The Daddy Salute

by Maureen Child

  This forced togetherness was getting harder and harder to handle. Every morning, baby in tow, he was at her door at 0430 hours. And every morning she was wearing a short, blue nightgown that barely covered the tops of her thighs. He knew this because the silk robe she habitually wore over it was usually hanging open, giving him a too-excellent view of her physical charms.

  Which were plenty.

  And every afternoon when he arrived to pick up the baby, Kathy greeted him smiling. Invariably there was some delicious aroma wafting from her kitchen, and she looked pretty damned appetizing herself in her always-present jeans and T-shirt.

  Oh, she was helping him all right. Helping him toward an early heart attack.

  “Hold the baby for a minute,” Kathy said as he came close and she handed Maegan over.

  Briefly, father and daughter stared into each other’s eyes, and Brian looked for signs that the kid was getting used to him. But he was pretty sure he still detected a faintly wary gleam in those blue eyes of hers. Still, he held her propped against his shoulder and ignored the drooly fist that clutched at his hair.

  “Are we about finished?” he asked, and told himself that wasn’t a whine in his voice. Marines didn’t whine.

  “Yeah,” Kathy said, giving him a quick look. “Just one or two more things and that’s it.”

  He waited while she grabbed up a white sweater, then followed her to the checkout stand where he dug into his wallet and reached for his credit card that was still steaming from its last use. The clerk snatched it from him as if he would change his mind if given a chance and began to ring up the purchases.

  “Where to next, General?” Brian asked.

  Kathy looked up at him, reaching out a hand to brush Maegan’s hair back from her little face and said, “Actually, I think that about does it.”

  “You’re kidding,” he said, feeling relief stampede through him.

  “Nope. Maegan’s pretty well fixed, I’d say.”

  “Sign here, please,” the clerk said, and held out a pen.

  Kathy took the baby. Brian signed the bill, trying not to look at the total, then took his receipt and shoved it into his jeans pocket. He picked up the bag and turned to the women in his life. “So where to?” he asked. “How about dinner?”

  Tempting, Kathy thought. All too tempting. For a week she’d been moving further and further into Brian Haley’s life. Seeing him every morning and every afternoon had already become a habit for her. A habit she was beginning to enjoy far too much.

  Damn it, she should have known better. She’d offered to help him mainly because Maegan had slipped into her heart almost from the first moment she’d seen her. But over the past few days, Kathy’d begun to realize that it wasn’t only the baby she had feelings for. In idle moments her brain always drifted to thoughts of Brian Haley. Her dreams were filled with images of his big, broad hands moving over her body, his fingers dipping inside her, teasing her into a maelstrom of sensations. And every time, she woke dazed, warm and just a little more unsatisfied than when she’d fallen asleep.

  She watched him learning to be a father, and her heart twisted a bit each time she saw the big man cradling the tiny child they now shared. There was something so touching, so vulnerable about a big man unafraid to be gentle, she thought, and caught herself. Good heavens, this was getting completely out of hand. She had to pull back. Had to get a comfortable distance between them again. Before it was too late.

  “Kathy?” he said, and waved one hand in front of her face. “Dinner?”

  Dinner. Sure, they’d start with dinner, then there’d be “dessert,” then before she knew what had hit her, breakfast.

  “Uh—” she stalled briefly “—no.”

  “No?”

  Why did he look so blasted surprised? Did he really expect her to be able to drop her whole life for him? Did he think she had nothing more important to do than to spend time with him and Maegan? Well, of course he did, she told herself. She’d been doing just that for the past week, hadn’t she?

  “No,” she said again, making it a bit firmer this time. “I…already have plans.”

  “Oh.”

  She looked up into those big blue eyes of his and felt her resistance melting. Instinctively she locked her knees, lifted her chin and handed him the baby. Much easier to resist him when she wasn’t holding such a little cuddler. “Thanks for asking, though.”

  “Sure. No problem,” he said, but didn’t sound convincing. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”

  So where was she? Brian wondered for the fiftieth time that night. Crossing quietly to the front door, he opened it, stuck his head out, looked down the hall. No sign of her.

  He checked his watch. Nearly midnight. Not so late, he told himself, then wondered again where she was and who she was with.

  Scowling, he drew back inside and closed the door. None of his business, he thought, if she didn’t care enough to make her date pick her up at her door. Hell, she’d taken off four hours ago to meet the guy somewhere. She should have told him where, he thought now, worrying a bit. What if the guy was a psycho? What if he kidnapped her or something? What if he was a lousy driver and wrapped the car around a telephone pole?

  And what if, he told himself sternly, he stopped going off the deep end?

  He didn’t really think she was in danger. What was bugging him was much more basic than that. What had him crawling the walls was knowing that some guy was touching her, holding her, damn it…probably kissing her. If not worse.

  Whoops. Don’t go there, marine, he told himself. He wasn’t about to start imagining Kathy stretched out naked atop somebody else’s bed.

  He wanted that image of her in his bed. Where it belonged.

  Damn it.

  “Thanks for going to the movies with me, Tina,” Kathy said as she drove her friend home.

  “Hey, it was a treat,” the other woman said with a laugh. “Anything that gets me out of the house for a few hours is a good thing.”

  “Yeah, it was fun,” Kathy said, and wondered if Brian had had any trouble getting Maegan to sleep.

  “So how’s the baby?” Tina asked as if she could read her friend’s mind, and something in her tone had Kathy sliding her a glance.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” She stopped at a red light and turned to look at the woman’s too-innocent expression.

  “Nothing…” Tina shrugged her shoulders, glanced at her fingernails then said. “I just wondered how you were getting along with Sergeant Sensational and the Wonder Baby.”

  “Sergeant Sensational?”

  “You forget,” Tina said, sighing dramatically. “I’ve seen him. And, boy, if my Ted wasn’t such a cutie, I’d be tempted.”

  Kathy laughed aloud. Tina was nuts about her husband, and everyone knew it. “Fine, you let Ted go and I’ll snap him up.”

  “Changing the subject,” Tina said, wagging her index finger. “We’re talking about your marine, not my insurance salesman.”

  “He’s not my marine.”

  “Not yet, anyway.”

  The light changed, and Kathy gratefully returned her attention to the dark street ahead of them. Still, she protested. “I’m just helping him out for a while.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Look, he’s new to this whole baby thing. It’s only neighborly.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Kathy’s back teeth ground together. She’d never really noticed how infuriating Tina could be. “There’s nothing going on between Sergeant Haley and me.”

  “More’s the pity.”

  “Tina, you know how I feel about—”

  “I know, I know,” Tina interrupted. “Love sucks, and marriages don’t last.”

  Stung, Kathy bit her bottom lip and stared hard at the road.

  “I have plenty of reasons for feeling like that,” she finally said.

  “I’m sorry, Kath,” Tina whispered, “but honestly, hon, don’t you ever wonder what it would be like to throw caution to
the wind and take a chance?”

  No, she didn’t. At least, not often. And when she did, she talked herself out of the notion quickly enough.

  “Thanks, but I’ve seen my mom take enough chances for all of us,” Kathy said.

  “And how miserable is she?” Tina asked quietly.

  Miserable? Spring was about as far from miserable as Mary Poppins was from Attila the Hun.

  Still— “That’s really not the point.”

  “What is the point, then?” Tina shook her head, half turned in her seat and stared at Kathy’s profile. “Living your life alone, like some vestal virgin tucked away on a mountainside just so no one can stay long enough to walk away?”

  “Wow,” Kathy muttered, feeling that solid hit shake her to the core. “You’ve been storing that up for a while.”

  “I guess so,” Tina muttered, apologetic again. “We’ve known each other too long to pull punches, right?”

  “Right,” she said, though she was still reeling a little from Tina’s last assault.

  “Okay, then. I worry about you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “That’s one of the perks of caring for someone,” Tina told her. “You’re alone too much, Kath. You should find a nice guy and take a chance on love. Heck, you’ve got a perfectly good marine going to waste right across the hall from you. Live a little. You might be surprised at what you get.”

  As Kathy pulled her car to a stop in front of Tina’s house, she put it in park and turned to look at her closest friend. Even in the dim light she could see what it had cost Tina to speak up, and Kathy loved her for it. Even though she disagreed.

  Oh, she was more than tempted by Brian Haley. And that was why she couldn’t afford to relax her guard. If she did allow herself to care for him, then she’d only be devastated when he eventually left. And he would leave.

  “I appreciate it, Tina. I really do. But I know just what I’d get. A soggy pillow from too many tears. There are no surprises, Tina. Ask my mom.”

  Brian threw his door open when he heard her footsteps in the hall.

  Kathy jumped, startled when he stepped out into her path. Hand on her pounding heart, she stared up at him and said, “What’s wrong? Is the baby all right?”

  “The baby’s fine,” he said tightly.

  Relief, sharp and strong, swept through her. “Then what is it? What are you doing?”

  His eyes widened and he shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she even had to ask what the problem was.

  “Do you know what time it is?” he asked in a voice that could only be described as a growl.

  If his features weren’t as dark as a thundercloud, she might almost find this funny. She hadn’t had someone waiting up for her since she was fifteen. Then she forgot about the humor in the situation as she noticed his broad, bare chest. The silver dog tags hanging from around his neck glinted in the hall light and shone brightly against his tanned skin. The jeans he wore weren’t completely buttoned up, as if he’d thrown them on in a hurry. Her breath caught as she noted the paler skin in the open vee of the buttons and realized he wasn’t wearing anything under those jeans.

  Oh, my.

  Kathy drew her gaze up, across that amazing chest of his and up to icy-blue eyes that bored into hers. Trying for a lighthearted tone despite the thundering of her own heartbeat, she said, “Gee, Dad, sorry I’m late.”

  Those long legs of his moved fast, and in one smooth step he was right next to her, only inches from her, in fact. She felt the heat of his body reach out for her, and there was suddenly nothing she wanted more than to move in close, rest her head on his chest and feel his arms wind around her. Licking dry lips, she told herself to get a grip, even as his hands closed on her upper arms and tugged her a little closer.

  “Believe me, baby,” he said in an iron-clad voice, “I’m not feeling fatherly.”

  Oh, she could see that, she thought with a nervous hiccup that must have sounded like a laugh.

  “It’s not funny,” he ground out. “I was worried.”

  He had been. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in the tension in his hands. It was a new and not totally unpleasant sensation, having someone—okay, a man—worry about her. But she had to remember to keep her distance. Brian Haley wasn’t in her future, so it would be dangerous to allow him into her present.

  “You didn’t have to,” she said quietly, and wondered why her voice sounded so breathy.

  “Couldn’t help it,” he told her, his gaze moving over her face with a slow, caressing appreciation.

  She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but her heartbeat actually sped up even further. Amazing, the effect he had on her. Heat snaked up from his hands and along her shoulders and down her spine to pool at the backs of her knees. Wobbly. He actually made her weak in the knees.

  “Your date couldn’t even bother to see you to your door?” he demanded, and looked past her down the hall as if he expected to see a cowardly shadow slinking away.

  Her “date” was probably already tucked into bed beside her husband, but she couldn’t very well tell him that. So instead she said, “I don’t need to be escorted inside. I can take care of myself. Have for years.”

  Finally a small smile curved one corner of his mouth. “I’ll bet you have. But the way I see it a man takes his woman to the door, sees that she’s safe before leaving her.”

  Oh, my.

  She swallowed heavily. By rights, her streak of feminism should be standing up and screeching. But somehow his words made her feel not inferior but cherished. And she wondered how it must be to have that feeling all the time. To know that a man cared enough to put your safety, your concerns, first.

  His fingers moved on her arms, massaging her flesh through the sheer material of her red silk blouse. Every one of his fingertips seemed alight with flame. She felt his touch down in the deepest, darkest corners of her soul. As if a single match had been set to dry kindling, a tiny flame was springing to life inside her, and if she didn’t do something soon to stop it, it would blossom into a bonfire that would consume her entirely.

  “I…” She paused to clear her throat. “I have to go inside now.”

  He nodded slowly, as if he heard her but was in no big hurry to comply. “I’ll see you to your door.”

  She lifted one limp hand and pointed at the door, not two feet away. “It’s right there.”

  He took one long step backward and drew her with him, never letting her go.

  “I really should be going inside.” Why didn’t she sound more sure about that?

  “I know,” he said, and let her go long enough for her to dig in her purse for her key. Then he took it from her, unlocked the door and opened it wide, glancing into the lamplit interior of her apartment before turning back to look at her again. “Now I know you’re home safe.”

  “Am I?” she asked, knowing she was talking about something far more dangerous than physical safety. It was her heart that was in danger here.

  His hands slid up her arms, over her shoulders, along her neck. Kathy shivered at the feel of his strong fingers against her flesh, and as he cupped her face in his wide palms she held her breath, not sure what she was wishing for.

  “You’re as safe as you want to be, Kathy Tate,” he whispered, just before he lowered his head to slant his mouth across hers.

  She braced for it. Knew that the first touch of his lips would be a soul-shaking experience. And even then, knowing what was coming, she trembled in his grasp.

  His hands framed her face, his thumbs smoothed across her cheekbones, and his lips, his mouth, did wonderful things that she hadn’t dared dream about. Softly at first, he kissed her thoroughly, barely caressing her mouth with his. She rose up on her toes and leaned into him, hoping for more, wanting…needing more.

  And then, with a deep groan from the back of his throat, he gave her all that she demanded. His fingers slid back along her scalp, threading themselves through her hair. He pulled her closer, tig
hter against him, and she wrapped her arms around his middle hoping to find purchase in a suddenly rocking world.

  His tongue parted her lips and slid into her warmth, and she gasped at the first taste of him. His breath invaded her and became her own. His tongue danced with hers, twisting, twining, exploring. His teeth tugged at her bottom lip, sending jagged shards of sensation splintering through her bloodstream.

  Breathless, her mind spinning, her heart reeling, Kathy tried to hold on to her sanity, but instead felt those fragile threads slip from her grasp. And when he finally broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes, she read more passion than she’d ever known before written on his strained features.

  Letting her go suddenly, Brian took a hasty step back toward his own front door. Scraping one hand along the side of his head, he muttered thickly, “Now you had better go inside.”

  “Yeah,” she whispered, though she knew it was far too late for her to try for safety. She stepped through the door and started to close it when she noticed him still standing there, watching her. “What?”

  He shook his head and gave her a small smile. “I’m waiting until you’re inside with your door locked.”

  “Still taking care of me?” she whispered.

  “I’m trying, baby,” he said, “but it’s not easy.”

  She knew he meant that it hadn’t been easy to stop what they’d been doing. She could see for herself that his breathing was every bit as ragged as hers. And the bulge in his jeans was graphic proof that by taking care of her, he was letting himself in for a long, frustrated night.

  “You keep looking at me like that,” he muttered, and she lifted her gaze to meet his, “and we’ll be taking care of each other all night.”

  Her stomach pitched and she felt herself go hot and damp at the thought. But she determinedly gathered the threads of her sanity and nodded before closing the door and turning the lock.

  Inside she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes. She’d been wrong about what she’d said to Tina.

  Apparently, there were plenty of surprises.

  Seven

  “You lost them?” Brian bellowed into the face of a private who looked as though he was ready to dig a hole and climb into it.