Olivia peered through and saw a pretty house lit from within.
They spent the next hour talking about flowers and housing costs in general. It seemed Ava had planned to move out West before she'd found the job working as Mrs. Sharpe's assistant.
“So where's your room?” Olivia asked.
“I'm downstairs because I need to be closest to whatever everybody needs. And by everybody, I mean Mrs. S. And by needs, I mean her office.” She smiled, showcasing a dimple.
“I'll have to be careful of your boss.”
“And now your boss. I'm just teasing. Mrs. S. is good people.”
“Good to know.”
They left the room and walked along the second-floor hallway past the main stairs.
Olivia told herself she wouldn't ask. “So where does the team reside?” So much for not asking.
“In here.” Ava stopped in front of a long wing. “There're all prior SEALs, big guys with big appetites. But don't worry. They're mostly harmless.” At that moment, loud footsteps sounded behind them.
“Speak of the devil.” Ava crossed her arms over her chest and raised a brow.
Olivia turned to find all four sweaty, haggard men. They wore jeans and nothing else. And no shoes. Strange. She had a hard time tearing her gaze away from such fine physiques and found herself wondering, not for the first time, just what kind of work these men did for Uncle Sam.
At the sight of her, they stopped. Curiously they didn't project the same hungers they had earlier. Perhaps they'd worked it out of their systems, since they looked like they'd just gone ten rounds with a heavy bag and lost.
“Ava,” Jules greeted. He nodded to Olivia. “I see you've made the cut. Welcome. We met earlier. I'm Jules.”
“And that's Kisho, Jesse, and Gunnar,” Ava finished for him, pointing out the respective team members.
“Hayashi, Fallon, and Tersch,” the blond corrected.
Ava ignored him. “Kisho is the quiet one with the soul of a poet. Jesse's a player, so watch out for him.”
“And what about me?” Gunnar, or Tersch, asked.
“Gunnar's a walking hemorrhoid. Ignore him.” Ava pulled Olivia with her and brushed by the men, who chuckled, except for Gunnar, who growled. “We're on a tour. Excuse us.” As she passed, Olivia's hand accidentally brushed Jesse's. The contact sent sparks of desire through her, and she gasped, unable to help herself. Unlike before, this time she felt a sense of awareness and something more, a hint of wildness under the surface.
“See you later,” he murmured.
She could feel his eyes searing into her back as she walked away. She followed Ava down one of the sets of stairs and explored the downstairs, trying to ignore her intense reaction to Jesse Fallon.
“Don't let the guys intimidate you. They tend to take over a room, you know?” Olivia nodded. “They're all so…big.” Lame, but it sounded better than sexy, handsome, or hot as hell. How professional was that?
“Yeah, and you get to work with them. Lucky you.” Ava pretended to hang herself with a rope.
Olivia chuckled. “This isn't what I was expecting at all. Everything is so, well, relaxed.
You're in jeans, and I could be mistaken, but I don't think any of the men were wearing shoes.” Ava smiled. “We do things a lot differently around here. This isn't Dam Neck or Camp Lejeune. You could say we're attached to the military in a very, very loose sort of way. In fact, the less we look military, the better it is for all of us.” She didn't say any more, but Olivia understood the implication. No one here wanted attention brought to them. The veiled secrecy only made her that much more curious about what the mission would entail.
They walked around a spacious kitchen, past the long oak dining table that could comfortably fit a dozen diners, and into the living area. A great, big, open floor plan that would be terrific for entertaining. Yeah, right, Olivia. Can you see those guys sitting around drinking wine and eating canapés?
“This is where everyone seems to congregate every night. Movies or cards, you name it.
The guys are actually pretty easygoing after they've had a decent meal. Melissa is an angel in the kitchen.”
“How long has everyone been here?”
Ava perched against a card table. “Well, I'm new, but Jack and Melissa have been here since the guys moved in, a year, I think. The team's mostly here and gone, lots of overseas missions. Then Admiral London took a backseat. Mrs. Sharpe is in charge of the group now. She brought me in.”
Olivia paused. “What do the guys do?”
“Protect and defend. What else?” Ava said, a twinkle in her eyes. “Mrs. S. will brief you and the others soon enough. You need to get used to the team dynamics before you head out to Brazil. So lucky. I wish I were going.”
Excitement thrummed. “Brazil, hmm? I haven't been there since I was a little girl.”
“Cool. Make sure to bring me back something special.”
“Sure thing.” A sudden longing for family assailed her. Time to call home and talk to Uncle Jaime again. “Can I make a phone call?”
“You'll have to ask Mrs. Sharpe about that. But be careful. The woman will put you to work so fast, your head will spin.”
“Ava.” Mrs. Sharpe's voice carried through the kitchen.
“See?” Ava sighed and left her.
Alone, Olivia considered the strange turn her life had taken. She couldn't say she was bored. Not any longer. One look at Jesse had cured her of that. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her, if he saw anything. She couldn't read him, not that she'd tried overly hard. Still, it wouldn't hurt to put her feelers out.
But that's all she'd be putting out.
The last four months she'd been happily celibate. Tired of attracting Mr. Wrong in search of Mr. Right, she'd decided to shift men into a low priority in her life. And the most important priority at this moment was settling into this new job. God, she'd so needed a change in her life.
Men were predictable; the job was predictable—hell, even her aunt and uncle asked the same questions every time they talked. “How are you, querida? Do you have a boyfriend? When are you coming to visit? When are we going to see some grandbabies?” Like clockwork.
She frowned. Maybe not calling Uncle Jaime and Aunt Belinda would be best.
“Olivia Lynn. Doesn't sound Portuguese,” Jesse said from behind her, his voice smooth.
She started and turned to face him. The others were nowhere in sight. Easy, Olivia.
Remember, you're off men right now. Get your head together. If only she could convince her heart rate to relax. “Is it Jesse or Fallon? I'm not sure what to call you.” He smiled, and her pulse shot into overdrive. “For you, Jesse.” No wonder Ava had called him a player. No man should look this good in clothes. Then she remembered what he looked like with his shirt off, and had to force herself not to check her lips for drool.
He waited, and she realized he'd asked her a question. “Lynn was my father's name, but my mother's was Esteves before she married him.”
“Hmm.”
“What?” He didn't say anything, looking her over from head to toe as if envisioning her naked. The arrogance annoyed her. That's right. He's just like every other gorgeous man you've fallen for: selfish, flawed, and ultimately, boring.
“Just imagining you in Rio wearing one of those string bikinis they're famous for.” She blushed through a scowl. “Does this approach ever work for you?”
“No.” He sighed. “Apparently it's not working now either.” She didn't want to smile but couldn't help herself.
“You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. That blue-green. It's like Key West and the Caribbean all rolled into one tropical paradise.” He looked away, but not before she saw his pupils stretch.