The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming

by Christine Glover

She was so much more than the mother of his child. But they had agreed to a platonic relationship. He intended to honor that agreement. At least until he proved to her that he wasn’t anything like Brandon Walker. Slow and easy. He had his eye on a bigger prize than sex with Hannah. But shit. It sure as hell was hard to stick to his plan when staring at how awesome her cherry red tankini hugged her curves made his hormones go into overdrive.

  She jumped to hit the ball over the net.

  “Block it,” Zach shouted.

  Adrenaline spiked along with another serious dose of the hots for her because man oh man all he focused on was the bounce of her breasts. “Got it,” he called, rushing to stop the play, only to miss by a fraction of an inch while slipping in the soft sand to his knees.

  “Score,” she called, then high-fived her father who was standing next to her. “One more point. Then you’re toast.”

  “Not unless I get the next point off the serve.” He retrieved the volleyball, then walked to the net. “And I rarely miss an opportunity to score.”

  Hannah licked her lips, and held his gaze, her pupils a dark contrast to her irises. “Excellent,” she said. “But I wouldn’t bet on you winning.” She stepped away from the net, then moved to her position.

  He watched her sweet bottom sway and his blood thundered in his ears. Jesus. Get a grip. Or you’ll make an ass of yourself. He had to grab control of this situation and the damn game. “You’re on,” Caleb said. “If you win I’ll change his diapers for the rest of the weekend.”

  She stopped, and looked over her shoulder, her blonde ponytail swinging against her bare shoulders. “Sure, but I’d like to up the stakes.”

  “How so?”

  “Diapers changed and an entire night to do what I please—no kids allowed,” she said. “I haven’t had a date or a ladies’ night out in months.”

  Shit. A zillion ways to please Hannah for an entire night popped into his brain, but he doubted she had any of those scenarios in mind—at least not with him. A twinge of jealousy drop kicked him in the gut. He didn’t want to imagine her with anyone else, but then he’d given up the rights on having any expectations of her other than sharing a son.

  Overhead a seagull called and the whump-whump-whump of a speedboat sounded as it crested over another boat’s wake. Waves lapped the shore line and wind gently rustled the leaves. A breeze carried the scent of pine needles, wildflowers, and earthy soil, but they didn’t erase the scent of woman, sun and citrus he’d inhaled only moments ago.

  Why did she have to smell so damn good?

  He squeezed the volleyball closer to his chest and nodded. “You’re on,” he said, then turned away to make his way to his spot extra determined to win.

  “You gonna serve in this lifetime, or what?” Zach asked.

  Caleb shook his head. “Just getting my bearings,” he said, then prepped his serve. He tossed the ball in the air, then slammed it and it sailed with perfect precision over the net.

  She scrambled to return the serve, bumping the ball to her father. Sunlight and shadows shifted over Hannah’s sensual curves. The rays cast a glittering, golden gleam against her skin. A flash of light glinted at her midriff, surprising him. Enticing him. Making him want to lick his way all the way down her torso until he reached the sexy jewel to suck it into his mouth. And then he’d go lower still.

  “Shit.” Zach dived in front of him and tipped the ball offside.

  “That’s game,” her father, Paul, called.

  “Awesome Dad,” she whooped as she high fived Paul again.

  “Sorry man.” He held out his hand and pulled Zach up. “My bad.”

  Zach shot him a man-have-you-got-it-bad look. “Next time I choose partners I get dibs on Hannah.”

  Though he knew Zach only had eyes for Kennedy, a small part of Caleb wanted to clock his buddy for having the thought. “You’ve got your own woman,” he said. Because Hannah was his—well not really, but he sure as hell planned to change that fact during the next several weeks.

  “Unfortunately, she’s sidelined again.” Zach grinned, the smile crinkling the corners of his very proud eyes and he waved to Kennedy who lounged on deck several yards away. “But for all the right reasons.” At seven months along in her second pregnancy, Kennedy once again had taken every precaution to ensure another healthy baby’s delivery. Caleb was happy for them. They deserved everything they had together as a couple after all they had gone through to get to this point.

  But another emotion, regret, tugged at his heart. He hadn’t been there when Hannah carried Jason. Now he wondered what it would have been like to watch her now flat stomach grow with his son, her face to glow with the anticipation of becoming a mother. What would it have been like to feel his son’s first kick against the palm of his hand while he smoothed it over her pregnant belly. He’d miss more moments if he went on another tour of duty, but he’d make up for them whenever he returned home.

  If she didn’t find a replacement. And if she gave him a second chance

  The sun heated his back. Sweat beaded along his brow, trickling into his eyes and making them sting. Caleb crossed his forearm over his face to swipe away the grime. No point in dwelling on coulda-woulda-shouldas. Here and now was all that mattered.

  “Let’s get the congratulations over with,” he said to Zach.

  “I’ll never hear the end of this from Paul.”

  “Let’s hope we’re in that good of shape when we’re in our sixties.” They walked side-by-side toward the other side of the net, then he shook hands with Paul. “Great game. You want go another round, or grab a beer with me?”

  Hannah’s parents had welcomed him back to Sweetbriar Springs and into their family as one of their own. While she might not want to tie the knot—and for good reason—they didn’t let that influence their opinion of him. For that he was glad because Paul and Shannon had given him a great way to work off his community service after his arrest for flattening the bully who had teased her when she’d been in the seventh grade. Doing detail on the resort’s clean up crew for the grounds for six months had given him a look into what a normal family life was like and brought him the unconditional acceptance he’d always craved from his own.

  Paul looked at Hannah, then at Caleb. “I figure my girl here’s got the better deal after this win. Let’s call it a day. Y’all can work out the details of your bet while Zach and I round up the steaks and get the grill fired up.”

  Zach laughed. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  “See you in a bit,” Paul said, then hugged her. “Thanks for making your old man look good out there.”

  “Ditto for this girl, Daddy,” she said as they parted. “Don’t forget to put my portabella mushrooms on the grill, too.”

  Paul groaned and rolled his eyes heavenward. “I blame this vegetarian phase on her mother. Mushrooms instead of top shelf New York strip steaks with the right amount of fat giving them flavor,” he said, but his tone was light as he teased her.

  “Oh, Dad, don’t knock it till you try it,” she said. “I’ve got extra mushrooms marinating for you.”

  “Good,” Paul said. “They’ll go great with my steak.”

  “Ha. Ha. Very funny.” She jabbed her dad in the arm. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  “Don’t rush on my account,” Paul said lightly, then he and Zach crossed the expansive lawn between the lakeside sand volleyball court and Zach’s summer house.

  Caleb watched them climb the stairs to the deck, which wrapped the spacious home’s A-frame structure. Then he glanced at Hannah. She placed her hand on her hip, tilted her head a little to the right, then gave Caleb a smile that screamed victory on all kinds of levels. “Looks like you’re on diaper detail again for the rest of the weekend.”

  Caleb nodded. “A bet’s a bet.” Though changing diapers wasn’t on the top of his priority list, he’d never shirked from the duty once he’d become part of their lives. Still, the messy ones came way too often. He had a strong suspicio
n that the vegetarian, organic stuff she insisted on feeding Jason was the culprit.

  “Wonderful.” She swallowed hard before speaking again. “How much notice will you need before I schedule my night out on the town?”

  The word date rocked Caleb’s equilibrium. The sand beneath his feet felt like it might suck him down quick as liquid silver. He didn’t want Hannah to go out on a date. Still, he had no right to stop her. Nor would he win any points with her if pushed the issue. They weren’t a couple—yet. They certainly weren’t going to become one no matter how much he wanted her. Not as long as she had a strict no-more-military-men policy.

  But despite what his brain dictated, Caleb had to fight the sudden desire to go all-caveman on her. The only man he wanted to see dating her was him. How the hell was he supposed to change her mind about him if she found someone else first?

  ###

  “Okay, if you’re going to have a night out on the town, you’ve got to do it right,” Kennedy said as the guys cleared the patio table.

  Caleb picked up her plate and his muscular forearm corded with tension.

  “There’s a right way to go out on the town?” she asked, watching the sun slip behind the Smoky Mountains, turning the wisps of clouds vibrant shades of orange and yellow with a hint of red blazing at the edges. “When did that happen?”

  “Listen to her,” Shannon said. “It’s been far too long since you’ve gone out on a date.”

  “The last guy…” she didn’t finish explaining how tedious her last night out had been to her mother. Not with Caleb standing so close.

  “That was months ago. Time to give another man a shot.” Shannon stood, cradling Jason who had fallen asleep on her lap only minutes earlier. “I’ll put him down in the port-a-crib in the spare bedroom while you girls talk. Then I’m joining Kennedy’s parents in the living room for coffee.”

  “Ditto that,” Michael chimed, his fancy mechanical voice box speaking for him. “Hold the door, Mom. I need to talk to Zach about my next fund raising gig in New York.” He backed out of his seat area, maneuvering his cherry red riding wheelchair with finesse.

  Hannah waited for her mother and brother to exit the deck while Caleb moved around the table to gather the last of the dirty plates and platters. Why the heck didn’t he go inside with all the guys? Instead he lingered close to the table, pausing to look her way, and listening to Kennedy’s plans. Well, if he wanted to overhear Kennedy’s matchmaking attempts for her—and she was sure there were plenty of guys in her best friend’s mind about how to get her back into the dating game—then let him.

  Maybe a dose of reality would force him to realize that he shouldn’t have walked out on her two years ago. She’d moved on. Goodness knew her reawakened libido needed an outlet. Still, she doubted any man could live up to the standards Caleb had set in stone two years ago. Not after the few guys she’d dated failed to bring about any sparks.

  But there had to be someone out there for her. Someone stable like an accountant or a doctor or a nice banker. Not someone dangerous who had the risk of bringing constant fear back into her life. She sure as heck wasn’t going to cave to him. Not like she had two years ago when she’d tried to convince him to stay in Sweetbriar Springs. And certainly not now.

  “So there are rules,” she said resolutely. “Spill.”

  “A.” Kennedy enumerated her point by ticking it off on her fingers one at a time. “You can’t go out alone.”

  “That’s no problem.” She leaned back to make room for Caleb to remove her plate and cutlery. The heat of his body, so close and so tantalizingly tempting, suddenly made it very difficult to string two coherent thoughts together. “I’ll call Terry. We’ll check out that new bar that opened up a month ago.”

  Kennedy shook her head. “B. You have to go out with a guy.”

  “What guy?” Caleb asked before Hannah answered.

  She could feel his entire body tensing up behind her though they weren’t touching. Well too damn bad. She needed to find a suitable man. She sat a little straighter in her chair. “I’m listening,” she said. In the distance fireflies lit up the branches of the trees and she heard the lone cry of an owl hooting.

  Kennedy smiled, then tapped her chin with her index finger. “Let’s see. There’s the head of security at Tanner Enterprises. He’s hot. My ob-gyn is single, too. If I weren’t already taken, I’d make a play for him. He’s like Dr. McDreamy and McSteamy rolled into one.”

  “Hey, I heard that,” Zach called from the open patio door.

  “Yeah, he’s definitely in the market,” Michael echoed.

  “Boys. Give a man a break,” Paul teased. “There’s only so much a dad needs to know about what his daughters are doing when it comes to men.”

  “No worries.” Kennedy waved her hand, then smoothed it across her swollen belly. “The father of my children is the only man for me.”

  Candlelight flickered in the lanterns that had been placed along the deck’s railing and a slight breeze rustled the leaves in the trees surrounding the lakefront property. “I heard the new doctor is very sexy,” she said. “Maggie over at the The Book Corner told me that he opened his practice in Sweetbriar Springs because he likes the appeal of small town life. Why don’t we start with him?”

  “Great,” Kennedy said. “You want me to set y’all up?”

  “Sure. I’m game.”

  She heard the clunkety-clunk of a piece of cutlery landing on the deck. She looked at Caleb over her shoulder and saw lines etching grooves in his forehead as he knelt to pick up a knife. Clearly, Caleb didn’t like the idea of her dating, but she refused to say no to the idea. They had a child together, and sure, he’d proposed. But he’d botched that royally. He didn’t want a life here. He wanted one with the Marines. She wouldn’t ask him to choose her over his duty, but she wasn’t going to marry him for all the wrong reasons. No matter how excited he made her hormones. She had first hand experience with PTSD, met other divorced military wives who had to get out before it destroyed them along with their children.

  The idea of putting little Jason through the hell she’d gone through terrified Hannah. She had to say yes to a blind date with someone who held values that matched her own. Though the last guy she’d dated a few months ago hadn’t caused her hormones to sizzle like Caleb, she held out hope that the next man in her life might be the perfect match.

  “You’re sure he wants to settle down?” she asked. “I mean really settle down?” Unlike Caleb who still wore his dog tags like a siren that screamed I’m-so-bugging-out-of-here as soon as his father resumed his place at the helm of Gibson Technologies.

  “Sure, but I wouldn’t bring that up on the first date.” Kennedy glanced at her, assessing her woman-to-woman. “How long has it been since you’ve worn a dress and heels?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “That brings me to point C. You’ve got to trade in your Mom Gear for something sexy and feminine—you know,” Kennedy lifted a brow at Caleb who hadn’t budged from his spot behind Hannah, “show off your sexy body for a change.”

  “I think she looks good in jeans,” he said.

  “That’s because you only think of her as a mom, not as a woman,” Kennedy said.

  Caleb didn’t answer, but again she heard him suck in a breath. Though she hadn’t thought of herself as all-woman in months, his obvious physical attraction to her had revamped her libido and restored a measure of female pride. Not enough to erase what had happened the last time after she’d been with him that way.

  “You’re right. He doesn’t care about what I’m wearing because we’re just co-parents,” she said. However, by the way he’d botched the volleyball game this afternoon, he definitely had ideas about how he’d wanted to get her naked. “Plus, jeans and T-shirts hold up better against spit up and Jason’s latest food disasters.”

  Kennedy focused on Hannah. “This brings me to point D. You aren’t allowed to bring up diapers, midnight feedings, or Jason’s l
atest bare butt run through the house.” She tilted her head and shot Caleb a knowing glance. “That dish isn’t going to get miraculously clean while you’re standing there. Kitchen. Now.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said stubbornly. “Not till you tell me more about this guy. Where’s he from? Does he have any criminal past? What makes you think he’s the right guy for her? Or the right guy to become Jason’s step-dad.”

  Once again, the Marine in him reared his head. Hannah didn’t like it one bit. She had learned her lessons where military men were concerned. “I don’t need you to vet my dates. I’m perfectly capable of picking a great guy.”

  “Exactly,” Kennedy said, unable to hold the laughter twitching in her lips at bay. “Brett’s originally from Florida. Used to work in the hospital in Tallahassee that Michael goes to for his research trials. He specializes in high risk pregnancies. Plus, he’s good with kids. He’s a walking GQ Parents’ Magazine advertisement for what any red-blooded single mother wants.”

  “Just because you say this doctor is perfect for Hannah doesn’t mean you’re right,” Caleb grumbled, but he stepped away from the table and moved toward the open French doors.

  As soon as Caleb was out of earshot, Kennedy crossed her arms over her belly and said, “I thought he’d never leave. Seriously. Now let’s talk about what’s going on between you two.”

  Heat fired across her face. “There’s nothing going on,” she said. Though her body screamed for a one-on-one meeting of the naked kind, she wouldn’t act on its rebellious demands.

  “Really? Because from what I can tell, you’ve still got it bad for him and he’s crazy jealous about the idea of you being with anyone but him.”

  Her heart high jumped in her chest. Not only had Caleb radiated green the entire time he’d been hovering around the table, but she had always imagined a future with him that mirrored Kennedy’s. A wealthy man running his corporation, raising his family in Sweetbriar Springs, and loving her with undisguised devotion.

  But what she wished for couldn’t become a reality if Caleb didn’t have the same dream.