Touched By Midas (SEALs Going Hot Book 4) by Brenna Zinn Page B

of the many mismatched chairs, thankful for the opportunity to be with them once again.
    A prayer was said, a bottle of wine was passed around, and then the entire bunch got down to the business of eating. Angie picked up a chicken thigh with her fingers. The smell of roasted meat caused her stomach to growl. She took a bite of the juicy bird and immediately needed to wipe her chin.
    “You like?” Midas’ mother asked.
    Angie grinned and nodded her head, her mouth too full of yumminess to speak. The group cheered and waved their wineglasses.
    “Come by next week,” his mother said after taking a drink. “I’ll teach you how to make it.”
    Her thoughtful invitation surprised Angie as much as it warmed her heart. Of course, she wanted to learn how to cook. Especially from this sweet woman who probably forgot more about being a homemaker than her own mother ever dreamed of knowing.
    Angie took a quick glance at Midas as the reality of her situation came back into focus. He would be gone soon. Somehow, he had whittled his way into her life only to take off to ports unknown. He and his lovely family would be little more than a happy memory.
    “Thank you, but I’m sure Michael will be out on some mission by then.” Hopefully, she hid her disappointment well. Just thinking of her lonely existence in her empty house was beginning to bring her down.
    “You are Michael’s friend, no?”
    The question was simple enough, yet Angie didn’t know how to reply. Were they friends? Yes, but they were more than friends, weren’t they? Maybe she was reading way too much into the situation. Why did her relationship with the SEAL have to be so difficult?
    “Yes,” Midas replied for her. “And I’m sure she would love to learn how to cook your garlic chicken. Teach her how to make paella. She made some earlier this week, and I nearly ended up in the emergency room.”
    He graced her with one of his breathtaking smiles. Beneath the table, Midas grabbed her hand and squeezed.
    Everyone but the children sat around the table long after the meal had concluded and the dishes were cleared. While the adults chatted about summer plans, the impending birth of Mercedes’ baby and the good old days, the kids ran around playing soldiers and pirates. When night fell, as did the eyelids of the youngest of the children, they all said their good-byes and went their separate ways.
    Midas’ mother tucked the handles of a plastic sack into Angie’s hand.
    “What’s this?”
    “Some leftovers for you to take home.” She pinched Angie’s cheek in between two pudgy but soft fingers. “We need to fatten you up.”
    “Trust me. You’re well on your way.”
    They hugged and then Midas stepped in, threading his arm through hers. “Ready to walk off your dinner?”
    As they walked back to his house through the shallow surf of the beach, the sky above bright with stars, they spoke very little. The companionable silence allowed time to think about her past, the last week with the sexy SEAL, and her future. At one time, she thought Midas was a typical chest-thumping Navy man. The kind of guy who charmed his way into a women’s panties and then tore through their hearts as though they were little more than tissue paper.
    But she had seen a side of him that would have remained hidden had she not gone out with him. Now that she had seen that side, she wanted to see more. Really get to know this man who was full of surprises. Perhaps, if she could get to the point where she really trusted him, she would reveal her identity. If that didn’t cause him to turn his colors, nothing would.
    And if he passed that test?
    “We’re here,” he said, breaking her thoughts. He took the leftovers from her grasp. “Stay here for a minute. Okay?”
    “Sure.”
    He trotted to his house and came back with a giant beach towel. After grabbing two of the corners, Midas held the towel high, letting the wind unfold it, and laid it on the sand.
    “The breeze is too