Whirlwind (SAI Book 2) (29 page)

***

They drove down the highway, and Grady heard his phone buzz. “Honey, can you check that for me? I’m expecting a text from my buddy Ryan. He flew in last night, and he’s meeting me at SAI.”

Sara checked the phone and read the text. “He says that he’s going to meet you at eleven at the office.”

“That works out. Maybe we can take him to lunch after he meets everyone and show him around Miami.”

“So, who is Ryan, and where do you know him from?”

“He and I were on a platoon together when we were on Team Two. He retired about two months ago, and I’m hoping that I can talk him into joining SAI. He’s a rock-solid operator and a great guy. He lives in Virginia Beach, and I don’t think he has anything keeping him there. I want to grab him before Rorke does.”

“Does Rorke run the SAI office in Virginia?”

“Yes. How did you know that?”

“Vivi and Ruby were talking about him at the Fourth of July party. Apparently he’s dreamy-looking and very funny.”

Snorting, he glanced out the window. “Whatever. Can’t believe you all wasted your time talking about Rorke.”

“After we talked about our sex lives in detail, we moved on to the men who we thought were attractive. Women do it all the time.” Patting his hand, she smiled innocently. “You didn’t think that we sat around and talked about recipes and quilting, did you?”

“No.” He glanced over and saw her dig through her purse. She pulled out a lipstick and then applied it. Did women really talk about their sex lives? Jeez, he didn’t talk about his. Maybe when he was young and stupid, but he would never tell anyone about what happened between him and Sara. That was private and special and not anyone’s business.

“Where did Ryan stay last night?” she asked.

“At a hotel. TT set him up at a place in Coconut Grove, near where Joel and Vivi live. If he decides that he wants to join us, then I was thinking of offering him my house. He can stay there until he figures out where he wants to live.”

“That will be fun for the two of you. Maybe you two can have some parties and liven up the neighborhood.”

“I’m living with you, so he can have whatever kind of parties he wants.”

“Did I know that you were living with me?”

“I’m kind of hard to miss, honey. I haven’t slept at my house since the Fourth of July. That was almost a month ago. We share a bathroom, and I have clothes in the closet.”

Tapping her fingers against the door, she started to hum. “Well…I suppose it’s all right for now.”

“Do you want me to go back to my house?”

“No…I don’t. I probably won’t be able to sleep if you’re not there. Let’s just keep living together for now.”

The crushing enthusiasm was hard to take. Why did he feel like he’d talked her into something she had no interest in? Probably because he’d done it wrong. The message about living together was probably supposed to be wrapped up in a lot more hearts and flowers. He’d just assumed they were together and acted accordingly. Sara deserved more from him than that. He’d never romanced a woman before, so he had a lot to learn. Maybe he could ask Joel. After all, he’d gotten Vivi to fall in love with him, so he must’ve done something right.

***

Sara and Grady walked into SAI and were greeted by TT. “Hi there,” she called out. “You two make the cutest couple. Grady looks like a big, mean lion, and Sara looks like a sweet kindergarten teacher. Opposites do attract.”

Joel walked up, put his hand on his sister-in-law’s shoulder, and laughed. “What are you getting yourself into, TT?”

“Nothing. I was just commenting on how cute those two are. I’ll bet they’re going to have some good-looking babies. They both have beautiful eyes, so they’re pretty much guaranteed to have some delicious children.”

“Have you set Ivy up in an office yet?” Joel asked.

“Yes, I have. But I can tell that you want me to go check on her and quit talking about people and their babies.” She winked and then twirled around. “I’m off.”

Sara watched TT sashay down the hall and laughed. “She’s like having TNT in the office. What fun.”

“That’s what I keep telling myself,” Joel remarked. “I sometimes have to remind myself that beneath all of that jibber-jabber lies a very smart woman. Lord knows the kids in that family have intelligence, and TT is no exception. But the way she carries on sometimes makes me forget.”

“I like her and her crazy energy. It’s never dull with her in the office,” Grady commented.

“I should go find her,” Sara said, “because I brought a check with me today for the services you all have provided.” Just as she was about to walk away, Grady caught her hand.

“What did you say?” he bellowed.

“I know that you did not mean to shout at me in the middle of your workplace. So if you have something to ask me, then I suggest you moderate your tone.”

Gritting his teeth, he took her hand and led them down the hall. “Let’s talk about it in my office.”

“I’ll talk to you later,” Joel called after them.

Grady held the door for Sara and waited for her to walk in and sit down. Once she was settled, he carefully closed the door and walked over to his desk. He sat down slowly and took several calming breaths. “Honey, I hope you don’t think that we will accept payment from you.”

Slapping the envelope on the desk, she glared. “I most certainly do. I had Sam ask Hank what the cost would be for protective services. I think that I’ve calculated correctly. If not, let me know, and I will write another check.”

Leaning over, Grady picked up the envelope. He pulled his trash can out and proceeded to rip the envelope into shreds. “The fact that you think that we would charge you is insulting. I’m working very hard on not losing my temper.” He glared and took another breath. “It’s not going well.”

“I knew you were going to be stubborn about this.”

“You have no idea,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “Even if you were not my girlfriend, we don’t charge for protecting women. Never have and we never will.”

Sara crossed her arms and then her legs. “I don’t like it.”

“Tough.” The way she was looking at him with mean squinty eyes didn’t bother him in the least. “You can make dinner for the guys, and that would be thank-you enough.”

There was a knock at the door, and TT popped her head in. “A super handsome man wants to talk to you. His name is Ryan, and he’s a dreamboat. If I wasn’t already interested in Kyle, I would ask him out for coffee.”

Grady stood and walked around his desk. “Thanks, TT.”

Sara stood and was about to follow him out when Grady stopped. “What?” she asked.

“Where are you going?”

“To see the dreamboat. You have made me mad, and I may want to trade you in.”

He crowded her against the wall and lifted his arms to cage her in. When he was satisfied that all she could see and feel was him, he relaxed. “I’m going to make you mad a lot. There is no way around it. But you’re never going to trade me in, so just forget about it.” Slowly he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to hers. He felt her resistance for a second or two, and then she opened for him. Slicking his tongue inside, he took a moment to enjoy her taste.

When her hands wrapped around his shoulders, he let himself off the leash. He lifted his mouth away a second before he lost control and took her against the wall. “You can take out your anger on me tonight in bed.” Slowly he swept her hair off her cheek and rubbed his thumb over her lips. “Honey, we are the answer for one another.”

Pushing him away, she straightened her dress. “We’ll see.”

He let out a bark of laughter and took her hand. “I deserved that.” She mumbled something. He couldn’t hear it and figured that was probably best. He’d bet ten to one she was plotting her revenge. “I’ll introduce you to my friend and hope like hell you don’t fall for him.”

“I make no promises,” she replied. She stepped in front of him and swung her hips down the hall.

It was a hell of a view, and he didn’t mind that she was mad at him. He figured that getting back on her good side was going to be as much fun for him as it was for her.

Grady and Sara walked into the lobby, and he almost started laughing. Ryan stood facing a woman Grady had never met. The look in his friend’s eye was hilarious. He appeared poleaxed by the presence of the woman standing in front of him.

TT blew in and started making introductions. “You all haven’t met. Grady, this is Ivy. She flew in from San Diego last night. She is the new Vice President of Operations and Rory’s second-in-command.”

TT’s eyes bounced between Ryan and Ivy, and she shrugged her shoulders. “You two look like you’ve met and you didn’t care for the experience. But I’ve only been gone for five minutes, so I can’t imagine what he could’ve done in that short amount of time.”

“I’m innocent,” Ryan stated flatly.

Ivy smirked, threw her hair over her shoulder and turned toward Grady. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Before things could deteriorate further, Grady responded. “Nice to meet you, Ivy. Welcome to SAI.”

“Oh, my God. I love your shoes. Where did you find them?” Sara said excitedly.

“This is my girlfriend, Sara Montgomery, by the way.”

The women shook hands and dismissed the men. Grady stepped over to his friend and clapped him on the back. “Welcome to Miami. Thanks for coming down.”

“No problem. Rorke gave me a call last week, and I told him that I was already set to come down and talk to you.”

“Thank God. I was worried he was going to make an offer before we could.”

Sara turned away from the group and put her hand out to Ryan. “I’m sorry that I didn’t say hello. I had a moment of pure shoe lust and I forgot my manners.”

Ryan tipped back on his heels and laughed. “No problem. I hear it’s not that unusual.”

“If you don’t have plans, we’d like to invite you over for dinner tonight. It will give you two a chance to catch up.”

“Thanks, Sara. I would love to come. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages.”

Slipping her arm around Grady, she grinned. “We have a pool, so bring your trunks if you feel like a swim.”

“Sounds great.”

Grady noticed that Ryan was looking over Sara’s shoulder at Ivy with a strange expression. Something had gone on between the two of them, and he wondered what it was.

TT brought Ivy over and grabbed Sara’s arm. “We’re going to lunch, and we want you to come. Kyle is going to take us to his favorite place. He said he would be ready to go in fifteen minutes.”

“I would love to join you,” Sara replied. “Maybe we can ditch him after lunch and take Ivy shopping.” Turning to Ivy, she beamed. “I love the shoes you have on, and I need you to help me find a pair just like them.”

Ivy laughed and linked arms with Sara. “I would love to go shopping with you all. My mama taught me that shoes and religion are almost the same thing. She brought me up at the altar of the Nieman Marcus shoe department in Dallas, and I’m more than happy to share my spiritual journey with you.”

All three women laughed loudly and started talking a mile a minute. Grady enjoyed seeing Sara so excited and happy. He knew she hadn’t had any friends her age to hang out with in a very long time, and she needed them. He glanced down at Ivy’s shoes and laughed. They were sandals with little green fur balls as decorations. They bounced around her ankles
every time she moved.  If that’s what Sara wanted
, then he would be happy to buy them for her. “Have fun, ladies. We’ll see you back here later on.”

Sara leaned up kissed Grady. “See you later, gator.”

Before she walked off with the ladies, he stopped her. He grabbed his wallet and pulled out a credit card. “Here, honey. Take this in case you find a pair of shoes you like.”

Pushing his hand back, she laughed. “I’ve got plenty of money.” She twirled around and joined the women as they walked down the hall.

Grady watched her walk away and shrugged. “What the hell?”

Ryan stood next to him and slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s not a bad thing. The shoes Ivy has on probably cost over five hundred dollars. Your girlfriend just saved you a ton of money.”

“I don’t want to save a ton of money.” Turning, he glared at his friend. “Really…five hundred dollars?”

“Yeah.”

Grady pulled himself out of shock and turned toward his office. “Let’s go and talk in my office. Then Joel is going to join us, and we can go out to lunch.”

“Sounds good,” Ryan remarked.

When they were settled, Grady studied his friend. “Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Ivy?”

“I met her last night when her car was broken down on the roady. I stopped and offered to help and she tried to brush me off. I was just surprised to see her in the office.”

“It seemed like more than that, but I guess it’s none of my business.” Leaning back, he pulled out a folder that TT had prepared for Ryan. “This is information about the office, what we do, and the comp plan we would like to offer you.”

Ryan opened the folder and flipped through the papers. He whistled when he read the last page. “Is this number correct?”