Page 37 of Damned
Chapter Seventeen
Bree couldn’t believe how quickly Robin had taken to Kruze. She wasn’t a shy youngster by any means, but she usually took more time studying a person before she warmed up to them. Not Kruze. She must’ve recognized something in him, maybe the fact that they were so obviously related. Standing outside her daughter’s bedroom door, Bree watched Robin hand her father a red crayon, then tell him what and how to color. When his hair flipped over his forehead, she smoothed it back over his head and out of his eyes.
It was the most endearing thing Bree had ever seen. There was the gentle man she’d fallen in love with in France. Whether Kruze knew it or not, there was a tenderness behind the brash, warrior façade he hid so well behind, the man who had captured Bree’s heart. Theyhadmade love in Paris. He’d been sweet and considerate, his touch soft and mellow. Not once had he cursed or diminished her in any way. He’d been polite and attentive, courteous to a fault. Which had made his leaving her behind so much worse.
And now he’d met Robin. She was an easy child to handle, according to her doting grandmother. She was smarter than a whip, which was why Bree had selected a nearby charter school for above-average children, instead of the state’s public-school system. Yet Robin still required one-on-one interaction, from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning, to the second she closed them at night. There were no breaks or time-off days to parenthood. Kids threw up and pooped their pants without warning. They whined when they were sick, threw tantrums when they didn’t get their way, and required tons of patience even on their best days. And that wasifthey were lucky enough to have both a mother and father.
Bree could still remember how tired she’d been those first months of Robin’s life. She’d been living back at home by then, and her parents had helped. But childcare had still been a twenty-four-seven endurance test. And yes, the sight of Kruze sitting with Robin and coloring the same cartoon elephant, was heartbreakingly beautiful. The gruff, bossy man he’d been in that cave certainly had a charming, pleasant side. Listening to Robin tell her father he was as big as the elephant they were coloring, gave Bree pause. This was his first daddy/daughter date, and it was obvious Kruze adored Robin. He was smitten. Who wouldn’t be?
But his current job was extremely dangerous, and it required extensive travel to far-off places. He’d told Bree that just tonight. How could a driven man like him take on the full-time job of fatherhood? Oh sure, it was nothing to sit and color with a smart little girl, but when things got tough, would he stay?
That was the real question, wasn’t it? Bree shook her head at the notion of him disappointing Robin, of him telling that sweet baby girl goodbye, even for a month or two. But what if he were killed in action on one of those dangerous jaunts? That would be hard enough on Bree, but to knowingly impose that kind of future heartbreak on her little girl wasn’t fair, and Bree knew it. She was Robin’s stability. Her rock. She honestly wasn’t sure what Kruze was or how he’d fit in. Maybe it was best if he remained a man-friend, not Robin’s father. That actually made good sense.
“He’s very handsome,” her mother murmured, her hand gentle on Bree’s arm. “Look at those shoulders. And that chest. I don’t usually like today’s hairstyles, but that one looks good on him.”
“He is handsome,” Bree replied without looking at her mom, and sweet little Robin had just confirmed her daddy’s hair was soft.
Bree knew a lot about that man and everything beneath his clothes. Kruze was handsome in a rugged, all-male, kick-ass way. Not only handsome, but he was a fierce fighter, a balls-to-the-wall warrior who’d been willing to die for her. He’d climbed a mountain with her slung over his shoulder, then carried her while he ran to the helo on their last day together. He’d run!
“You chose well,” her father said quietly. “I knew Kruze was more than just a friend the second he came into the house, but when he walked straight to that oil painting…” Her dad ran a hand up the back of his neck. “It’s obvious he’s Robin’s father. What are you going to do with him?”
Bree glanced at her parents, both standing behind her, both supporting her like they always did. “I haven’t chosen anyone, Dad, and I’m not doing anything with Kruze. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s not like he and I are headed to the altar. We’re not dating. I don’t even know how long he’ll be in the country this time.”
“We have a guest room,” her mom suggested at the same time her father asked, “What kind of business did you say he’s in?”
Bree took a long, deep breath. “No guest room, Mom. Kruze isn’t staying. He’s a former Navy SEAL, Dad. I’m not sure who he works for now, but he’s the man who came to my rescue in Turkey.”
“All by himself?” her father asked.
“Yes, just him.” She licked her bottom lip, remembering. Her lips had been chapped and cracked back then. Kruze had given her his tube of lip protection and a roll of peppermints. They’d both been small acts of kindness, but they’d meant so much that night. For a moment, Kruze had been her whole world, and he’d kindly shared pieces of America with her.
“Oh, my,” her mother sighed. “I didn’t know that. He’s very brave. He saved your life, honey.”
Yes, and now Kruze was going to complicate her life.
“We can’t turn him away, not after all he’s done for you,” her dad said earnestly. “We won’t. We owe this young man more than we’ll ever be able to repay.”
And so it begins.“Just because we made a baby together doesn’t mean we’re getting married. That’s not how things work anymore. Just because people hook up doesn’t mean they’re compatible.” Although Bree and Kruze had certainly been compatible in Paris.
“But you love him,” her mother declared quietly. “You’re not fooling me. I see how much you care for him in your eyes. And you’ve never brought a man home before, not even when you were in college.”
“No, Mom. I don’t love Kruze. Lord, I was only with him once before Turkey. That was Paris, remember?” How could they forget?
Her mother lifted her chin like mothers who thought they knew everything did. “He’s the guy who walked out on you?”
“Yup.” Unintentionally, Bree made the P pop, darn it. Just like Kruze. Was he rubbing off on her? “He walked away from me then, and you two know the rest of that story. That night in Paris was a mistake. Let’s talk later. I don’t want Robin to overhear us. Look at her.”
Robin hadn’t taken her eyes off Kruze. The poor, sweet thing was drooling. Bree knew the feeling. Kruze might be rough around the edges during hair-raising operations, but he was the most beautiful male she’d ever laid eyes on. Chiseled, like a marble statue in the Louvre, that was what he was, and he had no problem walking straight into danger. Make that running. He was durable, made tougher than most to take risks others wouldn’t dare take, and he’d come out of that rescue operation smelling like a rose. A rugged, melt in your mouth, manly rose.
Bree’s dad grunted. “Youlook at her, Bree. That little girl of yours is in love with… Her. Father. Robin hasn’t taken her eyes offMister Kruzelong enough to color anything. He’s doing all the work. She’s—”
“Entranced,” Bree’s mother murmured. “Robin’s got the same look on her face that you did when he touched her in that portrait.”
Oh, Lord, Mom was right. The sight of Kruze standing there with his mouth open had made for one heck of a heart-stopping moment, and Robin was certainly watching her father intently now. She wasn’t coloring, but she was thinking too much. Calculating. Her lips were pinched. She’d cock her head one way, then the other, like she was trying to figure him out.
They looked exactly alike. Robin probably felt as if she were looking in a mirror. She’d lean over the edge of the table and look down at the long, manly legs tucked beneath it. Every once in a while, she patted the back of his hand or stroked his biceps. She liked touching his hair. He’d smile at her. She’d grin up at him. Bree wondered what was going on in that smart little girl’s mind. Either Robin was encouraging Kruze, or she needed to make sure he was real.
“Come on, you two,” Bree’s mother said. “Let’s talk in the kitchen where it’s more private. I’ll make coffee.”
