Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 1-3

by Kennedy, Elle

  Carson sighed. “What is it with you and helping people? Didn’t we just decide you’re not going to drop everything for your family anymore?”

  “This isn’t my family. It’s yours.”

  “Will and I aren’t related.”

  “You’re SEALs. Of course you’re related.”

  Another sigh. “Yeah, you’re right.” Carson took a step forward and pulled Holly into his arms. “Fine, you can go.”

  “Really?”

  “I just said it, didn’t I?”

  Holly threw her arms around her boyfriend, and the two proceeded to make out as if Will wasn’t in the kitchen.

  He shook his head to himself. He wasn’t really sure how they’d gone from furious to calm to horny in a matter of seconds, but he wasn’t complaining. Ever since Holly and Shelby had burst into his house this morning, he’d been warming up to the plan, starting to believe it might actually work. He was glad Carson hadn’t put up more of a fight.

  Slipping his hands in the pockets of his khakis, he let the couple smooch a while longer, then cleared his throat. “Uh, guys?”

  They pulled apart sheepishly. “Sorry,” Holly said. “Forgot you were here.”

  Story of his life, women forgetting he was standing right in front of them.

  Hopefully not for much longer, though.

  “So how is this going to work?” Carson asked, bending down to retrieve the fallen box. He glanced at his girlfriend. “I’m sorry about the plates, sweetheart. We’ll go out and buy some next week, ’kay?”

  “I’m holding you to that.” With a stern look, she headed for the fridge and grabbed a can of soda. “Anyway, Will and I are going to Hunter Ridge tomorrow. Apparently there’s some fair going on this weekend.”

  “Carnival,” Will corrected. “It’s an annual thing.”

  Last year he’d skipped the carnival. Mac had been dating Dan, the owner of the hardware store, and Will wasn’t keen on the idea of seeing them. When they were teenagers, he and Mac had always gone to the carnival together. They used to ride the Ferris wheel for hours, talking about everything and anything while they shared a bag of cotton candy. Nothing had changed once they’d gotten older. They still rode that Ferris wheel and munched on that cotton candy every year when the carnival came to town. Last year was the first time he’d missed it.

  And this year, well, this year he’d be the one with the date. A part of him got perverse satisfaction from knowing Mackenzie would finally feel that same bitter jealousy he’d experienced when she decided to go to the carnival with another man.

  “So you’re taking my girlfriend to a carnival in your no-horse town?” Carson rolled his eyes. “Sounds like, uh, fun.”

  “We’re going to make Mac jealous,” Holly reminded him. “The carnival is their thing.”

  “We’ll only be gone for one night,” Will said. “I promise to have her back Saturday night.”

  Carson narrowed his eyes. “And where exactly will the two of you sleep?”

  Will shrugged. “Only one place to stay in town. Harriet Jones’ B&B.”

  “Two rooms?”

  He glanced at his feet. “One.” Before Carson could start yelling again, he quickly added, “I’ll sleep on the floor. Fully clothed.”

  “I’ll sleep naked,” Holly piped up.

  Carson shot her a glare. “If you do, I’ll smash every piece of china in this place.”

  “Fine.” She smiled impishly. “I’ll wear the black lace teddy you bought me for my birthday.”

  Will let out a sigh. “That was way too much information.” He glanced at Carson. “So are you cool with this, man?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  Holly smiled broadly. “No.”

  5

  The carnival workers were setting up when Mackenzie strode out of Paula’s general store on Friday afternoon. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the carnival this year. It had always been her and Will’s thing, except for last year when he’d been out of the country…though a part of her still suspected he’d been happy to miss the event. She’d been dating Dan then, and she’d gotten the feeling Will wasn’t comfortable around her ex-boyfriend.

  Oh, who was she kidding? Of course he wasn’t comfortable. What man would want to spend time with the boyfriend of the woman he loved?

  Love. For fifteen years she’d tried not to think about that word, but after what happened between them last week—the staggering, unbelievable sex—she couldn’t bury her head in the sand any longer. Will loved her. She’d seen it in his eyes that night, heard it in his voice, felt it in his kiss.

  And instead of welcoming that love into her life, she’d slammed a door on it.

  Swallowing, she walked toward her car. The sound of the carnival coming to life made her heart ache—the screech of metal as the Ferris wheel cars were tightened into place, the mechanical rings of the game booths, the melody of the carousel as it whirled around on its test runs.

  No, she wouldn’t be attending this year, she decided as she unlocked the driver’s door of the old Chevy. Not when she still hadn’t spoken to Will. Not when she didn’t know if he would be there.

  When she’d called him this morning, she’d gotten beeped over to voice mail. She left a message asking him to call her. He hadn’t. She’d called an hour later, left another message. Called a third time. A fourth. And still he hadn’t answered.

  And each time she’d heard his voice on the message, her panic had escalated. What if he’d left the country? What if she was too late?

  By the time afternoon rolled around, she’d been ready to rip her own hair out. So she’d gotten in her car, driven into town to fill up the tank, and was now about to make the drive to Coronado. Screw his voice mail. She needed to see him in person. She had to make sure he was okay

  Gripping the steering wheel with icy fingers, Mac inhaled a calming breath and tried to reassure herself that Will was simply avoiding her calls. He hadn’t left town. He wasn’t sitting on a chopper right now, and he was not dead.

  The mere word—dead—sent panic soaring through her and brought tears to her eyes. No, she refused to think about the vision. Will was fine. Of course he—

  A loud honk drew her out of her anxiety. When she turned her head in the direction of the intrusive noise, her anxiousness transformed into pure relief.

  An olive-green Jeep pulled into the parking space in front of hers.

  Will’s Jeep.

  Before she could stop herself, she was out of her car and bounding toward the Jeep on shaky legs. Unease, relief and excitement pounded in her veins.

  She reached the driver’s door just as Will was getting out.

  The sight of him caused her belly to do a funny little flip. God, he looked good. So unbelievably good in faded jeans and a close-fitting black T-shirt. But clothes didn’t make the man, and she knew from recent personal experience that Will didn’t need a stitch of clothing to look good. In fact, he was a female’s wet dream when he was naked. Her cheeks burned at the memory.

  “You’re here,” she blurted out.

  His dark eyes softened at the sight of her, but then his expression grew shuttered. “Couldn’t miss the carnival,” he said lightly.

  “I…I called you.” The twinge of desperation in her voice made her want to cringe. “I left a message.”

  “Did you?” His tone was cool. “I haven’t checked my messages today.”

  Okay, so he was still angry with her. The stiffness of his impossibly broad shoulders and the distant look in his eyes confirmed it. And he hadn’t shaved in days, she noticed. Thick stubble dotted a jaw that was visibly tensed. She wished she knew how to make it better, how to bridge this awful distance between them.

  “Will,” she murmured. “I’m…sorry.”

  “Yeah, you said that last week.”

  “I still feel it.”

  His dark gaze swept over her face. For a second she glimpsed a glimmer of regret, a flash of desire, but then it snapped back to chilly
and distant. “So do I, Mac.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but whatever she’d been about to say—she wasn’t even sure what—died a fiery death when a flicker of movement caught her eye. Shock barreled into her as she watched someone get out of the passenger side of Will’s Jeep.

  Not someone.

  A woman.

  And not any woman, but a gorgeous one. A beautiful green-eyed brunette in Capris and a tank top, who marched over to Will’s side and possessively linked her arm through his.

  “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” the woman asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

  Mac was frozen in place, unable to take her eyes off their interlocked arms. Will had brought a woman with him? In all the years she’d known him, he’d never shown up in town with someone on his arm. Never.

  Something fierce and ugly reared up inside her. She suspected that something was jealousy, but there was also a spark of resentment. He was dating someone? He’d had sex with her last weekend and now he was dating someone else?

  “Holly, this is Mackenzie,” Will said gruffly. “Mac, Holly.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” The lie flowed smoothly out of Mac’s mouth, while the anger flowed just as smoothly through her veins. Damn him for bringing a woman home. How could he do that after everything he’d said and done last week?

  I want you, Mackenzie. Now. Always.

  Ha!

  “So you’re the friend Will told me about,” Holly replied with a warm smile.

  A genuinely warm smile. Which meant that Will hadn’t told his new girlfriend about the body-numbing sex he’d had with his friend.

  Mac pressed her hands to the sides of her jeans, resisting the urge to use those hands to wring Will’s neck. “Will and I have known each other for years,” she answered with forced casualness. “How do the two of you, uh, know each other?”

  Holly tightened her grip on Will’s arm, her green eyes twinkling as she got up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his stubble-covered cheek.

  Mac noticed how short the other woman was, and a pang of insecurity tugged at her gut. Compared to Holly’s petite, pixie frame, Mac felt like a giant. Suddenly her height of five-eight seemed enormous, all wrong for Will. Will and Holly looked perfect together—tall, muscular Will and little, perfect Holly.

  It made her want to throw up.

  “We actually just met, um…” Holly tilted her head thoughtfully, “…last Sunday. I work at a restaurant near the base, and Will showed up for lunch. He came back to the kitchen after his meal and complimented my cooking.” Holly’s cheeks flushed in an annoyingly cute way.

  She was a cook. How delightful. Mac couldn’t even make an omelet without burning something.

  Before her confidence could take another hit, her brain stumbled on what Holly had said—last Sunday. Will had met this girl the day after he’d rocked Mackenzie’s world. One day! Was that all he’d needed to put the entire incident out of his mind? Was that why he hadn’t called her this week, because he’d been too busy rocking someone else’s world? And to think, she’d been frantic about his safety. Obviously he was perfectly safe with his new girlfriend.

  “Holly just graduated from culinary college,” Will said, shrugging his arm from Holly’s and slinging it around her shoulder instead.

  Mac tried not to stare at the careless way his fingers caressed Holly’s bare shoulder. “That’s nice,” she said. “So…you two are in town for the carnival?”

  “Yep,” he replied, expressionless.

  “Will was telling me all about it,” Holly spoke up as she snuggled closer to him. “I had the weekend off, so when he said he wanted to show me where he grew up, I couldn’t pass it up.” With a naughty smile, Holly trailed one finger across Will’s chest. “I want to know everything about you, babe.”

  Okay, Mac was officially going to be sick.

  Taking an awkward step back, she feigned a smile. “Well, you’ll have fun. The carnival is always fun.” Another step backwards. “I’ve gotta go. I left my car running.” Right, because there was actually a chance one of the straight-laced Hunter Ridge residents might hop into her beat-up Chevy and commit grand theft auto.

  “Will you be at the carnival tonight?” Will asked politely.

  She continued inching away from the perfect couple. “Um, I’m not sure yet.”

  “Oh, come!” Holly said with another real-looking smile. “I’d love to get to know Will’s best friend.”

  “Uh…”

  “We’ll save you a seat on the Ferris wheel,” Will told her.

  She swallowed down a hysterical laugh. Yeah, like that would inspire her to show up. Sitting on a Ferris wheel with Will and his new girlfriend was about as appealing as sticking pins in her eyes.

  “Yeah, maybe,” she said noncommittally. “If I decide to go, I’ll find you guys. Anyway, um…bye.”

  Tearing her gaze from the two of them, she stumbled back to her car. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she was irritated to see that Will and Holly weren’t even paying attention to her anymore. Will had planted his hands on Holly’s slender hips, and the brunette’s arms were now locked around his strong, corded neck. Their bodies were pressed together, their faces inches apart.

  Mac averted her eyes before she could witness something she didn’t want to see—Will kissing another woman. But the mere thought of it sent waves of jealousy to her gut.

  Damn him.

  Clenching her teeth so hard her jaw ached, she pulled out of the parking spot and drove away from Main Street as fast as she could.

  * * *

  Will stared at the rear bumper of Mac’s car as she sped off. Satisfaction settled in his chest, along with a knot of pain that tightened his throat. He’d been so tempted to pull her into his arms when she’d hurried over to his Jeep. She’d looked so relieved, so happy to see him, and as annoyed as he was with her, he’d been happy to see her too. He always felt so empty when he was away from her.

  But he’d restrained himself from embracing her, from planting a usual peck on her smooth cheek. He’d brought Holly here for a reason and he wasn’t about to blow the charade in its first five minutes. Mac needed to see he wasn’t kidding around. He’d waited more than a decade for her. Any other man would’ve given up already, focused his attention on a woman who actually wanted to be with him. But Will had exercised patience, waiting for Mackenzie to get over her fears, hoping she’d finally open her eyes and see that he was the only man for her.

  Not even amazing sex had managed to sway her. And the relief he’d glimpsed in her pale blue eyes when she’d walked up to him just now told him she assumed things could go back to normal, that he could put the sex out of his mind and go back to being her best bud. Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

  Mackenzie would either get all of him or none of him, and hopefully seeing him with another woman would be the kick in the butt she needed. The catalyst that pushed her to take that final step and admit she loved him.

  “She is pissed,” Holly said with a grin, dropping her hands from his neck.

  He stepped back, his gaze still on the now empty road. “Furious,” he agreed.

  “Should we high-five?”

  He laughed. “Not yet. She’s still not ready to make a move. I bet right now she’s probably trying to convince herself it didn’t bother her to see me with you.”

  Holly shook her head. “If this was me and Carson, and I saw him with someone else, I’d bitch-slap the woman and claim my man.”

  “She’s scared.”

  “To be loved?”

  “To be abandoned.” He swallowed. “Every guy she’s dated has dumped her when the visions got too scary for him. And this last break-up…it hurt her pretty badly. Dan—the guy she was with—said some seriously shitty things when he broke up with her.”

  “Like what?”

  “She didn’t give me all the details, but I got the feeling it was bad. Her vision really freaked him out.”


  He frowned, wondering if maybe he ought to pay a visit to dear old Dan in the hardware store. Normally he tended to avoid the men Mac dated, but Dan had always rubbed Will the wrong way. And after Colin Garber died in that fire, Dan had definitely made Will’s shit list. Instead of comforting Mackenzie, the bastard had thrown her away like a piece of trash.

  Then again, the break-up was the reason Mac had kissed him, and the reason he’d driven to her house last weekend. So maybe he should be thanking Dan.

  Will shrugged. Nah. He still wanted to unleash a right hook in that creep’s jaw.

  “Doesn’t she know you’re a Navy SEAL who doesn’t freak out easily?” Holly asked.

  “All she knows is that I’m the only man who’s always stood by her. She thinks she’ll lose me if she opens herself up fully.”

  “Well, I think she’s silly.” Holly glanced around the quaint street. “Is there anywhere good to eat around here?”

  “There’s a bar around the corner. Serves some pretty decent chicken wings. But the diner is where I usually go. All-day breakfast.”

  “Are you buying?”

  “Of course.” He chuckled. “Don’t tell me Carson makes you guys go Dutch.”

  “We don’t usually go out to eat. The food I cook is better than anything you’ll get in a restaurant.” She beamed. “Well, my restaurant is the exception, but that’s because I’m the chef.” She slung her arm through his and pushed him toward the curb. “Come on, let’s go. I’m starved.”

  * * *

  “You are not going to the carnival,” Mackenzie muttered to herself, absently wandering around her kitchen looking for something to eat.

  Her pantry was stocked with canned food, her freezer loaded with homemade lasagnas that Paula brought over once a month, but nothing looked appealing at the moment. Hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about all the junk food she could have if she went to the carnival. Greasy hamburger, spicy fries from Walter Halton’s booth, cotton candy.

  She refused to give in to her stomach’s demands, though. The last thing she wanted to do was see Will and Holly, arms around each other, secret smiles, kisses…oh God, she didn’t even want to imagine them kissing.