The SEAL's Secret Heirs

“Oh.” She glanced at the rocker and then over his shoulder into the interior of the house. “It would probably be best if I watched you interact with the girls again. Like yesterday. That’s the quickest way for me to see what kind of environment you’ll provide.”

“That would be great. Except they aren’t here. Liam and Hadley took them for a walk before dinner.” Quickly, before she could ask why he hadn’t joined them, he held up a finger as if a brilliant idea had just occurred to him. “Why don’t you stay and eat with us? You can see how the Wade family handles meals. Meanwhile, we can hang out on the porch and wait for them to get back.”

“Um...”

He closed the front door and hustled her over to the bench seat with a palm to the small of her back. To be fair, she didn’t resist too much and willingly sank into the rocker, but as soon as he sat next to her, it became clear that he should have been the one resisting.

The essence of Grace spilled over him as they got cozy in the two-seater. It was too small for someone his size and their hips snugged up against each other. The contact burned through his jeans, sensitizing his skin, and as he tried to ease off a bit, his foot hit the porch board and set the rocker in motion. Which only knocked her against him more firmly so that her amazing breasts grazed his arm.

Actually, the rocker was exactly the right size for Kyle and Grace. Sitting in it with her might have been the best idea he’d ever had in his life.

Her fresh, spring-like scent wound through his head. They’d sat like this at her mama’s house, but in the living room while pretending to watch TV on a Saturday night. It passed for a date in a place like Royal, where teenagers could either get in trouble sneaking around the football stadium with filched beer or hang out under the watchful eye of the folks. Usually Kyle and Grace had opted for the latter, at least until her parents went to bed. Then they got down to some serious making out.

He’d never been as affected by a woman as he’d been by this one. Even just a kiss could knock him for a loop. The memories of how good it had been washed through him, blasting away some of the darkness that had taken over inside. She’d always been so eager. So pliant under his mouth.

All at once, he wondered if she still tasted the same, like innocence laced with a warm breeze.

“Grace,” he murmured. Somehow his arm had snaked across the back of the rocker, closing the small gap between them.

Grace’s brown eyes peeked out underneath her lashes as she watched him for a moment. Maybe she was wondering the same. If that spark would still be there after all this time.

“How long will it be until Liam and Hadley are back with the girls?” she asked, her voice low.

“Later. Don’t worry. We won’t miss them.”

“I, uh...wasn’t worried.”

She licked her lips, drawing his attention to her mouth, and suddenly that was all he could see. All he could think about. Her lips had filled out, along with the rest of her face. She’d grown into a woman while he’d been away, with some interesting new experiences shining in her eyes.

All at once, he wanted to know what they were.

“I’ve been wondering,” he said. “Why did you become a social worker? I seem to recall you wanted to be a schoolteacher way back.”

That was not what he’d meant to ask. But she lit up at the question. And the sunset? Not even a blip in his consciousness. Her face had all the warmth a man would ever need.

“I did. Want to,” she clarified. “That’s what I majored in. But I went to do my student teaching and something just didn’t work right. The students weren’t the problem. Oh, they were a bit unruly but they were fourth graders. You gotta expect some ants in the pants. It was me. There was no...click. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah.” He nodded immediately. Like when he hit his stride in BUD/S training on the second day and knew he’d found his place in the world. “Then what happened?”

“I volunteered some places for a while. Tried to get my feet under me, looking for that click. Then my mom calls me and says a friend of hers needs a receptionist because the girl in the job is going out on maternity leave. Would I do her a huge favor for three months?”

As she talked, she waved her hands, dipping and shaping the air, and he found himself smiling along with her as she recounted the story. Smiling and calculating exactly what it would take to get one of those hands on his body somewhere. He wasn’t picky—not yet.