zydeco.”

“Zydeco?”

Keith handed her a cup of fruit punch. Pointing to the dance floor, he said, “This music and type of dance is called zydeco.”

“Yeah, I love it. I’m having a blast.”

“Cool.” He smiled and poured more punch into their empty cups.

When they finished, they joined his buddies. Each of them escorted a busty woman around the floor. Another hour passed and the music slowed, forcing them closer together. Other than with her father and Augie, Mia hadn’t been physically close to any men. Keith’s closeness was different. Not bad, just different. Augie was intense, but comforting at the same time. Keith was energetic and uncontrolled. His touch lingered for a moment and then moved on to some other place on her body: shoulder, waist, arm. His touch wasn’t dominant or confident, it was just a touch. It felt friendly. When Augie touched her, she burned. And God help her, she wanted to burn.

Piano chords filled the room. The sound was different from anything they’d played all night and some of the crowd on the dance floor shouted out and booed. Mia looked around curiously.

“It’s the last song of the night.”

“How do you know?”

“Because in the South, Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” closes out every event.”

Mia was crushed because she’d hoped to dance at least once with Augie.

She stood on the dance floor in a daze. A hand at her back urged her to move.

“Dance with me.”

That breath next to her ear, the voice that was so familiar, caused a Pavlovian reaction that was anything but friendly. His voice … His touch … She turned in his embrace.

“Augie.” Her voice whispered his name, but it was more than his name. It was every emotion she had for him released into a single word.

He pulled her to him, her hand resting on his chest as his arm snaked around her waist. Her head cradled between his shoulder and his jaw. She could smell his cologne, its scent heated by his body temperature. In his embrace she was finally comfortable, comfortable because she was home. Heat radiated from his pores and into her body, traveling down to her core. God, she loved this man, this man who saw and met her needs without asking. This man who was conflicted about love. This man who was her first and who she wanted to be her last.

Chapter 23

Damn, he was
barely holding it together. He’d wanted to tear Clay apart for helping Evie nail down a date for her sister—and Keith of all fucking people—only he couldn’t think of anything wrong with Keith or of a reason to hate him. He’d touched her though, and that had damn near killed Augie. He had to bite the inside of his cheek until it bled to keep from getting up and beating the poor bastard into the floor. She was his, goddammit. She wore his ring, had his name, and he had her innocence. He held her waist tight, pulling her as close as possible to keep from feeling she was slipping away.

“Augie, you’re hurting me.”

He eased his hold. “Sorry.” His voice was strained. He was in too deep, he was out of control. The song ended, and he reluctantly let her go. They were married; what was she doing at this dance with another man?

Walking back to his table, he heard her call his name, but he didn’t turn. Wasn’t this what he’d wanted? He should be glad she wasn’t forcing his hand and making ultimatums.

He didn’t want to be married. Knew he wouldn’t be a good husband. What did that even entail? She’d be living in his home, in his bed. And then what? Kids? He couldn’t be a father. He’d be a crappy father, just like his dad.

Passing his table, he kept walking out to his car. He got in and drove, no destination in mind. He just needed to clear his head. Racing through town he ran several lights, finally ending up at the station. He headed straight to his office and closed the door, ignoring the greetings from those on duty. He opened the folder on his desk and sat back and fingered through its contents. He’d been monitoring every move surrounding Nicolas Reynaud. Cause of death: cardiac arrest. At first he thought it peculiar, but then it all made sense. The Lombardi family covered up the true cause of death. A news report had aired, but had been laundered through a publicist and was vague. It had been pretty quiet. This worked out well for him and the Browns. It meant they could put Nicolas Renaud behind them and start living their lives, free of fear.

Closing the folder, he leaned back and clasped his hands across his stomach. Shutting his eyes, he saw Mia, but he also saw something he didn’t like—Mia with someone else, not him. A faceless man. She was happy and content, in love. He grew nauseated. Tremors racked his body until he replaced the distorted image with his own. Then it was the two of them, taking on life and all it had to offer, together. Another image emerged, one of her swollen belly, large with his child, his seed planted and nurtured inside her, two parts making a whole. And he knew for a fact Mia wouldn’t let him be a bad father.

He got dizzy when something shifted inside of him. God, he wanted that image to be true with a fierceness that shook him. What a fool he’d been to deny her his bed, his home. To deny himself all that she was, all that she wanted to share with him. All that she wanted to give.

He’d been afraid of getting close to her, afraid their lives would be like his folks’, but she was nothing like his mother, and he nothing like his father.

Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his keys and ran out the door. He ran more lights this time than he had on the way over. If he’d been in a squad car, he’d have turned on the lights. Thankfully he didn’t have far to go. He was going to scoop her up and bring her into his bed where she belonged. She was his wife, Mrs. Michaela Roy. He was aware of a wide smile growing across his face. He loved her yet like the fool he was, he’d never told her. Even when she told him and the telling had eased the churning inside him.
Damned fool
. He’d tell her tonight. He’d show her too. She was his, and he’d love her until she felt the fierceness of his love running through her veins.

Turning on his street, he saw the silver Dodge Ram parked next to the curb in front of his house. Keith’s truck. It was empty. At the back gate he saw the glow from the widow of the garage apartment, and his blood simmered. No, it boiled.

He started to walk toward the house, but he froze. If she could so easily give up on what they had, then he wanted her out of his life forever. He didn’t care where she went, but she couldn’t stay. Not when he cared so much and she cared so little.

He took the stairs three at a time and crashed through the door. Keith sat in a recliner and Mia in his grandmother’s wooden rocker. They had the television on, and she cradled a bowl of popcorn in her lap, an Afghan around her shoulders. Large deep lavender eyes gazed into his soul.

“Augie?” She stood, passing the popcorn to Keith, and started toward him.

“Just fucking forget it.” He stormed out, slamming the door.

“Augie!”

“Leave me alone, Mia.” He heard her coming down the stairs.

“Mia?”

Augie turned at the sound of worry in Keith’s voice.

“I’m sorry, Keith, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Mia said.

“Is everything okay?”

Keith was advancing on them in the yard.

“Everything’s fine, just get lost,” Augie said.

“Mia?”

“I apologize. Augie’s got a problem, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving, I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

Augie’s eyes narrowed. Keith approached Mia. Not wanting to watch a goodnight kiss, Augie went into his house.

What the hell had he been thinking? As he stomped to his bedroom, he pulled at the knot in his tie. He took off his shirt and threw it across the bed. He knew she was standing in the doorway behind him, because the molecules in the room had shifted. He always knew when she was near. Turning to sit on the bed confirmed what he already knew. He started removing his shoes.

She cleared her throat. “Augie, what was that?”

What was that
? “I don’t know, Mia. You tell me. I come home and you’ve let Keith into your apartment.” He walked up to her, noting that her hands were clenched at her sides. “Did you have big plans, high hopes? Did you enjoy the goodnight kiss? Ready to put your loss of virginity to use?”

In slow motion, her hand came up to his face and made contact, leaving the skin stinging and hot.

She squared her shoulders, lifting herself to her full height. “You don’t play fair. Be mad, angry even, but I never thought you would insult me. Have I ever given you reason to assume I’m going to be promiscuous?”

She hadn’t. Far from it.

“No, but what am I supposed to think? I get here and he’s up there.” He waved his arm wildly. “You two all cozy and alone.”

“Is that a crime?”

He knew he needed to answer her. “No.”

“We’d just started a movie. And to me cozy implies touching, which we were not doing. And there was no goodnight kiss. But I don’t need to tell you things you already know. Why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you.”

He leaned against the dresser, scrubbing at his face. “You bear my name, you’re wearing my ring, for Christ sake, and we’re married.” He shrugged. “I thought that meant something to you, but I guess I was wrong.”

She got in his face, her index finger pushing at his chest while her hand went to her hip. “Are you serious? We’re not married. With a marriage comes companionship, intimacy, and love. You couldn’t get me out of your house fast enough. No companionship there. Certainly no intimacy. You’ve completely ignored me and yet now you want to hold the vows we made against me? I cry foul. And what about you? You didn’t keep any vows. Maybe you haven’t slept around yet, but you sure as hell haven’t cared for me the way a man cares for his wife. The way I thought you—” She dropped her hand. “The way I wanted …” She stepped back. “Forget it. I’ll go back to Canada.” The other hand went to her hip. “And did you ever stop to think that the only person I know here is my sister and that we’ve never been super close? She’s been tied up with Clay; where does that leave me? Do you think I should just sit home for weeks on end hoping that you’ll invite me over?”

She was beautiful when she was pissed. Her hair whipped around her cheeks and waved with her efforts, mimicking the flow in the skirt of her dress. Her eyes simmered like dark purple lava, and her chest rose and fell swiftly, and Augie imagined sliding her dress down, exposing her breasts to his gaze. Delicate bare feet stole his attention.

“Where are your shoes?”

“What?”

“Your shoes; you’re barefoot.”

Hands still on her waist, her mouth opened, but she was speechless. Good. A perfect opportunity for him.

He lunged forward, capturing her lips with his, her taste as sweet as he remembered. Expertly his hands slid the zipper of the dress down and he let if fall to the floor until she stood in nothing but a white lace thong.

Gasping when she realized what he’d done, she bent to grab her dress and pull it up, but his hands intercepted her. “Do you honestly think I’m going to have sex with you?” she asked. “Have you even been listening to me?”

“I have and you will.” His voice was raspy and low.

“You’re such an arrogant bastard.”

She turned from him, clutching her dress in one hand. He grabbed her free arm and pulled her to his chest, her back to his front. He swept her hair over her left shoulder, grazing his teeth down the exposed column of her neck. She trembled in his arms. He knew this woman, his wife, Mrs. Roy. It felt indulgent to touch her after what felt like an eternity. He wouldn’t waste another moment denying what his body and his heart had known all along—he needed her healing touch to make him whole.

He nipped up to her ear, taking her lobe between his teeth. His free hand captured hers, causing her to release the dress. It fell to the floor, and he picked her up, moving to the bed. He released her, leaving a hand on her back so that she was bent over the bed. His hand snaked into her underwear, landing between her legs, and he fingered her soft folds. Using her moisture, he lathered her into a preclimactic state—that place where you would do anything to be freed. He stopped just short of giving her what she needed and wrenched her underwear in two with his hands. He pushed his pants and his boxers off.

He lifted her and threw her down on to the bed, turning her onto her back. His hands at the backs of her thighs, he pushed her legs to her chest, opening her to him. Opening her to his eyes and his hands and his intentions. Opening her to his determination to bring her pleasure.

She fought him, pushing against his shoulders and twisting her hips in an attempt to wiggle free.

He held her wrists and hovered over her face, his nose to hers. “You’re not going anywhere, so you can quit struggling.”

She squirmed some more, and her right leg straightened out. He felt the momentum and narrowly missed having her knee collide with his erect cock.

“That’s not very nice, sweet Mia. After all this time, I thought you’d be happy to feel my stiff cock inside of you; hard from just the sight of you. After all, you told me enough times how much you wanted me to make love to you. Begged me to take you.” Still holding her wrists tight, he bent over and kissed her brows, her nose, her lips. “Begged me to press deep inside you and rock you and fill you.”

He bit her lower lip and tugged. Then he kissed her long and deep, her eager mouth telling him without words how much she wanted him.

“Are you saying no?” he asked against her mouth, teasing her.

“N-n-nooo,” she sighed.

“No?”

“No,
not
no.”

He chuckled. “So yes, yes or yes, no?”

“Yes, yes, damn you, yes!”

His knee pushed her legs open, and he slipped fully into her warmth, her welcoming, luscious warmth. She took him to the root and gasped out his name.

“What’s that, babe? Miss me?” He laughed. Her expressive eyes were lost to his gaze when she closed them. “Forget the rules already, love?”

Her eyes opened, blazing at him. “Love? You never once told me you love me.”

He smiled, trying to relax her. “Forgive me. I’ve been a total fuckbag.” He didn’t move inside her, just held her wrists. Her legs were kept bound by his thighs as he took her bottom lip between his teeth, then kissed her, slipping his tongue into her wet steamy heat. “Mmm, sweet Michaela, you taste like bananas.”

She groaned, arching her neck to follow his mouth. “Lip gloss.” Her voice was breathy.

Looking into her eyes, those beautiful lavender-gray eyes, he saw their future, their forever. “Mia, I love you. God, I love you so much I’m rendered useless by my obsession for you. I’ve gotten nothing done for weeks, just pushed papers around my desk. I’ve missed you so damn much. Missed your companionship. Missed your talk and your games. Missed you cooking for me and your nurturing spirit.” He shivered. “I simply missed looking at you.” He swallowed thickly. “And your touch, God, I can’t live without your cleansing touch. You make my life worth something to me. I want to live longer just to experience more of you.”

He leaned down again, kissing along her jaw. “Love is a short four-letter word; my feelings for you are much bigger than that. Grander. Wider. Deeper. I’m crazy with desire for you. I fucking adore you.” He rained kisses over her face and chest and neck. “I’m out of control. This whole situation is out of control. I don’t know anything except that to survive,
I need you
. Say you’ll stay here with me forever.”