No Reservations (Special Ops: Tribute Book 1) (13 page)

“That’s a great idea.”

“And a free scoop of ice cream if you’re in uniform.”

“Becca, we’d never make a profit. Half the people in this
town are in uniform.”

“Okay, okay. But a discount.”

“Sure. That’s cool by me.”

“Thank Bridget for me, okay?” she said. “She sounds like someone
special.”

“She is. She really is. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“You really like this one, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you dating her then?”

“No.”

“Do you still want to?”

“Any man would want to date Bridget. But she practically
winces every time I get too close to her.”

“Well, it sounds to me like there’s a story there. You just
have to find out what it is.”

Becca didn’t know the half of it, Maddox thought after closing
their conversation and trotting back downstairs, only to see that the fire had
burned out and Bridget was no longer enjoying a glass of wine in front of it.

He pondered all that Bridget had confided in him tonight. How
could that affect a person, growing up with a dad who struggled to escape his
past?

And was that why she pulled away every time he was near?

Just hold on till Becca gets here.

That’s all Bridget had to do. Once she met Becca—saw
her and her son—things would be easier. She’d never feel this level of attraction
for Maddox after Becca came to town. At least she hoped not.

But
right now
was what she had to contend with, she
reminded herself, gathering a few snacks and drinks for her and Maddox to enjoy
during today’s Blue Angels’ flight demonstration.

Eyeing the pile of them, she pondered whether to put them in
a plastic grocery bag or the cute wicker picnic basket she had. A picnic
basket, Bridget decided, was too
Donna Reed
, as Leia would say. So she
reached for a couple plastic Safeway bags and stuffed them full.

He was
not
baiting her. And she’d be damned if she’d
bait him.

Just outside the kitchen, she heard him bound down the
stairs.

“We better get going,” she told him when he came into the
room. “City Dock gets packed quickly.”

“Actually,” he replied, “I thought of a spot where we won’t
have to fight for a place to sit down.”

“Oh, you won’t find any. Everyplace is packed.”

“I have an idea.” He curled his finger, luring her toward him.

She looked at him warily as they went out the back door. Her
eyes widened at the sight of a ladder propped up against her house.

“I picked it up at the hardware store. Figured I’d need a
ladder at some point in my renovation.”

She bit the side of her mouth. “Um, nice ladder, Maddox. But
we really should get going.”

“You’re not getting it. We’re going to see the show from
your roof.”

She paled. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not going up
there.”

“Bridget, it’s a low pitch. You could tap dance up there and
still not fall off.”

“Oh, really? I’d like to see you try that.”

“Don’t tempt me. I’ll do anything on a dare.” He reached for
her hand, swinging it momentarily before tugging her toward the ladder.

Feeling her hormones spike, she pulled her hand away and
brushed it through her hair awkwardly, taking one step backward.

Tilting his head, he closed the distance between them. “Look—I
got the idea when you said you wanted to build a roof deck. Don’t you think it
might be smart to see if we even get a good view of the Blue Angels from here
before you go and invest that kind of money?”

Remaining silent as she stared at the roof, her brow
furrowed.

“You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” he asked.

“No. But I am afraid of falling. I kind of like all my bones
unbroken, you know.”

He reached for her again, this time, settling his hand on
her shoulder. “Bridget, I will
not
let you fall.”

She felt lost in the wave of sincerity flowing from his
gaze.

He moved over to the ladder. “Solid as a rock.” To
demonstrate, he climbed all the way to the top and stood upright on the roof. “See?
It’s a breeze. It’s practically got less incline than walking down Main Street
toward the water.”

He climbed back down. “Give it a try. A roof deck is a
pretty ambitious project. It would be a shame if you didn’t know what your
money was buying.”

Staring upward, she pressed her lips together. “You’ll hold
the ladder while I climb up?”

“I’ll be right here.”

“And no joking around. No pretending it’s going to fall or
something.”

“Cross my heart. No joking around.” He stroked his chest
with his index finger making a cross sign.

Bridget eyed him, and then let her eyes float upward. It
would be smart to see if her roof even had a good view of the event. She gave a
quick nod and climbed up.

“It’s a mighty fine view I have from down here, Miss
Bridget,” he teased, making Bridget keenly aware of the backside she was
presenting him with.

“You promised no joking around.”

“Who’s joking?”

He retrieved the plastic bags she’d set on the grass and
climbed up to join her.

She didn’t dare stand, but found she didn’t have to. The
view was spectacular. The sky was open wide above her, a vibrant blue with
cotton ball clouds.

“Pretty fine view from up here, too,” he commented, sitting
down to join her.

“I can’t believe my aunt never added a deck up here.”

He shrugged. “It’d be expensive. And if she was struggling
as much as you say she was, I can understand why she didn’t. But you’re right.
Long-term, I think it would be a great investment.” He popped the top of a soda
and handed it to her. “Do you think you’d be able to see the fireworks from
here?”

“Definitely. But check that out,” she said, pointing. “I can
see the water. I had no idea I’d have a water view from this high up. People will
pay a lot more to stay here with that.”

Sitting alongside her, his body was flush against her side,
making her heart rate accelerate exponentially.

Too tempting. Too damn tempting. Her eyes flickered shut,
taking in the slightly soapy scent of him. Why would he sit this close to her
if he only wanted to be friends?

She needed to say something. She needed him to just give her
an inch of space between them so that she could feel some semblance of control.
But the words were lodged firmly in her throat. It just felt so good—this
closeness.

She tried to silence the warring voices in her head, till
they were drowned out by a rumble so loud it vibrated the roof beneath her.

Six planes soared directly over them, so close that Bridget
swore she could nearly reach up and touch them.

“Oh my God!” she cried at the same time he let out a raging
expletive.

“Think you got the view you wanted?” he exclaimed over the
noise.

The planes split formation, high in the sky above them,
forming a starburst that took Bridget’s breath away.

“Definitely,” she shouted back. She’d seen this before, she
kept reminding herself. There was no reason that watching them should still
thrill her like it was her first time. But the danger was always there, and it
made her tremble each time they tore through the air, lightning fast and seeming
within arm’s reach of each other.

Slicing through the sky in tight formation, then twisting, one
slight mistake would spell tragedy above her. But time and again, she squealed
and clapped like an excited schoolgirl as they made their maneuvers seem so
brilliantly easy for them.

Resting the back of her head on her hands, she stretched out
on the roof. She could picture it up here in years to come. Her, refilling wine
glasses for her guests as they enjoyed the show for the first time themselves. How
wonderful to be able to give them this kind of experience—a retreat above
Annapolis, without the crowds.

And how grateful she was to her aunt for giving her this
opportunity,

She sent a silent prayer of thanks to her on the wings of
one of the Blue Angels as it jetted upward. And she hoped it reached her aunt. A
lump lodged in her throat and tears smarted behind her eyes.

“I need one,” she said, her voice seeming so soft against
the blasting engines of the planes.

“What?”

“I need one,” she repeated grinning as her eyes met his. “A
roof deck. I’m going to find a way to make it happen.”

Her muscles relaxed, sinking into her shingled roof as the
show continued above her until finally the air, which had been charged with the
energy of the Blue Angels, seemed to calm like ocean waves do after a perilous
storm.

“I think it’s over,” Maddox noticed.

Bridget shook her head. “Fat Albert sometimes makes a final
pass at the end.”

“Fat Albert?” he asked.

She bolted upright, spotting the C-130T Hercules in the
distance, flying low, and so slowly compared to the fighters that had soared
overhead a moment ago.

“There he is,” she observed, a smile spreading across her
face. “Now listen.”

“For what?”

“Shhh.”

And there it was—the sound of hundreds of horns blowing
from the boats in the harbor and neighboring waterways. “It’s the boats in the
Bay. They sound their horns at the end of the show—to say thank you, I
guess.”

He tossed her a curious look. “How is it that you know this,
and I don’t? I’m the one who was in the Navy.”

“Well, you just didn’t spend enough time in Annapolis, I
guess.” Her tone was coy, borderline flirtatious, and she couldn’t help it.

“I didn’t spend
any
time in Annapolis,” he corrected.
“I was invited to a wedding out here once—Becca’s brother’s
actually—but I was on a mission.”

“You were missing out.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to see that.”

As he started to move toward the ladder, she impulsively
reached out to touch her hand to his. “This was the best idea. Thanks for thinking
of it, Maddox.”

“No problem. I’ll go down first, so I can hold the ladder
for you.”

“I won’t argue with you there.”

With complete ease, he maneuvered his way down the ladder. “Just
come down facing the house. It’s a breeze.”

“Says you,” she muttered, feeling way too vulnerable as each
foot searched blindly for the next rung.

On either side of the ladder, Maddox’s hands firmly gripped it
so that it didn’t move as she descended. Finally on solid ground, she turned, and
with Maddox still holding the ladder at each side, she was completely engulfed
by his arms.

They both froze momentarily, their eyes locked on each
other, and Bridget lost all rationale. All the sense slipped from her
fingertips as she raised her hands to his face and lightly touched his cheeks.

Moving his lips to hers, the kiss she felt was so
feather-light, so gentle that Bridget wasn’t sure that it had even happened,
until her body flashed red-hot with desire. He pulled back only momentarily,
barely a split second for her brain to cry out for more, when his eyes blazed with
hunger and his mouth took her, again searing her, marking her as his own.

She yielded to him, all thoughts escaping her, all reasoning
be damned. She gave in to the onslaught of sensations as his mouth devoured
her. A purr gathered in her throat at the feel of her tongue against his teeth.
Fisting his shirt at his back, she clawed at the warm material, aching to feel
the flesh beneath it.

He was hot, so hot from lying in the sun, yet the feel of
his skin against her fingertips refreshed her, giving her an energy that surged
from her core.

Pressed against her, his body sandwiched her between him and
the ladder behind her, and she didn’t even think to complain about the feel of
the hard rungs against her backside. She only used it as an excuse to press
herself harder against him, the firm ripples of his chest molded against her.

Shifting, he lowered one hand from the ladder and pressed it
against the small of her back. She could feel the ridge of his erection pulse
against her as his tongue raked against her teeth, tasting of potato chips and cola
and something else that was uniquely Maddox.

The ladder slid behind her, just enough that he pulled her
into his embrace to stop her from losing her balance. One of his arms swung out
to grasp the ladder and prevent it from falling, and their kiss broke just long
enough for her to catch her breath.

Just long enough for the guilt to creep into her soul.

“Oh my God.” Eyes wide, her hand touched her lips. “I’m so
sorry, Maddox.”

“Why are you sorry?” His voice was breathless.

After adjusting the ladder, he went to hold her again, but
she pulled back. Rationale had returned and all that she could think of was a
war widow and her son who were moving to Annapolis to be with this man.

Utter disbelief crossed her features. “
Why
am I
sorry? We can’t do this. I—I value your friendship too much. I—” Her
voice cracked. How could she have let this happen?

“And we can’t be more than friends?”

“Of course not!” she spat in horror. “How could you even
think we could?”

Leia’s unheeded warnings about men started screaming in her
brain and everything she believed about Maddox threatened to be a lie.

“I’m lost here, Bridget.” He looked like he was choosing his
words carefully, deliberately.

She narrowed her eyes.
Son of a bitch
. “You’re lost? And
what? I’m supposed to
find
you or something? While Becca’s out of the
picture, I’m supposed to be some kind of stand-in or something?”

His spine straightened. “What the hell does Becca have to do
with this?”

“She’s your girlfriend, for God’s sake. She has everything
to do with this. I mean, I know you’re not married to her, but come on. She’s
moving out here to be with you. She’s bringing her son—”