“I can do it! I’ll get more water,” Logan said, grabbing a pail and running back down to the ocean.
Patrick stood there, arms crossed as he watched the kids. “I’m thinking of buying a ring,” he said quietly to Evan.
“A ring as in an engagement ring?”
“Yep,” Patrick affirmed. “That’s the one.”
Evan let out a low whistle. “Because of the baby? I gotta tell you, Ali was shocked as hell when you texted me this morning. I sure wasn’t exactly expecting to run out and pick up pregnancy tests either, truth be told.”
Patrick chuffed out a laugh. “I suppose not since you already have a kid on the way. It wasn’t exactly in the plans at the moment, but life happens. As soon as Rebecca got sick this morning, it’s like she knew right away what was going on. It took me a few minutes to catch up, but hell. After that I wanted to know as badly as she did.”
“Is she feeling any better?” Evan glanced toward Rebecca and Alison on the beach, who were currently laughing over a magazine they were holding.
“For the moment. Although she assures me morning sickness can happen any time, not just in the morning. Apparently, it wasn’t too bad when she was pregnant with Abby, so she’s hoping this pregnancy will be easy as well. I imagine it’ll be hard to be arguing in court with a trash can in one hand.”
“Yeah, Ali had a hell of a time at work for a while. When patients arrive in the ER, they don’t expect the nurses to be sick.”
“I can imagine.”
“Does Rebecca know you’re planning to propose?”
“No. I’ve been thinking for a while that I wanted us to live together. We’ve been dating a year, and going back and forth between houses is hard. Even on the kids. But there’s no sense in moving in together and not making it official.”
“Hoorah,” Evan said.
“It’s kinda hard to believe we’ll be having a baby just a few months behind you two,” Patrick said with a wry smile. “And here I thought my diaper changing days were over.”
“Hell, you can practice on our kid any time you want,” Evan said. “I’m not too sure how I feel about diaper duty.”
Patrick chuffed out a laugh. “Believe me—some things you never forget. Thanks for the offer though.”
“At the rate we’re going, in another year we’ll have an entire junior SEAL team running around.”
Patrick smirked and glanced over at his son calling him. “Dad, I’m hungry! I want something to eat.”
“I’m hungry, too!” Abby chimed in.
“Let’s go have a snack then,” Patrick said. Rebecca usually packed enough to feed an army when they came down to the beach, but with her sick this morning, he’d said he’d just buy some food here like he used to do with Logan. Might as well make use of the endless stretch of boardwalk that ran along the beach. “Who wants to get ice cream?”
“Me, me!” both kids shouted, jumping up and abandoning their shovels and pails.
Patrick cast a quick glance toward Evan. “See what you’re in for?”
Evan laughed. “Aw, hell, that’s all going to be Ali. I’m clueless about kids.”
REBECCA WATCHED ABBY and Logan jumping up and down by the water, their face beaming. Patrick said something, and they grew even more excited. The four of them began walking up the beach toward where she and Alison were sitting, Patrick carrying the kids’ sand toys.
Rebecca smiled.
Nothing like seeing a six-foot-three Navy SEAL in navy blue swimming trunks, his broad, muscular chest and rippling muscles on display for everyone to admire, carrying a little girl’s hot pink plastic bucket.
It was sweet watching him holding Abby and Logan’s things. And somewhat ironic to know a man as powerful as him—a muscular, assertive Navy SEAL—could enjoy everyday things with his kids.
Their kids.
Funny, she’d never really thought of it that way before. Patrick was Logan’s dad, and she was Abby’s mom. But now, with a baby of their own on the way?
It was like they were a little family unit.
No wonder Patrick was eager to move them in together.
In a matter of a single day, her entire life had been turned upside down.
“I seriously can’t believe you’re pregnant,” Alison said beside her, absentmindedly rubbing her own stomach.
“I was just thinking the same thing. I wouldn’t have believed it either until I threw up in my own kitchen this morning,” Rebecca said.
“When Evan told me Patrick texted him asking about a pregnancy test, I thought he was joking.”
“It kind of feels like a dream at the moment—a good dream. Where are you guys headed?” she asked as Patrick, Evan, and the kids walked up.
“Mommy, we’re getting ice cream!” Abby said. “Do you want any?”
“No, I better not have any since I wasn’t feeling well this morning.”
“Oh, okay,” Abby said with a shrug. “Is it okay if I have some? Patrick said he’d take us.”
“Sure, sweetie. Let me get you some money.”
“I got it,” Patrick said easily.
“Ali, do you want anything?” Evan asked. “The kids told me you have to get ice cream at the beach—it’s some kind of rule or something.”
“It is,” Logan said. “We always do, so that’s the rule.”
“God, yes, I’ll have some ice cream, I’m starving,” Alison said as the rest of them burst into laughter. She told Evan what she wanted, and the rest of the group headed to the boardwalk.
“You guys are coming tomorrow, right?” Rebecca asked, taking a sip of her bottled water. “To the barbeque?”
“Yes, we wouldn’t miss it. Don’t forget, Evan and I met at one of Patrick’s barbeques.”
Rebecca laughed. “How could I? Evan was chasing after you like a lost puppy dog.”
Alison snorted. “He’d love hearing that.”
“It’s been a crazy year. You weren’t even interested in Evan at first, and now you live together and are having a baby.”
“In my defense, I thought he was younger than he is.”
“He does have boyish good looks,” Rebecca agreed. “The guys on the team still rib him like crazy. And Patrick loves throwing barbeques. I wonder how many we’ll be having next summer with a new baby?”
“My guess is none,” Alison said as Rebecca burst into laughter.
“Probably not many,” Rebecca agreed. “I just hope I don’t get sick in front of everyone tomorrow night. We’re not really planning to announce it to the world just yet.”
“You can always claim it’s Patrick’s grilling making you ill,” Alison teased.
“Yeah, that would work maybe one time. Everyone will catch on pretty quickly if I get sick at every barbeque we have this summer. Either that or they’ll think Patrick is the worst cook ever.”
“Well, it’ll buy you a little time. God, Abby is going to flip whenever you decide to tell her.”
“I know, she really will. She’s obsessed with your baby. And she’d love to have a younger sister.”
“She was a little disappointed that I’m having a boy,” Alison said with a grin.
“She’ll get over it as soon as the baby is born,” Rebecca said. “She’ll be begging you to let her feed him, hold him, play with him—”
“Hey, I’ll take all the help I can get,” Alison said, brushing a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear as a breeze blew in from the ocean. “God knows I’m clueless around kids. Maybe she’ll have better instincts than me.”
“She’ll make a great big sister,” Rebecca said wistfully.
“Can’t believe it’s really happening, can you?” Alison asked.
“Nope.”
The two women burst into laughter.
She heard the kids coming back before she saw them, and a moment later they were running by to sit on their towels and enjoy the rest of their ice cream. Patrick crouched down beside her in the sand.
“I got you ano
ther bottle of water,” he said.
Their fingers brushed against one another as she took it from him, and for some reason she flushed. Seriously, anytime she was around Patrick her heart started beating faster. That short, cropped hair, chiseled jaw, and muscular physique got her every time. Not to mention the fact that he swept her off her feet—both figuratively and literally.
His eyes met hers, a hint of humor in them. “Abby asked if she could have extra whipped cream on hers,” he said huskily.
Her face flamed as Alison laughed at her reaction. “Do I even want to know this story?” she asked, taking the milkshake Evan handed her.
Patrick and Rebecca simultaneously said, “No,” which made Alison laugh even harder.
Evan took a sip of his own milkshake as he sprawled out in the sand beside Alison and grinned. “Man, this story has gotta be good. Rebecca’s blushing like crazy, and Patrick looks like the cat that ate the canary.”
“Thanks a helluva lot, Flip,” Patrick said, calling him by his nickname.
“A cat isn’t how I’d ever describe Patrick,” Alison said. “More like a prowling predator.”
“It’s an expression, babe,” Evan said with a chuckle.
“What story?” Abby asked from her towel, ice cream covering her mouth. “I want to hear a story!”
“There’s no story,” Rebecca said. “Finish eating your ice cream before it melts.”
Patrick leaned closer, speaking low in her ear as conversation continued on around them. “The next time I deploy, I’m going to be remembering that every single night. Hell, I’ll probably be dreaming of whipped cream. Imagining coming home to you.”
She shivered in delight, and he took hold of her hand. “I might have to spend the night again tonight,” he quipped. “Just to make sure it’s forever seared in my memory.”
Evan and Alison watched them in amusement as the kids obliviously continued eating their ice cream.
“This explains the text we got this morning, Ali,” Evan said with a grin. “Those two can’t keep their hands off one another.”
Chapter 5
PATRICK WALKED DOWN the hallway to Rebecca’s kitchen that evening after tucking his son into bed in the guest room. Abby had already been asleep for half an hour, worn out from their afternoon at the ocean, and the rest of the evening they’d have alone.
Hell.
The weekend was only half over, and he was already dreading going onto base Monday morning. Normally he relished the thrill of a new operation, of their potential deployment, but now for the first time, he almost felt like he was missing out here.
For a guy who’d given his entire life to the Navy, that came as somewhat of a surprise.
Rebecca stood at the sink, filling her glass with water, and his heart caught for a moment as he watched her. Her flowy skirt fell to her knees, and she had a pretty pink tank top on with those tiny little straps he loved. So damn feminine and sexy. His eyes traveled down her shapely legs to her bare feet, her toes painted a similar shade of pink.
Barefoot and pregnant, he thought with a smirk.
His.
She took a long sip of water, he wavy brown hair cascading down her back, and he stopped behind her, wrapping his around her waist and pulling her close.
He kissed the top of her head, breathing in her floral scent.
The evening sun shone in through the window above the sink, but the gauzy curtains Rebecca had picked out blocked any neighbors from seeing in. Gave them the privacy he wanted.
His groin tightened.
“I may have to deploy soon,” he said in a low voice, gauging her reaction. He glanced down over her shoulder and saw her chest momentarily rise in surprise. Felt her body stiffen. The swells of her breasts peaked out beneath her tank top, and from his prime position as he towered above her, he could see the hint of the lace on her bra. Her irresistible cleavage.
She was so damn sexy.
“Oh really?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. The worry was evident in her voice.
“Probably not for a week or so,” he said easily. “The CO let me know earlier that we have an important briefing on Monday morning. I didn’t get a chance to fill you in at the beach. Plus with the kids around, I didn’t want Logan to be upset. The older he gets, the more he understands about where I go and what I do.”
“Do you have any idea how long you’ll be gone?”
“Tough to tell. Maybe a week. Maybe more.”
His hands rose to her slender shoulders, kneading away some of the tension. Loving the feel of her silken skin.
“I always worry when you go,” Rebecca said softly. “And now....”
“I know. Everything’s changing. But I promise you I’ll be safe. I can’t reveal any details of a pending operation to anyone—hell, I don’t even know the specifics myself yet. But you know I’ll always come back to you.”
“I know, Patrick. And I know you’ll be okay.”
He pressed closer to her, wrapping his arms around her again, so that she could feel his erection prodding against her bottom. He ducked lower, nipping at her ear. “You are so damn beautiful. I hate being away from you.”
“Patrick,” she breathed, her chest rising again in an entirely different way as he grazed his teeth over the tender skin on her neck.
“Mmm-hmm?”
His hands found her breasts, and then he was kneading them through the cotton of her tank top. He gently tugged her thin straps and bra down, her full breasts spilling out over the top. Her round globes were pale, the nipples a dusky pink. So fucking gorgeous.
She was perfect.
His fingers lightly brushed across her nipples as she gasped. Relaxed back against him. He brushed his fingers again over the taut buds and then palmed her breasts, enjoying how they filled his large hands. How she whimpered slightly as he touched her.
“You’re even more sensitive now,” he growled, male pride surging through his chest as she reacted to his touch.
“I know,” she breathed, her bare breasts rising up and down with each breath. He caressed her breasts gently, growing even harder as she arched back, pressing her breasts further into his hands.
“I want to take you like this,” he said, “right here in the kitchen. Every night when I’m gone, and you’re getting the kids dinner, I want you thinking of me making love to you right here by the window. Bending you over the sink in that sexy little skirt. Claiming you. Making you mine.”
“Someone might see,” she gasped as he tugged her skirt up, his calloused hands grazing her thighs.
“The curtains are closed. It’s daylight outside. No one can see in.”
His fingers slid down the front of her panties, over her soft curls, and she was already wet for him. His thick fingers eagerly traced through her folds, slickened by her arousal, and she gasped and squirmed against him. His other hand cupped one full breast, and he lightly kneaded it as his fingers toyed with her clit.
Her hands flew to the counter to steady herself, and he circled the fleshy nub faster with his fingers, spreading her arousal around, driving her higher.
“Patrick,” she gasped, arching back against him. He tightened his arms, one large hand on her breast, the other still in her panties, caressing her clit. “Oh God! Oh God!” she cried out, her breathing frantic.
“Come for me, sweetheart. Right now,” he commanded.
Rebecca detonated, her sex flooding with arousal as he continued to squeeze her breast and run his fingers in circles over her sensitized skin.
“Oh!” she cried out again, coming even harder, and male pride surged through him. She was so fucking beautiful when she came, all flushed skin and quiet cries of pleasure. She might be poised and professional most of the time, but around him? He wanted to roar in approval when he made he completely come undone.
He removed his hand from her panties, and Rebecca leaned over the counter, gasping, while he tugged her panties down. “Are you okay like this?” he asked gruffly. “Since you�
��re pregnant?”
“Yes,” she pleaded. “Hurry.”
He unzipped his pants and pulled his aching erection free, running his hand once over his hardened cock. Pushing even closer to her, he let his rigid length brush against her swollen folds. It was sexy as hell taking her like this from behind, right here in the kitchen.
She was his. Always. And so damn beautiful it practically hurt just to look at her.
Rebecca gasped as he again rubbed his cock against her sex, the tip of his swollen head brushing against her clit. “Spread your legs,” he commanded, loving the way she let him always take the lead in the bedroom.
Or kitchen, he thought with a smirk.
He pushed into her in from behind in one solid thrust, listening to her gasp at his invasion, loving the feel of her silken walls tightening around him. She was so hot, wet, and ready for him that he was dying to buck into her and chase down his own release. But his hand slid to her clit, and he lightly rubbed her as he began slowly thrusting in and out. Teasing her. Making her desperate for more.
Rebecca was already climbing again, her little gasps and whimpers giving her away. He fucking loved pleasuring her, making her come over and over again. He could never get enough of making love to her. Thankfully she responded to his attention, giving herself to him again and again.
He thrust deeper and felt her walls beginning to tighten around him. A moan escaped from her lips and she bucked back against him, lost in her own desire.
“That’s it,” he murmured in a low voice, his hands palming her breasts as he took her from behind.
He curled his muscular body around her feminine one. Kissed her neck, inhaling that sweet floral fragrance that was hers. “Come for me, sweetheart. Only for me.”
He began to thrust faster as he slid in and out of her slickened walls, feeling his balls begin to tighten at his own impending release. He ground his teeth, intent on letting her find her own release first. Determined to make her come on his cock.
His fingers circled her swollen clit as he thrust deeply into her silken walls, and Rebecca suddenly screamed, spasming against his fingers and around his thick length. He thrust into her again and again, determined to wring every last ounce of pleasure from her.
Married to a SEAL Page 4
