“Realistic,” he corrected.
“Sometimes you have to take a risk.”
“I’ve taken plenty of those.”
She surprised him by running a finger over a small scar on his forearm. “I’m sure you have. I meant a risk of the heart. Belonging to others and letting them be part of you is dicey.”
“So, why do it?” Logic dictated that avoidance was a better method for protecting himself.
“Because the rewards can be wonderful.” Her expression softened. “I love the girls, and I wouldn’t have that any other way regardless of what happens down the road. That’s how family works.”
“You’re close to your father, then?” he asked and immediately regretted it. Her lips pursed into a straight line and her posture stiffened.
“He…” she faltered. “He chose his career over his family.”
“What was his career?” William had a suspicion that he wasn’t going to like her answer.
“He was a Marine Corp Colonel before he retired.”
“Ah.” A military man then. Her initial perception of him clicked into place.
“He went out into the field for exercises when my mother was at a critical point in her illness. He wasn’t there when she died.”
“Wasn’t there for you.” Her mother wouldn’t have needed her father anymore, but Cora, at fourteen, would have. What kind of bastard did that?
“Or her,” her tone was emphatic.
“I’m starting to understand your problem with me.” No wonder she had been so adamant against his presence in the girls’ lives. Her experience told her that military men were unfeeling, incapable of caring. “We’re not all like that, you know.” He felt the need to defend his military brethren.
“Of course, I know that. But you just said…you just said you’ve chosen not to love at all. So, which is it, William Royce?”
He wished he could answer her question, but she had a point. He’d made a decision not to love anyone, a decision that was getting harder to maintain as the triplets wheedled their way into his heart.
And his fascination with Cora continued to grow. He’d learned a lot that evening about what made her tick, what her fears were—and they made him admire her all the more. It took strength to come through an experience like she’d had and still be willing to love and care for others. Her only flaw was that, despite her words, she seemed convinced that all military men were the same. Why did he have an urge to prove her wrong about that?
The least he could offer her was a hug, an arm around her shoulders, a kiss to equal the one they had already shared. Physical comfort he could do, but he hesitated, unsure if she’d accept that from him.
“It’s getting late.” She rose before he could act on his desire. “I’d better get to bed. Good night, William.”
“Good night.” He listened to her footsteps until she closed her bedroom door, regretting that she left him, regretting that he hadn’t given her what she seemed to need before she went.
Eleven
Cora studied the detailed schedule on the counter. 0700 breakfast, 0730 get dressed, brush teeth, 0800 playtime, 0930 morning snack. The list continued, accounting for every minute of the day, making Cora wonder if this would be easier or if she’d feel constantly behind schedule. Good thing she was used to military time after growing up on a base, she thought with a rueful smile.
William knew that about her now after their very personal conversation the previous evening. Perhaps she’d revealed too much, but he’d been easy to talk with and, after his own confessions, she had a better sense of what drove him. He clung to routine and schedules as a way of staving off the emotional side of life.
His need to control the situation with the girls made sense to her now. He thought it would help him not feel, which explained the cautious line he was walking between becoming increasingly involved in the kids’ lives and maintaining his professional responsibilities. So she wasn’t surprised when he cleaned up after breakfast and disappeared to review the nighttime security footage as he did each morning. But he was making an effort to help her and doing what he thought was best for the girls. She appreciated that.
At 1129, he appeared in the kitchen. “I’ll help you make lunch.”
“Already done,” she said, stirring the cheese sauce into the noodles she’d just boiled. The girls loved her homemade mac and cheese.
He checked his watch. “It’s—”
“I know. I’m thirty minutes early, but the girls were hungry. We’ve followed the schedule for the rest of the morning,” she assured him with a smile, “but their stomachs aren’t on board yet. Give it a couple days.”
“Was it easier?”
“I think so,” she said. “The girls see it as fun, and I’m using it as a way to teach them to read the clock as well.”
“I meant to help more this morning.” He stepped closer to her and her mind shot back to those last few minutes on the couch the previous evening. She’d run like a scared rabbit when she’d picked up a certain vibe from him. He’d wanted to touch her, and it would have been easy to fall into his arms. She’d thought about it in the night until she could almost feel his arms around her. But, in the moment, she’d panicked, so she’d stood up and announced it was bedtime when she could no longer trust herself not to crawl into his lap and kiss him.
“You have other responsibilities,” she reminded him. Her daily tasks were all driven by the kids. She didn’t have to worry about outside threats when he was around.
“Taking care of the four of you is my sole duty.” He spoke with absolute sincerity, which she could see in his eyes as well. What he said went straight through her like a warm breeze on a chilly day, leaving behind a sense of security she’d rarely known since her mother’s death. The impulse to lean into him almost overpowered her.
“How would you like to take care of us at the park after lunch?” She offered a suggestion that would, hopefully, prevent her from acting on her impulses. “We have a couple hours of playtime scheduled before their naps. It would be a fun way to use it, and since it’s a beautiful day, we could walk instead of taking the car.”
The other times she’d convinced him to go out with the girls, he’d insisted on driving so they could make a quick escape if necessary. She and the girls much preferred walking.
“I like it,” he responded with a grin.
After lunch, she tossed a few items they might need in a bag—juice boxes, hand wipes, band-aids—and got two jogging strollers out of the closet. The Lawrences had purchased a single and double stroller for when they took the girls out.
“Those are weird looking strollers,” William commented as he came back into the hallway with Haley on his back and Melody and Paige following him.
“They’re meant for running,” Cora explained.
“You run?”
She laughed. “I did, and I love it, but…” She gestured to where he was swamped with kids. “I haven’t been able to in a while.” Triple strollers were on the market, but they weren’t meant for running. Plus, that would be a lot of kid pounds to push.
“We could today. We’re dressed for it.” He wore a Navy t-shirt and basketball shorts, and she had on her usual around home attire of running shorts, tank top, and sneakers. “I could do with the exercise.”
Not from what she could see. She knew he worked out every day in the home gym in the basement, and the results were…impressive. Every muscle in his body was in top form. “Sounds fun,” she agreed. “Is your ankle okay with running?” He shot her a look. “I noticed the scar.” A red scar, still fresh looking, indicating a recent surgery.
“It’s healed,” he confirmed. “Good enough for civilian life.”
She caught the slight edge to his words and wondered if the injury had been what sent him out of the military. She wanted to ask more, but he clearly had said what he was going to about it.
“You ready?” she asked, ignoring her need to offer sympathy. “We’ll go to Woodside Park today. The girls
like the swings there, and there’s a good jogging trail to get us to it.”
“Woodside?” He pulled his phone out and tapped keys. “I see it and our route.” He studied the screen for a few minutes, just long enough for the girls to get restless. “It looks safe enough. Lead the way.”
After strapping the girls in the strollers, they set off at a moderate pace despite the girls’ pleas to go faster. William let her establish the speed. Once she warmed up, she found herself picking up speed like she used to when she ran several times a week. Trees and flowers flew past and she felt her mind empty of all the stress she’d felt recently. She’d missed the mental freedom that came with pounding feet and her body moving for one purpose.
“That felt great,” she said when they reached the park and she caught her breath. She’d rarely run with a partner. William made a good one. He didn’t try to talk or distract her. They’d run in companionable silence. “I’ve missed running.”
“It’s good for the soul, all those great endorphins.”
“Exactly. I’ve solved the problems of the world on a long run.” She’d started running as a teenager not long after her mother’s death. Those were angry miles, lonely miles, but they were rewarding ones, too. Understanding the power she had inside herself had helped her recover.
“Swings,” Paige called out.
Cora got Melody out of the single stroller faster than William unloaded Paige and Haley, so she had a moment to observe him. What would it be like to have this man as a partner in other ways than just running? The thought popping in her head unbidden that he’d be an amazing lover—focused, attentive, and with the strength and stamina to keep going all night long. Unfortunately, she’d missed out on the opportunity to touch him the night before. She wasn’t sure she’d have that chance again.
Once free, the girls made a beeline for the toddler swings. Willian helped Cora get the girls in the bucket-style swings, and then he pushed them while they chatted and giggled.
“Higher,” Melody demanded, and William gave her a mighty shove, resulting in more laughter.
“Me, too,” the other girls chorused.
“Take a minute to yourself,” William said to Cora.
She backed away and leaned against the play structure, watching them. Normally at the park, she was busy keeping up with the pleas to swing higher or faster. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to the sun, feeling the warmth of the day. A sense of contentment washed over her. Life was good in that moment. Happy children, a man who was—
“In the strollers.” William’s voice cut through her dreaminess. “Now.” Her eyes flew open. He had two of the girls out of the swings already and was lifting the third free. Somehow, he picked up all three of them and raced for the joggers.
“What is it?” she questioned, catching up to him.
“Strap them in,” he ordered, his gaze focused on a corner of the park beside a maintenance building. She could see no one there but buckled the girls in as fast as she could despite her shaking fingers.
“Done,” she said.
“Can you run home?”
“Yes, but—”
“Go,” he commanded. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She took off, running as fast as she could while pushing the single stroller until they were well away from the park. She slowed slightly, and William and the double stroller came up beside her.
“What happened? Did you see someone?” Her imagination conjured up terrible things.
“A man was watching us. When I made eye contact with him, he faded into the woods.”
“I never saw him,” she murmured.
“That’s my job,” he declared, checking behind them.
Cora kept moving, but the happy thoughts she’d experienced earlier fled. The strange man was a reminder of the situation. William might push the kids in the swings, he might make her think about kisses and partnerships, but his task was to protect the girls. He was there for them, not her, despite what he’d said earlier.
By the time they reached home, she’d convinced the kids that their rapid departure from the park was some sort of game. How quickly could they move? She praised them for their swift actions to the point where they were calm and ready for their afternoon naps.
She wished she could be soothed so easily. Cora fake-smiled her way through putting the girls down for a nap until she closed the nursery door. She made her way down the hall, trying desperately to make it to her room before she succumbed to the tears that came now that the danger had passed. William’s footsteps sounded on the stairs, hastening her steps.
“Cora,” he called in a low voice, making her stop outside her room. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her head to his chest. “You’re trembling. I’m sorry you were frightened.”
“I wasn’t scared for me. I was scared that I didn’t notice anything. I actually had my eyes closed, not paying attention to the girls. How could I do that?”
“Shush. It’s okay.” He dropped soft, soothing kisses on her hair. “I talked to the office and gave a description of the man. They’re going to check the area. I don’t think they’ll find anything because it was probably nothing. No need for you to worry.”
“I can’t help worrying about them,” she said, lifting her face to his. “They’re so precious to me. What if I’d gone alone to the park? I’d never have noticed that man. What else can I do, William, to keep them safe?”
“You’re not alone. I won’t let you put the girls or yourself in danger.” His hands framed her face as he kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, her lips. “I’ll always be with you when you need me.”
“I need you now,” she said, the words out before she could stop them. She wanted him, not to soothe and comfort her, but to love her. What she had denied herself the night before came back with a vengeance, demanding to be satisfied.
He gave her one long look before reaching behind her and opening her bedroom door. Inside, he pushed her against the wooden door with his body, pinning her against the hard surface so she could feel his desire matched hers. As he kissed a line down her neck, exciting her every nerve, she reached between them, resting her hand on his stomach, just above his waist. Her fingers dipped inside the edge of his shorts.
He chuckled against her shoulder blade. “I like this side of you, but I’m not going to let you have all the fun.” Her tank top went over her head in the next instant, revealing her black jogging bra. He flicked his thumbs over her nipples, making them instantly hard. She moved her hand deeper into his shorts until she grasped his hard, hot length.
“Christ,” he breathed, his lips closing over hers in a punishing kiss that left her gasping for air. He broke the kiss to pull her bra over her head. Without stopping, he dropped to his knees, yanking her shorts and panties down as he went. He let her step out of them, and then his tongue was making circuits of her belly button as his hands cupped her bottom. “Open for me.”
“Oh, God, I can’t…” she whimpered, looking down at him, overwhelmed by sensation, as he dipped his tongue between her legs and dragged it along her swollen clit.
“You sure about that?” he drawled, not ceasing his attentions for a second.
“On second thought,” she managed to say as he nipped at her inner thigh, “stop at your own peril.”
He laughed again, a sound she could get used to hearing, and stripped his shirt off. She gripped his bare shoulders, sunk her hands in his hair, as he suckled her again, nearly sending her over the edge into an orgasm. It had been so long for her.
“Not so fast, sweetheart. Not without me.” He stood, giving her a rough kiss before picking her up and carrying her to the bed. He set her on the edge before he kicked off his shorts. “High mattress.” He tested the firmness by dropping a hand on either side of her and giving her a little bounce. “I can think of a really good use for this.”
“What’s that?” she teased as she reached for a condom in the nightstand drawer. Cora roll
ed it onto his dick. His stance between her legs made her feel empowered and conquered at the same time. She reached for his butt, pulling him closer.
“This.” He thrust into her in one smooth motion as his tongue licked her nipples. “Wrap your legs around me, Cora. Pull me closer with those beautiful thighs. They’ve been taunting me for weeks, and I want to feel every inch of them.” His hands were on his hips, keeping her in place, but he left the next move to her.
She crossed her ankles behind him, drawing him in, bringing his thrusts deeper and faster until she shattered, the waves of the orgasm rippling through her body. In the same instant, she felt him tremble and convulse inside her as he took her mouth in a soul-reaching kiss.
Twelve
“I need two minutes, Royce.” Adam Boswell, his supervisor, briefly appeared on screen, and disappeared again. The Skype meeting had been William’s idea. He needed to check in, ask questions about the stranger in the park, and admit that he was behind in analyzing the security footage.
He hated not fulfilling his obligations to Alert Security, but he couldn’t hate that he was caught up in the girls and Cora, especially Cora. Communicating with her after mind-blowing sex the day before had been dicey. He’d strived to keep their interactions professional, which was hard as hell considering how they’d come together. He’d had good sex in the past, and plenty of it. But those few moments in her bedroom were way beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He liked that she wasn’t shy or coy and knew how to give as good as she got.
Chemistry, that’s what they had. He’d known that when he first saw her, but he was still unprepared for the intensity of their connection. It had him retreating rapidly afterwards, once he’d lifted her the rest of the way onto the bed and covered her with a blanket. She’d reached out a hand to him, and he hadn’t been able to resist kissing her fingers, her palm, her wrist. And then he’d made himself leave.
“All right, I’m back,” Boswell’s voice jolted William, and he quickly masked his thoughts.
The SEAL’s Unexpected Triplets Page 8