Jeff was alone. He didn’t have family to pester and care. All he had was her. And Emily. A ping of something soft and sweet tinged her heart at the thought, but Kelly shook it off for now.
“I think you’d better go,” she muttered thickly, trying to make sense of all the thoughts careening through her mind at breakneck speed.
“You’re telling me to leave?” Kevin sounded incredulous.
“Yes,” she said. “I am.”
“Kelly, I’m your brother and—”
Her head whipped up, and she frosted him with a look that any of the recruits in his charge could have told him was a patented Rogan glare.
“And I’m not twelve years old.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“No, but you act as though you think I am. Blast it, Kevin, I can take care of my own life,” she snapped. Then turning to snatch Emily up out of her walker, she plopped her daughter on one hip and gave her brother one long, last look. “Instead of being so darn conscientious about running mine, why don’t you go out and find a life of your own?”
Then, leaving him staring openmouthed after her, Kelly took the porch steps quickly, went inside and closed the door on him.
When Jeff called a few hours later, Kelly’s emotions were still running high. Nothing made sense anymore.
She’d never wanted a husband, but she wanted Jeff.
She wouldn’t admit to loving him, but she needed him.
And the thought of his leaving again, going off into God knew what kind of danger, made her insides tremble with the force of an 8.5 earthquake.
“Kelly,” he asked, his voice rumbling across the phone lines to settle in the pit of her stomach. “Are you okay?”
She shoved one hand through her hair, looked at their daughter, cheerfully mashing peas in one grubby fist, and forced a smile. “Yes, I’m fine. But I think I zoned out a minute ago. What did you ask?”
He chuckled and the sound vibrated inside her.
“I asked you to go to dinner with me. Tonight.”
It had been a long day without him. She’d become accustomed to having him in her life. To seeing him every day. To hearing his voice, seeing his smile, watching him with Emily.
And all too soon, she’d be missing him again. His leave was nearly up and before she knew it, she’d be haunting the mailbox again, hoping for another card from some far-off place. Why shouldn’t she spend every minute she could with him? she asked herself.
Why hold herself back from feeling his arms around her, luxuriating in his touch? Why sentence them both to loneliness before they were separated by his job?
“Hello?” he asked, prodding her gently until she realized that she’d zoned on him again.
“I’m sorry, Jeff,” she said with a shake of her head. “Long day, I guess.”
He picked up on that instantly. “If you’re too tired, then—”
“No,” she said quickly. “No, I’m fine. And…I’d love to have dinner with you. What time?”
“Eight o’clock,” he said, adding softly, “wear something gorgeous.”
“Eight,” she repeated, already mentally rummaging through her closet. “I’ll be ready.”
Eleven
The Quiet Cannon restaurant in Laguna Beach was perched high on the edge of a cliff. Its glass walls overlooked the ocean far below, and each table was turned to take advantage of the view. Soft music drifted into the restaurant from the adjoining bar, and muted conversations filled the room as waiters moved soundlessly between the diners.
“This is beautiful,” Kelly said, smiling across the white-linen-covered table at him.
“No,” Jeff said, his gaze traveling over her for at least the tenth time in the past half hour. “You’re beautiful. The restaurant’s just nice.”
“Thank you,” she said as politely as if they’d been on a blind date and this was their first meeting. “You look very handsome in your uniform.”
He winced just a bit before explaining, “It was wear the uniform or try to sneak into this place in jeans and sneakers. I didn’t have any dress clothes with me.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “I like seeing you in your uniform. I like seeing other people’s reactions when they see you.”
Uniforms always did command a certain amount of attention, he acknowledged, which was why generally an off-duty Marine made it a point to wear civvies. Unless, he thought wryly, they made reservations at a swanky restaurant and then discovered they didn’t have the right clothes.
“The people looking at us tonight aren’t seeing me, baby,” he said, his gaze locking with hers. “All they can see is you and they’re probably wondering how a guy like me got lucky enough to be here with you.”
She smiled at him and his heartbeat kicked into high gear. What he’d told her was no more than the truth. From the moment he’d picked her up at her house, he’d done little more than stare at her. The soft, pale yellow dress she wore fit her as if it had been made for her alone. The low, scooped neck gave him a tantalizing peek at the swell of her breasts, and the short sleeves displayed her slender, tanned arms to perfection. The full skirt fell to just above her knees and swirled around her truly great legs with every step she took. She wore her curly hair pulled back from her face and swept up into a silver clip at the back of her head. A few curls escaped capture, though, and danced about her face with abandon. Candlelight glinted off her slash-of-silver earrings and twinkled off the bracelet she always wore on her left wrist.
Her green eyes practically glowed in the shimmering light, and Jeff felt as though he could sit there forever, staring into those eyes and be a happy man.
But as the waiter brought him the bill, he realized this night was almost over. And there was still so much to say.
Hell, he’d spent most of today planning what he’d tell Kelly the next time he saw her. And now that he was here, with her, all he could do was look at her like some dumbstruck schoolboy.
Disgusted with himself, he glanced at the check, dug into his pocket and pulled out a clip of cash. He counted off the appropriate number of bills, including a substantial tip, then slid out of the booth. Holding one hand out to Kelly, he helped her up, then steered her toward the front of the restaurant, one hand at the small of her back.
Pride filled him as he caught a couple of approving stares from the men they passed. Kelly was beautiful and he was happy to see that others appreciated it. But she was so much more than just a pretty face.
She had spirit and courage and pride. She had a laugh that could make a deaf man grin in response. She was tender and loving and—hell, he might as well admit it—she was everything.
Outside, an ocean wind immediately pushed at them, cold, insistent. Jeff took her incredibly soft white stole and draped it across her shoulders. She smiled up at him, and he was so close, so close to those lips of hers, he almost gave into the urge to kiss her.
But then the valet parking guy loped up out of the darkness and asked for their ticket.
“Not yet,” Jeff said, looking from the eager boy to Kelly. He didn’t want this evening to end. Not until he’d had a chance to say the things he needed to. “Come around back with me?” he asked, looking into those green eyes of hers.
“Of course,” she said, and walked beside him, around the restaurant, through the shadows.
The narrow, decklike patio clung to the edge of the cliff. A few hundred feet below them, the ocean rolled toward shore. Slamming against the sand in a never-ending assault and retreat. But here, surrounded by potted flowers and the reflected glow of the candles in the restaurant behind them, they were alone, quiet.
He almost hated to shatter the spell that existed between them. But he had to say this. Had to get out all of the words that had been clawing at him all day.
“I did a lot of thinking today,” he said softly, staring out at the black water.
“So did I,” she answered, but didn’t elaborate and he couldn’t help wondering just what she’d been thi
nking. But then, her thoughts probably hadn’t taken the direction his had.
He’d spent hours wandering around Tijuana, a tourist mecca, and hardly saw a thing. All he’d been able to think of was Kelly. And Emily. And the fact that he’d be leaving them soon. A man started looking at things—life—differently, when he had a child, Jeff told himself. He started to realize that he was not going to live forever. Particularly if he was in a high-risk sort of profession. And on the heels of that thought came so many others, he wasn’t at all sure he could voice them all. But maybe he wouldn’t have to.
She stood so closely beside him, he felt the brush of her arm against his, and the warmth that shot through him in response shook him to his core. Her scent wafted to him on the soft sigh of wind, and Jeff inhaled it deeply, imprinting it on his soul.
Turning his head, he looked down at her and mentally captured her image forever. In the pale glow of starlight and the dance of candles scattered over the sprinkling of tables on the deserted patio, she looked like a dream. The skirt of her dress floated around her legs, and as she hugged her stole close to her upper body, she pushed the swell of her breasts higher, stealing his breath and destroying any chance at rational thought.
He looked away again, turning his gaze back to the limitless ocean.
“Kelly,” he said, drawing a deep breath as if preparing for battle, “I want you to marry me.”
“Jeff—”
Great job, he told himself. Bottle it up all night, then just blurt it out with no fancy words or flowery speeches. Way to go. He had to speak up again. Fast.
“Hear me out,” he said, turning toward her again. “Please. Just listen for a minute.”
Her gaze was suddenly shadowed, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what she was thinking. But, since she hadn’t leaped into his arms and shouted, “Oh, yes, Jeff!” he had to assume that she was still going to refuse him. With that thought in mind, he rushed through the speech he’d been practicing all day while his friends partied in Mexico.
“This isn’t about us,” he said, and her expression told him what she thought of that statement. “All right, not completely about us. This is about Emily, too.”
“Emily?”
A twinge of something tight squeezed his heart, but Jeff ignored it and rushed on. “Damn it, Kelly, I know you don’t want to be married to me,” and that knowledge went down hard. Not easy on a man’s pride to be turned down by the mother of his child. “But the least you can do is let me provide for my daughter.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, staring up into his face.
He grabbed her upper arms and held her firmly. God, this had all sounded so good, so easy, in his head. Why was it now, when he needed them the most, the words were nearly impossible to find? “The Corps takes care of its own, Kelly. My daughter is entitled to my benefits. To medical care. To whatever else I leave behind if something happens to me.”
She blanched. He saw it despite the poor lighting, and Jeff pressed forward. “Let me do this, Kelly. Not for you. I know you can take care of yourself. But let me do what I can to help watch out for my baby.”
“Oh, Jeff…”
Kelly’s mind was reeling. If he hadn’t had such a tight grip on her arms, she might have stumbled right over the edge of the cliff. Strange, she thought. She knew he had a dangerous job. Had been thinking of nothing else all day.
But hearing him say the words ‘if something happens to me’ had really hit her hard.
His features were taut. Tension rippled off of him in waves, and she knew what this was costing him. He’d put aside his pride for the sake of his child. Jeff Hunter was one of the strongest men she’d ever known. Yet he’d taken the chance of being turned down again because he was so determined to do whatever he could for Emily. Tenderness welled up inside her as she looked into those pale blue eyes of his.
“Say yes,” he urged.
A part of her wanted to, and that worried her. She’d never wanted to give a man room enough to take charge of her life. She’d always prided herself on her independence. But how high a price was she willing to pay for that freedom?
Could she really say no again, knowing what it would cost him? She didn’t want him leaving, going into danger, believing that he had nothing here at home waiting for him.
Kelly didn’t want him to feel alone. Adrift. In the dangerous world where he lived and fought, it was important to be tethered to the real world. He needed to know that he mattered.
To Emily.
To her.
And he did. Whether she married him or not, Kelly knew that Jeff would always be in her heart. The magic she’d found with him a year and a half ago was not only still there, it had grown, blossomed into something so fierce, she couldn’t imagine her life without it.
All day, she’d battled her feelings for him against her fear of handing her life over to yet another male. And she hadn’t reached a single conclusion. Not until this moment. The moment when he’d asked her to allow him the right to provide for his child.
She couldn’t deny him this. She couldn’t lock him out of Emily’s life.
“All right, Jeff,” she said before her courage could fail, “I will marry you.” She was doing this for Emily, she told herself, but even she didn’t entirely believe that.
He looked so stunned, it might have been funny, but instead, it was just so blasted touching, Kelly felt a sheen of tears flood her eyes. She blinked them back, though, a moment later when he grabbed her, pulled her close and hugged her tight enough to cut off her breath.
Then he bent his head, claimed her mouth in a hard, brief kiss and when it was over, he said, “Can your brother Kieran stay with Emily tonight?”
Still dazed from his kiss, she nodded dumbly. “I think so, why?”
“Because,” he said, tilting her chin up with his fingertips, “we’re flying to Vegas. Tonight. Before you can change your mind on me.”
“Vegas?” she repeated as he took her arm and steered her back down the path toward the parking lot.
It was all over in a matter of hours. Including plane trips and wedding service, Jeff and Kelly were back at his hotel room in Bayside before dawn.
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his voice a quiet hush in the shadow-filled room.
“Just how strange it is,” Kelly mused, running her fingertips along the forearm he’d tossed across her bare middle. “A few hours ago, we were having dinner. Now we’re…married.”
He pulled her to him, rolling onto his back, trapping her there atop him, her body aligned with his. His hands moved up and down her back, over her behind and back up along her spine. The calluses on his palms sent shivers of delight across every square inch of her skin, and she had to admit that as a wedding night, this one had been legendary so far.
“No thinkin’ allowed,” Jeff murmured, and raised his head high enough to nibble at the base of her throat.
“Mmm…” Kelly moved into him, closing her eyes, forcing her mind to concentrate only on his touch. His kiss. He was right. No thinkin’ allowed. There would be time enough later to worry if she’d done the right thing or not. For now, all that mattered was Jeff and what was left of this night.
He rolled over again, this time pinning her beneath him. Her arms came up, wrapping around his neck, holding him to her as he slid one hand up her body to cup her breast. His thumb and forefinger tweaked at her hardened nipple, sending lightning like bolts of soul-deep pleasure shooting all the way down to the soles of her feet.
Delight sizzled through her, and she wondered absently if it would always be this way between them. And then she wondered if they would have an “always.” But even as that vague notion drifted through her brain, it slid out again as Jeff moved atop her, trailing his lips and teeth down her body. While his mouth tortured her, his hands skimmed her length, touching, exploring, caressing.
Every nerve ending sang. Every breath was ragged. Her mind whirled in a rush of color and sensati
on. She reached for him, her fingertips just skimming his shoulders as he slid lower and lower. And when he knelt between her legs and lifted her hips from the mattress, Kelly gasped and braced herself for the intimate kiss she knew was coming.
His mouth covered her and she nearly came off the bed. “Jeff,” she whispered, reaching helplessly for him again.
“Enjoy, baby,” he murmured, and tasted her deeply. “Just enjoy.”
She did. Over and over again, his lips and tongue swept over her most sensitive flesh and the gentle torment had her squirming in his firm grasp.
Her hands fisted in the sheets. Her hips rocked against his mouth as she fought for the release building inside her. His hands on her behind tightened as he gave her all that she could have wanted. And when the first small ripple of sensation pooled within her, Kelly dragged in one long, deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut and rode the crashing wave that followed.
But even before the last shiver had left her, Jeff was there, leaning over her, pushing himself inside her, claiming her body, branding her soul. She lifted her hips to meet his first thrust and felt whole as he entered her.
Jeff stared down into her face. “Open your eyes, Kelly,” he whispered on a groan, “look at me. Look at me while I love you.”
Her eyes flew open and their gazes locked, intertwined as completely as their bodies were.
“Take me, Jeff. Take all of me,” she said, sliding her hands up his back, holding him to her, giving him more with her touch than anyone had ever given him before.
And as his body exploded, his last conscious thought was home. He’d finally found home.
A hideous, screeching, jangling noise broke into the silence an hour later, and still half asleep, Kelly reached blindly for the telephone. She snatched at the receiver before the blasted thing could ring again and grumbled, “’lo?”
“’Morning, ma’am, I need to speak to Gunnery Sergeant Hunter,” a deep, no-nonsense voice practically ordered.
She blinked, shook her head and gave Jeff a nudge with her elbow. “Jeff,” she said, pushing at him again when he barely stirred, “phone for you.”
His Baby! Page 10
