A Major Attraction Read Free Page B

door at the water. Exiting, she inhaled the smell of ocean, the tangy sea air that refreshed her even after a full day of work.
    Olivia glanced down the street and saw a laughing couple holding hands as they took an evening stroll. Without warning, Maria’s words rang in her mind, tainting her small moment of contentment. You have no social life .
    Olivia turned and took her time walking back to the house. Who cared about a social life when she had a business beginning to thrive? It was easy for Maria to be preachy. The woman had lucked out by marrying a man—and a military man at that—capable of fidelity, compassion, and a deep and abiding love.
    One day Olivia would find true love. She knew it in her heart. But right now she had a business to run and no wish to be dragged around the country at the behest of a spouse. Maybe once Cava’s Java made a healthy profit, like in another five years, she’d expand to New Bern or Wilmington. At least in one of those cities she might have a chance at meeting a decent man, preferably a civilian, one who wouldn’t have to move every three or four years.
    She kicked at a pebble and slowed even more as the house loomed before her. Olivia loved the Marine Corps. Her father had retired from it, and both her brothers now served their country as Marines. But she’d seen the toll it had taken on her family, the constant moves, the long separations.
    Though her father and brothers were decent men, she’d seen too many friends get their hearts broken by wandering warriors. Her mother loved her father dearly but cautioned her about the challenges in loving a Marine. And her brothers fiercely warned her away from any of their friends. According to them, no one on the base was good enough for their little sister.
    She trudged up the steps of the porch and wondered what her brothers would think of Major Kyle Waters. Despite Becca’s warning and her own unwillingness to get involved, Olivia couldn’t stop the tingle of excitement that struck her the minute she walked through the door.
    She smelled something that made her mouth water and looked beyond the foyer into the small, cozy kitchen. She stared in amazement at the intimate seating for two at the table, at the candlelight and bottle of wine chilling on the counter.
    “You’re right on time,” Kyle said from behind the stove. He grinned, and her heart beat double-time.
    “Am I interrupting anything?” She stared cautiously from him to the table. Please let him say yes. Let me get the hell out of here before I forget all the reasons I shouldn’t get involved with him.
    “No. This is for you. Call it an apology for last night. Besides, it’ll make my suggestion easier to swallow on a full stomach.”
    Hearing him say “swallow” sent her mind straight to the gutter, and she prayed he couldn’t read the blush staining her cheeks. Honestly, she was turning into a carbon copy of Maria.
    “You really didn’t have to do this,” she protested, secretly amazed the man could cook.
    He shrugged, his powerful biceps bunching as he withdrew a baking sheet from the oven. “I wanted to.” He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher. Then he set the tray he held down and walked to her.
    “I hope you’re hungry,” he said in a soft voice and led her to the table. He held a chair out for her and waited until she sat. She turned to find him leaning down, his breath fanning her face. He stared at her lips and licked his own. “Because I’m starving.”
     
    Kyle watched Olivia eat, pleased she had no problems appeasing her appetite in front of him. It used to irritate him the way Becca toyed with her food, especially when he’d gone to the trouble of preparing it.
    Olivia glanced up at him and flushed. “Sorry, it’s just that it was a long day, and I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
    “You work around food all day. How can you not eat?”
    She shrugged and snagged another forkful of steak. “I get busy. My mind was on other