HOT SEAL Devotion Read online

  “Do you want to talk about anything?” Bailey asked.

  Kayla’s heart thumped. “Such as?”

  “You and Zach. I’ve seen you looking at each other lately. Though not at the same time. It’s almost like something’s been going on, but you aren’t speaking to each other about it. I guess that changed tonight and you started talking again.”

  Embarrassment heated her cheeks. Of course Bailey had noticed. Her sister was sharp.

  “Nothing to talk about, Bale. Zach and I are dating, and that’s all I want to say right now.”

  Bailey blinked. Kayla could see her take in that information and process it. “Okay.”

  Kayla went to grab her wine glass and Zach’s empty water bottle. “Sure you don’t want some wine?”

  “Maybe a tiny bit.”

  Kayla refilled her glass and got one for Bailey. There was a knock on the outside door.

  “Better let Alexei in,” Kayla said.

  Bailey opened the door. Alexei strolled in, looking big and bad and handsome as hell. Kayla had been interested in him once upon a time, back when she’d been waitressing at Buddy’s Bar & Grill and telling everyone her name was Harley. She gave herself a mental eye roll. Why had she done those things?

  Alexei smiled. Kayla smiled back. She loved Alexei like a brother. Her one-time attraction to him had been based on how nice he was to her, not on any real chemistry. Thinking about it now, she was almost embarrassed by her youthful hero worship. Worse, she would always be somewhat mortified that she’d accused him of being Ana’s father when there was no way he could have been. He didn’t hold it against her, and for that she was thankful.

  “Did you and Zach have a nice talk?” she asked.

  “Yeah, fine. Why?”

  Bailey took a sip of wine. “She’s onto us, babe.”

  Alexei sighed. “What gave it away?”

  “Uh, the fact Bale showed up without you and wanted to know if Zach had been here. Oh, and his car was still idling outside. I looked out the window. I hope you were nice, big brother.”

  He grinned. “Of course I was nice. Neo’s my bud.”

  “So long as he doesn’t think about getting busy with your almost sis-in-law?”

  “I didn’t put it that way.”

  Kayla eyed them both. “I love the two of you. You know that. But I get to decide what’s best for me, not y’all. And right now that’s Zach. Okay?”

  “Copy that,” Alexei said.

  “Got it,” Bailey added.

  “Alexei, you want a beer?”

  “Sure.”

  Kayla took one from the fridge and handed it to him. “Now tell me what you said to Zach so I know how much apologizing I have to do.”

  Alexei lifted the bottle and swallowed. Then he shrugged. “Not much. I told him he’d better not get involved with you if all he wanted was a good time, that you’d been through enough shit, and you have a baby to take care of. If he’s not interested in her too, then he needs to hit the road.”

  Kayla nearly choked on a swallow of wine. “Wow. That’s kinda a mouthful, Alexei. It’s hardly not much.”

  Alexei shrugged again. “I’ve known Neo for a long time, which means I’ve seen a lot of the women he’s dated.” He frowned, considering. “Okay, maybe date is an inaccurate term. Slept with is more accurate. Probably.”

  Bailey went over and looped her arm through his. “Okay, pumpkin. I think that’s enough. She gets it.”

  Pumpkin? Lord. Kayla shook off a sudden desire to giggle. Alexei was big and bad and hardly a man you’d call pumpkin. Unless you were her sister. Maybe she needed to lay off the wine for the rest of the night. She set the glass down and tried not to dwell on the number of women Zach had slept with.

  “Now look here, I already told Bailey and I’m telling you too. I’m a grown woman. I have a baby who is my number one priority. No man is getting between me and Ana ever again. Zach knows that. He also knows that I can and will make my own decisions, and he knows what my priorities are. He knows what he’s getting into. We both do.”

  Bailey and Alexei exchanged another one of their secretive glances. “Okay,” Bailey said. “You’ve made your point.”

  “Yeah, I got it too. He says he’s serious about you and I respect that. But understand, Kayla,” Alexei continued, “if Neo ever does anything to hurt you, I will be obligated to rip his nuts off and feed them to him. He knows it, too.”

  “Good to know,” Kayla said. “But that’s not going to happen.”

  They finished their drinks, and then Kayla went over to their guest room to check on Ana. She was sound asleep as Kayla bent over the crib, her little bow mouth and long eyelashes so pretty in repose. She had pink cheeks and creamy skin, and her dark hair was growing longer. Soon, Ana would be walking and talking, and Kayla’s heart pinched tight at the thought she’d missed even the tiniest bit of Ana’s life when she’d left her with Bailey and Alexei shortly after her birth.

  “Do you want to leave her here? Or take her back to your place?” Bailey had followed her into the room.

  Kayla smiled down at her baby even though Ana wasn’t awake. “I want to take her, but I don’t want to wake her up either. Maybe just give me the monitor and I’ll come get her if she fusses.”

  Bailey had put Ana down in the portable crib that she and Alexei kept for just such a purpose. Kayla thought about how she was going to have to break it to her sister that she was moving out, and felt a pang of regret.

  It’s necessary.

  Bailey handed over the monitor. “She’s growing so fast,” Bailey said with a sigh.

  “Tell me about it.” Kayla straightened. “Thanks, Bale. For everything. You’re the best sister a girl could have.”

  Bailey leaned against her and they put their heads together. “Thank you, Kay-Kay. That’s sweet of you to say.”

  “I mean it. I want you to be happy, and I don’t want you worrying about me.”

  “I’ll always worry about you. It’s what I do.”

  Kayla squeezed her sister’s arm. “I know. But you don’t have to. We aren’t scared kids anymore and I got this.”

  Bailey smiled. “I know you do. It’s serious, huh?”

  Kayla felt suddenly shy. The conversation was so normal, but she was aware she was engaging in a tiny bit of deception. Justifiable.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Well then. Okay. I’m happy for you.”

  “And slightly worried,” Kayla added as they walked out of the room and stood in the hallway.

  “You know me well. I don’t want you hurt, Kay-Kay.”

  “I don’t want that either. But if I don’t take the chance, how will I know?”

  “That’s true.”

  They said goodnight and Kayla traipsed back to her in-law suite. She left the inner door open to the house so the monitor would pick up Ana if she cried, and went to get ready for bed. When she lay down, she had a text from Zach.

  I’m home.

  Kayla frowned as she texted him back. I’m sorry A was waiting for you.

  Zach: Wasn’t a problem. He knows I’m serious about you.

  Kayla’s belly fluttered. Is that all he knows?

  Zach: For now.

  She let out a breath. I feel like I’m causing trouble for you. I’m sorry.

  Zach: I thought about the consequences before I agreed to marry you. Camel was always going to be protective. I’m glad. But we’re brothers. I said I’m serious and that’s enough. I’ll pick you and Ana up tomorrow and take you to lunch if that works.

  Kayla: Sounds good. 11:00?

  Zach: I’ll be there.

  Neo arrived promptly at eleven a.m. Kayla was waiting outside, dressed in a long flowery skirt that went to her ankles, and a sleeveless blue top that tied at the waist. She was wearing sandals, and her blond hair was loose. It hung almost to her ass, and he swallowed at the sight. He loved a woman with long hair.

  She had Ana on her hip, a diaper bag slung over her shoulder, an
d a car seat at her feet. She also had one of those small folding strollers. She was beautiful and his heart thumped once in response. He parked in the drive and got out. Camel’s truck was gone so he assumed Bailey and his teammate weren’t home.

  Kayla smiled at him, and his chest tightened. Damn she was sweet. And she was all his. He couldn’t wait to taste that sweetness again. When the time was right, of course.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he brushed his lips against hers. “You look amazing today.”

  Her color was high as he straightened. “Thank you.”

  Neo dropped his gaze to Ana. She was a rosy cheeked baby, and she was currently grinning up at him with the cutest little grin. A grin remarkably like her mother’s. He knew she had traits that belonged to James Dunn, but he couldn’t see them. All he saw was Kayla.

  “Hey there, cutie pie. You ready to go for a ride?”

  He tickled her belly lightly and she grabbed his finger. Then she tried to put it in her mouth.

  “No, baby girl,” he said, pulling his finger gently away. “No icky fingers in your mouth.”

  Ana squealed happily and pumped her little arms up and down. Kayla laughed as she handed her a plastic key ring with huge keys. Ana immediately stuck one in her mouth.

  Neo got Ana’s car seat anchored into the back with Kayla’s supervision. It occurred to him as he contorted himself that a Camaro wasn’t exactly a family friendly vehicle. Getting that car seat in and out was going to be a pain in the ass. Maybe an SUV was a better option. He said as much to Kayla after she buckled Ana in and she stilled. Her eyes widened as she met his gaze.

  “I don’t want you to have to give up your car, Zach. Mine works fine with the car seat. We could take it in the future.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t mind. I was starting to think about trading this thing in anyway.”

  On a new model Corvette, but he wasn’t telling her that. He expected to feel a prick of disappointment at the idea he wasn’t getting that C-8 body style after all, but he didn’t. The idea of a big SUV wasn’t such a bad one. He liked sitting up high. He’d had a truck before the Camaro, so going back to something big wasn’t going to be a problem.

  “I guess I didn’t think about all the ways you’d have to change your life when I asked you to marry me. I should have.”

  He held the door for her while she got into the passenger seat. “I thought about it. And I said yes.”

  Her eyes shimmered as she gazed up at him. “Only after I told you about the guy who called me. You wouldn’t have said yes if not for that.”

  “And you wouldn’t have asked. Baby, we’ve moved beyond the question of if and we’re on the when. Tomorrow we’re getting a license. Later this week we’re getting married.”

  She nibbled that plump lower lip he wanted to suck. “I know. But I didn’t expect you to sell your car.”

  He bent and kissed her lush mouth. It was a quick kiss, but it shut her up. “Give me a chance to get in the car and take us to lunch, okay?”

  She nodded and he closed her door, then went around and got into the driver’s seat. The car started to life with a rumble. He glanced in the rearview, but Ana didn’t seem upset by the sound. She was still gumming the keys.

  “Where are we going?” Kayla asked as he put the car in reverse.

  “I was thinking about a café with an outdoor seating area not too far from here. The patio is shaded and cool.”

  “Sounds good.”

  They reached the restaurant and got a table on the patio. He’d timed it to arrive just before the church crowd so they didn’t have any trouble getting seated. Another half hour and the place would be jammed.

  Kayla put Ana in the high chair and gave her a handful of Cheerios. The waitress came and they ordered—a burger for Neo and pasta for Kayla. Once the waitress returned with their drinks and glided away again, Neo reached for Kayla’s hand, threading his fingers through hers. She didn’t resist, but she looked at him with a question in her gaze.

  “We’ve got to start somewhere,” he told her. “If we don’t seem natural with each other, we won’t sell this to your sister.”

  “You’re right. It’s just that I’ve spent the past two months being embarrassed around you, and now we’re acting like it never happened.”

  His senses prickled. Was she ready to talk about that night? “Why were you embarrassed?”

  She shrugged and looked away. “That night… I didn’t give you a chance to say no.”

  And there it was. Finally. She wasn’t talking about last night when she’d asked him to marry her. She was talking about the night they’d spent together. He knew he needed to tread carefully now that the subject had come up.

  “Do you honestly think I couldn’t have said no if I really wanted to?”

  She wouldn’t look at him. “You were always so nice to me, and then I had to go and make it into something it wasn’t supposed to be. Afterward, you were stand-offish with me. I figured you had to be pissed as hell.”

  Neo sat back in his chair. He felt like someone had smacked him over the head with a two-by-four. She’d thought he was ignoring her?

  “You ran out on me, Kayla. Not the other way around. When I woke up, you were gone. You didn’t leave a note, didn’t text me, didn’t call. Nothing. We had a fantastic night together and you ran away the next morning. I figured you’d tell me what was wrong but you never did. Yeah, I did get pissed. But not because we had sex. I got pissed because you pretended like it never happened.”

  Her face turned pink. “I didn’t know what to do. You’d never even kissed me before that night—and then when you did, I practically forced myself on you.”

  Neo could only gape at her. “Wait—is that why you avoided me? You thought you forced yourself on me?”

  It was laughable, but she didn’t look anything other than serious. Her gaze dropped to the table and he knew she really believed it. After everything he’d done to her that night? What the fuck?

  “You were trying to be a good friend, and I crossed a line. I didn’t mean to, but I was lonely and you were always so nice to me. And yes, I had a crush on you. When you kissed me, I lost my head—” She broke off, shook her head. “Anyway, I’m sorry I did that. I didn’t know what to say after it happened, and you never said anything either. I assumed you wanted to forget about it.”

  She astounded him. All this time he’d thought she’d been the one who wanted to forget it happened. He leaned toward her. Put a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look at him. Her skin was still flushed pretty pink. He had a strong urge to kiss her, but he didn’t. If he did, he might not stop.

  “I wasn’t pissed at first, Kayla. I was confused. You left without a word, and I figured you had a good reason. So I didn’t push you, even when you never said anything about that night. But I did get angry—at you for leaving, at me for letting that night happen in the first place. I thought I’d pushed you too far, asked too much of you in bed. Hell, I even convinced myself you needed a different kind of man in your life. A doctor or a lawyer or something. A plain vanilla kind of guy with a good job and all the stability you could hope for.”

  She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and squeezed. “I don’t want a doctor or a lawyer. I never did. I want you, Zach. You’re exactly the man I need.”

  Chapter Six

  Kayla’s heart thudded at what she’d said. I want you. Those words were filled with so much meaning. Too much meaning. More than she wanted to admit to herself right now. Or to him. Especially to him.

  She started to pull her hand back. Zach stopped her with a hand over hers. His skin was warm, reassuring. His palm was callused in places, smooth in others. The hand of a warrior. The hand of a man who could protect her.

  The hand of a man she wanted with her whole heart.

  A frisson of joy and pain rolled through her at that thought. What if he didn’t want her the same way? What if he never did? Real marriage or not, he’d never mention
ed love. Not once.

  She thought of what Chloe had said. He’d denied it, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone in his past he’d never gotten over. Someone he couldn’t have for some reason.

  “I want you to understand something,” he said, and her belly tightened. “I wanted you badly that night—but I wasn’t going to make the first move beyond that kiss. I didn’t want you to think I expected anything from you when we were hanging out as friends. When we kissed and you wanted more—well, hell, it was a fantasy come true for me. You’re hot, Kayla, and I wanted you. Then I woke up and you were gone. I thought you regretted it and wanted to forget all about it, especially when you seemed to be pretending it hadn’t happened. Do you understand why I believed that?”

  She did. The knowledge of what he must have thought after she’d fled that morning made her ache with regret. She’d waited for him to text her, but he never did. She hadn’t texted him either. If she could go back and do things differently, she would. “Yes,” she whispered. “I understand.”

  The waitress arrived to top off the drinks they’d barely touched and then flitted away again. Zach sat back in his chair and Kayla turned her attention to Ana, who’d scattered Cheerios everywhere. But Ana was happy and steadily gnawing the little treats, so Kayla didn’t have to do anything for her.

  “She’s a happy baby, isn’t she?” Zach asked.

  Kayla could genuinely smile at the question. “Yes. She doesn’t fuss over much. She sleeps through the night most of the time and she never gives me trouble. I’m a lucky mama.”

  “She looks a lot like you.”

  “Except for her dark hair. That’s all James.” Kayla hated saying his name. She hated that she shared a child with the man, but she wouldn’t trade her time with him if it meant she’d have never had her baby. Ana was worth the pain that being with James had caused. “I hate that her father is a criminal. Someday I’ll have to tell her the truth. She deserves to know.”

  Zach nodded. “She does, but that day is pretty far in the future, don’t you think?”

  “Yes.” Kayla took a sip of her iced tea, feeling more hopeful as the prospect of a future with Zach stretched before her. But how much of a future? That was the part she didn’t know. The part that troubled her.