No Reservations (Special Ops: Tribute Book 1) by Kate Aster Read Free Book Online Page B

sliced a chunk off with
his fork. When the crab touched his palette, his eyes slammed shut. Mouth still
full, he couldn’t help mumbling, “This is a definite winner.”
    She blew out a breath of relief, sitting beside him.
    “So, do you mind giving me a little tour of Annapolis?” he
inquired after swallowing. “It’ll help me pick out a good spot for our place.”
    “Sure. You said you were thinking of getting a place on Main
Street, right?”
    “Mostly likely. Why? Do you have other suggestions?”
    She tilted her head thoughtfully, and a few tendrils of hair
fell out of her ponytail making Maddox’s fingers itch to put the elusive locks back
in place.
    “There are already three other ice cream shops on
Main Street,” she informed him.
    “Three?” He frowned. “Well, our ice cream will be better.”
    “Better doesn’t always cut it in this town. You have to be
different. You have to stand out in the crowd.” She smiled coyly. “Though I
imagine there are those that will come to your place just to see a former SEAL
scooping ice cream. And uh… now that I’ve seen you without a shirt…” She didn’t
finish the sentence, only laughed.
    “So you think we should consider a shirtless uniform? Sort
of Chippendales style?”
    “Absolutely,” she said teasingly. “There are women who would
pay an extra dollar a scoop for that sight.”
    “And imagine the tips,” he joked. “So, if you don’t mind me
asking, what’s going to make your B & B stand out? There are a lot more B
& Bs than there are ice cream shops.”
    “You’re right. But I’ve got that covered.” Her smile was
mysterious.
    “Okaaay.” He stretched out the word, angling his head
curiously. “Are you planning on sharing?”
    She bit her lip, her excitement palpable. “It’s kind of
something you have to see to get the full effect. I’ll show you when you’re
done with your omelet.”
    Grinning, he scooped an entire half of the omelet into his
mouth.
    Her eyes widened with surprise—and a hint of revulsion.
“Don’t choke on it.”
    After a couple chews, he swallowed. “One thing SEALs are
experts at—eating fast because the opportunity is fleeting. So, where’s
your big secret?”
    She untied her apron—the simple action of it nearly
undoing Maddox—and crooked a finger to him. “Follow me.”
    He’d gladly follow her anywhere when she said it like that.
    She opened the door to what appeared to be the basement, and
glanced over her shoulder at him before descending the stairs. “My pièce de résistance .”
    She said it with flair, and Maddox was enthralled by the
sound of French words on this woman’s tongue.
    Walking down the stairs behind her, satisfaction spread over
his face at the sight as it revealed itself to him.
    “A man cave,” he declared, his voice gravelly as he reverently
stroked the mahogany of a new pool table with its balls racked and ready for a
game. His gaze roved around the room—from the huge TV on the wall with a
gaming system underneath it, to the foosball table, and then over to the
electronic dartboard. The walls were painted in hues of green with one feature
wall covered in what looked to be reclaimed wood. A leather sectional was in
front of the TV, and an impressive model sailboat sat on a console table behind
it. The room had a decidedly different feel than the rest of the house, a stark
contrast to the more feminine décor upstairs.
    “Exactly. A man cave,” she said brightly. “I had this idea
back in college when I visited here. I figured it’s usually women, not men, who
want to stay in bed-and-breakfasts, right? So why not give the men something to
entice them to want to stay here? And frankly, I think women will love it just as
much.”
    Maddox had to agree. Any living creature that took in oxygen
couldn’t resist a divine sanctuary like this room.
    “Look over there,” she urged him, nodding in the direction
of the opposite side of the room.
    “Oh my God,” he