Touched By Midas (SEALs Going Hot Book 4) (11 page)

“There he is,” Midas murmured as much to himself as to Angie. “I never thought I would see the day I’d actually meet him.”

Bussey’s big eyes grew large behind his purple, wire-framed glasses.

“Raven?” The self-proclaimed Rock-And-Roll Pirate held out his thin arms. “Baby, what are you doing here?”

Midas quickly glanced over both shoulders. Who was he talking to?

Angie pulled her hand free and went straight into Bussey’s embrace. The old rocker held her tight and swayed back and forth as though comforting her.

Midas’ head tilted as he took in the surreal scene. What the holy hell?

When Bussey released Angie from his hold, she stood in between both Bussey and Dara. She waved a hand in Midas’ direction.

“Daddy, Mom, this is Chief Petty Officer Michael Baudine.”

Daddy? Mom?

Midas felt the blood drain from his face as he took in the similarities between Bussey, Dara and the woman he thought was Angie Summers.

Summers!

He flinched. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Angie Summers was Raven Angelina Summers, their daughter. She’d spent the afternoon with her parents, not another man. No wonder she’d been so reluctant to go to the concert with him, as well as talk about her family.

Jesus! How could he be so blind?

But what in the wide, wide world was she doing in Rota, Spain, working as a teacher? And what was up with the short, black hair and glasses? Raven Summers was a blonde, rock-and-roll wild child.

Midas put out a shaky hand to Bussey, debating on how to address the famous man whose daughter he’d been sleeping with.

“Mr. Stephens,” he finally managed to say.

“So you’re the sailor Raven told us so much about today.”

Bussey gave Midas the once over. His lack of facial expression provided no clue as to what exactly Angie, no, Raven, had said.

Meeting any girl’s father was rough, but meeting a celebrity dad who happened to be an eighties icon was tougher than a two dollar steak. If only he could have a little time to prepare.

Dara’s cheeks pulled up to reveal a million dollar smile. The same smile he’d seen on Raven while she danced at the fair. The same one he’d thought about so many times since he’d met her. How could he not have seen through her disguise?

“Hello, darling. I’m delighted to we got a chance to meet you before we toddle off to the next gig.” Dara’s voice, bubbly and thoroughly British, matched the effervescent personality she was known for. “Thank you for showing our daughter such a splendid time. It sounds like you two have had quite a week.”

They had indeed had quite a week. One he’d never forget and wanted to repeat. But he couldn’t ignore Raven’s frosty glare. If only Ox had kept his big trap shut.

If only I had told her the truth.

“Why don’t you snap a few pictures with my parents, Midas. I bet your buddies back at home will be thrilled,” Angie said, adding extra emphasis to the word
bet
. She kissed both her parents on the cheek. “I love you both very much, but I need to leave. Be sure to give me a call when you get to Moròn.”

Without another peep, she walked off, being sure to give Midas a wide birth.

His heart met his stomach, which was still dragging the floor. If he felt any lower, he’d be whale poop.

“I’m guessing you did something to piss off my little girl.” Bussey crossed his arms.

Strike that. He could feel lower than whale poop.

Midas nodded. Time to man up.

“Yes sir. I did. Now I’m concerned she’ll never want to speak to me again.”

“She probably won’t,” Dara said, still smiling. “Raven’s very good at holding a grudge. She gets her stubbornness from her father.”

“How about you telling us what you did?” Bussey set down the drink he’d been holding and gestured to a chair near a couch. “Take as much time as you need. I don’t need to be Moròn until tomorrow night. You have my full attention.”

Midas stifled a groan. These people, these two legends the world round, were going to hate him as much as Raven did. Worse, because she was their daughter. Less than a week ago, he’d not even been on the rock star’s radar. Now he pinged on that radar as though he was an advancing nuclear sub. He’d be lucky if Bussey didn’t sic his entire staff of body guards on his ass. If anyone hurt a member of his family, wouldn’t he do the same? Hell yes, and then some.

Midas squared his shoulders. He deserved this. Let the beatings begin.

Chapter Ten

If she weren’t so incredibly miserable, she might have enjoyed seeing another man crumble before her. Oh how the mighty did tumble. At least she tried to avoid having Midas make an idiot of himself in front of her parents. She told him no when he wanted to take her back stage, but he insisted. His humiliation served him right for using her.

Although she truly thought Midas was better than the guys from her past, the SEAL turned out to be one whopping disappointment. She had to give him a hand. He’d gotten closer to her than any other bottom-dwelling, scum-sucking tool of a man.

To top things off, her cover had been blown. He knew who she really was. The daughter of legendary Bussey Stevens and Dara Summers. She might just top off his list of sexual achievements. Fuel for bragging rights for quite some time. How many fist bumps, high fives and atta-boys from his friends back home would she end up being worth?

She rolled her eyes in disgust. Were all men pigs? Would she ever find a nice guy who would help her build the kind of life she wanted? One less boring than the one she currently had, but quiet and intimate enough to be special.

Going underground again was not an option. Let the world know Raven Angelina Summers was living in Spain and working as a teacher. Her lack of anonymity no longer compelled her to act like the girl she had been. No. She was a woman now who knew what she wanted and could better judge the people she associated with. When the world discovered she was no longer a wild child and the media dust settled, she could move on as herself. Her new self.

Unfortunately, that little bright spot didn’t make the hurt from her broken heart any less painful. She’d fallen in love with Midas and his big family who made her feel so much at home. In one slip of the mouth from his friend Ox, the entire web of relationships she’d spun with each of them had been whisked away.

Angie scooted back in her lounge chair, batted the used tissues surrounding her to the ground, and tucked her knees up to her chest. High above, a star shot across the night sky. She closed her eyes, remembering the foolish wishes she had made the night before. When she opened them, a scream ripped from her mouth.

A shape moved with purpose toward her from the dark corner of her yard. Terrified, she glanced around for something that might work as a weapon. The only things she could find were a box of Kleenex and an empty red Solo cup.

Grabbing the rim of the cup, she scrambled to her bare feet to face the intruder.

“Stop right there,” she shouted, holding the plastic cup high.

“Or what? You’re going to throw your drink on me?”

Midas emerged from the shadows.

Fury immediately fed her temper. Angie threw the cup at the overgrown ape. Empty, the Solo cup didn’t fly far. It fell to the concrete patio with a hollow
clunk
. She reached down and found the Kleenex box, then launched it. The small cardboard box merely bounced off his wide chest.

Midas stopped coming closer and held up his hands. “I come in peace. I need to talk to you.”

“How did you get in here?” Her heated words burned as they passed through her throat.

“I’m a Navy SEAL. It would take a little more than a masonry wall and metal gate to keep me out.”

Well, duh.

“You have two seconds to leave before I call the military police. I don’t ever want to see your face again, Midas. Not tonight, not the next time you’re in town, not in the next millennium.” She pointed angrily to the side walkway. “Get the fuck out and stay out.”

He lowered his hands.

“You seem really mad,” he said as though nothing had happened between them. “Can we talk? Please?”

“There is nothing you can possibly say that will fix things. You blew your chance.” She swallowed the piece of her heart that had suddenly lodged between her tonsils. “Go away.”

“I’m not going to leave until you at least hear me out. Then I’ll go for good.”

Why hadn’t she taken her cell phone with her when she sat outside? And why did her belly twist into a giant knot when he said he’d go for good?

“Fine. The sooner you finish, the sooner I can be rid of you.”

Midas took a tentative step closer. Angie took a step back.

“Hold up, sailor boy. I can hear you just fine where you are.”

It was hard enough having to look at his handsome face without dropping her resolve. She didn’t need the added pull of his cologne or his muscular frame to weaken her defenses.

“I made a mistake. I accepted a bet with my team I never should have considered.” He raked his fingers through the dark halo of curls framing his face. “I only did so to keep them safe.”

She snorted. “You bet you could get me to go to the concert thinking that would keep a team of SEALs safe? Do you even realize how ridiculous that sounds?”

“I was going to ask you out anyway,” he continued, undeterred. “But they all agreed they would…they said…they…”

Midas, the big strong Navy SEAL stood stammering in her back yard. He sounded so wretched, she almost pitied him.

Almost.

“They would what? What did you get by winning the bet?”

His let out a long sigh and rubbed his hand over his face. “No matter how I say this, it is going to sound a little crazy.”

“I know all about crazy. I majored in crazy growing up. Whatever you have to say, spit it out.”

“They…they promised they would eat six eggs and six pieces of bacon before each mission and wear saint metals under their T-shirts during missions,” he said in a rush. “That and tap their helmets three times—Father, Son, Holy Ghost—before jumping out of a plane or helicopter.”

Angie repeated his words in her head, analyzing each of them to ensure she’d not only heard him right, but found some sense in them. There simply was no sense to be had from his gibberish.

Apparently she spent too much time decoding his response.

“Luck!” he blurted. “They would do the things I always do so they would have luck. Doing those things would help keep them safe.”

She felt one eyebrow rise.

His shoulders rose and fell.

“That’s the truth, I swear. They agreed to copy my mission rituals if I was able to get you to the show with me.”

He couldn’t have been more right. He did sound crazy. Bat shit crazy. Just like her father.

Had she not seen and heard for herself his deep belief in luck and superstition the past week, she would have burst out laughing. But he was serious. Genuinely serious. She didn’t doubt he was telling her the truth.

Yet despite his motive, he’d used her.

Do you really think you would have agreed to go out with him if he had told you the truth? Would you have become involved with a man who sounded as though he’d eaten an apple from the loony tree?

Nope. No way in hell.

Her rigid stance softened.

“Okay,” she sighed, “I believe you. Thank you for setting the record straight.”

She wrapped her arms protectively around her waist, uncertain what would happen next.

Midas stared at her, his gaze lingering on her face, before giving his head a sharp nod. He started to turn as though to leave, but hesitated.

A moment passed, followed by another.

He stood there so long she was tempted to touch him, feel his solid body one last time before he was gone forever. A ghost. Clearly that was what was happening. This was their final good-bye.

A tear, hot and wet, rolled down her cheek. She’d thought her heart had cracked before he showed up and explained his actions. Now she was sure it was shattering. She had been touched by Midas, and she would never be the same.

His eyes glistened. His chest noticeably rose and fell with every breath.

What was he waiting for? Seeing him there, all handsome and grave, was killing her.

He suddenly strode toward her, his long legs eating the concrete between them. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.

“I don’t want a girlfriend. Understand? Having one will only lead to falling in love. I can’t have that. I can’t.”

More tears spilled from her eyes. The taste of salt filled her mouth. He was shredding her soul.

“I won’t have a steady relationship,” he said, his uneven voice sounding tortured. His jostling became more forceful. “I won’t do it for myself and my team.”

She couldn’t say a word. So overcome with emotion and heartache, her mind ceased to function. All she could do was watch Midas slowly fall apart.

“Don’t you understand? I can’t fall in love with you.”

He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her as though she were a lifeline. Tilting his head, he kissed her savagely, feasting on her lips, her cheeks, her neck. He buried his face in her hair, his body quaking violently.

“Oh Midas,” she sobbed uncontrollably. “What are you doing?”

“I don’t know.” He leaned back, his wet eyes searching hers. “I’m crazy about you, Angie. I did my best. I didn’t want to fall for you. It just happened.”

She couldn’t believe her ears.

“You’ve fallen for me?”

“Harder than I want to admit. I adore you. You’ve been the best thing to happen to me in a long time.” He drew her back into his embrace, placing his cheek on the side of her head. “Now I can’t imagine my life without you. I’m so sorry, Angie. So sorry.”

A strange concoction of disbelief, feelings of betrayal and hope swirled within her. But as much as she wanted to let slide his horrible transgression, she wasn’t sure she could.

“Sorry isn’t good enough, Midas.” She pulled back from his embrace and wiped a tear from her face with the back of a hand. “I have been used by men for as long as I can remember to help them with some kind of selfish gain. And that’s exactly what you did. You used me.”