She shook her head and laughed. “No fucking way, buddy. Not after you threw me in the water.”

“Please?” I pulled her against my chest. “You scared the crap out of me. You deserved it, G.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

I nodded, giving her puppy-dog eyes. “I almost had a heart attack. You can’t do that shit to me. I’m too old to be scared.”

She slapped my arm, the water making the contact sound much louder. “You’re so full of shit, Frisco.”

“But you can still suck my cock.”

She started to stomp through the water, creating ripples across the surface. “Get your ass back in the canoe, and if you’re a good boy, I’ll do it later.”

“But wait—” I said, following behind her toward the canoe.

“Nope. That ship has sailed.” She climbed inside and grabbed the oar she’d ignored all day.

“My dick says otherwise.”

She chuckled. “We have to be to the dock in an hour. Your cock will have to wait.”

“Fuck me,” I mumbled, sticking one leg inside the canoe.

I realized that Georgia had the perfect mixture of sassy and playful. Everything seemed to roll off her back. Even though I knew I could be a ballbuster, she gave it better than I ever had.

Maybe it was her age or her free spirit, but all I knew was I wanted more of it.

Never in my entire life had I felt the butterflies buzzing around my gut from a simple smile. With Georgia, even the most innocent look did crazy shit to my insides.

Although canoeing hadn’t been on my to-do list, spending the day with Georgia was the best medicine.

Chapter 11

Best Stakeout Ever

Waking up to a text from my ex placed a dark cloud over my day. I hadn’t even rolled out of bed and I was already pissed off. Last night when I closed my eyes, I had the biggest smile on my face. Georgia put it there.

Smiling was new to me. It wasn’t that I couldn’t smile, but it hadn’t been something I did every day. It wasn’t that I’d been unhappy. No. In fact, I had a good life up until Jeanine fucked shit up.

Growing up, my parents had been pretty strict. My mother was the child of Chinese immigrants but broke from tradition when she married my father, an American boy of mixed European descent.

My grandparents had died before I was born and my mother shunned her Chinese heritage, immersing herself in American culture. Although my parents lived through the Woodstock era, people believing in free love, and the hippie culture, they never embraced it.

Even though she claimed she’d wiped any remnants of her upbringing from her mind, she hadn’t. My mother had carried over the strictness of the Chinese people when it came to school and working hard.

I worked my ass off to get good grades and attend a decent college, but that was when I broke free. Once I started my freshman year at the University of Florida, I decided enough was enough.

I left college and joined the Navy. That about freaked the ’rents the fuck out. The one thing they stressed was education, and due to my ability to score high on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, I was able to take the Physical Screening Test during boot camp.

Somehow, thank fuck, I had been accepted for entrance into the training program to become a SEAL. It changed my entire life.

As I brushed my teeth and thought back on my youth, my phone beeped. I glanced out of the corner of my eye, too scared it was Jeanine again to pick it up.

Thomas: Meeting at 8:30. Be on time.

Never in my life had I been so happy to receive a group text about work. I finished getting ready, which really consisted of washing my face after I’d brushed my teeth, and headed to the office.

As I pulled into the parking lot, my phone beeped again. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it wasn’t Jeanine.

Georgia: Morning, Sexy. Thinking of you today.

Me: Good morning, beautiful. Can’t get you off my mind.

I walked through the door at one minute before the assigned time and headed straight to the conference room. When I entered, everybody else had already been seated and was waiting for me.

“Look what the cat drug in,” Bear said before he whistled.

“Dragged,” I corrected.

Bear waved me off. “Whatever.”

Thomas glanced at his watch before looking up at me. “Let’s get started.” He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t.

Bear smirked at me as I sat down. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I shook my head, telling him I wasn’t in the mood.

“Frisco, where are you with Mrs. Green?” James tapped his pen against the yellow legal pad sitting in front of him, looking bored.

“Done. I just have to deliver the photos today.”

Thomas pulled a file off the stack in front of him and tossed it in my direction. “Good. Here’s a new case for you to start today, then.”

“Thanks.” I pulled the folder in front of me before opening it.

Every case I’d been assigned lately seemed to deal with marriages falling apart. My new case was no different. Instead of a cheating spouse, the wife of my new client was suspected of hiding money during a divorce. The husband had hired ALFA to keep track of his soon-to-be ex-wife’s whereabouts and to see if we could find a paper trail, exposing her fraud.

As the meeting continued, I sat there studying the file, completely mesmerized. Mr. Jones had noticed changes in his wife’s lifestyle shortly after they separated. She went from driving a beat-up Toyota Camry to a brand-new Lexus. She bought a bigger house than she’d lived in with her husband and upgraded her wardrobe. When confronted, she claimed that a relative had passed away and left her a small inheritance.

He called bullshit on her story about old Aunt Maud kicking the bucket. In the state of Florida, inheritance couldn’t be touched during a divorce, but if she came into this windfall by any other means before their date of separation, he’d be entitled to a portion.

“Everyone have a good weekend?” James asked after all the assignments had been handed out.

I kept my head down, not wishing to discuss anything that happened.

“I think Frisco has some news.” Bear nudged my arm.

I glared at him. “I stayed home all weekend.”

“Lies,” Bear muttered, nudging me again.

“Do that one more time, and you’re going to lose that arm.”

“It must not have gone well.”

“It was a relaxing weekend.” I clasped my hands together on top of the file after I’d closed it.

“Well, I had an amazing weekend with Izzy. We left the kids with her parents Friday night and—” James started.

Thomas put his hand in front of James’ face. “Zip it. We don’t wanna know.”

Bear scooted forward. “Speak for yourself, T. I want to hear all about it.”

“Everyone get your asses to work. We don’t have time to sit around and talk like a group of old biddies.” Thomas slid his chair back and stood.

As I stood, Bear grabbed my wrist. “What crawled up your ass and died this morning?”

Pulling my arm from his grasp, I sighed. “Jeanine texted me this morning. It wasn’t how I wanted my Monday to start.”

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, rocking it back and forth. “She’s a nasty troll bitch.”

“She needs to just leave me alone. That ship has sailed, and I’m not taking another trip.”

He rubbed his chin as his eyes bounced around the room. “You know,” he said, dragging his eyes to mine, “I can fuck her.”