Navy Brat

Her smile was sardonic. “Most men do.”

“I want to see you again.”

She didn’t hesitate, didn’t think about it. Nor did she delay answering. “No.”

“I apologize if I’m bruising your ego,” she added, “but frankly, I promised myself a long time ago to stay away from men in the military. It’s a hard-and-fast rule I live by. Trust me, it’s nothing personal.”

Brand sure as hell was taking it personally. “I don’t even tempt you?”

She hesitated and smiled gently before tugging her hand free from his grasp. “A little,” she admitted.

Brand had the feeling she was saying that to cater to his pride, which she’d managed to bruise every time she’d opened her mouth.

“As far as looks go, you’ve got an interesting face.”

An interesting face. Didn’t she know handsome when she saw it? Women had made pests of themselves in an effort to attract his attention for years. Some of his best friends had even admitted they hesitated before introducing him to their girlfriends.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said stiffly.

“It isn’t necessary, I—”

“I said I’d walk you to your car.” He stood and slapped two dollar bills on the table. Brand liked to think of himself as a tolerant man, but this woman was getting under his skin, and he didn’t like it. Not one damn bit. There were plenty of fish in the sea, and he was far more interested in lobster than he was in Irish stew.

Erin MacNamera wasn’t even that attractive. Hell, he wouldn’t even be seeing her if he wasn’t doing a favor for her father. If she didn’t want to see him again, fine. Great. Wonderful. He could live with that. What Erin had said earlier was true enough. Women went for guys in uniform.

He was attractive. He wore a uniform.

He didn’t need Erin MacNamera.

Satisfied with that, he held open the glass door that led outside.

“This really isn’t necessary,” she whispered.

“Probably not, but as an officer and a gentleman I insist.”

“My father’s an enlisted man.”

She announced the fact as if she were looking for some response.

“So?” he demanded.

“So…I just wanted you to know that.”

“Do you think that’s going to make me change my mind about walking you to your car?”

“No.” Her hands were buried in her pockets. “I…just wanted you to know. It might make a difference to some men.”

“Not me.”

She nodded. “My car’s in the lot near Yesler.”

Brand didn’t know Seattle well, but he knew enough to recognize that that area of town wasn’t the best place for a woman to be walking alone at night. He was glad he’d insisted on escorting her to her car, although even now he wasn’t completely sure of his motives.

They turned off the main street and onto a small, narrower one that sloped sharply down to the Seattle waterfront.

“You park here often?” As prickly as she was, Erin would probably resent his pointing out the all-too-obvious dangers of the area.

“Every day, but generally I’m gone shortly after five. It’s still light then.”

“Tonight?”

“Tonight,” she said with a sigh, “I met you.”

Brand nodded. He found the parking lot, which by now was nearly deserted. The spaces were tightly angled between two brick buildings. The entire lot was illuminated by a single dim light.

Erin pulled her keys from her purse and clenched them in her hands. “My car is the one in the back,” she explained.

Brand’s gaze located the small blue Toyota in the rear of the lot, facing a two-story brick structure. Once more he was forced to swallow a chastising warning.

“I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but I’m grateful you walked with me.”

A small—damn small—sense of satisfaction filled him. “You’re welcome.”

She inserted the key into the driver’s door and unlocked her car. Pausing, she glanced up at him and smiled shyly.

Brand looked down on the slender young woman at his side and read her confusion and her regret. The desire to pull her close was so strong that it was nearly impossible to ignore.

“I’m sorry the navy hurt you.”

“It didn’t. Not as much as I led you to believe. I just want to be on the safe side. For the first time in my life I have a real home with real furniture that I purchased without thinking about how well it would travel.” She hesitated and smiled. “I don’t worry about being transferred every other year, and—” She hesitated again and shook her head as though to suggest he wouldn’t understand. “I apologize if I wounded your ego. You’re really very nice.”

“A kiss would go a long way toward repairing the damage.” Brand couldn’t believe he’d suggested that, but what the hell. Why not?

“A kiss?”

Brand nearly laughed out loud at the shocked look that came over her features. It was downright comical, as if she’d never been kissed before, or at least it had been a good long while. Not taking the time to decide which it was, he cradled her face between his large hands.

Her mouth was moist and parted, welcoming. Her eyes weren’t. They were filled with doubts, but he chose to ignore her unspoken questions, fearing that if he took the time to reassure her he’d talk himself out of kissing her.

Brand wanted this kiss.

If Erin had questions, he was experiencing a few of his own. She was his friend’s daughter, and he was risking Casey’s wrath with this little game. But none of that seemed to matter. What did concern him was the woman staring boldly up at him.

Tenderness filled him. A strange tenderness, one he didn’t fully understand or recognize. Slowly he lowered his mouth to hers. He felt her go tense with anticipation as their lips clung.

She was soft, warm and incredibly sweet. He opened his mouth a little more, slanting his lips over hers as he plowed his fingers through her thick hair.

Her first response was tentative, as if she’d been caught unprepared, but then she sighed and sagged against him. She flattened her hands over his chest, then flexed her fingers, her long nails scraping his sweater.