Subject: Major Ben Hawthorne

Mission: To make one sexy civvy’s Christmas wish come true

Christmas is almost here, and guys are the last thing on personal shopper Ainsley Garrett’s list. But her icy resolution melts when she sees an incredibly hot Marine shopping for toys. A man in uniform with a hot bod and a heart of gold? Maybe a gal can believe in Santa after all...

Major Ben Hawthorne has his career to think about, but when it comes to Ainsley, he’s willing to break his own rules, at least for one night—provided they can get this insanely wicked attraction out of their systems. Only, once isn’t enough. Now Ainsley’s checking her list twice...before she falls for a Marine who’s naughty and nice.

“You’re going to need all your energy tonight...”

It was the way Ainsley said it that made Ben do a double take.

She smiled but didn’t look at him. “Those abs really were impressive. I might like a little alone time with them.”

“So are you saying you want to touch them?” He’d always been direct, and wasn’t into games.

“Yep, all over.”

He laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest. What happened to not wanting to date?”

“I didn’t say anything about a date. I just want to run my hands across those abs more than I want to breathe.”

He nearly tripped.

“It’s bad for me to want you this much,” she said. “But those abs mixed with that big heart of yours is kind of my kryptonite. Just sayin’.”

“Ainsley, my abs are waiting for you...”

CANDACE “CANDY” HAVENS is a bestselling and award-winning author. She is a two-time RITA® Award, Write Touch Readers’ Award and Holt Medallion finalist. She is also a winner of the Barbara Wilson Award. Candy is a nationally syndicated entertainment columnist for FYI Television. A veteran journalist, she has interviewed just about everyone in Hollywood. You can hear Candy weekly on New Country 96.3 KSCS in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

Christmas with the Marine

Candace Havens

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

The holidays can be a wonderful time for so many, and at the same time painful for those who are alone, or who have loved ones deployed overseas. I wanted this book to reflect happier times. So for my Marine, Ben, his first Christmas spent at home in a long while had to be one filled with love and surprises.

He and Ainsley represent the good in the universe to me. They are from different worlds, but they find their way to one another.

I’d love to hear from you on Twitter, @candacehavens, or on Facebook. I hope that you have a glorious holiday season filled with love and joy.

Candace

This book is dedicated to the Blaze readers. Thank you for all of your support.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Dear Reader

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

1

MARINE MAJOR BEN HAWTHORNE had served three tours in the Middle East. He’d survived being shot and a near-fatal helicopter crash. But this... This was beyond his capabilities. This is what happened when people gambled.

They ended up in giant toy stores in the Barbie aisle, trying to find the right one for a six-year-old orphan.

He’d rather go on another tour. Not that he didn’t want the child to have her toy, it was just difficult. There were so many. Doctor ones and scientists, and an underwater one. And they came in all sizes. But all the child had listed was “Barbie.” And Ben had lost a bet with his friends, so he was on his own buying more than one hundred gifts for the Toys for Tots program.

And he’d do it. As a kid, he’d lived through more than one Christmas without much under the tree. He understood how it felt to wake up with next to nothing there, not that it had bothered him much back then. He’d tried to make sure his little sister always had at least a couple of toys, even if they weren’t exactly what she wanted. Seeing that smile of hers was something he’d sorely missed while being out of the country for the past ten years.

So he felt a lot of responsibility to get this right. That was one of the reasons he hadn’t thrown much of a fit when he’d lost the bet.

Still, a Barbie was not his forte. GI Joe maybe, even Superman, but these dolls were beyond him.

“Hey, are you okay?” He glanced down to see a pair of light blue eyes staring back at him. They reminded him of the color of the sky on a clear day and were framed by a heart-shaped face and beautiful long strawberry-blond hair.

“What?”

Well, that was cool. Beautiful woman talking. Pay attention.

“You keep looking at the list and then the shelf. Do you need help? Are you buying something for your daughter?”

Her voice was soft and she didn’t have a drawl like most of the people who lived in Corpus Christi. Even a lot of the guys on the base where he taught had a Texas accent. He’d grown used to it.

“Do you work here?” Of course she didn’t work here. She was dressed in an expensive leather jacket and jeans and carrying one of those purses that probably cost more than his truck. The last woman he’d dated had treated that same kind of purse like it was her child. She’d definitely liked the purse more than she had him.

This lady laughed and heat warmed his lower regions. Come on, he told himself, she’s trying to help you.

“No, but thanks to my twin nieces I’m well versed in everything Barbie. If you tell me a bit more about the little girl, I can probably help you.”

She was beautiful, but more than that, he was desperate. If she could just point him in the right direction, he’d be her love slave for life.

Where the heck did that come from? Dude, chill.

He handed her the list. “It says she wants to be a vet when she grows up,” he said. “Each kid has a short, one-line description about them.”

Her eyebrow went up as she scanned the page. He pointed to the name of Jolie, the little girl in question. “She also likes puppies.”

“This is a long list of kids. Your family must be huge.” She frowned as her chin dropped and then she flipped to the next page and then the next. “There’s more than fifty names here.”

“Oh, no.” He laughed. “I kind of lost a bet and I’m having to get the gifts for the Toys for Tots program. I’m from the Marine base.” He pulled the other list out of his back pocket. “I also have a list of elderly patients from a nursing home facility who also need gifts.” It was the last time he’d be playing poker with his friends Brody and Matt. They’d been in charge of the Christmas event, and now it was all on him.

“Wow. That must have been some bet.”

He grunted. “Yep. Anyway, we have a fund everyone on the base donates to throughout the year, and then the first week of December we try to buy as many items as the money allows.”

“This, my friend, is your lucky day.” She grinned again, and then actually winked one of those beautiful blue eyes. It did all kinds of crazy things to his body.

Funny, he was thinking the same thing—about it being his lucky day. He’d practically been sent an angel for his very own Christmas present. He cleared his throat. “How’s that?”

“Well, I happen to be a professional shopper.”

His brows drew together. “So you like to shop?”

“More than that, it’s my business. I shop for busy professionals. That’s why I’m here. On the hunt for a few gifts for a CEO’s kids.”

“Wait. People pay you to shop for them?”

She smirked. “Yes. It’s a real profession, and I do just fine, thank you.”

He’d offended her, and held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. I’ve just never heard of anything like that. But it’s cool. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’m the guy standing here staring at a million dolls without a clue what to do.”

She shrugged. “I’m used to the attitude. My family feels that way about my chosen profession. Since you’re doing this for charity, and I think it’s sweet you’re taking this so seriously, trying to find the right gift for each child, I’ll help for free.”

“Oh, I don’t mind paying for your services.” That sounded really wrong. A woman walked past them and gave them a dirty look. “I mean, uh, I’d be grateful. So much so that I’ll pay the fee.”

She started laughing. “Sweet. But you can’t afford me.”

Another woman walked by, yanking her kids along, giving them more dirty looks. They would get arrested if they kept this up.

“Before we get thrown out, maybe I should hurry up and say thanks. And can I buy you dinner, at least?”

She laughed nervously. “Hmm. We’ll see.” She held out her hand. “I’m Ainsley Garrett.”

He shook her hand and her skin was so smooth. “I’m Ben Hawthorne, and thanks again.”

“Go get two more carts. I’ll start on your list.”

* * *

TWO HOURS AND six carts of toys later, he had everything he was supposed to buy. He and one of the store clerks were piling the bags in the back of his SUV when Ainsley walked out carrying a couple of large bags of her own.

“Hey,” he called to her and waved. “I really would like to thank you. Let me take you to dinner.”

“It isn’t necessary. Besides, I have plans.” And just like that she shot him down. Figured. Someone as beautiful as she was wouldn’t be alone. But at least he’d tried.

“Okay, but I feel guilty about not paying you for your time.”

“No worries. It was fun.”

If she said so. Even though the toys were for a good cause, shopping gave him a headache.

She turned and walked away, and he wanted to say something. Pull her back into his orbit. Even though he understood she was way out of his league—from her designer shoes to those sunglasses perched on top of her head—he was sad their time together was up.

Pathetic. Yeah, but it had been a long time since he’d met a woman like her. Maybe never. He hadn’t seen a ring, but she might have a boyfriend or be engaged, and he didn’t poach.

He’d seen too many of his fellow Marines cheated on by lonely spouses left back home. So he was wary of that sort of thing. And it was one of many reasons he wasn’t big on long-term anything. He was married to his job and planned to stay that way for the foreseeable future.

He turned to finish helping the clerk with the last of the bags.

“Hey,” she said.

He glanced back.

“So, do you have to wrap all those gifts by yourself?”

Shoot. He hadn’t even thought of that. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Man, that didn’t even occur to me.” It was the truth. He’d have to buy paper, and he was the world’s worst gift-wrapper, not that he’d done it that often. A few times, he’d sent things home while he was overseas, but he never wrapped them.

“Give me your phone.”

Was she giving him her phone number? Things were looking up.

She typed into his phone and then handed it back to him. It was an address.

Even better.

“Tomorrow, meet me there at twelve forty-five. The drill team is holding their annual craft fair.”

“Drill team?” What was she talking about?

“They have a gift-wrapping service. For a dollar donation per gift they’ll wrap it and do a beautiful job.”

“Thank you. I’ll definitely do that. Wait? Did you say meet you there?”

She nodded. “Yes. Give me your list for the nursing home.”

He pulled the paper out of his back pocket. She perused it again.

“What’s your budget?”

“We have eleven hundred dollars, but I was going to add a little more if we needed it.”

“I think that should be plenty. I’ll pick these gifts up for you and meet you at the high school tomorrow. See ya.”

“Hold on. Don’t you need money for the gifts?”

“Not yet. You can give it to me tomorrow. How gullible are you giving your money to a stranger?”

“You just helped me buy a couple thousand dollars’ worth of toys for children. I’m pretty sure I can trust you.” She didn’t bother to turn around.

What kind of person went and bought all those gifts without taking the cash?

Look on the bright side, he told himself, at least you’ll see her the next day. That idea for the gift wrapping was awesome. The whirlwind that was Ainsley had saved him. Again.

“Thanks,” he said belatedly. But it was to air. He hadn’t even seen where she’d gone.

Hmm. She was so beautiful and kind. Hard combination to find sometimes.

But so out of his league.

Yes, she was. And he had a feeling she was going to fuel a whole lot of fantasies for a while.

Yep. Enjoy your dreams. Since that was about the only way a guy like him was going to get a woman like her.

* * *

AS HARD AS she tried not to, Ainsley stole a look in her rearview mirror at Ben. That man was too gorgeous for words with his muscles, chiseled jaw and close-cut Marine haircut. Her mouth had gone dry when she’d seen the big muscled man in a uniform searching for dolls, of all things. He’d been so serious, trying to find the right gifts for kids, as if he was on the mission of a lifetime. He’d been so enthusiastic about making sure those children had a great Christmas that it had been contagious. It had been the most fun she’d had in a really long time.

He had a heart.

It was something she was pretty sure had been missing from the last three guys she’d dated, two of whom her parents had picked out for her. She’d never trust them again. The men they pointed out to her were all narcissistic jerks, every one of them. And she couldn’t imagine any of them, losing a bet or not, shopping for gifts for a bunch of kids and the elderly.

That tugged at her in a way she couldn’t ignore.

No. No more men. The next two years I’ll be focused on growing my business.

Ben lifted his arms to close the back of his SUV and his shirt pulled loose from his jeans. Those abs. Chiseled was the only word that came to mind. Like they’d been carved in stone.

She sucked in a breath.

Oh, my. She fanned herself and waited for him to pull out of the parking lot before backing out her hybrid. That was a M-A-N.

Though it had been work she’d had a good time today. She and Ben had laughed as they questioned some of the toys’ characteristics. Like a doll that pooped, and one that had the creepiest voice as it called for its mama. It made them both shiver, and then chuckle out loud.

After they’d picked up the gifts for the girls on the list, they’d been to the aisle with all the Matchbox cars.

“I bet you had a ton of these when you were a kid,” she’d said.

He’d held one of the sports cars with reverence. “No...” His voice had been a whisper and then he’d frowned. And that’s when she’d noticed he didn’t have a lot of experience with toys...at all. Everything seemed new to him.

What kind of childhood had he had?

It made her feel selfish because she’d never wanted for anything. Ever. She’d wanted to ask him about his past, but it didn’t seem right. And she had the sense that it might make him sad. They only had a few hours together and she hadn’t wanted to ruin it.

It also felt good to help someone in need. Okay, she did that every day. Her job gave her the greatest joy, as she helped her clients find the perfect gifts for their loved ones, employees and friends. But making kids and old people happy—that was a different level of giving.

Her phone rang. “Accept call,” she said.

“Hello?” Bebe said. Her trusty partner’s British accent came through loud and clear. Ainsley wasn’t sure what she’d do without her best friend—the woman was a master scheduler and kept their finances in order. She also wasn’t afraid to talk to a client about a bill, which was something that made Ainsley really uncomfortable. Talking about money always did. Bebe had started as an assistant, but had quickly become her partner in crime.

“Are you there?”

“I’m here,” she said as she left the parking lot, her mind still on the Marine. “And, yes, I know I’m running late. I got caught up doing some charity work. I’ll drop Bob’s presents off for you to wrap, and then I’ll head out to Clinical South.” The head administrator wanted to discuss gifts for the staff, and for any of the patients who would be stuck in the facility over the holidays.

This really was their busiest time of year and she’d spent too much of her packed schedule helping the hot guy.

“That’s why I’m calling. They actually pushed you to tomorrow. I’ve been trying to call for the last hour. Did you leave your phone in the car again?”

No. She’d been distracted by the glorious man in uniform.

“I didn’t hear it ring.”

“I swear I’m going to put ‘The Imperial March’ on your phone so you hear when I call. Anyway, Craig Price at CIM wants to meet with you about gifts for his staff. He had a four o’clock open. Can I tell them you’ll be there?”

She sighed. Craig was an ex. One of the several narcissists she’d dated, though he hadn’t been as bad as some of the others. He was married to his job, though, and when he thought it was okay to go six months between calling for dates, they parted ways. But his technology company, CIM, had over four hundred employees—that was a pretty tidy commission for her company.

But Craig. Ugh.

“I know he’s a prat, but that commission pays the mortgage for a year. I’d go, but I’m meeting with the Funky Monkey folks at three. They have a bunch of new merchandise they’re bringing by.”

“I wish we could switch,” she said. She loved the boutique called Funky Monkey more than just about any other. The owner, Amy, was one of the most creative people she’d ever met.

“I promise to nab something shiny for you. Craig specifically asked for you. Maybe he wants to apologize for being such a fool. And hello, we promised ourselves a Christmas bonus this year if we made our goals, and we’re so very close.”

She had a point. And this was business. In the two years she’d been operating, she’d had to handle much worse. Some of her wealthiest clients, a few of whom were her parents’ friends, felt entitled and had to be treated that way. Even after she’d grown up around that sort of wealth, their attitudes chewed at her gut. But she wasn’t dumb. The client was always right. Even if they were jerks sometimes. Well, as long as they paid their bills.

“Yep. You’re right. Yes, I can do four. Do you have suggestions? Did they give you a budget?”

“Yes, on both counts. His assistant gave me the rundown on what type of gifts and how much they wanted to spend for each level from the board on down.”

Ainsley did love it when they were organized. “Okay, good. That makes our job easier. Can you print out the ideas and put a book together for me?”

They did most of their presentations on a laptop or tablet, but clients liked to have something they could hold in their hands and peruse. It was a trick she’d learned early on. Folks tended to buy more when they could feel the pages. Weird, but true.

“Already working on it.”

“And that, my friend, is why I love you best.”

“Yes, luv, remember that when it’s time for my raise.” Ainsley smiled. Bebe could give herself a raise whenever she wanted, although they would discuss it first, as they did everything.

“Yes, ma’am. Okay, so I’ll see you in a bit.”

That’s what she needed—a reminder of what was most important. Her work. This was their most important time of the year. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a distraction.

Especially a hot Marine.

She took another deep breath.

A very hot, sexy Marine.

2

THE HIGH SCHOOL cafeteria buzzed with activity. And it was loud. Really loud. Ben wasn’t a huge fan of big crowds or noise, but this was for a good cause. There were booths with everything from wooden toys to homemade candles to miniature Christmas trees. He’d never seen anything like it.

“Explain to me again why we’re here and not watching the game? It’s almost the end of football season,” Matt complained.

“I bought the toys, you guys have to help me haul them in to get them wrapped.” It would have taken him thirty trips from the car and back without his friends.

He searched the throng of people for the pretty blonde, but he didn’t see her. Dang if he hadn’t thought about her all night.

Jake grinned and tightened his grip on the bags he was carrying. It was as if his buddy could read his thoughts.

Mari, Brody’s wife and mother of his child, bustled up next to him.

“I think it’s sweet that you’re doing this,” Mari said to Ben. “You’re helping the Toys for Tots program and the fund-raiser for the drill team. You’re my hero.”

Brody cleared his throat. “I thought I was your hero.”

“Oh, honey, always. Always.” She kissed him, and Ben had to look away. Sometimes their intimacy bothered him. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe because he’d never been that close to another person. He’d dated a lot of women, but none that made him feel the way that Brody talked about his wife. And his friend Matt was a goner, as well, with his fiancée, Chelly. His buddies were so wrapped up in their women, and Ben just didn’t get it.

He was attracted to the women he dated, but his interest waned after a short while. The guys on the base where he taught helicopter maintenance classes, tested the machines and helped out with training missions called him Casanova because he had a different girl every week.

There was one woman he definitely wanted to spend time with, but he had a feeling she was far beyond his reach.

It took a few minutes but they finally found the booth set up for gift wrapping. It was staffed by a bunch of young girls, with ponytails, in stretch pants and T-shirts that read Dance with Me.

“You want us to wrap how many?” one of the young girls asked. She had her hair piled so high on her head it almost added another foot.

She gave him a once-over, and it was all he could do not to laugh. Where was Ainsley?

“Yes, and I’ll donate two dollars a package, which is a dollar more than you guys usually ask for,” Ben said. Even at this young age, money talked.

The girl’s smile grew, and then a woman came up behind her. She held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Coach Kaylie. That’s very generous of you. May I ask who these toys are for? There are a lot of them.” She didn’t look much older than the girl giving him a tough time.

“Toys for Tots,” Jake said, as he patted Ben on the back. “Our boy here picked them all out, but we need help wrapping them.”

“Terrific,” Kaylie said. “That’s so kind that you’re doing this for kids. Of course we’ll help you. And we really appreciate the donation. We’re trying to get to three different dance competitions this year, so every penny counts.” She batted her eyelashes at Jake.

This time Ben did chuckle. Jake had that effect on women. Never failed.

“Wonderful,” a woman’s voice said. He glanced down to see Ainsley. She was here, and she looked every bit as beautiful as she had the day before. He’d been sure his imagination had been playing tricks on him.

Today, she wore jeans and boots that came up to her knees. But it was the tight white sweater that nearly did him in. Her body was the stuff of fantasies. His fantasies.

Once again he found himself clearing his throat, and he positioned the bag he was carrying so no one would see the sudden tent in his pants.

Crap. Sad puppies. Old, crinkly people. He had to think of something that was not the beautiful woman beside him.

“Hi,” he said. Well, that was brilliant.

She beamed up at him. “I’ve brought the rest of your gifts. Got them first thing this morning. Since they’re for the nursing home, I asked the girls to put them in bags with tissue so it would be easier for those arthritic hands to open,” she said sweetly. “They should be just about finished with those.”

“You really do think of everything.”

“Part of the job.”

“Oh,” Kaylie said. “This is the guy you were talking about?”

“Yes,” Ainsley, said waving a hand to the group of kids wrapping at the tables behind the coach. There was now a bunch of boys, as well. “I’m glad you picked up some more volunteers.”

“Yeah, I never seem to have a hard time getting the football and basketball teams to help out the dancers. Though, keeping a constant eye on them isn’t always the easiest.” Kaylie laughed. “We should be done in about thirty minutes with the seniors’ gifts, and we’ll need a few hours for the tots.”

Brody groaned behind him.

“It’s okay, guys, if you want to go on home.” He turned back to Kaylie. “Can some of those players help me load the truck later?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

“I’ll stay,” Jake offered. “I don’t mind volunteering if you need help,” he said to Kaylie. “I’m not much good at wrapping, but I’m good at other things.”

Kaylie and Ainsley both roared with laughter.

“What?” Jake asked innocently. “I meant I can keep an eye on the players to make sure they aren’t trying to put the moves on these lovely young ladies.”

The dancers giggled and whispered to one another.

“I might take you up on that,” Kaylie said. “You two,” she called out, pointing to Ainsley and Ben, “go look around and come back in a couple of hours. We’ll have everything ready.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Brody said. “I’m going to search for Mari. Make sure she doesn’t need help with anything. Matt, I can give you a ride back.”

They waved goodbye and then left.

Ainsley crooked her arm through his. “Come on, Marine. I’ll buy you lunch and we can check out the booths. I have a few homemade gifts on my list. I might find them here.”

He’d walk across hot coals to spend a little time with her, so he could easily handle the loud noise of the craft fair a little longer. “Only if you let me buy,” he said.

“Sure. If you really want to.”

“Hey, you’ve donated a lot of time and like I said, I owe you a meal at the very least.”

“Whatever. Come on.”

He thought they’d head back to the parking lot. He planned on taking her somewhere nice. Instead, she pulled him through a maze of booths to reach the other end of the cafeteria.

“Hold up, you want to eat here?”

“Yes,” she said. “This booth has the best chili pies.”

She walked up to the window. “Who made the chili today?” she asked the elderly woman manning the cash box.

“Frank,” the woman replied. “He doesn’t let anyone else touch it. Doesn’t want to ruin his reputation. What can I get for you?”

“You are in for a treat,” Ainsley said to Ben. “Frank is an award-winning chili star. His daughter, Amber, is on the drill team. He’s pretty much the best thing about coming to the craft fair.”

She turned to the woman. “We need two chili pies and a Coke. And what do you want to drink?” she said to him.

“Water is good.” He didn’t drink a lot of soda. He tried to avoid sugar and he was careful about what he ate, too. Not that he had a lot of choice when he was deployed. You ate what the mess hall gave you or what was in your pack. But when he was stateside he ate fresh food whenever he could. He’d learned to cook when he was kid. It’d helped out his mom because she had to work so much of the time.

“You okay?” Ainsley was handing him a bottle of water.

“What? Yeah. Sorry. I’ve never had a chili pie.”

“No way. Fritos and chili and cheese. Best things ever. Are you some kind of health nut? Is that how you have that hot bod?” Her eyes flashed as if she’d realized what she’d just said.

“You think I’m hot?”

“Marine, everyone here thinks you’re hot.”

A grin spread across his face. “Uh, thanks. But I don’t think everyone’s looking at me, I have a feeling all eyes are on you. How could they not be? You’re gorgeous.”

She snorted. “You’re so polite.”

“You don’t know how beautiful you are, do you?”

She shrugged. “Don’t really think about it. Let’s go sit. Can’t believe I’m hanging out with a chili pie virgin. This is going to be fun.”

He nearly tripped when she said the word virgin. He picked up their drinks, so she could grab the cardboard containers with their food. The chili didn’t smell too bad, and he was hungry. She led him to an orange table with matching plastic chairs. Been a long time since he’d eaten in a high school cafeteria.

“Make sure you get some Fritos in that first bite. It’s the salty mixed with the chili spices that makes it worthy of worship.”

He did what she’d told him and it was...good. Really good. “I had no idea corn chips could taste like this.”

“I know, right? So amazing.” She took a swig of her drink. “How long have you been in the Marines?”

“Joined up the week I graduated from high school. Best way I could think of to take care of my mom and little sister. It was decent pay, and I didn’t have to worry about living expenses so I could send them just about everything I made.”

She blinked and he wasn’t sure if those were tears in her eyes.

“Did I say something to upset you?”

“No. Not at all. You risked your life when you were nothing but a kid to take care of your family?”

“Yeah. And I’ll admit, it seemed cool at the time. Fighting for my country. But I had no idea what I was getting into. Still, I wouldn’t trade being a Marine for anything.”

She blinked again.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yep. I’ve just never met a selfless man before. You’re an anomaly.”

Her compliment made him laugh.

“I don’t know about that. Maybe you just haven’t met the right guys.”

“True that.” She wiped some chili from the corner of her mouth with a paper napkin. “I’m so impressed that even that young you were looking after your people. Wow, when I was eighteen, I was an idiot. Partying in college and making bad choices.” She rolled her eyes. “Really bad choices.”

He chuckled. “Well, if I’d had the opportunity, I probably would have made worse choices, another reason why my mom didn’t fuss too much when I went off to boot camp. She knew I needed the discipline. I was never a bad kid, but I didn’t always make the smart choices, especially in high school. My grades were low.” Of course, a lot of that had to do with being tired from working sometimes as many as two jobs after school. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to help his family.

It had taken his mom challenging the principal in front of the school board before they finally gave him some grace. His mom was a lot of great things, and fierce was one of them. Never in his life had he won an argument with her, and the principal had learned that the hard way.

“Still,” she said, “it took me another four years before I figured out what I wanted to do. And another year after that before I finally had the guts to do it. What you do is heroic and dangerous. It takes a special type of person to do that job. To run toward the scary when everyone else is running away.”

“We don’t really think about it that way.” He wanted to find out more about her, and he’d never been comfortable talking about himself. “I’m curious how you make money shopping for people.”

She blanched.

Shoot. He’d done it again. “No, no. I mean, I think it’s a cool job. And I’m curious about how it works. Oh, and that reminds me.” He pulled out a wad of cash. “How much do I owe you?”

“You can pay me later. I have receipts for you in my car. I was able to get some of the stuff donated when I told them what it was for, so I bought twice as much. I hope that’s okay. Maybe these elderly people might enjoy getting more than one gift. It’s small stuff, mostly, to make their lives more comfortable. Only spent a little over half your budget and that’s with the wrapping. I’ll have to look at the receipts but it was right around six hundred.”

“You are good at this. We can donate the rest to the charity. Are you sure I can’t compensate you in some way?”

She shook her head. “Nope. And to answer your question, I usually get a commission. A negotiated percentage of the whole budget. A lot of what I do is for corporate clients. Finding the perfect gifts for their staff or for guests they have coming in, or finding giveaways for trade shows. We have a whole division for that last thing, and by division, I mean that’s mostly what my partner, Bebe, handles, where she finds promotional swag for different companies.”

He swallowed the last bit of chili. “That’s interesting. I didn’t even know a business like that existed.”

She put down her fork. “Yeah, my grandmother actually helped me figure it out.”

“Did she have the same kind of business?”

“Oh, no. She’s a retired professor who lives in Ireland now. But she’s always had a knack for finding the perfect gifts for people. Like an intuitiveness for knowing what’s wanted. I sort of inherited it from her. I know that sounds weird, but I get this gut feeling for what’s right for folks. And after college, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that awesome philosophy degree I had.”

“Wow. I didn’t see that one coming,” he said honestly. He figured an MBA or something.

“What? I can spout Plato and Charles Hartshorne with the best of them.”

“I know the first, never heard of the second.”

“Trust me, most people haven’t. But about two months after I graduated, I was working as a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I really wasn’t qualified to do anything else. I was promoted three times in six months. Grandma said I should take what I was best at and apply it to my career goals. ‘But never work for the man.’ Did I mention Grandma is a bit of a hippie, much to the chagrin of my mom, her daughter?

“Anyhoo, I took some business classes and decided to open my own personal-shopping service. There are a lot of them in Dallas and the competition is stiff. But there wasn’t here in Corpus, so I came home and... Wow, I’m telling you my life story.” She rolled her eyes.

“Nah, I’m intrigued. And your grandma sounds supersmart and practical.”

“She’s brilliant. Taught at Oxford. Still lives over there. She’s my favorite philosopher.”

“Ah, and it comes full circle. Oxford? Wow. That’s pretty fancy.” All this info made him even more curious about Ainsley. She was intelligent and beautiful, a dangerous combination. He could sit here all afternoon listening to her talk.

That had never happened before.

She nodded. “So I guess you didn’t mind the chili pie, after all?”

He held up the empty container. “One of the best things I’ve eaten in a while. Who is this Frank guy?”

“He owns a barbeque place out by the beach, Duley’s, which is named after his dad. They’ve been around a long time. And his ribs are even better than his chili.”

“Maybe I could take you there some time?”

“I don’t know. We’ll see.”

“You keep saying that. Do you have a thing about not dating guys in the military or something?”

Her head popped up. “A thing? No. Should I? And who says I want to date you?”

She had him there. He sounded like a jerk. “Sorry, I—”

She reached out and touched his arm. “I’m messing with you. Your face. That was classic. But I’m going to be straight with you. I’m focused on my career. I’m really not looking to date anyone right now. I don’t have a lot of luck with guys, and I find them kind of self-centered. Not that you would be. But...if you want someone to hang out with today, I’m your girl. Want to come shopping with me?”

“Uh, sure?”

The way she talked—so fast—it took him a minute to catch up.

“And for the record,” he said, clearing his throat, “I’m not looking to date, either. I simply wanted to thank you for helping me.”

She chewed on her lip as she eyed him. “Okay. So,” she began and waved to the empty containers, “we’ve had our meal. We should be good. You still want to hang out?”

He shrugged. With this one, it was probably best to play it cool. She didn’t want to date. Well, he’d been honest when he said that wasn’t his thing. His teaching at the base was keeping him busy, and besides, he didn’t do relationships.

But he definitely wanted to spend more time with her.

“I’m yours for the afternoon,” he told her.

And a small voice inside said “and more,” if she wanted.

3

BEN WAS SNIFFING some homemade candles at a booth, and Ainsley could not keep from staring at him. She had to stop ogling poor Ben, or he was going to get the wrong idea. But everything about him... Heck, she’d never been so attracted to a man. Never in her life had she believed in pheromones but it had to be something like that.

That and he had one of the most jaw-dropping examples of the male body she’d ever seen. Oh, and the fact he was sweet. Taking care of his mom and sister. Putting his life on the line for them, and his country.

A heart-stopping combo if ever there was one.

How many times do I have to tell myself no more men?

He glanced back and shot her one of his devastating smiles.

At least a hundred.

“My mom might like this vanilla one. Do you think giving her something like this would be a good Christmas gift?”

She nodded and smiled. “Everyone loves candles,” she said.

“What else is on your list?” he asked her.

Right. Stay on task.

“I have gifts for two executives I need to pick up. The client wanted something homemade but nice. Classy. Wood sculptures or pens. There’s a man here who crafts things out of old bourbon barrels. I usually buy him out. Those are popular gifts for men and women.”

Her phone played Ozzie Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.” It was the ringtone for her sister, Megan.

“Just a second,” Ainsley said.

“Help!” Megan yelled before Ainsley could even say hello.

“Megan, breathe.” Her sister was a bit of a drama queen in all things, but she loved her. She was the only person who made worse choices when it came to men than Ainsley did.

“Sorry. I’m freaking out. The bachelor auction is tonight, and,” she gasped and sniffled, “two of our guys had to cancel because they have the flu. I swear, if they’re faking I will kill them both. Dead.”

Ainsley thought to downplay the situation and scoffed, “It’s fine, Megan. So you have a couple less bachelors. No biggie.”

“Yes, biggie. It’s for charity. I promised twenty of the hottest guys in Corpus. What am I doing to do with eighteen? And those guys were my big tickets, the two that backed out. My end-of-show wow factors.”

“What?” Sometimes Megan talked in riddles.

“My moneymakers. They were going to push us over the top. I so wanted to beat Stephanie at her own game. She’s been talking behind my back about how she was so much more organized last year. And it’s true. But still. I want to win. And by win, I mean I want the children’s cancer fund to make a ton of money. The most money ever.”

Ainsley smiled. “You want to stick it to Stephanie in the worst way. Be honest.”

“Yes. Okay. Fine. But the only way to do that is to get the most donations for these guys, right? So, it’s a win-win, if I can make it happen. But I can’t do that without some hot studly studs.”

Her sister always had a way with words. “So call your friends. You know hundreds of guys.” Megan went through men faster than she did shoes, and she really loved shoes.

Her sister sighed. “Yeah, unfortunately, I do. I’ve called in all the favors I could. A lot of my friends already donated the silent auction prizes. They don’t like the idea of being in front of a bunch of drunk women trying to buy them.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Ainsley had never liked these types of events for that reason. Even though the guys were doing it out of the goodness of their hearts, she always felt it was kind of humiliating. The whole objectifying them, and then there was the women pawing after them on the dance floor. No, she couldn’t imagine why.

“Please,” Megan begged. “You know everyone. Surely you can scrounge up a couple of super good-looking guys. I’ll owe. Like, my life. Please don’t make me beg more.”

Ainsley glanced up to find Ben watching her intently. No. She couldn’t. He wouldn’t. But if ever there was a big moneymaker, it was him.

“Hold on.” She put her phone on mute and gave him her best smile.

“What are you and Jake doing tonight?”

* * *

“I’D RATHER BE in the middle of a war zone with insurgents ready to take me down,” Jake said, messing with his tie for the fiftieth time. Ben and Jake were both dressed in penguin suits for the charity auction. This was the worst idea in the history of ideas. That’s what he got for giving in to a pretty face.

“Right there with you, brother.”

When Ainsley had smiled that big, hopeful smile at him, he couldn’t say no. Heck, he’d probably have done just about anything to spend time with her.

But this. Well, it was definitely beyond the call of duty. Ainsley had talked about kids with cancer, and that was all it took. He couldn’t say no. And he’d coerced Jake into doing it with him by telling him not just about the charity, but that there would be hot women who wanted his body.

Jake seemed a lot more comfortable with that idea than Ben. He liked things quiet, without so many people. This would be mayhem. The sound of voices was growing louder and louder. The night had begun with free champagne and light appetizers since, as Megan had explained, “We like the women to be slightly tipsy because they spend more.”

Ben didn’t think that was a nice way to do things, but it was for the kids, which was what he kept telling himself. They’d just finished the video showing why the research needed to be done. There were some sniffles on the other side of the curtains.

“Sorry, ladies. That video gets me every time,” the announcer said. “But now, let’s turn up the music and have some fun.” The announcer went on to explain how the women could bid.

His gut twisted. One by one the guys went and strutted their stuff. The screams grew louder every time. When the bidding began for the first guy, Ben never wanted to retreat more than he did right then.

“We’re Marines. We can do this,” Ben said, more to convince himself than anything.

Jake turned to face him.

“Oorah,” they said together and high-fived. The other remaining bachelors laughed and shook their heads. They were pretty nice guys—had to be to do something like this.

“I bet I pull in twice as much as you,” Jake said. This is what they did—challenged each other. They’d been on two tours together and humor was the one way they all dealt with the horror.

Ben grunted. “Only if they like their side of beef with a hunk of cheese,” he said. “This,” Ben said as he patted his abs, “is the real deal.”

They both grinned. It was bravado, nothing more.

There was one more to go before it would be Jake’s turn. And then Ben was last. Ainsley had told him it was a prime spot, but man, he was feeling the pressure. Each bachelor was pulling in more than the next. The last guy had made two thousand for the charity.

The noise went up a couple of decibels and he and Jake peeked around the curtain. They were in a large hotel ballroom that had been set up for the event, with lots of tables and chairs, and a stage, or rather...a runway. It was a fancy affair with crystal chandeliers, gilt centerpieces and lots of pink and white flowers. Everyone was dressed up. None of the women were as beautiful as Ainsley, who wore a white gown that fit her curves. Her hair was up and she looked like a royal princess or an A-list movie star.

Damn, he couldn’t’ stop looking at her. She wasn’t even paying attention to the guys, but was glancing down at her phone. And then, as if she sensed him, she met his eyes and gave him a little smile. And she winked. He loved it when she did that. Like they were in on their own little secret.

“So out of your league,” Jake said when he figured out where Ben had been watching. Ainsley was sitting at a table, dead center.

“Yep,” Ben said. The music volume went up a bit more, as did the screams. The noise was getting to him. This happened sometimes. He backed away from the curtain and bent over to put his hands on his thighs, drawing in deep breaths. He concentrated on his breathing like his therapist had taught him.

“Hey.” Jake patted his shoulder. “It’s just a bunch of crazy tipsy women. I was kidding. It’s going to be okay. It really isn’t much different than the country bar we were at a few weeks ago. Remember all those women when we joined their line dance? At least, maybe these women won’t puke beer on your shoes.”

There was that. He’d had to toss out his favorite pair of cowboy boots because there was no coming back from that.

Ben hated this weakness. Nothing had ever bothered him until that last tour. They’d spent twenty-four hours holed up in a camp where they were hit with mortar after mortar. He’d been working maintenance on a downed Black Hawk. And they were only getting out when the chopper was fixed. Problem was, he didn’t have the parts he needed. It took every mechanical brain cell he had to figure out how to create something makeshift to get them to safety.

And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t done that sort of thing hundreds of times. They were always in some hot zone. Always under pressure. But that one hit him. It was the noise. The constant boom boom boom of the electronic music.

“Oh, no,” Jake said.

“What?” Ben glanced up to find his friend loosening up and cracking his neck like he was getting ready to go into the ring with a prizefighter.

“You’re on,” Megan said to Jake. Ainsley’s sister was the reason they were there. She’d needed help, and Ainsley had turned to him. And with that smile.

“Good luck, dude,” Ben said as he straightened and then high-fived his friend. “You got this.”

The noise level rose even louder. Ben pushed it away, focused on his breathing. He wouldn’t disappoint Ainsley or her sister. All he had to do was walk to the end of the stage, stand there and wait for someone to say “sold,” and he was done.

“Five thousand!” he heard a woman shout.

What the...? A date with Jake brought in five thousand dollars?

Ben had been hoping for maybe five hundred for himself. He’d even offered to give Ainsley two hundred and fifty if the bids didn’t go up for him. She’d kept telling him that he had nothing to worry about, but there was no way he would bring in that kind of big money.

Ben popped his jaw. This was nuts. He was a confident guy. He’d never had problems with being appealing to women, and this was for charity. He was going to have fun.

Sure. Keep telling yourself that, buddy.

“Okay, ladies, we’ve got another treat for you,” the announcer said. “Ben is a Marine, working on the base here in our lovely hometown. We hear he’s great with his hands, and that his abs—well, are to d-i-e for. Ladies, let’s welcome Ben.”

The women cheered.

Ben laughed. Yep. He could do this. Raise the most money for those kids. He wouldn’t be outdone by Jake. He didn’t care if he had to strip to do it.

In fact... He quickly undid his shirt buttons and held his tie in his hand. When the curtain opened he tossed the bow tie out to the audience.

The screeching reached an all-time high, but he forced a smile and walked to the end of the stage. His eyes found Ainsley, and his smile widened.

More screeching, but he wasn’t really listening anymore. She was smiling back, and then she winked at him and mouthed something. He had no idea what she’d said, but he nodded as if he did.

Then she made a motion to pull his shirt open a little and to turn around in a circle. She was doing a twirly thing with her fingers.

It’s for charity. He kept repeating the mantra to himself.

“Oh, my, we did not disappoint. Look at those abs, ladies. Those are scrumptious! And that tattoo. Does anyone have a fan? Now, can I get—” The announcer was interrupted.

“Two thousand,” a woman shouted. Ben ripped his eyes away from Ainsley and gave the woman a little wave.

Whew. At least he wouldn’t be some loser who didn’t bring in any cash.

“Thirty-five hundred,” another woman said.

All right, then. Things were looking up. Ben shook his head and laughed, then gave that lady an even bigger wave.

And so it went on. A few seconds later they were up to six thousand.

“Everyone wants to take home a Marine. We hear they never let a woman down.”

“Ten thousand dollars,” a woman at Ainsley’s table shouted, as she stood up and waved her paddle. She was probably in her late thirties.

There was a huge gasp. Then clapping.

Ben wasn’t sure he heard her right.

“That’s ten thousand going once, twice and sold! That’s table one, paddle thirty-five. And that’s it, ladies. The table monitors will be by to take your checks and credit cards. Please don’t forget to visit our silent auction next door. If you didn’t get some time with your favorite bachelor, bid on that trip to Fiji. A tropical vacation will get your mind off your troubles. And those raffle tickets for the Audi are still available. That thing is definitely going home with one of you tonight.”

Ben exited to the left, where the rest of the bachelors had gone.

“You put us all to shame,” one of them said. He was a doctor or something like that, and had been one of the first guys to be bid on.

“Nah,” Ben told him. “They’d just had more to drink by the time they came to me.”

The guys laughed.

“Speaking of our bachelors—gentleman, can you come back out onto the stage?” the announcer asked.

“Hey, guys, I need you to line up on stage again,” Megan said.

There was some groaning, but they did what she asked. Ben buttoned his shirt and tucked it back in. Megan handed him his jacket. “Thanks for what you did,” she said as he followed the other men.

They were back on stage, the lights beating down on them. “Gentleman, we could not have done this without you. Let’s give them a hand!”

There was a lot of clapping and plenty of wolf whistles.

“Take a bow, bachelors.”

They all gave awkward bows and then high-fived each other.

“Okay, ladies. Once you’ve paid for your bachelor, an escort will bring him to your table. Don’t forget our silent auction, it closes in an hour. I know I said that, but the hunkiness on the stage makes us all forget our own names. We’ll be announcing the winners in only two hours.”

“Whew. Glad that part’s over,” Ben said.

“Me, too. Did you see who bid on me?” Jake asked.

“Nah. Wasn’t watching.”

“It was the CO’s daughter-slash-niece’s table.”

“Clarissa?”

“Yep,” Jake said.

Ben couldn’t help but laugh. He’d had to take Clarissa to a couple of events for the CO. She was a wild one. They’d actually become pretty good friends because he didn’t put up with her drama. The CO thought she was a handful, but the truth was, she was confused about what was important in life. All she really wanted was to find the right guy. Even, as she’d told him, if she had to date a couple of hundred to find him.

She might have something there. There weren’t many people who could get along with someone like her. He wasn’t attracted to her, which was probably why the CO had stuck him on babysitting duty for a few weeks.

“Good luck with that,” Ben said.

Everyone knew the CO’s daughter-slash-niece was way off-limits. That was unless you wanted to be stationed in Antarctica.

“Hey, handsome,” Ainsley said from behind him. “You were fantastic up there.”

He turned and nearly bumped into her, she was so close. His hands rested on her forearms to steady himself. Her soft skin made him think of touching more of her and...

Focus.

“Thanks for getting that woman to bid for me, but that was a lot of money.”

She laughed, the sound sending heat through his body. “We actually bid on you as a table. So you don’t have one date tonight, you have ten.”

Wow. “How does that work? I thought I was supposed to take someone on a date or something.”

“Sorry, Megan and I should have clarified it for you sooner. Actually, the dates should happen tonight, here at the event. Takes the pressure off the guys having to plan something else. The bachelor basically dines with the lady that bid on him, dances a bit and that’s it.

“But some of the higher bidders did it as a table. So the guy, like you, has to hang out at the table, dance a little, if you want to with us, and then you’re done.”

Well, that was a relief. He’d been worried about taking some woman he didn’t know out on a date, especially someone from this crowd where money didn’t seem to be a problem for a lot of them. He’d been wondering if Ainsley might come from money, given the fancy gown she wore and the fact that her sister was covered in diamonds. At least, they sparkled like real diamonds. Maybe it was costume jewelry. But then, he’d remembered how Ainsley had been dressed at the toy store, and even her casual look at the craft fair was pretty classy.

“Is it the same way with my table?” Jake asked.

“Yes, they also bid as a table.”

Jake blew out a deep breath. “Saved.”

The guys shared a look.

“What is that about?” Ainsley asked.

Ben shrugged. “Our boss’s daughter is the one who was doing all the bidding. She can be a, um, handful.”

“You said it, brother,” Jake said. “So she has to share. That’s a good thing. What I do not need right now is the CO ridin’ my butt. You guys have fun.”

“So, let’s get you to the table. I’m your official escort.” She tucked her arm through his. “Oh.” She stopped and opened her hand. “I tracked down your tie. I promised Sandy—she caught it—that you’d dance with her later.”

“Thanks.”

A few minutes after that, Ainsley made the introductions. “And this is my mom, Carol. She’s the one who jumped up to bid on you.”

“Mom?” He frowned. “You can’t be old enough to have a daughter of Ainsley’s age and Megan’s.”

Her mom’s hand fluttered against her chest. “From the look on your face, I almost believe you mean that,” she said. “Either way, you made my night. Maybe even my month.” The women all whooped.

“I do mean it,” he said seriously. “I thought you might be late thirties when you were bidding. Now I see where Ainsley gets her beauty from. It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.”

He shook her hand.

“Yes, you are something special,” her mother said. “Thank you for helping out Megan tonight. You and your friend were kind to show up at the last minute like that.”

“You’re welcome. That was a lot of money, though.”

She waved a hand. “Oh, hon, don’t worry about it. The women at this table were more than willing to keep you out of Steph Montgomery’s hands. That was the table that kept trying to outbid us. I couldn’t let that happen. She and her mother, well, it’s tacky but they weren’t winning this round.”

“That’s right,” Megan chimed in. She’d come up behind her mother and was giving her a hug. “Thank you. We doubled what they did last year. I know you had a lot to do with that. You and your friends. And they’re telling me that the bids on the auction items are already so high that we may even triple.”

Her mother turned to kiss her daughter’s cheek. “Our pleasure, dear. By the time that video finished, we were all in tears. That was brilliant of you, showing it at the beginning of the fund-raiser to get those purse strings loose.”

Megan squeezed her mom. “I learned from the best.”

Mother and daughter shared a smile. They must have done a lot of charity events together. All the women seemed very comfortable with one another. And he hadn’t lied about Ainsley’s mom—she was a beauty. The diamonds around her neck sparkled brilliantly. He was betting the necklace could pay for a house, or maybe two. Once again it hit him that Ainsley came from all of this. And here, he didn’t even have a couch.

“We should probably feed him so he has the energy to dance,” Ainsley suggested. “They’ve set up a buffet so we can grab some food before the music begins.”

Crud. The dancing. “Uh, just so you ladies know, I’m not exactly the world’s best dancer. I haven’t actually broken any toes, but I’ve come close,” he admitted honestly.

“You’ll be fine,” Ainsley assured him. Then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “You really are amazing for doing this,” she whispered.

For that he would have done anything. The kiss was like a slow burn on his cheek, spreading through his nerves like wildfire. All the anxiety he’d felt earlier in the night fled.

“Anything for—” He’d almost said you. Would that scare her off altogether? She’d said more than once she didn’t want anything serious. In fact, neither did he, so it was best if he kept this light. “The kids. Anything for the kids.”

“Such a good guy,” Ainsley said. “Let’s get some food in you. You’re going to need all your energy tonight.”

It was how she said it that made him do a double take.

They were a few steps ahead of the others.

She smiled but didn’t look at him. “Those abs were impressive. I might like a little alone time with them.”

“So are you saying you want to touch them?” He’d always been direct and wasn’t into games.

“Yep, all over.”

He laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest. What happened to not wanting to date?”

“I didn’t say anything about a date. I just want to run my hands across those abs more than I want to breathe.”

He nearly tripped.

“It’s bad for me to objectify you,” she said. “But those abs mixed with that big heart of yours is kind of my kryptonite. Just sayin’.”

“Ainsley, you can objectify me all you want. Over and over again.”

She sucked in a breath and fanned herself. “Marine, you cannot say things like that. I might melt into a puddle at your feet.”

His mind flashed to her down on her knees in front of him. No. No. No. He had to get that out of his head. She was just flirting and having some fun.

“Hey, Ainsley, stop hogging the Marine,” Megan called to them.

“Yeah,” a chorus said behind them.

Then there were gales of laughter.

“Your ladies await,” Ainsley told him and made a show of curtseying. Then she waved her arm in a regal manner to the rest of the women from the table.

He’d play the gentleman and make them all feel like they’d gotten their money’s worth.

But there was only one lady he was interested in.

And he couldn’t wait for her to touch his abs.

4

AINSLEY HAD WAITED patiently for more than two hours for her turn to dance with the Marine. Her mother’s friends had helped pay for the privilege to have him at their table, but they were all a bit too handsy for her comfort.

Not that she should in any way feel possessive.

But she did.

Right now he was dancing with Sara Reyes, who was batting her eyelashes at him. The woman was her mother’s age.

“If looks could murder,” Megan said beside her.

“Shut it.”

Megan laughed. “I thought you’d just met him.”

“I did. I told you, at the toy store.”

“Yep, but I’ve never seen you look at a guy like that. Ever. Not even Joe What’s-His-Name when you were twelve and Mom took you to his concert.”

Joe What’s-His-Name had nothing on Ben. She hadn’t been lying about his abs. When he came out from that curtain with his shirt unbuttoned, she’d squirmed in her seat along with every other woman in the place. Ripped. That’s what he was. And there was a tattoo over his heart she was dying to explore.

Her body warmed again just thinking about it.

Fingers snapped in front of her face. “You do have it bad,” Megan said.

Her sister had the most annoying habit of interrupting her fantasies tonight. First, on the way to dinner, and now this.

“What? I was thinking about work.”

Her sister snorted. “Maybe workin’ it. But that face...” She did a dismissive finger wave, clearly to tease Ainsley. “It’s most definitely not thinking about work. He’s so thoughtful. And one of the most gorgeous creatures I’ve ever seen. He keeps stealing glances at you like he wants to eat you up. I say go for it. Have a good time.”

That’s all it could be. She was sticking to her guns when it came to men, especially right now. While her parents might want her to marry and settle down, that wasn’t a part of her plan. Not for a long time. It didn’t matter how many men they paraded in front of her, or forced her to sit with at dinner. Their manipulation wouldn’t work. They thought they were doing what was right—finding her a man who could take care of her—but she could take care of herself.

“I’m not interested. I keep telling you that,” Ainsley said resolutely. “My business takes up my days, nights and weekends. We’re doing really well. He’s a nice guy who did us a big favor tonight. Leave it alone, okay?”

Then she gave her sister the glare. The one that said if you push any harder, I’ll tell Mom and Dad on you.

Her sister held up her hands in surrender. “Fine. Fine. But just be straight with him. Tell him that you want to hang out, nothing serious. I bet he’d go for it. And from what he said about teaching and being a helicopter pilot, it sounds like he’s kind of busy, too.

“He was saying they sometimes leave at a moment’s notice for training exercises all over the world. This could be great. You don’t have to marry the guy, although I’d love to see Dad’s face with that one. Can you imagine? He’d probably have a coronary. I’ll be honest. If you aren’t interested in that Marine, I am. I’d be all over him like—”

“Megan!”

“Yeah, you aren’t possessive at all,” her sister teased.

“What’s so funny?” Ben asked, approaching them.

“Girl stuff,” Megan replied quickly. Ainsley was grateful for her sister’s vague answer. She prayed he hadn’t heard their conversation.

“Would you like to dance?” he said to Ainsley. The poor guy had been on his feet for two hours straight, wobbling through two-steps and waltzes, and a few fast dances with the other women at the table. He always seemed attentive and incredibly kind.

The way he treated others, it was like an aphrodisiac to her. Who needed oysters when Ben was in the house?

He was one heck of a hot guy. “Absolutely, but why don’t you sit down for a little bit and rest. We’ve kept you running all night.”

“I’m good. Besides, this kind of running is a lot easier than the obstacle courses on base. Afraid I’ll step on your toes?” He moved by her mother’s chair so she didn’t have to twist around. And then he held out his hand.

“Not at all. I’ve been watching you all night. I’ve danced with a lot worse.” She took his hand and then stood.

It was a slow number, thankfully.

As they hit the dance floor, he pulled her close and she put her arms around his neck. His went around her waist. With everyone else, he’d been quite formal. She liked that he treated her differently. Special.

“Been waiting for this since I got here tonight,” he said. “Holding you like this.”

She tipped back her head so she could see his eyes. She was five-seven and he had at least a good six inches on her.

“I said it earlier, but you’ve been such a champ. Every woman at that table has a thing for you, including my own mother. She keeps talking about you to her friends, about how you saved the day.”

He chuckled. “How about you? Do you have a thing for me?”

She shook her head and he frowned.

“No. I mean, I do,” she answered. “I mean... Oh, I’m making a mess of this. I told you what my life is like. I don’t have time to have a thing for anyone. My schedule is insane. Crazy busy.”

He shrugged. “This is how you let guys like me down easy, right? I get it. You’re out of my league. It’s okay.”

“No, you’re not. If anything, the opposite is true. I just don’t want to lead you on or set up some kind of expectation. And so we’re clear, I want you. I just probably shouldn’t.”

“I told you before, I’m okay with getting to know each other. No pressure.”

She smiled. “Guys always say that, and then they wonder why I’m not available twenty-four seven. I mean, I know I’m projecting. But the last couple of guys I dated—you’re nothing like them. I get it. But I don’t want to set up any false expectations. I pretty much live for my next appointment. Tonight is a luxury I don’t normally allow myself. But it’s for a good cause, and I’ve made some excellent networking contacts. Plus, we helped the kids, so it’s all good.”

“Uh, I don’t have any expectations,” he said. His brows drew together. “I simply want to spend some time with you. Maybe where we aren’t in a store, or in a fancy ballroom with two hundred very loud women.”

She’d noticed that he’d rub his temples now and then. Did he have a headache? Was the noise getting to him?

“Are you okay?” She was worried that maybe he’d been suffering all night and she hadn’t been aware.

“What? Why would you ask that?”

“You were rubbing your head earlier. And Megan told me she was worried you were having a panic attack before you came out, but then you strutted down that catwalk like you owned the place, so she figured that maybe you were just preparing.”

He pulled her tighter, and she liked feeling him pressing into her. She liked it a lot. “I’m fine. Sometimes noise gets to me a little. It’s not that big of a deal. Though, I could have used some ibuprofen a couple of hours ago.”

Oh, no. He didn’t feel well.

The noise, between the music and the chatter, had been deafening most of the night. Poor guy. And he’d acted like it wasn’t an issue.

“Would you like to take a break? I know somewhere we could go and it’s quiet.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What about your mom and her friends?”

“The party is dying down. They’ll be fine.” She hadn’t lied. Most of the attendees were gathering their things. “If it makes you feel better, we can go say a quick goodbye. I’ll tell them I’m the one with the headache and you’re taking me home. What they don’t know is home is a lot closer than they think. In less than five minutes, it will be superquiet and I also have something for your head.”

He let go of her immediately. “Really? A couple of aspirin or something and even twenty minutes of quiet and I’ll be good as new. That’s a great plan. Let’s do that.”

This time she was the one who chuckled.

They said their goodbyes quickly, although she felt like her mom might have held on a little too long when she’d hugged Ben, but soon after they were headed out of the ballroom.

He started to lead her to the front of the lobby, but she grabbed his hand.

“This way,” she said, pulling him to the elevator.

He frowned again. “I thought we were leaving.”

“No, I said I wanted you to take me home and I promised you quiet. I always get a room the night of this event in case I drink a little too much. So tonight, home is on the top floor of this hotel. Come on. We can raid the minibar. Dinner seems like a million years ago and I’m starving.”

She had no idea what she was doing or why she was taking him up to her hotel room.

Right. You have no idea. Okay, so alone time didn’t sound like the worst idea in the world. And maybe her sister’s words about having a good time were sinking it. This guy wasn’t like anyone she’d ever dated. He’d even told her that he had no expectations.

And I really want to know more about that tattoo on his chest.

“You’re okay with this, right? Going up to my room?”

He didn’t argue, just followed her onto the elevator. A couple women joined them and gave her knowing looks. She didn’t care.

She was taking her sister’s advice and was about to get happy with a hot Marine, or at the very least, kiss one.

The warmth coursing through her body didn’t lie, though. It was looking forward to so much more.

5

THE ROOM HAD floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the beach. Ben walked onto the balcony to listen to the calming waves. He was curious if he’d missed some kind of signal because Ainsley was all over the place with them. One minute she was talking about touching his abs—which he was, for the record, perfectly fine with—and the next she was telling him how she didn’t want to get involved with anyone. That she didn’t have time to date.

And then she’d invited him to her room. So he could have some peace and quiet and raid the minibar.

Ben was more than a little confused. Usually he kept things pretty simple with women. They had a good time, slept together and then that was that.

With Ainsley, well, it was complicated.

But he did welcome the quiet. He was embarrassed that Megan had told her about his breathing exercises backstage. That was something no one, except some of his closest friends, knew about. The waves were a lot more relaxing than the sounds in the ballroom and his shoulders felt like they’d dropped at least an inch, maybe two.

Inhaling the salty air, he closed his eyes.

Heaven. This thing with Ainsley, whatever it was—he’d let her lead the way. Maybe she was just as confused as he was. Given how she’d acted in the elevator, he had a feeling she wasn’t in the habit of asking guys to her room.

He heard the faucet in the bathroom turn on. She’d gathered some clothes and gone into the bathroom to change.

He remembered he was supposed to be finding them drinks in the minibar, which was better stocked than most of his friends’ kitchens.

Certainly better stocked that his. He’d moved into his apartment right before Thanksgiving. Then they’d been sent to Germany for a training mission. And since he was hardly ever at home, except to sleep, he hadn’t done anything with it, or bought much food. It was the first place of his own. For years he’d been living on base, or military housing, but he’d always had roommates. He preferred sending his money home to help out.

But last year, his mom had finished her nursing degree and had a great job. She refused to take his money, though she allowed him to contribute to his sister’s college fund. She was also paying him back for the house he’d bought them a few years ago.

He didn’t need the money, so he put it in savings with the hope that some day he might settle down and get a place of his own. But that was a few years away. He had his eyes on making colonel, so he had to focus on the Marine Corps for now.

“You were drinking champagne—do you want that or something else?” he asked Ainsley, who was still in the bathroom.

“What do you want?”

You. But he didn’t want to sound cheesy or scare her off. Maybe she really was just being nice and giving him some peace and quiet before he headed out.

“I was going to stick with water since I have to drive home in a bit.” He’d already had a couple of whiskeys. That was his rule. Two drinks and done. He never had liked the feeling of being drunk or out of control. Plus, he had enough trouble with headaches, so the last thing he needed was a hangover.

“Oh, uh...” She sounded unsure about something.

“What?”

She opened the door and stepped forward. She was wearing little flannel shorts and a long-sleeve pink T-shirt that came down to her hips. He turned around and headed back to the minibar, pretending to be interested in the contents.

No question, the woman was beautiful.

Those legs. He so wanted them wrapped around his waist.

“I thought we might hang out a little. I’m hungry again. I was going to order room service.”

Food and hanging out. Well, if that’s what she wanted to do, he was game. And there was never a time he couldn’t eat.

“I could go for some protein. Do they have a late-night omelet or something?” He shut the fridge door. But when he turned he found her staring at his chest.

He glanced down at his shirt. Had he spilled something?

“I don’t do this,” she said, and then she bit her bottom lip. She was nervous.

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