Savannah’s heart skipped a beat when she got out of her Toyota and found Matt sitting on the hood of his SUV. They’d arranged to meet in the gravel parking lot near the beach, and the entire drive over she’d tried convincing herself she was pissed off at Matt for sex-blackmailing her into a date. But the moment she laid eyes on him, she realized just how glad she was to see him, and how un-pissed she was.

He wore a pair of camo pants, a tight olive-green T-shirt and aviator sunglasses, looking like the hot military man he was. She’d been thinking about him non-stop since he’d strolled out of her shop the other day. She wasn’t sure if there was an equivalent for blue balls when it came to women, but after he’d teased her into oblivion and then left her in the lurch, her body had ached so badly she’d had to go upstairs to her apartment and make herself come to stop the throbbing pain.

“Where are your swim trunks?” she asked as she headed over to him.

He jumped off the hood. “Got some in the trunk.” Moving toward her, he planted a quick kiss on her lips then popped the trunk of his car and bent forward.

Savannah couldn’t help but check out his sinewy back and firm ass. Heat seeped into her cheeks when she heard him pull down his zipper. “You’re getting changed out here?” she said in surprise.

“There’s no one around. I’ll only be a sec.”

He kept his back to her, and her gaze was glued to him as he dropped his pants and boxers in one swift motion. And then there he was, in all his bare-assed glory. Cotton lodged into every corner of her mouth. She could barely swallow as she stared at that taut behind. How was this man this sexy?

She forced herself to look away. She couldn’t jump the guy in public, no matter how badly she wanted to.

He turned around a moment later, a pair of sky-blue swim trunks hugging his trim hips. Two beach towels were tucked under his arm and a smile graced his sensual mouth as he said, “Ready?”

She gulped. “Uh-huh.”

They headed down the concrete staircase and made their way to the beach. Savannah instantly kicked off her flip-flops, sinking her bare toes into the warm, white sand. In the distance, she spotted the commanding shape of Coronado’s Naval Base. “What kind of demo were you doing over there today?” she asked curiously.

“Obstacle course.” He cast her a cocky smile. “We were showing some of the new recruits what we’ve got.”

“Your arrogance makes my heart go a-flutter,” she said sweetly.

“What about my ass? Does that make your heart flutter too?”

“No,” she lied.

He just laughed.

The beach was completely deserted and they had their pick of spots to spread out their towels. Once they were settled, Savannah peeled off her bright green sundress and shoved it inside the oversized beach bag she’d brought. She pulled out a tube of sun block and innocently held it out. “Do my back?”

He visibly swallowed. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?” She couldn’t help but feel a little insulted.

“I’m not putting my hands on you,” Matt said cheerfully, plopping down on his towel. “I know exactly what you’re trying to do. You’re tempting me with your goddess body in the hopes that I’ll be so overwhelmed with lust that I’ll cut the date short so we can f**k like bunnies.”

“I am not.”

Okay, so maybe she was trying to tempt him. Truth was, she hadn’t hung out with a guy in ages. A dinner or two before getting naked, sure, but once sex entered the equation, she made sure to keep it that way. For some reason, though, Matt was determined to spend time with her.

What was wrong with him?

She unscrewed the cap and squirted a glop of sun block into her hands, proceeding to slap it across her skin in frustration. Really, what was the matter with him? Here she was, offering him wild, no-strings sex, something most men dreamed of, and he wanted to get to know her. Didn’t he realize that—she sucked in a breath. Oh Lord, he’d taken off his shirt.

Uncontrollable lust slammed into her at the sight of those sleek, golden muscles. Her body went into sexual overdrive.

“So tell me about your parents.”

The awareness sizzling through her veins fizzled with a pop. “Why do you want to know about them?” she asked immediately.

Matt let out a laugh. “Relax, darlin’, I’m not going to track them down and murder them. I just want to know what they’re like.”

“Okay, you want to know what they’re like? They’re perfect,” she said with a sigh. “And boring.”

“With you as a daughter, I doubt they’re boring.”

Savannah fixed her gaze on the calm waves lapping against the shoreline. She breathed in the clean scent of salt, suddenly wishing she’d tried harder to seduce him right out of this “date”.

“They’re just so predictable,” she finally admitted. “They finish each other’s sentences, laugh at all the same jokes, do all the same things. It’s…well, like I said, boring.”

She felt Matt’s gaze burning into her skin. When she glanced over, his green eyes revealed a perceptive glint. “What’s the real reason?”

She swallowed. “What real reason?”

“Why you’re so bothered by their relationship.”

“I’m not…I’m not bothered by it.”

“Sure you are. So why?”