His Secret Son

by Brenda Jackson

  “Yes. Two boys and a girl. They want a huge family so I guess you can say they’re off to a good start.”

  “I’m glad they’re all okay. When I got word that you’d been killed, I wondered about them. I take it the five of you are still close friends.”

  “Yes, and we’re closer than ever. Even while I was being held hostage a part of me believed they would find me and get me out. And they did. We stay in contact even when we’re not on a mission. I talked to them just last night and told them I had seen you.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. They remembered you, as well. I also told them I had a son. They’re happy for me.”

  “Even though fatherhood wasn’t anything you asked for?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I used a condom. Close to a dozen if you recall. Evidently one was defective. I regret that.” He paused and then said, “But under no circumstances do I regret Laramie.”

  She nodded. “Neither do I.”

  He inclined his head and looked at her. Under his close scrutiny she was tempted to cross her arms over her chest. She could feel her nipples hardening. “I keep thinking that things could have been different. You could have made another decision and not had him,” he said.

  She knew what he was hinting at. “Not having him wasn’t an option for me. I admit becoming a mother was the last thing on my mind, but when I found out I was pregnant I knew I would keep my baby. When I mailed that letter to you, I had no idea how you would respond. It really didn’t matter. I was doing what I thought was the right thing by letting you know. I was prepared to go solo regardless.”

  “And now you don’t have to because I’m here.”

  For how long? she wondered. He was still a navy SEAL and could get called away on a mission at any time. A mission he might not return from. She’d already had to deal with news of him dying once; there was no way she could go through it again. That meant she had to fall out of love with him. But how could she do that?

  He had made it pretty clear that he wanted to see Laramie as often as he could. So she’d be seeing him often, too. In that case, how could she begin the process of removing him from her heart? There had to be a way and she was determined to find it. She had lost her mother, her father and her aunt. The three most important people in her life were gone. Now she had Laramie. She lived for her son and that would be enough.

  “I’ll leave now so you can get some things done while Laramie is taking his nap. I’ll be back around four-thirty.”

  “All right.”

  She moved to walk him to the door, but he just stood there. Staring at her. More specifically, his gaze was fixated on her mouth. She saw it. Felt it. Her lips suddenly felt warm. Sensitive.

  She knew she should turn away so her mouth wouldn’t be the object of his focus. But the truth was, she couldn’t. His assessing gaze was getting to her, and she couldn’t do a single thing about it.

  Bristol knew what he planned the moment he took a step in her direction but she didn’t back up. She couldn’t. It was as if she was rooted in place. Then he was standing directly in front of her. His eyes penetrating hers. His features fierce.

  “I thought about you a lot, Bristol. During those eleven months while being held hostage.”

  His words made her heart flip several times. He had thought about her? “You did?”

  “Yes. Thinking of you kept me sane...especially during those times I was being tortured,” he told her quietly.

  Oh, God! Tortured? There was an intense searing in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t imagine what he’d endured.

  “I would close my eyes and remember each and every time I made love to you. Every single time I kissed you. We shared a lot of kisses over those three days.”

  Yes, they had. They’d shared a lot of things, including their bodies. He hadn’t been the only one who’d remembered, although her situation hadn’t been as difficult as his by any stretch of the imagination. Every time her child, their child, had kicked or moved within her womb, she would think of him. Mourn him. Grieve for him. She would also thank him for giving her his child.

  “I need to kiss you,” he said in a husky tone, reclaiming her attention. “I need to kiss you as much as I need to breathe.”

  And she needed to kiss him, as well. That was the shocking truth. No matter how independent she wanted to be, she needed to kiss him. Her eyes were focused on his lips with the same intensity that his had been on hers. She needed to feel the heat of her body against his.

  She was succumbing to everything male that he represented.

  “As you wish,” Bristol whispered. She was the one who made the first move, standing on tiptoe, leaning in close and placing her mouth against his.

  Twelve

  Coop wrapped his arms around her and took over the kiss. The moment their tongues touched, getting reacquainted in the most passionate way, liquid heat seemed to spread through, burning him from the inside out.

  His body leaped to life. He was now a man very much aware and filled with a yearning so deep it ached. Yet at the same time the yearning calmed the beast within him. Made him accept that Bristol could affect him in ways no other woman could.

  He hadn’t counted on her kiss being as greedy as his, her need just as insurmountable. Their tongues were mating in ways that sent a crackle of energy escalating between them. From the very first, he’d known she was different. He just hadn’t known what role she would eventually play in his life. He had no idea that one day she would become the mother of his child.

  He had given more of himself to her than he had to any woman. Even now he felt a need for her in every cell, in every pore. How could she get under his skin this way? To the point where he confessed to thinking of her while being held captive. Remembering her while being in pain. He’d never shared that much about one of his missions with anyone. There had been no one to tell. His parents hadn’t wanted to hear the gory details. And he hadn’t been able to open up to the psychiatrist the military had ordered him to see. Only his SEAL teammates had known the hell he’d gone through. And now Bristol knew. Not everything but enough.

  They needed to come up for air, so he slowly ended the kiss, pulling his mouth away on a guttural moan. Still needing a connection, he used the tip of his tongue to lick her lips from corner to corner, before grazing his jaw against her ear.

  He dropped his hands and couldn’t recall at what point his fingers had become buried in her hair. Now it looked unruly. Sexy as hell. The sight of her kiss-swollen lips made him even more aware of how much he wanted her. Desire pulsed through him and he felt hard as a rock.

  He took a step back, because otherwise he would be tempted to sweep her off her feet and carry her upstairs to that bedroom he’d refused to enter earlier. “I’ll be back to get you and Laramie around four thirty.”

  And then he headed for the door. He came close to making it out without looking back. But temptation was too much. Overpowering. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Bristol was standing there looking more beautiful than any woman he’d ever seen. There was heat in her eyes.

  A hungry throb stirred inside him and he drew in a wobbly breath before forcing himself out the door and closing it behind him.

  * * *

  Bristol released a breath before burying her face in her hands. What on earth had she done? What on earth had she started? That kiss had made her come unglued. No, she’d lost her composure long before that kiss. The intensity of her sexual need had begun to affect her the moment Coop had walked into her house that morning.

  She could no more deny the carnal attraction between them than she could refrain from breathing. And today, just a few moments ago in her living room, they’d both unleashed pent-up, held-back desires. Her body knew him, desired him, ached for him. Closing her eyes, she felt a surge of yearning trying to take over
her senses again.

  Opening her eyes, she refused to let it. At that moment she heard her cell phone ring and wondered who was calling. Coop had her number. Would he be calling her? There was no way he’d made it to the corner already. Maybe he’d decided dinner wasn’t a good idea after all and was canceling. If that was true then she agreed with him. Sitting in a restaurant across from him might push temptation to a new level. She wasn’t certain if their son would be enough of a buffer.

  Pulling her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, Bristol saw the caller wasn’t Coop but Margie. She quickly clicked it on. “Yes, Margie?”

  “You okay? You sound kind of breathless.”

  She swallowed. Did she? “I’m fine.”

  “I called to see how things turned out with your soon-to-be ex.”

  Bristol frowned, confused. “My soon-to-be ex?”

  “Yes. You can divorce him on the grounds of desertion, you know. I can refer a good attorney you can use.”

  “Desertion?”

  “Yes. At least that’s what I call it. You thought he was dead. Granted I understand the military made a mistake, but if he had cared anything about you—even if he didn’t know about your son—you were his wife. He should have moved heaven and earth to find you. Showing up now after all this time won’t cut it.”

  Bristol didn’t like what Margie was saying. But then her manager didn’t know the whole story. “Laramie and I have things to work out.”

  “What’s there to work out? I talked to Steven and he’s concerned about a dead husband reappearing. But I explained things to calm him down. I told him it was all a mistake and you would send your ex packing in no time. I assured him that there was no way you would hook up with Laramie again.”

  Frissons of anger ignited in Bristol’s spine. Margie was believing just what Coop said people would believe about him. And it was all her fault. Furthermore, who gave Margie the right to tell Steven anything?

  “Look, Margie, I have to go.” It was either end the call or end their relationship, Bristol was just that mad.

  Her manager didn’t say anything for a moment, then added, “You sound upset, Bristol, and I hope it’s not with me but with him. I’m aware you loved your husband. And I can understand you having feelings for him now. But I hope you’re not thinking about tossing aside a chance with Steven for a man who didn’t come looking for you.”

  Bristol lost it. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I’m not interested in Steven. Now goodbye.”

  She then hung up the phone.

  * * *

  Coop released a deep sigh the moment his hotel room door closed behind him. What a day. It had started out with him enjoying breakfast with his son and then it had ended after lunch with him kissing Bristol like he couldn’t get enough of tasting her mouth.

  He licked his lips. He still hadn’t.

  He never knew a woman’s taste could mess with your taste buds and block out your other senses. But he had found out today. He just didn’t understand it. Once he’d returned to his team to hang out for New Year’s, after spending those three days with her, he’d been fine. She hadn’t totally consumed his mind.

  But he had thought about her...

  And he had thought about her even more while being held hostage, because when your thoughts were filled with orgasmic pleasure it could erase the pain. The more those bastards tried to break him, the more he’d thought about Bristol.

  Was that why he was so consumed with her now? He had thought about her so much that the memories of the time they’d shared in Paris were now a part of him? He rubbed his hand down his face. Maybe he was thinking way too hard.

  He was removing his jacket when his cell phone rang. He recognized the ring tone. It was Bane. He pulled his phone from his pocket, chuckled and said, “With triplets, don’t you have more to do with your time these days?”

  Bane laughed. “No. That’s where the benefits of belonging to a large family kick in. Everyone wants to help out. There haven’t been triplets in the family since Quade’s babies and everyone’s excited. I couldn’t tell you the number of visitors we’ve had. And more of them are planning to visit for the holidays. I told the family about your son. They’re ecstatic and want pictures, so I need you to text me a few. You know the routine so get with the program.”

  Yes, he knew the routine. He had pictures on his phone of Mac’s four kids. His phone was also filled with pictures of Bane’s triplets. In the beginning, it seemed like Bane would text him a new picture every other day. Now it had decreased to only one a week. “No problem. I’m taking them to dinner and will take a photo then.”

  “I take it things are going well. I assume you had that talk you said you were going to have with her.”

  “Yes, I had it. She wasn’t keen on the idea of sharing support for our son. I had to explain that I don’t operate that way. She didn’t like it but she finally gave in.”

  “That’s good. What did the two of you decide about the fake marriage?”

  Coop rubbed the back of his neck when he remembered that particular conversation. “Bristol doesn’t want to be married any more than I do. But we have Laramie to consider now. She suggested we just tell everyone we’re getting a divorce. That will release her from the fake marriage. She sees that as the easiest and simplest way out.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  Coop dropped down in the wingback chair. “No. But then marriage isn’t what I want, either. At least it wasn’t until I met my son. At first I convinced myself being a single dad wouldn’t be a big deal since I’d be gone on missions most of the time anyway. But then I began thinking about those times I would be around. What if she began seeing someone who didn’t want me to have access to my child the way I wanted?”

  “You can work out visitation rights with an attorney, so there shouldn’t be any problems with that. Why do I get the feeling there’s more, Coop?”

  Because there was more. It was at times like this that a part of him wished Bane didn’t know him so well. He, Bane, Viper, Flipper and another friend by the name of Nick Stover had gone through the naval academy together. Mac had been a SEAL several years before any of them. For the longest time, Mac had come across like the big-brother SEAL looking out for them, like he figured they couldn’t take care of themselves. Over time they’d learned how to look out for each other. A few years ago Nick had given up being a SEAL to take a job with Homeland Security after his wife had triplets.

  He, Mac, Viper and Flipper had wondered if Bane would do the same thing because of his triplets. But Bane had assured them he wouldn’t. Whereas Nick and his wife didn’t have any family to help out, Bane had more family than the law allowed. Bane’s triplets were the third set born in the Westmoreland family. There were Westmorelands all over the place. In several states, including Alaska.

  Coop was close to all his team members but he and Bane shared a special bond because they’d been roommates at the academy.

  “Yes, there’s more,” he finally said. “It’s Bristol.”

  “What about her?”

  “I’m more attracted to her than ever, man. She’s beautiful. She’s also headstrong, independent and a wonderful mother to Laramie.”

  “Sounds like you’re falling for her all over again.”

  Coop leaned back in the chair. “To be honest, I don’t think I ever stopped falling. I told you how she was constantly on my mind while I was in Syria and how those memories of us together were how I held on to my sanity.”

  “Did you tell her that?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did you tell her that the minute the hospital released you to travel that you headed to Paris, hoping to see her?”

  “No, I didn’t tell her that. Maybe one day I will.”

  “Women like to know they wer
e thought of. Remember how I kept all those cards and letters over the years for Crystal. It meant a lot to her.”

  He and Bane talked a little while longer. When they ended their conversation, he glanced at his watch. He needed to make another call, namely to his parents. He also needed to follow up with his attorney. Afterward, he would go to the hotel’s fitness center and work off that delicious breakfast and lunch Bristol had prepared.

  He thought about their kiss again. What he’d told Bane was the truth. He was attracted to her more so than ever. Visitation rights with his son weren’t the only thing he was concerned with. Visitation rights with his son’s mother were also on his mind. The thought of her marrying someone else bothered him.

  If it bothers you so much, then maybe you should marry her yourself.

  What the hell! Why did an idea like that pop into his head? Anyone who knew him would attest to the fact that he wasn’t the marrying kind. He liked his freedom. He enjoyed not answering to anyone but himself. He...

  Loved his son.

  His lips firmed in a straight line. Yes, he loved his son, but what did that have to do with desiring Bristol? Suddenly, he knew the answer. His love for his son affected everything. Even his son’s mother.

  He groaned in frustration. He had suggested the option of making the marriage real. She had immediately rebuffed it. At the time, it hadn’t bothered him one iota. That idea hadn’t been at the top of his list anyway.

  So why was he thinking about it now?

  Once again the answer was the same. He loved his son. Unlike his parents, who believed their love for each other weighed more than the love for their child, he didn’t hold such beliefs. Although he’d seen his child for the first time only last night, more love than he thought he could ever have for any other human being had seeped into his heart and it was going to stay there.

  He loved his parents. He loved his SEAL teammates as brothers. But the love he had for his child was so amazing that more than once today he’d had to pause to make sure he hadn’t dreamed the whole thing.