Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 1-3

by Kennedy, Elle

  Ryan’s dark eyebrows shot to his forehead. He watched as she licked the salt from her lips, his blue eyes flickering with amusement. “So why the urgent need for company?”

  She took another long sip, enjoying the lemony flavor of the alcohol as it slid down her throat. “I didn’t want to be alone in my hotel room all night,” she confessed.

  Ryan looked intrigued. He dragged a hand through his dark hair and leaned back in his chair. “The Lieutenant is busy tonight?” he asked in a careful tone.

  “The Lieutenant dumped me,” she said glumly. Avoiding his eyes, she polished off the rest of her drink and signaled the waitress for another one.

  When she glanced back at Ryan, he looked shocked. “Lieutenant Becker dumped you?”

  She nodded.

  His seductive blue eyes traveled down her face and rested briefly on her breasts, which practically poured out of her thin tank top. She hadn’t bothered changing after Ryan’s phone call. Just hopped in the car in her ratty cut-off shorts and practically see-through top. At least she was wearing a bra, though she could feel the heat of Ryan’s gaze directly against her bare skin, teasing her nipples.

  He finally lifted his gaze, shaking his head to himself. “Was he on drugs?”

  “Nope.” She shrugged. “He thinks I’m not his type.”

  Another flash of surprise from Ryan, followed by a lazy smile. “Janie, I think you’re everyone’s type.”

  She laughed. “Has anyone ever told you you’re unbelievably charming?”

  “I hear it all the time.” He smiled devilishly, and a pair of adorable dimples creased his cheeks. Reaching for his beer, he took a long swig, then set down the bottle. He looked determined as he leaned forward on both elbows. “I have an idea. Want to know what it is?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  He opened his mouth, only to get interrupted by the waitress, who deposited another margarita in front of Jane. With a quick thanks, Jane picked up the fresh glass and sipped, waiting for Ryan to continue.

  “So here’s what I’m thinking,” he drawled. “For some reason, Lieutenant Becker was stupid enough to let you get away. I, on the other hand, would never commit such an atrocity.”

  She tightened her lips to stop from laughing. “Okay. And?”

  “And I think it’s a shame for you to spend your last few days in San Diego alone when you could be naked. With me,” he finished, shooting her an innocent smile that revealed his straight white teeth.

  Jane stared at him. “Oh my God. You’re Man-Jane.” She shook her head in bewilderment, wondering if this was how those chicks from The Parent Trap felt when they discovered they had a twin. “You’re me.”

  Ryan wrinkled his forehead. “Is that a good thing, or a bad one?”

  She pursed her lips as she mulled it over. “Well, it’s bad for you, because I don’t think I could sleep with a guy who reminds me this much of myself. It’s weird. But it’s also good for you, because I have no problem getting absolutely sloshed with a guy who reminds me this much of myself.” She picked up her second drink and drained it.

  Ryan offered a wolfish grin. “I still think revenge sex is a better way to get over Becker.”

  She flagged down the waitress and ordered another drink, this time a martini. “You never know,” she said with a shrug. “I could get drunk enough that revenge sex might start looking pretty good.”

  His grin widened. “Fingers fucking crossed.”

  8

  Becker spent the entire day going over the rental listings his realtor emailed, but if anyone asked him to describe any of the houses, he’d draw a blank. It was hard to focus when he couldn’t quit thinking about Jane. Wondering what she was doing. Debating if he should call her up, tell her to forget everything he’d said yesterday, and take her to bed again.

  He managed to fight the temptation, but by the time eight o’clock rolled around, he was anxious as hell. He’d gone to the hotel restaurant for dinner, convincing himself it was so he could get out of the cottage, but deep down he knew he was hoping to run into Jane. He hadn’t, and now he was back in his room, absently flipping channels on the TV and wondering how the hell it was possible to miss someone so much, especially someone he’d only known a week.

  Shutting off the TV, he finally gave up on trying to distract himself with mindless sitcoms. Maybe if he had someone to talk to about this. Someone who could offer some advice, tell him what to do. His head kept telling him to get over it, that Jane wasn’t the right woman for him. She was too bold, too ambitious, breezing through life with her sassy smiles and act-before-you-think attitude. He didn’t want another woman like that. He wanted to be with a woman who desired the same things as he did, not one day as Jane had said, but right now.

  So yeah, his head knew all this. But his heart? His heart ached for Jane. Or maybe it was his cock doing the aching. Maybe she’d cast an erotic spell on him.

  Regardless, he couldn’t sit around here anymore, thinking about her. Before he could stop himself, Becker reached for his phone and scrolled through the contacts list until he came across one particular name. He hesitated. Fuck, did he really want to do this? Initiate some awkward male bonding time?

  Do you really want to be alone? a voice countered.

  With a sigh, he pressed send and waited.

  Carson Scott answered the phone after two rings. “Hello?” the other man said easily.

  “Uh, Carson, it’s Becker.” He cleared his throat, uncomfortable. He would’ve rather talked to Will Charleston, but Will lived too far away. Carson, on the other hand, was only five minutes away, having just moved into a building not far from the hotel. John Garrett lived around here too, but Becker definitely wasn’t comfortable calling Garrett, who he knew the least out of all the men.

  “Lieutenant?” The surprise in Carson’s voice was unmistakable. “Hey. What’s up?”

  “Nothing really.” He faltered. “I just called to see if you felt like having a beer. With me.” For Christ’s sake, could he make it sound any more like a date?

  There was a pause. “A beer. Uh, sure,” Carson finally agreed, still sounding confused. “I’m actually watching the Padres game right now. You want to come over here?”

  “Yeah, I can do that. I can be there in ten.”

  “Cool.” Carson rattled off his address and apartment number. “See you in a bit.”

  Becker hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. He could call back. Cancel. Tell Carson he’d changed his mind. But what was the alternative? Channel surf some more and think about how much he wanted to see Jane again?

  He was in the car five minutes later, driving toward Carson’s building. This was the first time he’d made an effort to see one of his teammates outside of work, and as he pulled into the visitor’s lot of Carson’s low-rise, he found himself growing nervous. Shit, maybe he ought to turn around and go back to the hotel. He didn’t know how to do the friend thing, sharing your feelings and all that crap. He’d always been a private person, and he felt a spark of annoyance toward Jane as he realized she was the one who’d driven him to make social contact.

  If he hadn’t met her, he wouldn’t be so torn up in knots right now. He wouldn’t need to seek out advice from a man he hardly knew.

  Sighing, he got out of the car and stuffed his hands in his pockets, warily eyeing the quaint building that boasted redbrick walls covered by strands of ivy. The front entrance was small, featuring a series of mailboxes and intercoms. Becker searched for Carson’s name, then pressed the button.

  “Hello?” came a female voice.

  Becker cleared his throat. “Uh, hey. It’s Thomas Becker.”

  “Oh, hi! I’m so glad you’re here. I need a second opinion about my Osso Buco. I’m buzzing you in.”

  An opinion about her what? Before he could decipher the weird remark, the door clicked open with a loud buzz. Becker walked through it and headed for the elevator.

  Carson’s apartment was on the third floor at the end o
f a narrow corridor with a clean tiled floor. Becker was just reaching his hand out to knock when the front door flung open and a stunning brunette with big green eyes appeared before him.

  “Hi, I’m Holly,” she said cheerfully. “Come in. Carson’s in the living room.”

  He followed Holly into the small hallway, trying his best not to ogle her. She wore a pair of teeny black shorts and a bright green T-shirt, and though she couldn’t have been much taller than five feet, she held a lot of energy in her petite body.

  “I’m so glad to finally meet you,” she said with a big smile. “Shelby and I wanted to throw you a welcome-to-the-team party when you first got here, but Carson said it wasn’t your thing.”

  “Shelby?” he said blankly.

  Holly shoved a wayward strand of brown hair off her forehead. “John Garrett’s wife. She owns the bakery a few blocks from here. Oh, and she’s pregnant!” Holly beamed at him. “Isn’t that amazing? They just found out last week.”

  “Um…”

  “For God’s sake, sweetheart, leave the Lieutenant alone,” came Carson’s drawl. “I told you not to scare him off.”

  Holly linked her arm through Becker’s as she led him into the living room, where Carson was sitting on the couch with a beer in his hands. “He’s not scared of me,” she said. “Right, Thomas?”

  “Becker,” Carson corrected.

  Holly pursed her lips. “You don’t like Thomas?” she said curiously.

  He shifted awkwardly. “I like it.” He shrugged. “People have just always called me Becker most of my life. I don’t know who started it, but it stuck.”

  “Well, I like the name Thomas better,” she answered. “It sounds very dignified.” She let go of his arm and gestured to the couch. “Sit down. I’ll bring out a sample for you.”

  “A sample?” Becker asked in a low voice as Holly bounded toward a doorway he assumed led into the kitchen. He sat on the long beige couch and accepted the bottle Carson offered him.

  “She’s trying out a new recipe,” Carson explained. “Holly’s a chef.”

  At Carson’s explanation, Becker nodded, suddenly noticing the intoxicating aroma wafting in from the kitchen. Garlic, tomatoes, and a mixture of herbs. It smelled like heaven. Tasted like heaven too, he found out, after Holly returned with a small plate loaded with veal covered in a creamy tomato sauce and practically forced him to take a bite.

  “This is amazing,” Becker said in awe. “You’re really good.”

  “Thanks.” She took his empty plate. “I’m going to finish experimenting. You boys be good.”

  Holly left the room again. Becker’s gaze drifted toward the television screen. The Padres game was at the bottom of the eighth, with the Padres leading by two runs, but he wasn’t interested. He’d never been much of a baseball fan. Football was his sport of choice.

  “So,” Carson said, after the silence between them dragged on for far too long. “Not to be rude or anything, but what the hell are you doing here? We’ve known each other for seven months and you haven’t once acted like you were into making friends.”

  Becker respected the other man’s candor. It was probably what made him offer a frank answer of his own. “I’ve been an ass to you guys, haven’t I?”

  Carson’s eyes flickered with amusement. “Yup.”

  “I’m sorry.” He took a long sip of beer. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not very good at socializing.”

  “I’ve noticed,” Carson said dryly. He grinned. “But neither was Will at first, and I managed to draw him out of his prickly shell. I have faith in you too, Lieutenant.”

  “Quit calling me that. We’re not on a mission.”

  “Sorry, it’s a habit.” Carson sipped his own beer, turning his gaze away from the screen to study Becker. “So why were you stir crazy? Did you get in a fight with that sexy-as-sin redhead you were with the other day?”

  “Not really.” He gave a noncommittal shrug.

  “Then why the hell aren’t you with her?”

  Holly suddenly poked her head into the living room. “With who?” she asked, looking super interested. “Are you gossiping? If so, I want to know everything.”

  “I’m giving the Lieutenant love advice, babe. Mind your own business.”

  She groaned. “Oh God. Thomas, don’t listen to him. He’s terrible at giving advice.”

  Becker found himself grinning as Holly bounced back into the room. She flopped down on the armchair across from the couch, leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at Becker. “Okay, tell me everything. I’m much better at this kind of thing. Who is she?”

  Discomfort tugged at his gut. He shot Carson a save-me look, but the younger man just shrugged as if to say, There’s no stopping it now. So he turned back to Holly and said, “Jane.”

  Leaning back in the chair, Holly crossed her arms over her chest. “Jane. All right. What’s the problem with Jane?”

  “There’s no problem. She’s…great.” He swallowed. “More than great, actually.”

  “Is she reluctant to get involved? Because that’s what happened to Will.” Holly offered a wide smile. “Luckily, I stepped in and saved the day, and now Will and Mac are happily married.”

  Carson set down his beer and pointed a finger at Holly. “Oh no. No, no, no, you are not doing it again.” He shook his head at Becker. “She pretended to be Will’s girlfriend to make Mackenzie jealous. Oh, and she let him kiss her.”

  “For show,” Holly emphasized. “And it worked, didn’t it?”

  Carson growled. “What’s next? You going to hire yourself out for weddings and bar mitzvahs?”

  Despite the bickering and totally weird subject matter, Becker was extremely amused by Carson and his girlfriend. He could tell they were madly in love, even when they were grumbling at each other. And Holly reminded him a lot of Jane. Her sass, the stubborn tilt of her chin.

  At the thought of Jane, his chest tightened. Damn it, why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?

  “So what’s the problem?” Holly asked, fixing shrewd green eyes on Becker.

  He opened his mouth, intending to lie and say there was no problem, but instead, he ended up telling them everything. His encounter with Jane in the elevator, the incredible week they’d spent together, his reluctance to get involved with her. He even spilled some details about his marriage, a topic he hadn’t spoken about with anyone but Jane.

  When he finished, Holly looked bewildered. “But it sounds like you really care about her. Why can’t you be with her?”

  A heavy breath rolled out of his chest. “She reminds me too much of my ex.”

  Next to him, Carson took another swig of beer and then set the bottle down with a laugh. “Actually, she sounds nothing like your ex.”

  He frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  Carson shrugged. “Well, you described your ex-wife as—not to sound like an ass—a selfish bitch.”

  “Carson,” Holly chided.

  Becker smiled wryly. “No, he’s right. Alice isn’t the nicest person.”

  “But Jane is,” Carson pointed out. “I played nine holes of mini-golf with her, and not once did I get the selfish bitch vibe from her.”

  “And you said she didn’t even bug you about the interview,” Holly chimed in.

  “Yeah,” he admitted.

  “So she can’t be as bad as your ex,” Holly said confidently. “You said your ex-wife would do anything to get ahead in her career. Well, if Jane was like that, she wouldn’t have given up until she got that scoop she originally came for. Instead, she accepted your answer and left it alone.”

  Holly had a point. Jane had completely dropped the issue of his interview, which was something Alice never would’ve done. “But…” He drained the rest of his beer, wishing the two of them hadn’t put him on the spot like this. He could tell from their expressions that they thought he was an idiot for ending things with Jane, and the longer they stared at him, the more he started to wonder if maybe they were right. �
��She doesn’t want the same things as me,” he finally said.

  “Marriage, family?” Holly prompted.

  “Yeah.”

  “Can you honestly tell me those are things you plan to have right this second?” Holly rolled her eyes. “You can’t just snap your fingers and find yourself a wife, unless you plan on ordering one from some weird Russian website. No matter what, you’ll have to date someone, take the time to fall in love with her, see if there’s a connection. At least with Jane, you know the connection is there.”

  Fuck, another good point. He was starting to regret ever coming here.

  Carson threw in his two cents. “I think you should give her a chance. You’re obviously falling for her, so why not see where things go? And if in a few months you find she’s really not the right woman for you, then I promise I’ll buy you that Russian bride myself.”

  Becker couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

  Carson grinned. “Good, so go talk to her.”

  He leaned back against the sofa cushions, only to notice both Holly and Carson looking at him. “What?” he said defensively.

  “Go talk to her,” Holly burst out, looking frazzled.

  Becker blinked. “Now?”

  “No, next month,” Carson said. “Don’t get me wrong, we can crack open a few more beers and watch the rest of this boring-ass game, but wouldn’t you rather be having make-up sex with your sexy redhead right now?”

  Holly leaned forward again, looking intrigued. “Oooh, is she really that attractive?” she asked her boyfriend. When Carson nodded, she swung her head at Becker. “What are you waiting for? Get her back already.”

  * * *

  Becker’s confidence was sky-high as he drove back to the hotel. Damn, Carson and his girlfriend ought to go into motivational speaking. The two of them had pumped him up, made him feel like getting Jane back was the only course of action to take. And why shouldn’t he? They were right. He was falling for her. He had fun with Jane, more fun than he’d ever had with a woman before. She made him laugh, which was pretty much a miracle considering that with Alice, he’d barely cracked a smile in over a decade.