Sunrise For Three: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 3) (3 page)

Marc nodded. “Colt, we have our first name for the list of suspects.”

Her gut told her Steven, her douche bag of an ex, wasn’t the one behind all the chaos though. She held back from saying anything, second-guessing the man would be a mistake.

Mia turned her attention to Marc. This near she could feel his heat surround her again. Her inner tigress purred, wanting more of whatever it was about him that had her so calm in his presence.

Holding her gaze, Marc spoke to Colt. “Call Tech, get our best guy up here and have them bring a burner phone on their way up.”

Colt peeled off from them and moved over to the speakerphone, relaying orders to their team.

“Mia…” Marc said her name on a long, drawn-out breath. She understood his frustration. After all, she was the one marked for death by some lunatic. She worried her lip. Her gaze on anything in the room but the man now sitting directly in front of her. “You keep biting your lip like that and I’ll do exactly what I’ve dreamed of since the day you walked into my office, Mia Vega.” His voice was a grave whisper of intent.

A shiver of desire rushed her.
Talk about straightforward
.

For the second time today Mia swallowed hard, only to find her mouth completely dry. This time it was out of pure shock. Marc Dangere just issued her a warning and she was tempted to see what he had to offer as a punishment or prize, depending on what his dream involved. She hoped something that would take her mind off the twisted events of the day.

Mia licked her bottom lip, soliciting a deep, throaty growl from Marc. His eyes heated and he settled his hand over hers where they rested on her lap. “Don’t push me, darling. I promise you I bite.”

Ahí Dios, por favor
.
God, please let him bite.
There went her inner tigress again.

Before she could test the chain and tempt the beast closer, Colt walked over and kneeled beside her. Both men surrounded her again, their nearness a delicious combination of comfort and relief. She was safe here. She needed to remember that. And Marc’s threat of something promising...she smiled inwardly.

“I just explained the situation to Walter Reid down in Tech. We’re getting the ball rolling on identifying who the hell’s behind the threats on your life, but they’ll need your phone for that. In the meantime, you can use this.” Colt passed the burner phone to her. “We stock a few here in the office for clients that require immediate action.”

Heat tinged her cheeks and she cringed. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Those pictures,” disgust left a nasty taste in her mouth, “they’re going to be out there for everyone to see.” She clasped a hand over her face. It took all she had to show
them
the violating images, now the guys in Tech would know what she looked like after going skinny-dipping and what she looked like in black lingerie too. She talked with them on a regular basis dealing with one thing or another for Marc and Colt. Now she’d never be able to look the Tech team in the eyes again. Maybe she should find another job?

“No, they won’t, sweetheart. I sent the pictures over to our secured phones a few minutes ago in case they’re ever needed and erased them from yours. Tech only needs to know what happened not see the evidence.”

Marc picked up from there. “That’s step one. Now we need your car. Did you drive it here this morning?”

Mia nodded. She had to wait for the car insurance man to come and look at the key scratches in her hood, which landed her a good hour and a half late to work. “It’s in the underground parking of this building, you can’t miss it. It’s the only one with a black bag taped to the hood.”

Colt moved over to the phone again to make a call with a grimmer look on his face than before.

Marc stood, this time to pace the small patch of hardwood floor between the table and the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Do you have any other family in town or close by besides your sister, Mia?”

“No.” Her sister, the only family she could speak of, lived almost three hours away in San Diego. Too far for a commute and she didn’t want to bring her into this if it would put her in danger as well.

“Then you’re coming back to the house with us tonight. It’s too dangerous to be on your own.” Marc’s words held no room for debate. Her ego bristled again and she tightened her fingers in her lap. What was it about men—especially military men—and their belief everyone would fall in line with what they think was best? Her father had been that way before he’d died. Her mother knew how to maneuver around his controlling tendencies, but Mia never understood why she put up with it in the first place.

A frown creased her brow. “Mr. Dangere, are you trying to get me in bed?”

Surprise flitted across his face, quickly replaced with a sizzling heat before doused with a stone cold stare, but he couldn’t hide the slight tilt to his lip. “And I thought I was direct, Miss Vega.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and held his gaze. It was amazing to watch the myriad of emotions right before his usual
cool, calm and collected
took over. What was he so afraid of? Six months and the past hour was the first time he’d even hinted at something more than the secretary and employer relationship. Why the change?

Colt on the other hand, was the smooth talker of the team. He cut in from his place by the phone. “We have a lot to discuss, sweetheart. But your safety takes top rack right now. Everything else has to wait.” He nailed her with a heated look that gave her a good indication of what ‘everything else’ entailed.

Demonios. They have this tag team duo down to a science.

“That’s a promise.” Marc cut in this time, and she held his gaze. She watched the golden specks in his brown eyes dance with banked emotions.

“I realize you guys are worried, and I am too, but there has to be some other way. I refuse to be run out of my home over a few pictures.”

Marc’s mouth hardened into a firm, stubborn flat line again. He had the look down pat.

Mia stood. Suddenly the room seemed too small. In a breathy voice she continued, “I do happen to have the state of the art home security system thanks to company benefits.” She plastered on a fake smile for their sakes. Or hers. Maybe both. Her insides quivered with a foreign mixture of fear and lust.

If she was going, now was the time. She wanted the two Marines more than her next breath, but pursuing the attraction they obviously shared wasn’t the wisest decision. Especially now. They’d have to figure something else out. “I know a hotel close enough for a cab ride.”

Both men shook their heads in unison. “What Marc said is true—you can’t be alone, Mia. Not for a while anyway. Let us find out what this is all about first. It could be a prank from your asshole ex gone overboard or it could be something graver than that and carry even more weight.” Colt made his way back over to them. “We don’t know who is responsible for this, and leaving you on your own wouldn’t settle well with me.”

“Or me, for that matter. Mia, you know this is more than just a few pictures. Playing coy doesn’t suit you. You’ve been issued a death threat. That’s serious shit in our book.” Colt tossed a reprimanding glare at Marc who shrugged it off before continuing. “Are you willing to put yourself in danger for your pride? Or have us sitting outside your house all night because there’s no way in hell we’re going to leave you out in the boondocks all alone?”

“In case you forgot, you two have a trip to prepare for. Speaking of,” Mia glanced at the big clock hanging on the back wall. Late afternoon had slipped into early evening. “The flight leaves for Puerto Vallarta in a little over seven hours. You can’t miss this meeting because of me. You’ve been working on closing the contract with your first international client for three weeks now. I don’t think rescheduling with the governor of Jalisco is a wise move. And sitting outside my house will do nothing but set you back in everything you’ve worked so hard to build. Beside, living in the country isn’t like living on another planet.”

Irritation ate at Mia’s resolve. !
Dios mío¡
, they knew how to layer on the guilt and fast. As much as she’d like to put her foot down, she had a sneaky feeling no matter where she stayed, if it wasn’t at their place, they’d be right where they promised—outside her place, watching over her like two stubborn
burros
.

She added this new tidbit of information to her growing pile of puzzle pieces she’d amassed over the last hour. Both Marc and Colt aroused her and perplexed her totally and completely.

“All the more reason to do as we ask, Mia.” Both Colt and Marc stood with her. As if by some unspoken code, they shifted their weight to their heels, digging in for the long haul of convincing her. She had half a mind to continue this, but she was no fool. One smile from Marc and a little tilted sexy grin from Colt would do her in
pronto
.

She let out an exasperated smile. With no family close by, Marc and Colt were her only option. For now. She could stay at their place tonight while they left on the red-eye flight for their business trip. Tomorrow she could work out other arrangements for lodging until this freaking nightmare was resolved. They couldn’t babysit her from a thousand miles away—she had to figure something out for herself.

“I have to go home first. I have to get a couple of things. No way I’m showing up to work tomorrow wearing the same thing. Especially after everyone sees me leaving with the two of you. Then… I guess… after that I’m all yours for the night.”

A wolfish grin slipped into place on Colt’s face while Marc watched her with a devilish glint in his eye. The golden specks lit like embers in the dark depth of his brown eyes. A heady rush of eagerness poured into her veins.

Both men were as much alike as they were different. Edgy, capable, dangerous and delicious.

Marc leaned a fraction closer and in a low, rough whisper said, “Indeed, darling.”

Chapter Two

SHIT SHIT SHIT
. He’d fucked up royally. When he saw Mia all decked out in the sexiest fucking lingerie a woman could seduce a man with, his eyes glazed over and his mind shut down. Then he’d scrolled and his jaw nearly hit the floor. Mia naked and dripping from her midnight skinny-dipping adventure was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He said the first damn thing that came to mind and he was still trying to pull his foot out of his mouth. If she hadn’t forgiven him, he didn’t know what he would have done.
You would have groveled, and you know it.

Marc flicked his eye to the rearview mirror where she sat next to Colt. Knowing someone had stalked her and disrespected her space kicked his adrenaline into overdrive and made him see red.

That fact, coupled with the hurt he’d seen in her eyes would haunt his dreams for a decade. He white-knuckled the steering wheel. Scratch that. Those amber eyes of hers would chase him into the grave and beyond for damn sure.

He bit back a curse and turned the car down the dirt road leading to Mia’s secluded, quaint country house, as she called it.

Large oak trees lined the road with thick brush that would do a damn good job of hiding a sniper. Dusk had fallen in the last forty-five minutes of their drive and within a half hour it would be pitch black out here.
Fuck, he hated the country
. When this was all over, the first thing on his agenda was to talk Mia into moving somewhere safer. Closer to him and Colt preferably.

She’d probably tell them off in both languages and promptly shove her foot up his rear for trying, but he’d take his chances.

Marc cast a glance to Colt through the rearview mirror. He could see the wheels turning and the man already calculating exit strategies and holdup areas if it came to that.

Loose gravel crunched beneath the weight of the large SUV. He approached the house slowly from the right when a damn floodlight kicked on, bouncing off the willow tree that stood sentinel over the aged country house’s entrance. Its hanging branches an impenetrable fortress even for the one hundred-watt light bulb.

His hairs stood up on the back of his neck and his gut did a drop and roll. Marc spoke to Mia over his shoulder. “Everything look like it should?”

Mia leaned forward, her gaze roaming over the entire perimeter of her property. “
Sí
,
todo está bien
. All’s good from what I can see.” It’s what he couldn’t see that bothered him. But he didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was. He glanced in the mirror again. Mia worried her lip and played with the hem of her skirt.

What a fucked up turn of events the day had taken. It had been Colt’s grand idea to spell everything out for Mia after work today. Marc had been against the idea for the past week he and Colt had been discussing it, but Colt felt it was time. He didn’t think so. She was too damn innocent for their kind of kink.

He took the wide rounded drive positioned between the willow tree and Mia’s front porch and parked with the hood facing the exit. Fast getaway was the name of the game in this business.

He didn’t like how he couldn’t see both sides of the house from this position, but he’d take the lesser of two evils.

“Sweetheart, you have peculiar taste in location and when we get this all worked out, we’re gonna have a talk about the lack of security you have,” Colt spoke up from the back seat.

“
Te dije
, I’ve already told you. I have the best security system there is.”

He cocked a brow and shook his head. He couldn’t blame Mia for not seeing the red flags like he and Colt did. They saw the world through jade-colored glass. She didn’t and that little fact could land her in a body bag fast.

Icy fingers of trepidation raked down his spine.

He shook them off and shoved the car into park. “We go in, get what you need and then we get the hell outta here. Colt, watch the perimeter. Keep an eye out on your six. I saw a beaten path through the woods on our way in.” Marc nodded in the direction of the worn walkway highlighted by the floodlight on the front of Mia’s house.

“Copy that. I caught it too. Where does it lead, Mia?” Colt reached over and took her hand. The small action shot a pang of jealousy through Marc’s gut. Not because his best friend was touching Mia, but because he wanted to help ease her stress too.

“It’s a path that leads down to the lake. I use it all the time.”

Her voice trailed off with a hint of embarrassment, no doubt thinking of the pictures she had to share with them this evening of her taking a liking to a midnight dip
al fresco
.

Marc’s reaction to what Mia said echoed Colt’s grim expression he caught in the rearview mirror. “Fabulous. Another way we can get ambushed.” Colt took the words out of his mouth. This was a minefield of danger zones.

“Let’s go.” Colt pulled his sidearm, taking point with Mia in the middle and Colt pulling up the rear. His own weapon at his side. “Keys?” Mia handed them over and they were inside within seconds. Mia punched in the security code. “Reset the system, sweetheart.” Mia did as Colt requested.

“I’ll only be a few minutes.” Mia turned to head upstairs. Marc took hold of her elbow. “I’ll go first.” That earned him a saucy exasperated eye roll, but he wasn’t taking chances. “I’ll be all right, guys. There’s nothing to worry about.” He liked the casual way she referred to him and Colt, a liberty she didn’t take in the office.

Images of her naked body pressed against Colt while Marc claimed her from behind flashed across his mind.
Now’s not the time, man
.

“We have the best damn system on the market, Mia. But that doesn’t mean it’s totally foolproof. Or that someone didn’t find a way in here. It pays to be cautious.”

Mia relented and stepped to the side for him to pass her on the stairs.

Colt did a ninety-degree turn on his heel toward the darkened living room. “I’ll clear the lower level while you two head upstairs. Let’s wrap this up fast.” With that, Colt peeled off, leaving him alone with Mia.

“The room on the left is mine.” Mia followed close on his heels, placing her hand on his lower back as they ascended the stairs.

They reached the landing and he paused. A single window took up the wall space dead ahead; dim lighting broke through the sheer curtain enough for him to see their surroundings. He expected to see plants, family photos and tables filled with knickknacks that made a home cozy. Maybe even an orange tabby running around. Not Mia. From the entry all the way up here, there was nothing to signal anyone lived here at all.

“Stay here. I’ll only be a minute.” He gathered her hand in his and gave it a light squeeze.

He kept the lights off as he crossed the threshold into Mia’s room, checking first the room then the closet space before ushering her in. “Where’s your suitcase?”

“It’s fine, Marc. I’ve got this. You’re kinda making me jumpy with all the commando stuff.”

“Sorry, darling, we don’t mean to scare you but it’s what I’m trained for, what Colt is trained for. Spotting danger and eliminating it. You just need to trust us.” He turned to the single window in the room directly opposite the bed and pulled the curtain back a few inches to scan the grounds below.

In the limited light, he watched Mia draw her lower lip into her mouth, her eyes downcast. As if she was assimilating his words.

She tipped her head and threw him a sideways glance. “
Está bien
, I understand.”

“We can’t get caught out here in the middle of nowhere, Mia. It was probably a bad idea to even come.”

Mia disappeared into her closet, then reemerged to place the items neatly folded on the corner of her bed. “Doesn’t your team know where we’re at?”

“True. Doesn’t make it a smart move though.”

“I’ll hurry.” He nodded and turned his attention back outside.

Mia moved closer to his position and reached to flick on the light. Damn. He stopped her with a hand less than an inch away from the switch. “No lights. Use this.” He passed her a pen flashlight, and clearly frustrated with him, she let out the sexiest damn sigh. He smiled, thankful she couldn’t see his reaction in the dark room. He didn’t think she would appreciate the humor he found in her little gestures.

Mia ducked into the bathroom across the hall and he followed. “Whooo, there buddy. I think I can handle this part on my own.” She pressed a hand to his chest and splayed her fingers. She quickly jerked her hand back and that just made his smile widen. He was getting very fond of making one Mia Vega exasperated with him. Her eyes lit up from the soft light of the flashlight and he could imagine her face flushed a pretty pink beneath her soft mocha-colored skin. He backed up a pace to put some much needed distance between him and temptation. Now sure the fuck wasn’t the time to play Romeo.

“Let’s keep it quick.” He kept his tone down where only she could hear him.

“So you’ve said a hundred times.”

And his nerves still danced on a high wire. They couldn’t get out of here fast enough to suit him.

He turned and stood guard outside the door while she did her thing. Finished, Mia exited with her toiletries and a duffle bag from a closet inside the bathroom he presumed. Damn, the woman was wicked fast. In the short time in the bathroom she’d managed to change into a snug white T, the ends tucked in the band of low-slung jeans that found every delicious curve the woman possessed. Lord have mercy on his sinful soul.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder, the flashlight focused on the floor. She arched a brow, and for a split second, all he could think about was pressing his lips against hers.

Marc cleared his thoughts and strode quickly across the hall to where she stood in front of her door. “Almost done?” He mentally shook his head and focused on his surroundings.

Before Mia could answer Colt bounded up the stairs, eating up the distance in less than three seconds, sidearm drawn.

“Get down,” he bellowed, his words blocked out by a car alarm milliseconds before an explosion shook the foundation of the house. All three hit the floor. “Fuck me, there went the SUV,” Colt bit out between clenched teeth.

Marc helped Mia up and tucked her into his embrace, hauling her back into her room. Colt followed hot on their heels. He turned to where Mia was situated between him and Colt.

“Oh, by the way, we’ve got company.”

“No screaming eagle shit! Stating the obvious, bro?”

“Be right back.” Colt turned on his heel, crouched down and eased out the door they had just come through.

“Where’s he going?” Even in the low light Marc could see her brow creased with worry.

He moved to the window and pulled the curtain back just enough to see the outer perimeter of the property. “To check our exits, darling. Don’t worry.”

As subtly as possible, he glanced over at Mia who now sat on the corner of her bed. Instead of the scared woman he expected to see, she looked pointedly at the gun he had and then back up at him. Her chest rose and fell, then she shocked the holy hell out of him. “Have an extra gun?”

“They’re coming in from our six like we thought.” Colt rejoined them and filled him in on the situation. “They’re staying under the radar and the south side of the property where the lake is located.”

“Good. We’ll use the porch ledge I saw out this window and cut them off before they round the house. Mia, lock the door and we’ll be back to get you in five.”

“They used the lake path?” Mia asked. Her breath came faster than usual, but she kept her eyes focused on the entrance to the room. No fear in sight.

Kneeling, Colt answered with a nod of his head. In two flicks, he produced his .38 special from the holster strapped around his ankle. He stood and handed it over. Mia checked the chambers then locked the revolver in place. And for some insane second all he could see was Mia shooting a gun. Fucking sexiest damn thing he’d ever lay eyes on. His dick twitched. He shifted gears and focused on the hostiles they were up against.

Then it clicked. “Where’d you learn to use that thing, darling?”

“When I was a kid, my sister had to work a lot, so I found extracurricular activities to occupy my time. Shooting was one of them.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I won a few competitions.” Did she just wink at him? His blood rushed south and this time there was no stopping his dick from responding to her flirtatious side.

Damn.

She turned the force of her attention to Colt. Thank God. He needed to shut this shit down. Now.

“Did you get an ID on who the hell is after me?”

“That would be a negative. It was too dark and they stuck to the side of the house where your floodlight couldn’t reach them. And that damn tree of yours blocked me from seeing them take out our exit strategy. I did see a vehicle though. Either black or navy blue.”

A cloud of uncertainty settled over Mia’s expression. Marc’s heart clenched at the sudden change. Her shoulders slumped and her head dipped where he couldn’t see her eyes. God, it boiled his blood to see her like this. The woman he knew was confident and didn’t back down from anyone. Not even him when he was all worked up over some dumb shit. Anger poisoned his veins and he clenched his fist at his side. If her ex had anything to do with this he’d be the one needing a restraining order.