Real Men Don't Drink Appletinis (4 page)

A physical cut but also
an emotional one—deeper than any stab wound and right to the gut
and if he was being honest with himself, to the heart.

Ava opened the door to
the bathroom. “Wow! I think I might swoon.”

Grady pulled her into
his arms. “Good, then I’ll take you back to bed.” The touch of
her hand on the smoothness of his face reached into his heart pulling
feelings of love from its recesses.

“You don’t have to
come. It’s my goddaughter’s christening and Victoria is—.”

“Shush, we don’t
have much time left and I want to be with you.” In truth, he needed
more than she could be expected to give, whether it was to wait
months for him to come home or to worry if he was going to make it
back at all. Selfishness of the highest order and Grady was taught to
be selfless.

Is it really that or
are you scared shitless she’ll say no? Hell no, I’m a SEAL.
But fearlessly laying down his life for his country seemed like
child’s play compared to putting his heart in jeopardy. Time to
man-up.

The smile Ava plastered
on her face for the party was ready to crack. Grady placed his glass
of scotch down and let Russ place baby Brianna in his arms. The big
man made ridiculous noises causing the baby to coo back. When he
looked up locking his gaze on hers she had to swallow back the pain.
That would never be Grady holding their child. What was wrong with
her? She acted like they’d been together for two years instead of
two weeks.

Victoria swooped and
tugged Ava away. “He cleans up handsome! I almost don’t recognize
the sexy beast from the bar.”

“I kind of prefer the
mussed up look myself.” And she did, but that didn’t stop Ava
from wondering what it would feel like to have his naked lips all
over her body. “Thanks for not telling anyone who he is.”

“No worries. I like
being part of the conspiracy.” Victoria took a sip of her Cosmo
before stating, “He’ll ask.”

“Ask what? To marry
me? This isn’t the movies.”

“Whoa girl, I was
thinking along the lines of hooking up again. Seems someone is a
couple of steps ahead.”

Ava blushed thinking
how right Victoria was. Without an ounce of encouragement, Ava had
secretly daydreamed about a future with Grady. What if he did ask to
see her again? Was he ‘a girl in every port’ type of man? She
didn’t think so but how well did she really know him.

Brianna started to fuss
and Victoria said, “I better go save your man.”

Ava headed for the
kitchen to make another appletini. Maybe, she’d try something
stronger—a scotch like the one Grady was nursing before he cradled
Victoria’s baby girl in his arms.

Several times she
thought he’d ask for more or at least mentioned that he wanted to
see her again. So involved in her pity party she didn’t hear Grady
come in.

“Let me take a sip.”
He gently took the glass out of her hand.

“No—.”

“Hey, these taste
pretty good.”

She loved the way he
licked his lips and again she anticipated the feel on them on her
body without the moustache and beard. “But—.”

He took another sip.
“Mmm, tastes like a sour apple Jolly Rancher.”

“Appletinis are for
girls.”

“James Bond drinks
martinis.”

Ava was about to make
the same argument she made to Victoria when Grady pulled her into his
arms that could and probably had killed men, though held her with a
gentleness that melted her resolve to be strong. A well of tears
threatened. A litany of begging words on the tip of her tongue had to
be bitten back. Two weeks wasn’t enough to last a lifetime without
him.

Damn Victoria and Russ
for making her believe in happy ever after.

“Besides scotch and
appletinis don’t mix well together when kissing.”

His lips claimed hers;
his fingers weaved through the waves of her hair. The tart sweetness
of his soft kiss contrasted with the hefty hard-on pressing against
her, confirming real men did drink appletinis.

“Ava, baby,” he
whispered before deepening the kiss until she was drunk only on him.
Grady pulled away and placed his hand on her cheek, with a thumb he
swiped away a tear she hadn’t realized she’d shed.

“Did you know
Delaware is the midway point between Virginia and NYC?”

“No.” Ava’s heart
lifted as hope fluttered inside her chest.

“It could work, you
know. Us.”

“Us?” The flutter
morphed into rapid beat and she had to choke back the well of emotion
before she broke into a pool of happy tears.

Grady kissed the tip of
her nose. “A house maybe and whenever I get leave we could leave
our jobs behind. Just us, like these past two weeks.”

The oxygen must not be
getting to her brain because she could only utter, “Us?”

“I’m not doing a
very good job of this.” Taking her hands in his he lightly caressed
his thumbs over hers. Grady dragged in a deep breath then let it go
above her head in a one long swoosh. Then he dropped his gaze to
hers. “I never asked a woman this, but Ava I’m asking you, will
you wait for me?”

In his misty green eyes
she read her future of tortured goodbyes but also the joy of
homecomings. “Yes, I’ll wait for you.”

Hugging him tightly,
she vowed to cherish this day. When she missed him the most, in the
quiet minutes before sleep she’d relive it in her heart knowing
distances could be bridged and a lifetime lived in moments. Together
they would do both.

Liz Matis is a
mild manner accountant by day and romance author by night. Married 28
years she believes in happy-ever-afters!

Fun Fact: Liz read
her first romance at the age of fifteen and soon after wrote her
first romances starring her friends and their latest crushes!

Keep in touch
with Liz at:

Blog:
http://www.taoofliz.blogspot.com

Email:
[email protected]

Twitter:
@LizMatis

Facebook:
Liz Matis Fan Page

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289185.Liz_Matis

If you loved this sexy short why not try one of my longer books!

AVAILABLE
NOW:

Love
By Design by Liz Matis (Russ and Victoria’s story)

Design
Intervention starts the second season with its own surprise makeover.
Interior designer Victoria Bryce must break in her temporary co-host,
Aussie Russ Rowland.

Sparks fly on
camera as they argue over paint colors and measurement mishaps
leading to passions igniting behind the scenes. But when their pasts
collide with the present will the foundation they built withstand the
final reveal?

Playing
For Keeps (“Fantasy” Football – Season 1) by Liz Matis

Winner of the
NECRWA First Kiss Contest

Journalist
Samantha Jameson always wanted to be one of the boys, but

Ryan Terell won’t
let her join the club.

Ryan Terell is a
playmaker on and off the field, but when Samantha uncovers his moves,
he throws out the playbook. Just as he claims his sweetest victory,
Samantha’s investigation into a steroid scandal involving his team
forces him to call a time-out to their off the record trysts. But
then a life threatening injury on the field will force them both to
decide just how far they’ll go to win the game.

Going
For It (“Fantasy” Football – Season 2) by Liz Matis

Pro football
player Jake Miller’s game plan for winning back supermodel Hannah
Hahn is play action in the bedroom. Once he sees beyond the swimsuits
and lingerie, feelings of love blindside him, changing the rules of
the game.

Hannah owns the
runway, but that success came with a price and a secret that’s kept
her from trusting a man until Jake crashes through her defenses.

The paparazzi love the beauty and the beast couple but the tabloid
rumors turn ugly and test the fragile trust between them. Then Hannah
loses an ad campaign to fashion’s new ‘it’ girl. Her desperate
reaction will cause Jake to challenge everything she’s ever
believed about herself.

Coming Soon:

Kiss Shot (“Fantasy” Football – Season 3)

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