13. Greer

CHAPTER 13

GREER

There was only one you.

Austin's words played over and over in my head as I showered before dinner, making me emotional more than once. We had so much to talk about and information to process, but after our conversation on the beach, I felt closer to him than anyone in my life. Even Carter.

As usual, I was hard from being around him for an extended amount of time. Even though I'd never been with a man—or wanted to be with anyone other than him—jerking off felt like cheating for some fucked up reason.

While we hadn't confessed our undying love, I knew in my heart we both felt the same way. I could see it in the way he looked at me now. How he looked over at me as we ran along the beach, and how he'd held my face between his hands as he informed me that he was in charge now.

That made me smile as I rinsed the shampoo out of my hair. And when I was clean, I flipped the water to cold to help me deflate my erection.

After I'd dried off, I wrapped the towel around my waist and stood in front of the mirror. My late-day stubble was kinda sexy, so I dragged a vented brush through my hair and let the humidity do its thing. I'd have a head full of silver waves in no time.

Once I'd dressed in some track pants and a long-sleeved Pirates t-shirt, I padded down the stairs to the kitchen. The smell of grilling meat made my stomach growl.

I headed to the cabinet and turned on the music that would play in the kitchen and out on the veranda. It added a special ambiance to the room.

At the sultry sound of the Latin music, Austin looked up and smiled from where he'd been preparing dinner for us. His hair was still damp from his shower as he moved around my kitchen like he'd been here a thousand times.

"I didn't know you could cook. Do you already have a beer?"

The smile on his face reached his eyes as he prepared a vinaigrette for the salad he'd made. "No, I waited for you. And yes, I can cook."

I pulled out two bottles of a local brew from the fridge, twisted off both caps, and moved to stand beside him.

"Thank you." Austin wiped his hands on the towel he'd thrown over his shoulder, took the beer from my hand, then tapped his bottle with mine before taking a swallow. I tipped mine back, but kept my eyes on him as his lips lovingly caressed the open end of the bottle. He smelled of coconut and mango, my favorite locally sourced body wash and shampoo, and I lost myself in his proximity.

"Greer," he called, stepping closer. "You okay over there?"

My pulse elevated the closer he got, and when I reached out to run a hand down his back, I almost lost my mind. I expected it to be awkward and strange, but I couldn't have been more wrong. His warmth radiated from under the fabric of his t-shirt and felt so good under my hand. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, skating my hand up and down his back as if he were mine. "Just thought I'd practice touching you since I've never really done that before. At least not like this."

Austin leaned into it, his voice a little husky. "You can do that to me any time you want."

I released a single chuckle, but didn't take my hand off him. "You might want to be careful what you wish for, Lieutenant."

"It wasn't a wish. It was a statement of fact."

I wanted to stay in that moment forever, but unfortunately, my stomach had other ideas. "Can I help with anything?"

He looked up and smiled, moving toward the stovetop grill. I wanted to follow him to keep the connection. "Can you grab the plates? The steak is almost ready. Medium-rare, okay?"

"Yeah, that's perfect," I said, moving to the cabinet.

After setting them down, I collected our silverware and napkins, then picked up my bottle of beer. "Where would you like to eat? In here, or out on the veranda?"

"Outside. It's a nice night."

Nodding, I moved toward the veranda. Austin had built a fire in the outdoor fireplace and moved the table closer to it.

"This is nice," I said, taking a seat at the candlelit table. "We could have ordered in, but I'm really glad you decided to cook. Much faster."

He set my plate down in front of me, then placed his beside mine rather than across the table. We faced the open, low-burning fire, and enjoyed our food.

"I thought we could talk while we eat. Can't imagine you use this very often."

"You'd be right." I cut into my steak and moaned when it hit my tastebuds. The seasoning was perfect and enhanced the natural flavor of the meat. "That is so good."

"I am from Texas. Knowing proper grilling techniques is a requirement for citizenship."

I laughed. "No wonder Carter doesn't live in Texas. Unless something has changed, he can't cook at all."

Austin chuckled as he took another bite. "How long have you owned this place?"

"About ten years. I came down for a competition and fell in love with the place."

He stopped eating and turned his head to look at me. "Really? You came this far for a race?"

I shrugged. "Yes. It was the offseason. What else did I have to do? Central America is beautiful. I can't believe you haven't been here."

Austin narrowed his eyes just enough for me to notice. "Do you have any other international homes?"

"No, this is it."

While I went back to concentrating on my food, Austin stayed quiet, then took a sip of his beer. He was making me nervous.

"This is really delicious. My compliments to the chef. If you need a part-time job, Stella might could use you at Bernardo's."

"Yeah?" he said, going back to his food. "You think it's good enough for Stella's approval?"

I nodded. "I really do."

We talked about all kinds of irrelevant things that felt like monumental moments. And when we were finished, I picked up our plates and took them into the kitchen. When I returned, Austin was standing in front of the fire, looking deeply into the flames.

"Are you okay?" I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder.

He turned and looked at me in the firelight. His eyes roamed my face for a moment before he spoke. "Dance with me."

I smiled nervously as my face heated. "It's been a while."

He reached up and took my hand from his shoulder. I inhaled deeply as he brought it to his lips. Opening my palm, he placed a kiss in the middle of it, sending all my nerves into overdrive. "You're going to have to dance at the reception. So why not practice with me?"

I chuckled nervously. "I might step all over your feet."

He took my hand and pulled me close. "I don't care," he whispered as he positioned my arm over his shoulder. "Put your arms around my neck. But don't strangle me."

I laughed, melting some of the tension away, and did as he asked. "I've never danced with a man," I said, looking up at him.

He wrapped me tightly in his big arms, connecting us at each possible point, except for where I wanted him most. We swayed to the slow and sexy Latin beat, and I closed my eyes to savor every moment of it. My cheek rested against his as I let him lead.

"It's funny how the universe works," he whispered into my ear.

"Uh-huh," I replied, almost Jell-O in his arms.

"Want to hear something strange?"

"Sure. I like strange."

Austin chuckled, the friction of his body against mine doing wicked things to me as he laughed. "Ten years ago, when you bought this home, my team was deployed on our first mission. We were green, but determined to succeed."

My heartbeat picked up from its relaxed tattoo from the long day and being in his arms.

"Really? Were you afraid?"

"No. But do you want to know the funny part?"

I stiffened in his arms. "I didn't think there were any funny parts in the military."

"In the mission, no. But there is something very interesting now."

"Really? Okay."

I stiffened a little more and my so-called dancing morphed into something akin to Frankenstein's monster with no kneecaps. Austin tightened his hold on me as if he were keeping me from falling.

"Greer, I have a theory."

No, not a fucking theory.

"The universe was trying to tell us something."

"What makes you think that?" I mumbled, praying he didn't do the math and make the connection.

"If my calculation is correct, I was in Nicaragua when you bought this house."

I snorted again. "Okay. That is weird," I said, attempting to free myself from his octopus hold. "Want another beer? I'll go get them."

"No. You're not going anywhere until you answer my question."

I looked at him, my eyes pleading with him to let this go. "You didn't ask a question. So I have no answer."

He was taking great pleasure in torturing me. I could see it all over his gorgeous face. "You are a smartass, too, aren't you?"

Austin looked amused. I rolled my eyes and shook my head like the teenager I was not. "Fine," I groaned.

He nuzzled his cheek next to mine, our stubble rubbing together. Just when I thought he'd given up on this line of questioning, he bit my earlobe, making my cock throb. I wanted more of this delicious torture, but he had other ideas.

"Why did you really buy this house, Greer?"

I rubbed myself against him like a cat in heat. And he didn't stop me. At least not right them. He waited until I was ready to cum in my pants from all the frotting to pull the plug, so to speak. He looked into my eyes with the sappiest grin.

"Greer, answer the question. And if you do, I'll..."

I was gone. "You'll what?"

Austin looked at me like he already knew the answer, which he probably did. Fucking Carter. "I'll kiss the fuck out of you. Then I'll let you cum all over me."

I was going to have a heart attack right here. But what a way to go. "I bought it to be close to you, okay? You happy now?"

His wicked grin was back as his eyes turned dark. "No, but I will be in about two seconds."

And before I could process what he said, his mouth found mine, and I never wanted it to end.