Laura came into the kitchen carrying snack trays and dishes from their barbecue. Melanie reached for them.
“I got it.” Laura started rinsing and loading them into the dishwasher. “So how you doing, honey?”
“Just fine. Great, actually.”
Laura, who was petite with dark hair that showed very little gray, moved a little closer. “You sound shocked.”
She looked at Laura. “I wasn’t expecting for it to be this…easy.”
“It wasn’t easy getting to this spot though, was it?”
Melanie scoffed to herself. “No, ma’am.”
“I knew there was something between you two at Lisa’s wedding.” At Melanie’s glance, Laura wiggled her brows. Melanie laughed and knew where Jack got his charm. “I just didn’t know how much, and when Jack called to tell me he was a daddy, I knew it was you.”
Melanie’s brows shot upward. She and Laura had spent time together during Lisa’s wedding, and though she lived out of state, most of the preparations had been taken care of by Lisa and Melanie. And Jack, when he’d arrived. “I’m glad you approve, Laura.”
Laura patted her hand, her voice low and private. “I understand what you’re going through. Sometimes it works and it scares us. We’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, the roof to fall.” Laura was staring out at nothing, a sweet private smile on her face. “Then sometimes you just get more than a little lucky.”
Melanie prepared a pot of coffee. “Jack’s a good man. We’re married and we’re friends.”
Laura laughed sharply. “Friends? The way the two of you look at each other?” She leaned close. “And buddies share a bed, right? Pals can’t keep their hands off each other, although we all know you two have to try real hard. I hate to see the two of you the minute we all leave.”
Melanie blushed ten shades of red.
Laura laughed again. “I’ve seen the way Jack looks at you. He’s drunk with loving you.”
Melanie’s gaze snapped to Laura’s as she poured detergent in the dishwasher. “Oh, I don’t think so.”
Laura folded her arms and smiled as she leaned back against the counter. “I know my son. I know his reasons behind wanting to marry you, and the two of you may talk a good game, but I can see it in his eyes. He can do that Navy SEAL thing, looking all cool and aloof, but it doesn’t hold up when he looks at you. So you keep telling yourself this is just for my granddaughter’s sake if that helps you accept it. But I know better.”
Melanie almost resented that.
As if Laura sensed it, she stepped close. “He loves you. Madly.”
Melanie closed the dishwasher, her hands shaking as she switched it on. Laura slipped out of the kitchen as Melanie looked out the windows at Jack. Love her? He’d already said he couldn’t give her that. Melanie wondered what kind of fool she was even to consider the romantic ideas of his mother. Laura wanted them to be happy and in love, but that didn’t make it so. Marriage didn’t automatically mean happily ever after, especially when they married for reasons other than love.
And what if he did love her? Could she trust it? After all, Craig and Andy had said the same thing, and look what happened. Jack hasn’t said so, either, she reminded herself. But she also admitted that everything she had with Jack was different. Very different. She’d never felt the electric charge go through her with one look until Jack. Never wanted to be with a man twenty-four/seven until Jack.
As if her addiction was trying to prove her right, she moved to catch a glimpse of him. The men were having a beer and discussing woodworking, she didn’t doubt. God, Jack was handsome. The black polo shirt combined with the black hair made him look dangerous. Desirable.
Laura strolled past, laughing to herself. As if to say, “See? Told you so.”
Jack wanted her in his bed, wanted to be near his daughter and to have his last name on Juliana’s birth certificate. Which he’d had changed the day they’d returned from their honeymoon. He had what he’d wanted. Would he leave now? Melanie wasn’t going to fool herself and live in a dreamworld, believing he loved her. Just thinking about it would drive her insane, she thought.
Why? Because she wanted his love?
How was she ever to know? she asked herself again. He was kind, considerate, and there wasn’t much about him she didn’t like.
Adore. You adore him, a voice in her head shouted.
Yes, she did. She was falling into love with Jack and it was easy. So easy. But there was a little part of her that refused to accept it. As if she’d be tricked and lied to again.
Ten
Jack frowned down at the wrapped box tied with ribbon. There was no mistaking that it was for him, since the card stated his name. He called out for Melanie, tossing his keys on the table.
She walked out from the hallway. “Shh, she’s sleeping.”
“What’s this?”
“What’s it look like?”
“A present for me, but why?”
“Open it and find out, silly.”
He eyed her, his lips curving slightly. He tore open the package and lifted out the heavy toolbox. “Man, this is a nice one.”
“Look inside.”
Setting it down, he flipped the heavy latches. It was filled with tools: tape measure, level, a hammer, screwdrivers, even a power drill and handsaw.
“You said all your tools were in storage, so I thought you might like to have a set here.”
He lifted out the drill, checking it out the way only a man could, she thought. Boy toys.
“Thank you.”
She frowned. “You don’t seem pleased.”
“I am, I love it. It’s very thoughtful, but…” He hesitated and her heart sank a little.
“But?”
“I’ll have my things with us. When you and Juliana come with me to Virginia. I won’t be stationed in this area. There are no teams here.”
“Well, that I knew.”
“Now you don’t sound pleased.”
“I’ve tried not to think about it just yet.” Truth be told, Melanie didn’t want Jack to leave. Their relationship was growing stronger by the day and she wanted it to have a better chance before he left.
“You didn’t think I was just going to return to work and drop back in when I have leave, did you?”
She smiled now. “That, Lieutenant Singer, I never considered.”
He set the tools aside. “Are you prepared to move?”
“Prepared mentally? No.” She tipped her head, holding his gaze. “Is that necessary right now? You’re gone a lot.”
His lips quirked. “Ready to kick me out?”
“No,” she said without hesitation. “Of course not, but I can handle being alone.”
“Oh, I’ve no doubt about that. I had to muscle my way in.”
Her smile was small and a little embarrassed. “You don’t have that problem now, do you, sailor?”
He moved close, settling his hands on her waist. “I’m stationed where they tell me to go, and right now it’s Virginia. It’s nice there, and there are other Navy wives you could meet.”
“I’d like to meet your friends’ wives. I would.”
“You’re not ready to commit that far, huh?” He lowered his hands.
“No, it’s not that. I’m up to the challenge and we’re in this marriage together,” she said, pulling him back to her. Melanie didn’t like the hurt way he’d looked at her, and she couldn’t just do this half-heartedly, not being married to a man who risked his life every time he went to work. “Sure, I’m willing to move, too. We’re husband and wife. In fact, it would be an adventure,” she said, warming to the idea. “New town, new community. Fresh start. Changing locations would certainly make Juliana a more well-rounded person.”
“And sometimes she’d lose the friends she’d made. So would you.”
“I’m a big girl and you act like I haven’t thought about this, Jack. I have.” She sighed and looked at her hands, spread over his chest. “I just don’t want to be a
fraid for you.”
That touched him and stung in the same instant. “I’m good at what I do.”
“I know.”
“Hey.” He tipped her chin up, moved beyond words that she was worried about him. “Let’s not think about that right now. How about we start planning? You can look up some real estate on the Internet, learn about the area. Because I don’t want my wife and child that far away from me. I’ll go nuts.”
Any arguments Melanie had faded quickly with the look in his eyes. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Hell, yes. The thought of leaving you in a couple weeks scares the heck out of me.”
Him? Scared? “Why?”
“Because I’m just now getting you to believe in me, and I feel like if I disappear, we’re going to backslide.” It was his greatest fear, that all they had would be destroyed because he had to leave soon. He didn’t like this uncertainty when he was certain they should be together. He wanted to prove to Melanie that she had his heart, and he was fast running out of ways to convince her that he wasn’t going to break hers.
“That’s not going to happen.” She found it odd that she was convincing him now.
His gaze raked her. “You so sure?”
“One thing I know right now, right this minute, Jack, is that what I feel for you is more than I expected and just what I wanted.”
He grinned. But her features were somber. “Just don’t lie to me. I don’t think I could stand it,” she said.
A horrible guilt passed over his spine. He still hadn’t told her he was a bastard, the real reason he’d insisted on marriage. And right now, the words wouldn’t move past his lips. He told himself it didn’t matter, but the tiny voice in his head said he’d better tell her all or she’d never forgive him. And tell soon.
Melanie followed the notes Jack had left. It was cute, she thought. She took the glass of wine from the fridge and sipped as she made her way to the bathroom as instructed. The note said he had Juliana with him, and he was picking up Chinese food after a quick visit to the grocery store.
She followed his instructions and stepped into the bathroom. Her breath caught, and something sharp touched her deep in her heart. Steam rose from a bathtub filled with bubbles, and though only two candles were lit, several circled the tub. It smelled like lavender and rosemary, and the rough day she’d had, which she’d complained about, melted away with the anticipation of soaking in the bath. She set the glass aside long enough to tie up her hair and strip off her clothes. The water was near scalding hot and her muscles relaxed. She sank to her chin and closed her eyes.
This, she thought, was pure heaven.
Jack set the bags of Chinese food down on the table, Juliana asleep in his arms. Quietly he changed the baby and put her down for the night, glad he’d bathed her earlier and feeling terrible for forcing the child to stay awake while he shopped. But he had plans with her mama.
He laid Juliana in her crib, tucking her in and bending to kiss her. The child smiled in her dreams and it cut his heart in half and made it spill with hard emotions. She has me in her fist, he thought, closing the door. The baby monitor was on, and he tucked the receiver into his back pocket. He knew where Melanie was, and as he headed to the living room, he heard the sound of water in the bathroom. Temptation clubbed him and he paused at the door, pushing it open a crack.
Her hair was piled on her crown, and a mountain of frothy bubbles surrounded her shoulders. The lights were off and each candle was lit, flickering around her. Steam rose from the surface. Her eyes were closed.
“You’re letting in a draft,” she whispered.
“Do you know what you do to me looking like that?”
Her eyes flashed open and across the short distance he felt electrified.
She smiled. “I have an idea. This was very sweet of you, Jack.” She reached for her wineglass, sipping. “It’s just what I needed.”
“After the bad day you were having and whining about, I figured some downtime would make you sleep better.”
“All you had in mind was sleep, huh?”
He gave her an innocent look. “Of course.”
“Liar. Wanna get naked and wet with me?”
He smiled, stepping inside and leaving the baby monitor on the sink. He stripped and she watched him, loving the jump and flex of his muscles. Hottest body on the planet, she thought, delighted that he was hers. She shifted and he slid into the tub. Water rose to the rim. She was glad she’d opted for the garden-style tub when she’d bought the house, she thought, although she’d never had a man in her tub. She’d never had a man this deep in her life, she realized.
She offered him a sip of wine, but he shook his head, sinking back and just staring at her. She slid her foot up his leg, the water and slick oils in the bath making her dainty foot feel like silk passing over his skin. Jack felt himself grow harder, and when her foot slid higher, he caught it.
“Are you inviting me to play?” His look was dark and sly.
Her smile was devilish. “Talk is cheap, sailor.”
He leaned forward, his big shoulders glistening with water, slick with bath oil as he slid his hands up her thighs, across her belly to cup her breasts. She let out a telltale moan.
His touch was a force to be reckoned with, addicting. She’d wanted him from the moment she got off work, wanted to feel his arms and his kiss and be soothed by his strength. Then he went and touched her heart by drawing a bath for her. How lucky could one woman get? And when he stepped through the door and looked at her as if he was going to eat her alive, she was helpless. With Jack she never had much resistance, and when his lips came into play, his tongue sliding luxuriously over her nipple before his mouth latched on, passion coiled around her in heat and steam and man.
“You know, there is some of my training that comes in handy sometimes.”
“Oh, really? What’s that?” she said, her voice a little slurred as his thumbs slickly circled her nipples, deeper with each stroke. She couldn’t think of a thing beyond the stamina the man possessed, which would be beneficial right now.
“I can hold my breath for nearly two minutes.”
“Really?”
A second later he was under the water tasting her, and Melanie shrieked. “Oh, my goodness, my goodness!” she said, as pleasure slathered over her in hot thick waves. He gripped her hips, refusing to let her move as he tortured her, her mind struck between amazement and the erotic pleasure ricocheting through her body. Her heartbeat was like a sledgehammer in her chest. Her legs went numb and trembled, her breathing wouldn’t catch up with her need, and she grabbed at the side of the tub as he played her like an instrument.
Her body was singing to him; Jack was so in tune with her that he could tell when she was near, when she liked something. This she liked and he tormented her for a while longer, until he was certain she was struggling to hold back her climax.
“Jack…Jack!”
He straightened, smiling, raking his wet hair back off his face.
Instantly she climbed onto his lap. “Come here. I’m…I’m going to—”
“Yeah, I know. Mission accomplished, then,” he growled, pushing into her, filling her in one stroke. She groaned deep in the back of her throat, grabbing onto his slick shoulders and thrusting. Her mouth mashed over his, her tongue spearing between his lips, and he felt devoured. She rocked and her pleasure made him harder, pulled him nearer to satisfaction. Her uninhibited desire pushed water to the trim of the tub, extinguishing candles. Slick muscles clamped him and she trapped his face in her palms as her climax spread through her like molten fire. The sight of it made him come unhinged, and he bucked, thrusting deeper and deeper, and feeling her body claw his in a velvet fist. Squeezing, flexing. Seething.
She leaned back, bowing, and his fingertips dug into her hips as convulsions beat a wild song through them. She fell onto him, her lips molding over his hungrily as her pleasure and his floated away on soft waves.
Jack let out a long breath, h
is hands smoothing her back as he laid back in the tub. Occasionally he cupped water and poured it over her spine.
“I am a contented man.”
“Oh, yeah. Can I join the club?”
“Are you content, Melanie?”
“Yes.” She snuggled in his arms, hating that the water was cooling so quickly.
“I know this is going to sound really stupid, but is it the sex?”
She snickered and leaned up to look at him. “You’re kidding, right?”
Once she got a close look at his expression, her smile fell. “Oh, darling,” she said, cupping his face and staring deeply into his eyes. “No, it’s not. It’s a plus, but if that’s all it was, would I be so unhappy about you leaving for who knows how long?” Her eyes teared. “I’m your wife, Jack. For better or worse, I am. With you here or not, I’m still your wife.” The words spilled from her, but she was too scared to speak right now of the feelings locked deep inside. “I want that. I cherish that. If the Navy says move here, I’ll be with you. We’ll be with you. Right by your side.” She kissed him lightly. “I can’t believe you asked that.”
“That’s how we started, and you were the one who insisted that great sex didn’t mean we were meant for a lifetime.”
“That was before I got to really know you. And we’re doing that now, aren’t we? Shooting for the lifetime?”
His smile was slow in coming. “Oh, yeah.”
“You have to be the gentlest man I’ve ever known, which contradicts your profession, you know.”
“You made me this way, baby.”
She shook her head. “If anything, Juliana did.”
He smiled, all papa proud. “Yeah. She is something.”
She laid her head on his shoulder, hugging him. “So’s her daddy,” Melanie said. “He’s a knight you know. Sir Galahad. Maybe you’ve heard of him?”
Jack laughed to himself. A man would never have to worry about his ego or pride around Melanie. He felt like a king in her arms. He felt loved and wanted. And Jack already knew that he’d fallen madly in love with Melanie.
And he was worried that because he didn’t tell her he was a bastard, the little lie would tear them apart and destroy her trust.
The SEAL’s Surprise Baby Page 12