by Leslie North
“I’m convinced of it, but my CO thinks differently.” His fist was balled up on his thigh. “I need something to present to him that will make him re-evaluate the situation. It might be the only way to eliminate the threat.”
“You have access to the mission records even off base?” Mia didn’t know much about the military or what he did, but that struck her as odd.
“Intelligence sent me a secure link to the database where the records are stored. They thought it might help me figure out the current threat. I just keep going over that mission, and I can’t pinpoint where it went sideways.” His face was intense, and she could imagine how he might look in the field. “Everything was planned down to the minute, and I can’t find fault with the execution, but still the leader slipped past us.”
“What if your CO is right, and the threat has nothing to do with that mission?” she suggested.
“I still want to know what happened.” He unfisted his hand and rubbed it over his leg. “Another SEAL team has been deployed on a cleanup mission. I might be able to help them.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes as they both sipped their drinks. The coffee had cooled to the perfect temperature, and she was searching for just the right words to say to him. Nothing came to her, so she went with honesty. “Have you ever thought that you carry too many burdens?”
“What?” He seemed shocked by her question. “No. It’s my job. It’s what I do. My team depends on me to do my part, and somehow I failed at that despite the best-laid plans.”
“We all fail sometimes.” She kept her voice gentle.
“Failures like that cost lives,” he argued.
“Were any of your guys harmed?” she asked. She hadn’t gotten the impression that had been the case.
“No,” he admitted, “but I’ve left someone free in the world who has a history of harming others, particularly children. I can’t live with that.” He was a serious man, and she admired him for that, but he had to realize that he couldn’t carry the weight of the world around with him.
“But there’s another team out looking for him,” Mia said, hoping to remove some of his guilt, “so it’s not your problem anymore.”
“That’s not how it works with the SEALs.” He leaned back and rested his head against the cushion.
“That would be too much responsibility for me.” With her nieces to raise, she had to look at the world differently, but what he took on was too much. “I think I’ll stick to baking, where a failure means the dough didn’t rise or the cake icing was too thick.”
“Can you fix those problems?” He turned his head and looked at her.
“The icing, yes, but not the dough. It gets tossed in the trash can. Ultimately, no harm is done,” she said. “I’m willing to bet you’ve done more good than harm on your missions. I would even guess that all the others have been successes. Am I right?”
He didn’t answer for a minute. “Some have gone better than others, but, yeah, it’s fair to say I have a record of success.”
“Focusing on that might make these better.” She touched the wrinkles that cut across his forehead and smoothed them out with her fingertips. “And a little whiskey helps most situations. Drink up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He raised his mug to his lips and drained it. She took it from him and placed it with hers on the coffee table. When she turned back, his hand found hers, and he laced their fingers together. “I didn’t ask how the rest of your day was.”
“No problems to report.” As a matter of fact, when he touched her, she could hardly remember anything about her day. She wanted to scoot into his lap and kiss the daylights out of him, but his emotions still seemed a little raw, so she let him set the pace. He raised their joined hands to his mouth and brushed his lips across the back of her hand, sending shivers of desire up her arm. Maybe slow was a good thing.
“I’ve been thinking about our kiss last night,” he surprised her by saying.
“Oh?” She contained her response, though she really wanted to ask if it had meant something to him?
“You haven’t?” Hurt flickered through his eyes.
“Only all day,” she said with a smile. “It was good.”
His return smile was slow and sexy. “I think we can do better.”
Better? That seemed difficult to believe, but she was willing to try if he was. And all signs suggested he was.
“Wait.” She pressed her free hand against his chest. His very muscular chest. “Have you been planning another kiss?”
He cocked his head. “I’d be lying if I said no, but in my head it wasn’t just a kiss. Come closer.”
She scooted toward him with no hesitation until she was straddling his lap and they were lip to lip. “Good?”
“Perfect.” His hands were already slipping under the edge of her shirt. “You’re beautiful. That was my first thought about you.”
“When I was jabbing you in the gut with your own baseball bat?” She didn’t mention how hot she’d thought him during that same encounter.
“Even then.” He leaned closer and let his lips wander up her neck. He’d done that the night before, and it felt just as good now. “No moan tonight?”
She laughed against his temple. “I’m trying to seem sophisticated.”
“I’d rather you be you. Full of life, spontaneous, sexy.”
She took his face in her hands and looked into his eyes, and she saw what she needed to. His words were a compliment, and he wanted her as much as she wanted him. “Okay. My spontaneous side says we should take this upstairs to a bed.”
“My bed. It’s bigger,” he said, standing up and taking her with him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hung on, liking the feel of his hands on her butt to keep her balanced as he went up the steps.
He turned into the master bedroom and lowered her feet to the floor, letting her slide down him. Through his jeans, she could feel his erection against her. She had just time to process that when he began a kiss that left her breathless. He broke the kiss to pull her shirt over her head before going back to it. She tugged at his clothing, wanting to feel his skin on hers.
She pulled back from the kiss long enough to say, “Clothes off.” He unfastened her bra, and she shimmied out of it. His hands cupped her breasts, lifting them together, as he lowered his head to kiss the top curve of each one almost reverently. She wanted to crawl out of her skin and into his. But his was still covered. “I meant you, too.”
“Happy to.” He took a step back and stripped off his shirt, which was quickly followed by his jeans and boxers. He was beautiful, male perfection with ripples of muscle covering his large frame. A few scars marred his skin but enhanced his masculinity. And he was hard. Just for her. “Now you.”
“Huh?” She’d been so busy gawking at him that she didn’t understand his words.
“Take the rest of your clothes off, sweetheart. I want to see all of you.” He put his hands on his hips and waited.
She pushed her yoga pants down, catching her panties with her thumbs as she went, and stepped out of both. The air was cool around her, but his gaze was hot, warming her.
“Get in bed.” His voice had dropped to a commanding growl. She considered disobeying to see what would happen, but she decided she could comply just this once.
So she flipped back the covers and climbed in while he killed the bright overhead light and turned on a small lamp on the dresser. Mood lighting. He was setting the stage. And the stage was his very large bed. He came toward her, and she liked everything she saw. Before joining her, he set a condom on the bedside table.
“I have more if we need them,” he said.
She wanted to tease him about always being prepared, but it wasn’t the time. “Good. Come here.”
He covered her body with his, balancing on his forearms to keep his weight off her but letting their bodies touch, which was glorious. His erection pressed into her stomach as he started another kiss. God, he was good at that. Soon their bodies w
ere moving together. Even before he entered her, they found a rhythm to please them both.
She almost objected when he broke the kiss, but he put his lips to good use, catching the nipple of one breast in his mouth. His fingers played with the other, and renewed heat shot through her. He knew how to touch her, and then his lips were moving again, tracing a path over her stomach.
“Do you like to be licked here?” He didn’t wait for an answer before dipping his tongue between her thighs.
“God, yes,” she whispered, her hands going into his hair and smoothing out the dark waves. His day-old beard scraped against her tender skin, but it only added to the sensations he was creating with his mouth. She couldn’t stop herself from arching up and spreading her legs wider. She felt herself begin to unravel but didn’t want to come without him. “Inside me.”
“With pleasure,” he murmured against her cunt, his hot breath a caress. He came back over her and reached for the condom, efficiently tearing it open and rolling it on himself. She wanted to offer to help, but she liked watching his confident movements.
“You made quick work of that,” she said as he settled back over her.
“I’m motivated. Wrap your legs around me.” He kissed her then, his tongue delving deeply into her mouth as he entered her.
She felt almost overwhelmed by the size of him, but he pushed in slowly, giving her body time to adjust to him, until he was fully inside her and she clenched her muscles around him.
“Jesus. Mia, that’s…” He didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t need to. He was showing her with his body how he felt. The tension built between them as he thrust in, deep then shallow, deep then shallow. It was driving her wild as she hovered on the edge of an orgasm.
“Now, Kenton. Please.” Her voice was a throaty whisper, but he heard her and pushed in deeper and faster. Seconds later, she came, her entire body shivering with her release. He thrust once more, his head buried against her shoulder.
“So damn good,” he said as he stilled. His lips moved against her throat before finding their way upward to her mouth. His kiss was gentle now, soothing, not arousing. He kissed her cheeks, her temples, and smoothed her hair back from her face.
She’d never felt so… what was the word? Loved? No, not that. Couldn’t be that. Cherished. There, that was better. The feeling remained while he slept next to her, their bodies still touching.
11
Mia rolled over in bed and encountered a large, sprawled-out body. She blinked and woke up fully. Her nose was inches from Kenton’s shoulder. In the dim light, she could make out his profile and see the steady rise and fall of his chest. Memories of the previous evening flooded back.
He’d been upset about his perceived failure, but the sex hadn’t been about cheering him up. It had been something they both wanted. And it had been amazing. Probably the best of her life.
“Ever woken up with a man before?” His voice was gravelly with sleep.
“Not very often.” Hardly ever. She’d had casual relationships, but those didn’t include staying the night with a guy. With Kenton, she’d felt no need to return to her room down the hall. She’d have been unhappy if he’d asked her to.
His arm slid under her, lifting her so that she lay on top of him. “Then you probably don’t know that men wake up hard a lot of mornings.”
She squirmed against him, feeling his arousal. “I thought that was for me.”
“Trust me, it is, sweetheart.” His hands stroked down her back to cup her butt.
She laughed and dropped a kiss on his chest, liking where this seemed to be going, but… “The girls will be awake soon.”
“Then we’d better be quick,” he said. His eyes were as intense as when they first met, but the promise in them now wasn’t danger. It was something much more stimulating.
“Not too quick,” she cautioned as she took him inside her.
Ten minutes later, she was collapsed on top of him. She decided that quick with him was better than slow with anyone else. His fingers were lazily trailing down her back while they caught their breath. She propped her chin on his chest and studied his face. He seemed deep in thought about something.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“That it’s a good day to start potty training the girls,” he said.
“What?” Her brain was still foggy with sex and sleep. She couldn’t have heard him right.
“The girls are ready.” He sounded so sure that she lifted herself over him and looked down into his face.
“And how would you know that?” She hadn’t even considered the concept yet. She figured the girls would let her know when they wanted to use the potty.
“I read what the signs are.” His voice was confident.
Of course he had. “In your book?”
“That’s right.” He grinned at her. “And I hate changing diapers.”
“Ah, the truth comes out.” She chuckled.
He quirked up an eyebrow. “Do you enjoy it?”
“Nope,” she admitted. “I suppose it won’t hurt to try, and since we’re both home today, we can keep an eye on them.” She pushed herself up all the way. “I’m game, I guess, but I need a shower and coffee before I can think about it too much.”
His hands stayed on her hips. “The shower in the master bathroom is big,” he suggested. “Really big.”
That was an invitation her spontaneous side would love to accept, but she couldn’t, at least not at that moment. “If we get in there together, we’ll never hear the girls when they wake.” Her imagination was already taking off in directions it shouldn’t, involving him and the large shower.
He groaned, his fingers idly playing with her nipples. “This parenting thing has limitations.”
“Sometimes, but they’re sweethearts. You’ve got to admit that. We’ll save shower sex for another time.” She kissed him hard on the lips before rolling off him and out of bed, where she felt suddenly self-conscious. That wasn’t like her, but, she admitted, she wasn’t used to waking up with a guy and she didn’t have a robe to cover herself. He was propped on his elbows, watching her as she stood naked and indecisive in his room.
“Wear my shirt,” he suggested, coming to her rescue. “It’ll be plenty big.”
She snatched the shirt from the floor where it had landed the night before and tugged it over her head. It was huge, covering her to mid-thigh, but best of all it carried his scent.
“Looks good on you.” His eyes skimmed over her, and she felt a rush of heat. “Come give me another kiss.”
She laughed. “We’ll never get this day started if I do that. See you at breakfast,” she said and scooted from the room. The girls were chatting in their bed, but they seemed content enough, so she went past their room and got a quick shower.
Even so, Kenton beat her downstairs and had the twins in the kitchen by the time she was ready. They were sitting in their high chairs eating apple Danish while he explained about potty training.
She nodded in support of what he said when they looked to her, but inside she was laughing. It was funny to watch the big, sexy SEAL explain about using the potty. He laid out the advantages to them, selling them on the point of getting pretty underpants. He must have read that in his book, but it made her think about her own lingerie. The apartment fire had wiped out anything she had that was nice, and she hadn’t restocked, since she’d deemed it unlikely that there would be a man in her life anytime soon.
Was he in her life?
Mia poured a cup of coffee and considered it. He seemed to be, but she had no reason to believe that it was anything but the kind of affair that happened because of proximity and attraction. She could be okay with that, she guessed, since she doubted she fit into the plans Kenton no doubt had for himself.
Enjoy the moment, the voice in her head told her. She’d always been good at that and didn’t see why it should change.
After breakfast, they gave each girl a turn on the potty and practiced flushin
g it, even tossing in Cheerios so they could watch them swirl around and go down. Throughout the day, they took the girls to the bathroom and encouraged them.
If Kenton felt ridiculous cheering for a little girl to go pee in the potty, it didn’t show. He took this as seriously as he did everything else. He went by the book and kept it structured, but success or failure also depended on the girls dictating what they needed, which suited Mia’s philosophy of parenting. It was a good compromise, and if it meant not changing diapers, she was all in.
At bedtime and after just one accident during the day, Mia declared the experiment a success. She had no doubt that there would be setbacks and more accidents, but the girls had taken an important step forward. When she came downstairs after making sure they were settled for the night, Kenton was waiting for her. He didn’t speak but wrapped her in his arms and held her against him. She breathed in the scent of his skin. They hadn’t touched throughout the day, not wanting the girls to ask questions, and she’d missed him even if they had been in the same house.
“What should we do to celebrate a successful day?” he said against her hair a few minutes later.
She tilted her head up to see his face. “You don’t have a plan?”
He kissed her lips before responding. “Well, I do, but…”
“Tell me,” she said.
He leaned closer and whispered in her ear. His description of exactly what he wanted to do with her in the shower was intimate and detailed enough to make her blush. And about the most delightful way she could think of to spend her evening. She broke away from him, took his hand, and led him up the stairs.
12
Kenton paced through the house, cleaning even where there wasn’t dirt. He was tired of being stuck in the house, even a bit jealous that Mia was still going out to work. She’d gone in early that day, whispering when she slipped out of his arms at three in the morning that she’d be home by noon. He’d missed her warmth and her curvy body next to his.
