Hotter Than Ever (Out of Uniform) (39 page)

From a discreet distance, the waiter cleared his throat, then glanced at Claire’s dad. “Will your friends be staying?” he asked expectantly.

“They’re not our friends,” Ron said curtly.

Claire froze.

But her dad wasn’t finished. “This is my wife,” he informed the waiter. “And these are my daughter’s boyfriends.”

“I can’t believe you guys did that,” Claire declared as the three of them walked into the apartment later that night.

Her parents had already left to make the long drive north, but not before Claire’s mom had hugged not only Claire goodbye, but Dylan and Aidan too. And her father had actually shaken their hands. She was still in disbelief over it.

“We figured your dad needed a little push,” Dylan said with a grin. “He was taking his sweet-ass time winning your mom back.”

She dropped her purse on the couch, then took Dylan’s face between her hands and kissed him deeply. A second later, she gave Aidan the same loving reward.

“I love you guys so much,” she murmured.

She hadn’t thought it was possible to love one man this much, let alone two, and yet her heart was so full it was about to overflow.

“We love you too, sweetheart,” Aidan told her.

“So damn much,” Dylan added. His green eyes gleamed with sinful promise. “With that said, you have a ten-second head start before we chase you down, strip you naked, and have our way with you.”

“Try to make it to the bed in time,” Aidan advised. “Because we’re going to be fucking you wherever we catch you. Against the wall, on the floor, the kitchen counter…choose wisely, baby.”

She coyly fluttered her eyelashes. “But what if I’m not in the mood?”

Their faces took on pained expressions.

“Are you seriously not in the mood?” Dylan demanded.

She shrugged.

They both went quiet for a moment, and then Aidan flashed that dimpled grin she loved oh-so much.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to fuck each other until you come to your senses.”

Claire threw her head back and laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest. But luckily for you, I’m
more
than in the mood. In fact, I’m so in the mood I’m going to come the instant you put your hands on me.” She slanted her head. “I have exactly ten seconds before you have your way with me, huh?”

“Yup. Starting now.” Dylan narrowed his eyes. “One.”

“Two,” Aidan warned.

Claire took off running.

Epilogue

Six months later

“What the fuck is he doing in there, buying the whole damn store?” Dylan grumbled.

Claire shared his impatience. Aidan really
had
been in that flower shop for a while. At least twenty minutes had passed since he’d ducked inside, after insisting they stop and buy flowers for Claire’s mother.

The three of them had flown into the Bay Area earlier that morning to spend the day with Dylan’s mom. It was Shanna’s birthday, so they’d taken her to one of the fanciest restaurants in the city for brunch, a two-hour affair that gave new meaning to the word
awkward
because not only had Chris been present, but he’d brought his latest girlfriend along. Stephanie Lowenstein was a thing of the past, having dumped Chris a few weeks after they’d returned from
Claire’s
honeymoon—which Ron McKinley had sent Chris the bill for, much to Claire’s amusement.

“Oh, and I totally forgot to ask you,” Dylan suddenly said. “What did Tanya say when you two went to the bathroom together? You came back to the table looking like you’d won the lottery.”

Claire had to grin. “She didn’t say anything important. I just remembered something I’d heard about her from one of the country-club wives. Apparently Chris’s new love has made the rounds at the club, sleeping her way through all the men she thinks will elevate her social status.” Now a laugh slipped out. “I can’t imagine her sticking with Chris for much longer, not once she realizes it’ll be years and years before he makes partner.”

“So you’re saying my brother’s in for an imminent dumping?”

“Very imminent, considering the way she was checking out every other man in that restaurant.” Claire arched a brow. “Should we warn him?”

Dylan shrugged. “Warn who?”

His lack of sympathy didn’t surprise her, but she still wished Dylan would be more open to mending this rift with his older brother. Despite the fact that he’d brought his bimbo to brunch today, Chris had actually made an effort to speak not only with Dylan, but Claire and Aidan, whom he’d completely ignored when they’d visited over the summer.

Claire knew he still didn’t approve of their relationship, but frankly, she didn’t care what Chris thought. She loved Dylan and Aidan, and had every intention of spending the rest of her life with them. Although no pregnancy had resulted from her night in Chicago with Aidan, and she was now on the pill, she definitely saw children in their future, and she wanted her kids to be surrounded by family. Whether she liked it or not, Chris was still Dylan’s family, and so she was making an effort for Dylan’s sake, and would keep doing it until his relationship with his brother returned to a place both he and Chris were comfortable with.

Aidan was in the same boat with his dad; although he’d forgiven Tim for keeping the truth about his mother from him, their relationship was still strained, but Claire was hoping that would change when Tim and Veronica visited them in San Diego next month.

“Claire?”

She froze when she heard a familiar female voice. Frowning, Claire turned around and found herself staring at none other than Barbara Valentine, her former boss.

As usual, Barb wore one of her tailored suits paired with expensive high heels, and her expression flickered with wariness as she glanced from Claire to Dylan and then back at Claire.

“Barb,” she said coolly. “It’s nice to see you.”

Not
.

“Good to see you too, darling.” The older woman paused for a beat. “I heard you’re back in the consulting game.”

“Yeah, I’m starting up my own firm. It’s still getting off the ground, but I’ve already secured a few clients.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Barb’s dark eyes shifted to Dylan, visible appreciation on her face. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“Boyfriend,” Claire corrected. “This is my boyfriend, Dylan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Barb practically purred out the words, and Claire couldn’t blame the woman for her blatant ogling of Dylan. He looked sexy as hell today in cargo pants and a snug green polo shirt that matched his eyes. With his blond hair slightly rumpled and his chiseled good looks, he made a seriously appealing picture.

So did Aidan, who chose that exact moment to stroll out of the shop with a bouquet of daisies in his hand. His dark eyes narrowed slightly when he spotted the willowy older woman in their midst. “What’s going on?” he asked Claire.

“Nothing, just catching up with my old boss,” she told him, fighting a smile.

“Hello,” Barb greeted him, her focus now on Aidan’s dark good looks and muscular body. “And you are?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t introduce you.” Claire shot the other woman a saccharine smile. “This is my boyfriend, Aidan.”

Barb looked startled. Her gaze moved from Dylan to Aidan to Claire. “Oh. I see.”

Claire’s smile widened. “Anyway, it was really good to see you, Barb, but I’m afraid we have to go. My parents are expecting us for dinner.”

She fluttered her fingers in a careless little wave. As she and the boys shuffled past Barb, Claire glanced over her shoulder, choked down a laugh at the envious expression on Barb’s face, and gave her former boss a wink.

Then she laced her fingers through Dylan’s, slid her other hand into Aidan’s waiting palm, and the three of them walked away.

About the Author

A RITA-award-nominated author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website
www.ellekennedy.com
or send her a note at
[email protected]
. You can also find her on
Facebook
or follow her on
Twitter
(@ElleKennedy).

Look for these titles by Elle Kennedy

Now Available:

Bad Moon Rising

Dance of Seduction

Midnight Encounters

Going for It

Red Hot Summer

Hot Summer Nights

Hidden Desires

Out of Uniform

Heat of the Moment

Heat of Passion

Heat of the Storm

Heat It Up

Heat of the Night

The Heat Is On

Hot and Bothered (print anthology)

Feeling Hot

Getting Hotter

Hot and Heavy (print anthology)

Welcome to Paradise

Welcome to Paradise

Take Me Home Tonight

Born to be Wild

Coming Soon:

Welcome to Paradise

Since You’ve Been Gone

A good bad boy is hard to find…

Getting Hotter

© 2012 Elle Kennedy

An
Out of Uniform
Story

Seth Masterson has been lusting over Miranda Breslin since the moment he saw her on a Vegas stage. Now that he’s been asked to watch out for her as she opens a dance studio in San Diego, he’s all over it, figuring it’s his chance to get her in his bed. Except the stubborn single mom seems determined to deny their crazy-sizzling sexual chemistry. In typical SEAL fashion, Seth makes it his personal mission to prove her wrong.

Miranda got over her attraction to bad boys about the time one of them knocked her up at the age of eighteen. Seth’s mocking gray eyes and military-buff bod, though, are pure and utter temptation. And when a flooded apartment forces her and her twins to move in with him, she can no longer resist the urge to set off some serious fireworks between the sheets.

But give him her heart? No, thank you. Any involvement with Seth will be strictly physical—and temporary. So when Seth decides
permanent
is what he wants, Miranda must steel her defenses before she does something incredibly foolish…like fall in love.

Warning: This book contains a bad boy SEAL who knows what he wants and will go to any lengths to get it. Expect some graphic language, hot sex, seduction, hot sex, dirty talk, hot sex, a little man-on-man action, hot sex. Oh, and hot sex.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Getting Hotter:

He walked over to the simple wooden dresser under his window and grabbed a pair of black track pants from the bottom drawer, along with thick wool socks. “The pants will be baggy, but there’s a drawstring so at least they won’t fall off.” He paused. “You want some boxers too?”

Her cheeks took on a pinkish hue. “No, it’s okay. Just the pants will do.”

His groin tightened as he wondered whether she planned on going commando. From there, the most mouthwatering image flashed in his mind, one involving Miranda’s bare sex, his track pants, and a whole lotta friction.

“What’s wrong?”

He met her concerned eyes. “Why do you ask?”

“You got this look on your face, like you were in pain. Are you all right?”

A choked laugh slipped out. “I’m fine.”

“What’s so funny?” Suspicion colored her tone.

“You’re completely oblivious to the effect you have on me, aren’t you?”

She let out a startled breath. “What?”

Releasing a breath of his own, he eliminated the distance between them, lifting one arm over Miranda’s shoulder so he could close the bedroom door. Her eyes widened at his nearness, and her cheeks turned redder.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Giving us some privacy.”

Her slender throat dipped as she swallowed. “
We
don’t need privacy.
I
wouldn’t mind some, though, so I can change out of these damp clothes.”

“That can wait a few minutes.” He locked his gaze with hers. “You asked if I was in pain. Well, I am.”

She blinked in surprise. “But you just said—”

Before she could finish, he grabbed her hand and placed it directly over the bulge in his sweatpants.

Miranda gasped, her mouth falling open. “What are you…oh my God. Jesus, Seth!”

And yet for all the lady’s protests, she didn’t make a single move to yank her hand away.