Page 15 of Threatened

“Any time,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. He realized that regardless of his preference for being alone, his life had changed the minute the twins had entered it. Now with Kylie there, everything was evolving again. It should have scared him, but the truth was that the future seemed a little less lonely and bleak because of it, even if his time with her was only temporary.

He still wasn’t sure about all her energy and vibes nonsense, but there was definitely something to be said for their sizzling connection right now. Maybe they couldn’t share a future, but they could enjoy the time they had together today.

8

The longer the afternoon went on, the more comfortable and relaxed Gage felt. Once they’d finished lunch and taken a walk with the twins, he and Kylie were settled once more on the blanket on the overlook, just enjoying the scenery and each other’s company. If he were honest with himself, he hadn’t had such an enjoyable day in a long time. Having her open up about her condition seemed to have dissolved the barriers between them and made him feel closer to her somehow.

Instead of being alarmed by that, as he usually was whenever true intimacy was involved, it just felt… well… right. Not that he planned to do anything more than talk with her today. But if, maybe something between them developed later, Gage wouldn’t entirely object either.

After all, they were both consenting adults. They both had pasts and painful things they were dealing with. They both obviously needed someone to talk to and had found a kind and considerate ear in each other, at least for the time being. Everything could change tomorrow, of course. Gage knew that all too well, but for now things between him and Kylie were good.

Maya did an Army crawl across the blanket over to where Brennan was slobbering all over a set of plastic keys and attempted to grab them away from him. Brennan fussed and shook his little arms angrily. Gage couldn’t help but laugh. “I never had siblings, but I assume that’s normal—one always trying to take something from the other?”

Kylie smiled at the babies and shook her head. “Not always. I mean, don’t get me wrong. Me and my sister had our share of fights growing up, but most of the time we stood up for each other.” Her gaze narrowed and her sunny grin dissolved into grief. “God, I miss her so much. Stupid, right? She’s not even been gone a month, and it’s not like we saw each other or even talked every day. But just knowing she was there made me feel safer, somehow. Does that make sense?”

“It does.” Gage reached over to pick up the set of keys Brennan had dropped and hand them back to the little boy. “I felt the same about the teammates I lost during a SEAL mission.”

She sighed and reached over to smooth Maya’s windblown, downy hair back into place. “That must be so hard. Going to work every day, knowing you might die or lose someone close to you.”

This time, it was Gage’s turn to shrug. “Surprisingly, even though the threat is always there, you don’t think about it much. At least I didn’t. Not until it happened. Then it was all I could think about.” Some days, it still was. Since the kids’ arrival in his life, though, he’d been so busy that it had been easier to keep the pain at bay. He’d pushed it aside and compartmentalized it.

“Is that why you left? Because something happened?” Kylie picked Maya up and held her on her lap, clapping the baby’s hands together softly.

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to explain it all to her, and some of it he literally couldn’t share. It was classified information. But she’d been so open with him that he felt he owed her the same honesty. “There was an incident. My fault. The investigation cleared me officially, but no tribunal could take away the sense of responsibility I felt—and still feel. Once I was cleared, I could have returned to active duty but I chose to transfer to a desk job. My heart wasn’t in fieldwork anymore. A desk job wasn’t the right fit either, though, so I resigned my commission and transitioned to security work. Then Tucker and Christine’s accident happened, and all my priorities changed.”

“Hmm.” She rocked slowly, cradling the baby against her. Maya’s eyes were getting heavy, but that wasn’t what Gage was watching. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Kylie look more peaceful or beautiful. And that was saying something because the woman was 24/7 gorgeous. It was clear to him, too, that she was meant to be a mother, whether she was able to have children biologically or not. She looked so natural and content with a baby in her arms as she looked at the vista, seemingly lost in thought.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked.

“You’re perceptive,” she said, and he wanted to tell her that wasn’t it. He was somehow in tune with her, not that he could explain how that had happened. “I’m bothered about my actions in the park. The more I think about it, the angrier I get at myself for taking off after that guy the way I did. If anything had happened to the twins, I would never have forgiven myself. With Christine gone, I’d do anything in the world to protect them. They’re all the family I have left.”

“Same here.” He hiked his chin toward where Brennan had dozed off on the blanket with a plastic key dangling from his mouth. “Looks like its naptime again.”

“Agreed,” she whispered, carefully moving over to secure a snoozing Maya into her carrier seat. Gage did the same with Brennan, placing both kids in the shade. When Gage was sure the kids were good, he moved back to his spot on the blanket beside Kylie.

He rested his arms atop his knees and stared out at the ocean in the distance. “When I come here and it’s so quiet and peaceful, it makes me realize that slowing down isn’t such a bad thing after all. There’s a lot to be said for taking time to enjoy what I’ve got here in front of me.”

“True.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, her arm brushing against his with the movement. “For years now, I’ve been traveling from one place to the next, working hard to make everyone else’s life more harmonious, but I never stopped to think about my own space. What I really want.”

He glanced sideways at her. “You think you could be happy settling down?”

“Maybe.” Kylie looked back at the twins, then at him, her pretty blue gaze flickering down to his lips before returning to his eyes again and making him remember their kiss from the other night. “I think I might be willing to try.”

Time seemed to slow as she leaned slightly toward him, and he did the same. Familiar caution had him holding back before his lips met hers. “Are you sure about this, Kylie? Last time you said kissing me was a mistake and we should forget it.” Like he ever could.

One side of her full pink lips quirked up into a crooked grin. “I’m not sure about anything these days, but I will say that being with you might be my favorite mistake.”

Corny, girl. So, so corny.

Still, the line must’ve worked because next thing Kylie knew, she was in Gage’s arms, and he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. There was nowhere else on earth she wanted to be.

Everything seemed to fade away as he pulled her tighter to him and his tongue swept between her lips to tangle with hers. He tasted of spices and basil and garlic from lunch, and she couldn’t seem to get enough of him. She twined her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life.

Back at his house the other night, the walls had seemed to close in on them during their brief kiss, crushing her with grief and the weight of her responsibilities. But now, with the fresh air and the sunshine and nothing but open spaces for miles, Kylie felt like she could finally relax and give herself up to the desire coursing through her veins.

Gently, Gage laid her down on the blanket then stretched out beside her. She’d never been much of an exhibitionist, but he had her seriously reconsidering her life choices. The warm pressure of his muscled body beside hers, the feel of his hands touching her, stroking her, teasing her to arch into him, had her breath panting and her heart racing. It had been so long, too long, since she’d been with a man she’d truly felt connected with on an emotional level and it was both overwhelming and perfect, all at the same time. Kylie dug her fingers into his shoulders, hisstrong back, his hips, needing him closer, closer, as close as she could get him.

He cupped her breast through her top and traced her taut nipple with his thumb. She gasped and tipped her head back. Gage took advantage, nipping and licking his way down her throat to her collarbone while sliding his jean covered thigh between hers, the hard length of him pulsing against her. Given they were out in the open, with the twins sleeping just a few feet away, full-on sex was out of the question, but some heavy petting was definitely in order.

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