Uniform Desires (Make Mine Military Romance)

by Sharon Hamilton

The housekeeper, a kind, older woman by the name of Emily, brought in a tray with a long neck beer and an iced bottle of water on it. She handed the beer to Frank and him the water. Grif tossed her a wink, knowing it would make her blush.

  She held the tray to her side as she addressed Frank. “Is there anything else, Frank?”

  He shook his head and smiled at her as she walked through the doorway, pulling it shut behind her. “You know, that woman has been with me for the better part of thirty years. Longer than either of my marriages. She’s the best employee I’ve ever had, and I consider her a friend.”

  It looked like there was maybe more to the relationship than that, but he didn’t say it out loud.

  Frank watched him carefully, grinning at Grif’s cool expression. “Not fooling you, am I? Yes, we’ve been involved for many years. But Emily prefers to keep it quiet. I knew you would spot that.”

  Grif snorted. “And what does the current Mrs. Herrington think?”

  Frank shrugged. “Well, Emily is a good woman and won’t be involved with me when I’m with another woman. Deedra knows something is there, but she’s not sure what, exactly. She’s already demanded I get rid of Emily.”

  “And are you?”

  “Hell, no!” Frank laughed until he fell into a coughing spell. “Emily will be around long after Deedra is gone.”

  He shook his head at the older man’s reasoning. “Why did you marry Deedra then, if you didn’t expect her to be around long and she’s rocking the boat?”

  Frank sighed, staring at the fire flickering in the stone fireplace. “Well, sometimes mortality starts to creep up on you and you look for things that make you feel alive. For a while, Deedra made me feel alive. Now I think she’s trying to kill me.”

  Grif looked sharply at the older man, but he was waved off. “I don’t mean literally. Anyway, that’s not what I called you here for. What do you think of Kendall’s chances with the board?”

  He narrowed his eyes at the older man. “Well, it’s not my forte, but I don’t think she’s doing too bad. She has good ideas, it’s just convincing the board to implement them.”

  Frank nodded. “Yes, they’re pretty old fashioned when it comes to certain things and Kendall is definitely innovative. I think they would be more open to her suggestions if she were more settled. The modeling thing kind of hurt her.”

  Grif shook his head. “How can they hold her successful career against her? She worked her ass off to get where she did, then gave it up to work with you. I would think that would speak to her dedication.”

  “Well, I can see it, but they’ll always think I’m pulling for her because she’s my daughter, not necessarily because she’s the right person for the job.”

  Frank was right.

  God, what would they do when they found out she was pregnant?

  Take the company from the Herringtons and give it to that asshat Hunter.

  “It would help solidify her position if she were married.”

  Frank watched the flames dance in the fireplace, but Grif felt like he was under a microscope.

  He wasn’t normally a sentimental person, but the thought of marrying Kendall didn’t send him into a panic mode. It actually gave him kind of a warm feeling in his stomach. There were hidden depths to her he was dying to delve into. Desire wouldn’t be a problem. The one time they’d given in and slept together had only fed his need for her.

  Did she feel the same? He seriously doubted it. She’d made it perfectly clear he was an employee, no more.

  “It would,” he agreed slowly. “Although I don’t believe she has any prospects.”

  Frank cocked an eyebrow and regarded him carefully. “No?”

  Grif didn’t like feeling on the defensive, so he kept his mouth shut.

  “Well,” Frank continued, “if there were, I think her chances for being voted in to the CEO position would be secure.”

  Narrowing his eyes, he turned more toward the older man. “Speak your mind, Frank. What are you trying to get at?”

  The good old boy attitude fell away and Frank crossed his hands over his stomach. “I think Kendall is going to be heartbroken when the board votes against her, which they’re going to do because they don’t think she’s done her time for this position. I’m willing to do anything for my little girl, even if it means arranging for an option she would never think of to secure her future. You’re the first man to come into our lives who I thought would be a good match for her.”

  Grif sat back in the chair, shocked that he’d actually laid it out on the table like that. “So you want me to marry your daughter in the hopes that a married woman is more appealing than a single woman?”

  Kendall’s father waved a hand. “Exactly. Hunter is single as well, but you know as well as I do that it’s different for men than women.”

  Granted, but would they be perpetuating the incongruity if they seriously entertained this idea?

  Then too, Kendall was a phenomenal woman, but could he actually live with her twenty-four hours a day? Yes, she intrigued him and turned him on physically, but emotionally they didn’t seem to have much in common. She was the pampered daughter of a very powerful man, while he was the hard-scrabble kid from the wrong side of the tracks with no father.

  Grif didn’t know that he would suit anybody emotionally.

  “So, have you talked to her about this?”

  Frank laughed out loud and ran a hand over his gray hair. “Hell, no, are you kidding? She’d fry me and throw me off the mountain if she knew.”

  “So, how do you expect me to do this?”

  The older man grinned and shrugged again. “You’re a resourceful kind of guy. You’ll think of something. I would make it worth your while to give up a couple years to stay here in Vail.”

  Grif didn’t like the direction the conversation had taken. He didn’t mind working for his money, but that sounded a little shady to him. And disrespectful of Kendall. “If I did decide to marry your daughter, it wouldn’t be for you. It would be because we’d decided we’d be stronger together.”

  Frank raised his brows as Grif wished him a good day and headed for the door.

  He left Herrington House more shaken than when he arrived. He climbed into his SUV and made his way back down the mountain to Kendall’s condominium, his mind racing. If they got married…fuck, was he really thinking this? He’d gone thirty-four years dodging bullets, but he felt like he was in a kill box with half a dozen scopes trained on him.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror and cringed. His control was shot. Sleep had been elusive last night, and he had a feeling it would be even more so tonight.

  Chapter 4

  As soon as the suite door opened, she knew who it was. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit that she’d been listening for him to come in all day. A new guy with an eye patch, Hispanic, had shown up for Parks’ shift and she’d been ready to scream with disappointment. Ortiz seemed nice enough, but he wasn’t the one she wanted.

  Not that she wanted Parks there. She just…hell, she didn’t know. Even if she didn’t let him into her troubles, she wanted to know he would be nearby in case she did. Spoiled? Maybe.

  She’d taken all three pregnancy tests, and all three had told her the same thing. Pregnant. First time in four years she’d had sex, and she got pregnant. Even though Parks had worn a condom.

  Just her luck. Trying to land the job of her life and Murphy’s Law had to step in to ruin it.

  Well, not necessarily ruin her life. Maybe just seriously complicate. She’d always wanted a family. Just not right now.

  Dragging the chenille throw higher up her chest, she listened for movement from the other room. Her breath caught when she heard the distinctive sound of logs being settled into the fireplace, then the crackle of sap burning. The fireplace in the living room was the only one that burned actual wood; the rest were gas.

  Parks liked the smell of the wood smoke; she knew because he lit the fire every chance he got. She did
n’t mind as long as he tended it.

  There was a swift knock at her sitting room door.

  “Yes?”

  “Can you come out? We need to talk.”

  Kendall debated telling him no, but that wouldn’t get them anywhere. They needed to discuss what was going on; she just didn’t know if she wanted to hear the answers to the questions swirling in her heart.

  “Just a minute.”

  She flung the throw over the back of the settee and crossed to the bathroom. She’d let her hair down for the night and changed into yoga pants and a forest green cable-knit sweater. Not very fashionable, but comfortable. Pulling an elastic from the drawer beneath the sink, she bundled her hair into a ponytail at the base of her neck. Her makeup had disappeared from yesterday and she honestly didn’t feel like reapplying it.

  He would get her just the way she was.

  She flushed as she imagined him taking her any way he could get her. Parks had been very clear that he’d wanted to continue their dalliance, but Kendall couldn’t sacrifice her pride to do that. It had been a momentary lapse when she’d given in. She’d been raised better than to be an easy lay and he hadn’t hinted at anything more. Being that cold about a relationship just wasn’t in her make-up.

  Taking a deep breath, she crossed to the sitting room door and twisted the knob.

  Parks stood up when she entered the room and Kendall struggled not to bobble. He was one of the best looking men she’d ever seen, which said a lot considering her background. Grif himself didn’t seem to care, though women fawned over him. Kendall thought his eyes drew them in. The shattered, multi-colored look of his irises always caught her off guard. They were so unique.

  Walking as purposefully as she could, she crossed to the opposite end of the couch from him and sank down, folding her legs beneath her.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  Her eyes flicked to his and she was surprised to see genuine concern in them. “I’m good.”

  “No sickness today?”

  She frowned. “Not right now, no.”

  They didn’t say anything for a few minutes and it was a little strange. They obviously needed to talk about things, but it was hard to go from employee slash employer to a man and woman caught in a tangle. Kendall caught herself flicking her thumbnail, a tell that any good businessman would spot and exploit. She’d need to work on her control. This was anything but a controlled situation though.

  “I need to talk to you about a few things, and they aren’t going to be easy. This is kind of like speed dating, but we’ve gotten our steps all messed up. We slept together first, now we have to get to know each other. Quickly.” He flashed her a crooked smile, which made her insides clench in need.

  She tried to respond in kind, but it surely came out as more of a grimace. “Yes.”

  “I guess the first question I need to ask is: are you going to keep the baby?”

  She reared back as if he’d slapped her. “Of course I am. I can’t believe you would think otherwise.”

  He shrugged and made a motion with his hands, palms out. “I didn’t know. This certainly doesn’t fit in with your career plans. And I honestly don’t have much say over what you do with your body, but I wanted to make it clear that I want the baby and I definitely want to be part of his or her life. I want to be there for what you need. If I hadn’t let my guard down that night, we wouldn’t be in this predicament now.”

  Guilt tightened her throat with emotion and made her look away. He was taking the blame upon himself, and as much as she wanted to let him do that, it wouldn’t be right. “It wasn’t just you. I drank too much that night and was feeling…lonely. We both screwed up.”

  His expression eased and he nodded. “Agreed. We were both at fault. Now we need to rectify the situation.”

  Nodding, she leaned deeper into the cushions.

  “I think we should get married.”

  Kendall gasped and jerked upright on the couch. “What?”

  He stood to pace in front of the fire.

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about this, and I think it solves several major issues. One, it secures your position as a stable, level-headed woman rather than an ex-model who got knocked up by her security guard. The board will appreciate that.”

  Kendall sank back, floored. She’d thought about the board a couple of times, but she didn’t want to believe they would think so harshly of her. That Grif had said it as well made her realize that she had probably underestimated their reaction. She’d thought more of her father, who would support her in anything she did.

  “I don’t know that getting married is the best option though. I mean, we would be compounding a problem.”

  Grif shrugged and paused to lean against the fireplace. “Not necessarily. As long as we went into it with our eyes open to what we each wanted out of it, I think we’d be fine.”

  A cold chill washed over her at his words. “And just what exactly do you want out of this situation, Mr. Parks?”

  He raised a dark brow at her use of his surname. “I think we’re a little beyond that now, aren’t we Kendall?”

  Furious heat rushed to her face and she looked away. Drawing oxygen into her lungs, she tried to concentrate on what he’d said, not what she had thought she heard. It had sounded like he was after money.

  “I don’t want your money. I know that’s hard to believe standing where you are, but I don’t. I want my child to have my name to carry on. And I want access to my child any time I want.”

  She frowned at the implacability in his voice. “I wouldn’t try to keep your child from you.”

  He scanned her face, trying to decide if she were telling the truth or not. Finally, he nodded. “I didn’t think you would, but I wanted it out there.”

  “We can do some kind of pre-nup to get all these details down.”

  What? Hell, was she actually considering this craziness? The thought of being married to the gorgeous man across from her made her heart race, but it also scared the crap out of her.

  Grif smiled and her stomach tightened. A pre-nup was an excellent idea, because she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep her head around him.

  “I also want to walk into this as if it were a real marriage, not something planned out to serve all parties. I want full marital rights.”

  Her mouth dropped open. No, surely not.

  “What…”

  Grif started to walk to her. Her senses went on high-alert. When he dropped to a knee in front of her, she didn’t know what to think.

  “I know this isn’t ideal, but I want you to be willing to give it a try. We will be a married couple for the length of the pregnancy at least. But I want us to actually give the relationship a try. I won’t lie to you. I’ve never seen a good marriage. I’m not into hearts and roses, but I am very strongly drawn to you.” His voice dropped as he leaned into her space. “And I know for a fact you are to me. So why don’t we make the best of the situation and try to make it work.”

  Kendall completely stopped breathing, afraid to believe what she’d just heard. After all the weeks of watching him move, talk, feeling his presence everywhere she went, inhaling when he entered the room in the hopes that she’d catch a whiff of his shower soap. Now she would have the freedom to actually touch him, and make love whenever she wanted. She sucked in huge draughts of air, trying to calm her racing heart. The rest of her body had jumped three steps ahead of her mind. Her panties were damp from the mere thought of sleeping with him again.

  Though she’d been more than a little drunk that night, she still remembered the feel of his body gliding into hers, and the taste of his mouth as they melded into one.

  “You shouldn’t look at me that way, Kendall,” he rumbled. With a needy groan, he leaned forward enough to press his lips to hers.

  Every clamoring emotion inside her stilled as she absorbed the taste and feel of him, unhazed by liquor. She’d kissed men before, a good many in fact, but none had made her forget whe
re and who she was. As his lips moved over hers, Kendall tried to maintain her hold on reality.

  Grif pulled back and she moaned at the sudden loss, but he didn’t go far. His implacable hand shoved her knees wide enough that he could wedge his hips between her thighs. The tension between them suddenly skyrocketed. Kendall cried out as he cupped her hip in his hand and dragged her closer to the edge of the couch and to the center of his body.

  His lips found hers again. He didn’t allow her to just ride the wave; he made her participate. When she opened her mouth for the glide of his tongue, he accepted the invitation without hesitation. Damn, he tasted just as good as she remembered. Better in fact. Without the fruity wine aftertaste from the other time, she could taste how decadent and sultry he was.

  He rolled his hips and the length of him rubbed against the soaked crotch of her pants. If she didn’t say something soon, they would be sleeping together again.

  Would that really be so bad…

  Grif tore himself away, leaving her panting and sprawled ingloriously on the couch.

  “In spite of what I said, I don’t think we should do this just yet.”

  Though she was a little put out, Kendall agreed. Things were moving five hundred miles per hour and she hadn’t had a chance to catch her breath yet. “I agree. I think we need to head to bed and think things over.”

  He cocked a brow at her and she realized how suggestive her words sounded.

  “You know what I mean,” she huffed, cheeks burning with heat.

  Grif grinned and she gave thanks she still sat on the couch, because she surely would have dropped to the ground at the sight of all the masculine charm directed her way. Even that elusive dimple in his left cheek made a brief appearance.

  As he pulled away and pushed to his feet, she had a view of how very excited he was behind the placket of his suit slacks. Her hands lifted, as if to bring him back, before she forced them down.

  Her fiancé paced away, running his hand through his springy dark hair. At some point he’d taken off the glove on his real hand. It seemed strange to see actual skin beneath his cuff.

  Stopping in front of the fireplace, he leaned against the log mantle.