At times like these, he was so incredibly grateful for the life he’d built for himself here in San Diego. Joining the navy, undergoing SEAL training, forging a bond with his teammates…best decisions he’d ever made.
He suddenly had to wonder if getting involved with Aidan was a decision that would fall under that same category, or if it’d end up being a huge mistake. Screwing around with a random guy, sure, probably wouldn’t result in much. But what if he embarked on a sexual relationship with Aidan only for it to blow up in his face? For it to end in a messy, catastrophic way that ensured everyone he knew found out?
Chewing the inside of his cheek, he tried to quell the troubling questions. No point in overthinking any of this. He and Aidan had already opened that door. The explosive kiss they’d shared last month made it impossible to turn back now.
Anticipation coiled tight, tormenting his cock. Definitely no turning back. He might have to wait another month, but he still had every intention of walking right through that door and seeing where it led him.
* * *
Miranda couldn’t believe the number of calls she was getting. Ever since the summer recital, her phone was ringing off the hook with parents wanting to enroll their kids at All That Dance, and nearly all of them had been referred by existing clients. The parents who’d attended the recital had been thrilled with their children’s progress, and several of them had brought Miranda and the other teachers flowers after the show. She was thrilled about how well the show had gone, not just because it had led to an influx of business, but because she was genuinely proud of all the kids who’d participated.
When she’d left Vegas, this was exactly what she’d hoped for. She truly had loved dancing on that big stage at the Paradise Theater. Contrary to what a lot of people believed, the theater’s performances had been more A Chorus Line than Showgirls, and sometimes Miranda still missed the bright lights and deafening applause and elaborate costumes. But she’d gotten tired of working six nights a week and constantly leaving the twins with babysitters. If they were at school during the day and she was at work during the night, how were they ever supposed to spend time together? Now that they were getting older, it was even more important for her to be a strong presence in their lives. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been possible in Vegas.
But now it was possible. Hell, nothing seemed impossible anymore.
Smiling to herself, she listened to the latest message in her voice mail and jotted down the details, adding to the growing list of calls she had to return. Through the glass sliding door, she saw Seth and Sophie in the backyard, putting seeds in the bird feeder. Her smile widened, taking on a dreamy quality as she fixed her gaze on Seth’s sexy ass, which looked exceptionally yummy in his snug gray board shorts. It was Sunday evening and they’d already eaten dinner, courtesy of Seth, who’d offered to cook because she’d come home from the dance school sore and exhausted.
A loud shriek jolted her back to the present. Sophie was sprinting toward the sliding door, and either Miranda was hearing things, or Seth was actually shouting, “I’ll cover you!”
Both of them were breathing heavily as they burst into the kitchen. Sophie made a beeline for her mother and threw herself into her arms. “It tried to kill me, Mom!”
She smoothed the top of Sophie’s head in a reassuring caress. “What are you talking about? What happened?”
Seth approached the counter, shaking his head in amazement. “She’s right, babe. That fricking bird has a vendetta against her. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“It just flied into my head and tried to steal my barrette!” Sophie said, her eyes filling with tears.
“Flew into your head,” she corrected, then knelt down to wipe her daughter’s tears. “Are you okay? Did it peck you?” Wow. What a question to be asking your child.
“I’m okay. Sef saved me.” Now dry-eyed, Sophie walked over to the table to get her doll, then wandered out of the kitchen chattering away to herself.
Once Sophie was gone, Seth headed for the fridge to grab a beer. “Miranda, this isn’t a joke. We need to burn that bird feeder. That psycho sparrow could’ve really hurt her.”
The genuine concern in his voice floored her. Sometimes she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Seth actually cared about her kids. She suspected he was even starting to love them. The way he loved her.
Warmth circled her heart. It had taken a while, but the apprehension she’d felt about dating Seth had finally withered away. After she’d told him she loved him, she’d instantly wished she could take the words back—not because she didn’t mean them, but because saying them out loud made everything feel so…real. She hadn’t wanted to love Seth. She hadn’t wanted to love any man. For the past seven years, she’d been on her own, and she’d been doing just fine. So why rock the boat? Why open her heart to a man and risk being let down?
But Seth had proved time and again these past couple of months that she could count on him. He was there for her. He was there for her kids. Nowadays, she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life. Not seeing his mocking grin anymore, or hearing his raspy voice, or feeling his powerful arms around her.
Seth twisted off the bottle cap and sipped his beer. She’d started stocking the fridge with beer for the nights he stayed over, which were starting to be a lot. So often, in fact, that he had his own toothbrush in her bathroom now.
“Does one of us need to pick up the rugrat?” he asked. He’d taken to calling the kids that again, but now he said it with affection rather than scorn.
“No, Coach Diaz is dropping him off.”
She knew Jason was disappointed that she and Seth hadn’t made it to his Little League game. She usually managed to show up halfway into the game, sometimes earlier if she broke a few traffic laws, but her afternoon ballet class had run late today. And Seth had gone to the beach to work out with a few other SEALs, so he’d been MIA too.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m going to be scarce for the next few days.” Seth’s expression displayed a hint of regret.
“How come?”
“We’re going to the desert again. Doing some mock extractions, I think.” He set the beer on the counter. “We go wheels-up at oh-dark-hundred hours, so I don’t think I should crash here tonight.”
“Yeah, probably not,” she agreed. “Tomorrow is the one day we all get to sleep in.”
Ironically, that day was Monday, which most of the world dreaded. But the twins’ school didn’t open until noon on Mondays, and she didn’t teach any classes at the studio, so that meant none of them had to get up early. Still, she’d miss waking up in Seth’s arms.
“You know, we could solve all our problems with one easy move.”
She raised her eyebrows. “We have problems? Plural?”
“Well, just one.” He yanked her into his arms and rested his hands on her lower back, seductively stroking the strip of exposed skin where her tank top had ridden up. “I want you around all the time.”
Miranda was momentarily distracted by the delicious way his rough-skinned fingers traveled over her flesh. “You’re saying that’s a problem? Wanting me around?”
“The problem is that you’re not around. And the solution is simple.” He met her eyes. “Maybe we should all get a place together.”
Shock slammed into her. “Are you serious?”
He nodded. “I’d suggest I move in here with you guys, but this place is too tiny, and I need enough space for all my workout equipment and my gear.”
She was still trying to absorb it all. “What about Dylan? You’re just going to abandon him?”
“Our lease is up in November, so we just wouldn’t renew it. Or he could renew and find a new roommate. Or Dylan could move out and you guys could move in. There’re a lot of options.”
Wow. Living together. The notion was scary as hell, but it also sent a thrill soaring through her.
“I…would have to give it some thought,” she finally said. “A lot of thought.�
��
He grinned. “That’s exactly what I knew you would say. But I figured I’d bring it up anyway.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers, the prickly stubble on his jaw scratching her chin. “You’ve got until November to mull it over. No rush. Just know that the option is there.”
21
September
Claire McKinley was infuriatingly attractive. Gorgeous, even, which only pissed Dylan off further as he took the overnight bag she handed him, and lugged it to the spare bedroom. She’d only been in his presence for five minutes, and he already wanted her to leave.
Though in the woman’s defense, his brother was being a bit of a dick.
“I don’t have a choice. He had a last-minute emergency so the meeting was cancelled.” Chris’s soothing voice drifted out of the living room. “And the senior partner invited me to join him at the country club for a round of golf. Was I just supposed to say no?”
“Yes,” Claire shot back. “It’s one thing to dump me off on your brother while you have a legitimate business meeting to attend, but you’re blowing me off for golf? Can’t you see how that might be a tad annoying, Chris?”
His brother didn’t have the decency to sound remorseful. “When the senior partner invites you to his club, you say yes, end of story.”
After taking a calming breath, Dylan pasted on a happy face and strode back into the living room. “Your bags are in your room.” AKA fuck you, big brother, for turning me into your damn bellhop.
“Thanks,” Chris said absently.
Claire didn’t say anything.
Dylan studied her discreetly, wondering what his brother saw in the woman yet at the same time knowing exactly what Chris saw in her. The woman was sex on stilettos. She had reddish-brown hair that cascaded down her back in long waves, enormous amber-colored eyes, a cupid’s-bow mouth that was made to be wrapped around a man’s cock. And she was packing a lotta sweet, sweet curves beneath her sleek black business suit.
“Did I hear something about your meeting being cancelled?” Dylan said casually.
Chris nodded. “The partner I was supposed to meet bailed. So I’m playing golf instead.”
“Should we go out for dinner later?” He made sure to include Claire in the offer by sparing her a pithy glance.
“I’m having dinner at the club with the senior partner, and then he mentioned something about a cigar lounge. I’m not sure when I’ll be back tonight.”
As much as he hated feeling even an ounce of sympathy for the Ice Queen, Dylan understood why she looked so pissed off. Chris really was abandoning her.
“So you’ll be spending the entire day and night hanging out at a country club?” Dylan eyed his brother warily.
“Such is the life of a corporate lawyer,” Claire spoke up. Her voice was tighter than a drum. “Just think, Chris, you wouldn’t get to experience these luxuries if you’d taken that job at the public defender’s office.”
Dylan picked up on a note of displeasure in her voice—directed at him. And just when he thought he’d imagined it, Claire actually scowled at him.
WTF? What did he have to do with Chris turning down a public service job and choosing to suck on the corporate teat?
“As you can see, my fiancée isn’t very happy with me at the moment,” Chris said wryly. He wrapped his arm around Claire’s shoulders and offered that puppy-dog grin Dylan had seen him flash to get out of trouble during their entire childhood. “Don’t be mad at me, dear.”
Dear? Had they moved into an old folks’ home without telling him?
“You know what a great opportunity this is,” Chris went on. “And it’s not like you’ll be alone. You can spend some time with Dylan, get to know your future brother-in-law.”
Both Dylan and Claire cringed, but Chris didn’t seem to notice.
“I have that carnival thing tonight, remember?” Dylan said, not bothering to hide the relief on his face. No way would Claire want to spend her evening at such a lowbrow event.
“Hey, that’s great. You love carnivals,” Chris said to the redhead. He glanced back at Dylan. “She’s always trying to get me to go to the carnival near the pier, the one you used to drag me to when we were kids? But you know how I feel about those places. So tacky and boring—” Something buzzed and Chris removed his phone from the pocket of his blazer. “Shoot, gotta take this. You two hammer out the details.”
As Chris waltzed off, Dylan sized up his future sister-in-law the way he assessed a mission’s potential threat level.
“You don’t have to come,” he said graciously.
“You don’t want me to come,” she corrected.
Their eyes met in a Wild West standoff.
She drew first blood. “Look. I don’t like you, but Chris wants us to get along, so you know what? Fine. Let’s just go to this stupid carnival, win him a big stuffed panda, and come home raving about what a super-awesome-fantastic time we had, okay?”
“I don’t like you either.”
“You just had to get that in there, didn’t you?”
“Thought it was only fair that you knew the feeling was completely mutual, honey.”
“Don’t call me honey.”
“Would you rather I called you dear?” He snorted. “What are you, an eighty-two-year-old woman?”
Her cheeks flushed with anger, almost matching the color of her hair. “You know what? Maybe I’ll stay here and we can just pretend I went to the carnival.”
“Scared that you might fall in love with me?” he mocked.
“Worried I might strangle you,” she shot back.
“Then we’re in the same boat, honey.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Right, I forgot. Sorry, cupcake.”
She looked ready to murder him. Fortunately, Chris slid back into the living room before any dead bodies hit the floor.
Immediately, Dylan and Claire pasted on some smiles.
“Everything okay here?” Chris looked from one to the other.
“We’re great,” he said cheerfully.
“Super,” she agreed. Her happy mask shifted for a second to reveal a flicker of extreme reluctance. “We’re going to a carnival tonight. It’s going to be so much fun.”
“So much fun,” Dylan echoed. “We’re excited to get to know each other better. Isn’t that right, honey?”
Her jaw clenched for a second before relaxing. “Uh-huh. I can’t wait.”
* * *
Seth accepted the piece of cotton candy Jason held up to him and popped it in his mouth. The sugary sweetness melted on his tongue and brought forth an image of the dentist’s chair he and the twins would be sitting on in the near future.
He wished Miranda were here. She was much better at saying no to her children. He, on the other hand, let those imps walk all over him. He’d already bought them cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones, but he was determined to say no to the next sweet treat they begged for, because at that point, he’d be worrying less about cavities and more about vomit.
“Can we ride the ferry wheel again?” Sophie tugged on his hand to get his attention.
“Ferris wheel,” he corrected. “And the answer to that is heck yes.”
She giggled.
“Jase, you want to ride the Ferris wheel?”
The boy shook his head. “I wanna win a goldfish.”
“All right.” He searched the crowd for Dylan, finally spotting the blond SEAL near the railing of a nearby ride. “Wade! You two mind taking Jason over to games while Soph and I go up on the wheel one more time?”
“No prob. Get over here, squirt.”
Jason dashed off toward Dylan, who’d come in Miranda’s place and ended up bringing a smoking-hot redhead along. Seth had been ready to high-five his buddy for a job well done—until Dylan introduced the chick as his brother’s fiancée. The two of them had been bickering like cats and dogs since the moment they’d shown up, making him long for Miranda even more.
“I wish Mom w
as here,” Sophie said as he scooped her into the ride car and slung an arm around her.
The safety bar locked into place, and then the car began its slow ascent, each rise providing a better view of the busy carnival grounds. The scent of deep-fried food, popcorn and sugar permeated the evening air. The sun had just set, and the bright neon lights on the rides down below twinkled in the dusky night.
“I wish she was here too,” he agreed. “But she had to work.”
Miranda had been bummed about it. Normally she didn’t start work until seven or eight, but the club was hosting a private party that had begun at five o’clock, so she’d headed over there right after she finished up at the school. Since this was the last night the carnival was in town, Seth had offered to take the twins himself, and now he was glad he had. The kids were having a great time. And honestly? So was he.
It still amazed him, how different things were. How different he felt. Telling Miranda about Adam had been the most liberating thing he’d ever done. The second he’d given her that article, voiced his fears and insecurities, it was like a weight was lifted off his chest. Miranda had said it wasn’t his fault. A tiny part of him even believed her. But a bigger part knew she was wrong—he was responsible for Adam’s abduction. That certainty hadn’t changed.
But Miranda had made him feel like there was hope for him after all. Her trust in him made him want to trust himself.
“Soooo pretty,” Sophie gushed as she peered down at the lights.
Her small hand slipped into his, and his chest tightened with emotion. Shit, he was starting to care something fierce for these rugrats. Sophie was the smartest, sassiest girl he’d ever met, and Jason was so damn energetic, so eager to please and quick to smile.
Five months ago, he wouldn’t have dreamed that he’d be atop a Ferris wheel with a six-year-old nestled against him, yet here he was, doing exactly that—and actually enjoying himself.
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 25