Page 3 of Smith

“Japan?”

“Last duty station I lived with my dad.”

I could imagine young, beautiful Aria being untouchable on a Navy base. Her father being an officer would mean other officersand enlisted men and women would tell their sons not to go there with her.

“Right. Ready to tell me about the letters or are we gonna continue to tempt fate with this back and forth?”

The woman looked like she was having an internal debate and when her face split with a heart-stopping smile and I knew I was fucked, mainly because I wanted to fuck her. And her smiling at me like she was fully on board to test the limits of my control wasn’t helping.

“Fate?” she retorted.

“Straight up?”

Perfectly kissable lips twitched.

“Hit me with it,” Aria invited.

“Any other circumstance I’d show you exactly what kind of man I am.”

She leaned a hip against the counter while shamelessly taking me in. Something that was not helping my erection or my resolve.

“And what kind of man are you, Smith?”

“That kind who knows foreplay starts here.” I tapped my temple.

The kind that could have you moaning my name in two-point-zero seconds without touching you.

“So, what you’re saying is you’re the golden unicorn who all women fantasize about. The one who understands you have to fuck a woman’s mind before you fuck her body.”

Jesus Christ she was killing me.

“We should really get back to the letters.”

“We should,” she agreed.

I waited for her to continue until it was obvious she was calling me out.

“Are we gonna stand here and play chicken all day or are you going to tell me about the letters? It’s not me who’s got someplace I gotta be.”

She startled at my reminder and pushed away from the counter.

“Shit. I forgot.”

“Forgot you need to leave for Philly or forgot when you received the first letter.”

“Philly.” She waved her hand in front of her. “Like I said, my dad’s making a big deal out of nothing. I don’t even think the letters are for me.”

If I had a daughter who was receiving threatening letters in the mail and I was stationed in Guam, I’d make a big deal out of it, too.

“May I see the letters?”

“Yeah, let me get them.” She made it as far as the wide opening to the kitchen before she glanced back over her shoulder. “Help yourself to something to drink.”

My gaze dropped to her ass and up close I saw just how threadbare her jeans were. There was a horizonal tear slightly under the left pocket, just enough to tease skin. As soon as she disappeared out of sight I took another look around her refinished cabinets and willed my cock to behave. As soon as she brought me the letters it was time for me to leave—preferably without a hard-on.

That hope was realized when Aria walked back into her kitchen with a stack of envelopes. Not just a few like I’d thought—a fucking three-inch stack.

“How long have you been getting those?”

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