before surrendering Holly. “Of course. Holly, nice to meet you. Another time, maybe.”
Ben put his arms around Holly and moved to the music. “Gone only three weeks and you find another man to dance with,” he grumbled.
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I tried dancing alone, but everyone kept looking at me.”
His deep chuckled vibrated her chest. “You look incredible. When I walked in and saw the back of your dress, my first thought was to throw you over my shoulder and hurry home. Then I realized that was probably an inappropriate response.”
“You like, huh?”
“Very much.”
“When did you get home?”
“About an hour ago.”
“Oh, Ben. And you came here.”
“Well, you know, the tux was hanging at my house. What else could I do?”
“What else, indeed.” She tightened her arms and squeezed his waist. “I’m glad to see you in one piece.”
He hugged back, but didn’t respond to her statement. “What’d I miss while I was gone?”
“I quit Coronado Beach lifeguard program.”
“You did? Why?”
“The last night we were together, Katie said some things that woke me up. We don’t have to have that money. I need to be there for her.” She groaned. “The teenage years.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Yours were rough?”
They swayed to the music for a few minutes before he said, “Mine were hell.”
He’d said more to Holly about his background than even his closest SEAL buddies knew. He wasn’t even sure Rooster and Cowboy knew he wasn’t from California. They’d assumed he was, and he’d never corrected them. It didn’t matter what they believed.
Thinking back to the dump where he’d grown up, it was hard to believe he was in the finest country club in the city, dressed in a fancy, black tuxedo while dancing with the most beautiful and fascinating woman he’d ever met. None of this seemed real.
When their plane had landed back in California, the team had been ready to split. Together twenty-four-seven for twenty-one days made them a little testy, especially since they hadn’t come up with a successful plan. The U.S government wanted Popov stopped. They preferred he be snatched out of North Korea alive for the intel he could provide. Eliminating him remained the option of last resort.
Once off the plane, he’d sped home to shower and dress for tonight, fully aware he would arrive unfashionably late, and he had. When his invitation had arrived, he’d been surprised at the location for the event. He hadn’t known that Bethany came from money. She’d always seemed down to earth.
When his GSP directed him to the drive of la Spiaggia Country Club, and he turned through the rock posts with the gas lanterns, he’d had to chuckle. If his old man could see his worthless son now.
He’d pulled into the circle drive as directed. The valets were busy delivering cars to departing guests rather than parking cars when he’d arrived. He’d handed his keys to the first valet he saw and headed to find Holly.
Stepping through the glass doors into the lobby had been like entering a foreign world of wealth and prestige. The carpet beneath his shoes was thick and cushioned. A pleasant floral scent filled the lobby, possibly coming from the enormous fresh floral arrangement on a large, round foyer table. Oil paintings of the club’s founders were shown under subtle spotlights. The lobby’s lighting was subdued, projecting a calming effect.
Following the music, he’d made his way toward an event room at the rear of the building that sat on a cliff overlooking crashing ocean waves. Along the walls of this room stood long tables of food which appeared to be refreshed often. As he’d looked for Holly, he’d seen the food platters disappear and reappear with new and different finger foods. Waitstaff circulated with trays of champagne. If expensive champagne—he assumed it was expensive given everything else—wasn’t to your liking, there were four open bars occupying the four corners of the room. A live band played from a stage at one end. Couples in formal attire swayed to the music on the wooden dance floor.
“You made it.”
Benjamin turned toward the voice and smiled. Bethany swooped up and kissed his cheek.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said. “Holly told me you were out of country.”
“Got back a little while ago. I couldn’t miss your party.” He winked. “I was at the dinner where you passed out threats.” He did a fake shiver. “You’re scary.”
She and Lawrence laughed.
“You’re telling me,” Lawrence said. “You ought to be engaged to her.”
Benjamin smiled. “She’s a catch,