Getting Hotter (33 page)

“I love you,” he repeated.

The light in her eyes shone brighter. She brought a hand to his cheek and gave it a gentle stroke. “I love you too.”

Chapter Nineteen

August

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

Dylan glanced over at Jen and rolled his eyes. “Would you stop saying that? You sound like a broken record.”

“I’ll stop only when you provide me with a logical explanation for
that
.” Jen pointed a dainty finger at the frolic fest happening in front of them.

He followed her gaze, and yeah, even he had to admit that seeing Seth horsing around in the pool with Miranda’s children was pretty frickin’ surreal. But unlike Jen and the rest of their friends, Dylan lived with the guy, so he’d had more time to come to terms with Seth’s transformation. If you could even call it that. Truth was, Seth was the same cocky, sarcastic smartass he’d always been. He wisely toned that side of himself down when he was around the twins, but as far as Dylan was concerned, the only differences in Masterson were that he now seemed to like kids, and that he was madly in love with Miranda Breslin.

“She’s right,” Jackson drawled, overhearing Jen’s last remark. “This is weird and unnatural.”

The tall Texan sat on the edge of Jen’s lounge chair, the beer bottle in his hand dripping with condensation. It was sweltering hot, so Dylan had suggested they hang out at the pool over at Cash and O’Connor’s building. It was only supposed to be him, Seth, Miranda and the kids, but somehow the little soiree had ended up tripling in size.

Cash, Jen and Matt had appeared in their swimsuits, and Jackson had decided to stop by too. Then Ryan Evans and his girlfriend Annabelle had come down from their third-floor apartment to join the group, and, not long after, Carson and Holly Scott made an appearance, carrying huge platters of food.

The concrete deck ringing the rectangular pool offered white lounge chairs and a handful of tables with umbrellas that provided some shade, and the area was now teeming with SEALs and their wives and girlfriends. Oh, and two highly energized six-year-olds who were currently being tossed around like beach balls by Cash and Ryan, leaving Seth free to swim away and corner the children’s mother in the deep end.

“Cut Seth a break,” Dylan said with a grin. “He’s in love. Which is perfectly
un
weird and very natural. Even smartasses are allowed to be happy.”

Jackson sighed enviously. “Who wouldn’t be happy with a woman as fine-looking as that warming your bed?” His whiskey-colored eyes rested on Miranda, who was treading water with Seth at the edge of the pool, laughing at something he’d said.

Dylan followed Jackson’s gaze. He had to admit, Miranda did look mighty fine in that black string bikini. Shit, so did Annabelle, he realized, when his gaze shifted to the curvy brunette whose full breasts were practically pouring out of a low-cut, red one-piece. He shifted his gaze and noted that Holly’s perky ass looked incredible in those boy-short bottoms. And Jen, in her skimpy yellow two-piece, made for a tantalizing sight too.

Son of a bitch. He was in need of sex in a dire way.

Jen caught him staring and raised one delicate blonde eyebrow. “Is there a reason why you’re checking out every woman in this pool?”

“Other than the fact that he’s a man?” Jackson answered for him.

“I don’t see
you
doing any ogling. Does that mean you’re not a man, Texas?” she asked sweetly.

“Oh, I’ve been ogling, sugar. I’m just not as obvious as Wade over here.” Jackson’s tone grew distracted, his gaze elsewhere. “Oh nice, there’s still some ribs left.” The big man got up and absently ambled off to the table where Holly had left all the food.

The second they were alone, Jen snapped into interrogation mode. “So?”

Dylan feigned innocence. “What?”

“Are you really going to play dumb?”

“Are you really going to make me talk about it
here
?” He shot a discreet look in the direction of the pool.

Jen waved her hand. “No one’s paying us any attention. So spill.”

“There’s nothing to spill.” He reached for the Bud Light he’d set on the deck and brought it to his lips.

“But isn’t he—” she lowered her voice, “—isn’t he supposed to come home this weekend?”

Frustration lodged in Dylan’s throat. “Nope. He has to stay in Washington for another month.”

“Aw, really? That sucks!”

No kidding. He’d been trying not to dwell on it ever since he’d read that disappointing email from Aidan last night. For the past month, he’d been distracting himself by training, hanging out with the boys, and hitting the clubs, but he hadn’t gotten laid since Aidan left town, and he hadn’t intended to. Now, with the grim knowledge that relief was still another month away, he might have to rectify his celibate status and give one of his regular hook-ups a call.

“But when he gets back, you’re going to…?” She grinned, letting the question hang.

“I don’t know. We’ll see what happens.”

“Don’t forget what I said about taking pictures.”

“Don’t forget what I said about ‘fuck off, Jen’.” He punctuated that by flashing his middle finger.

She threw her head back and laughed. “Fine. But I still expect details.”

Fortunately, his phone rang before he had to give her the finger again. But then he saw his brother’s number and stifled a sigh. If Chris was calling to announce that Claire was pregnant or some shit, Dylan was going to flip.

“My brother,” he told Jen as he rose from his chair. “I’ll be back.”

He walked to a quieter location on the manicured lawn away from the pool, the grass warm and soft beneath his bare feet. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

“Nothing much. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“Not really. I’m just hanging out at my buddy’s pool. I’ve got a minute to talk, though.”

“Oh, good. I wanted to let you know that Claire and I will be in town at the beginning of September. It’s only for one night—I’ve got a meeting with one of the senior partners at our firm’s San Diego location.” Chris paused. “I was hoping we could stay with you.”

“Of course,” he said immediately, making an effort to hide his lack of enthusiasm.

Last time Chris and Claire had stayed at the house, the woman hadn’t uttered more than five words to him. He was so not in the mood to deal with Little Miss Ice Queen again, but what was the alternative? Force his only brother to stay in a hotel?

“Great,” Chris said, sounding excited. “We’re coming in on September first. We’ll take a cab from the airport, so don’t worry about picking us up.”

“Okay, but if you end up needing a ride, let me know.”

“Will do.”

After he hung up, Dylan stood there for a moment, his gaze taking in the flurry of activity happening across the lawn. In the pool, Sophie was shrieking with delight as Cash and Seth played a game of human catch with her, while Jason splashed around in the shallow end with Ryan and Annabelle. Carson had stolen Dylan’s lounge chair and was chatting with his sister, and over by the tables, Holly’s green eyes were animated as she spoke with Miranda and Matt, who were both laughing their asses off.

At times like these, he was so incredibly grateful for the life he’d built for himself here in San Diego. Joining the navy, undergoing SEAL training, forging a bond with his teammates…best decisions he’d ever made.

He suddenly had to wonder if getting involved with Aidan was a decision that would fall under that same category, or if it’d end up being a huge mistake. Screwing around with a random guy, sure, probably wouldn’t result in much. But what if he embarked on a sexual relationship with Aidan only for it to blow up in his face? For it to end in a messy, catastrophic way that ensured everyone he knew found out?

Chewing the inside of his cheek, he tried to quell the troubling questions. No point in overthinking any of this. He and Aidan had already opened that door. That explosive kiss they’d shared last month made it impossible to turn back now.

Anticipation coiled tight, tormenting his cock. Definitely no turning back. He might have to wait another month, but he still had every intention of walking right through that door and seeing where it led him.

Miranda couldn’t believe the number of calls she’d been getting. Ever since the summer recital, her phone was ringing off the hook with parents wanting to enroll their kids at All That Dance, and nearly all of them had been referred by existing clients. The parents who’d attended the recital had been thrilled with their children’s progress, and several of them had brought Miranda and the other teachers flowers after the show. She was thrilled about how well the show had gone, not just because it had led to an influx of business, but because she was genuinely proud of all the kids who’d participated.

When she’d left Vegas, this was exactly what she’d hoped for. She truly had loved dancing on that big stage at the Paradis Theater. Contrary to what a lot of people believed, the theater’s performances had been more
A Chorus Line
than
Showgirls
, and sometimes Miranda still missed the bright lights and deafening applause and elaborate costumes. But she’d gotten tired of working six nights a week and constantly leaving the twins with babysitters. If they were at school during the day and she was at work during the night, how were they ever supposed to spend time together? Now that they were getting older, it was even more important for her to be a strong presence in their lives. Unfortunately, that hadn’t been possible in Vegas.

But now it
was
possible. Hell, nothing seemed impossible anymore.

Smiling to herself, she listened to the latest message in her voice mail and jotted down the details, adding to the growing list of calls she had to return. Through the glass sliding door, she saw Seth and Sophie in the backyard, putting seeds in the bird feeder. Her smile widened, taking on a dreamy quality as she fixed her gaze on Seth’s sexy ass, which looked exceptionally yummy in his snug gray board shorts. It was Sunday evening and they’d already eaten dinner, courtesy of Seth, who’d offered to cook because she’d come home from the dance school sore and exhausted.

A loud shriek jolted her back to the present. Sophie was sprinting toward the sliding door, and either Miranda was hearing things, or Seth was actually shouting, “I’ll cover you!”

Both of them were breathing heavily as they burst into the kitchen. Sophie made a beeline for her mother and threw herself into her arms. “It tried to kill me, Mom!”

She smoothed the top of Sophie’s head in a reassuring caress. “What are you talking about? What happened?”

Seth approached the counter, shaking his head in amazement. “She’s right, babe. That fricking bird has a vendetta against her. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“It just flied into my head and tried to steal my barrette!” Sophie said, her eyes filling with tears.

“
Flew
into your head,” she corrected, then knelt down to wipe away her daughter’s tears. “Are you okay? Did it peck you?” Wow. What a question to be asking your child, she had to marvel.

“I’m okay. Sef saved me.” Now dry-eyed, Sophie walked over to the table to get her doll, then wandered out of the kitchen chattering away to herself.

Once Sophie was gone, Seth headed for the fridge to grab a beer. “Miranda, this isn’t a joke. We need to burn that bird feeder. That psycho sparrow could’ve really hurt her.”

The genuine concern in his voice floored her. Sometimes she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Seth actually cared about her kids. She suspected he was even starting to love them. The way he loved her.

Warmth circled her heart. It had taken a while, but the apprehension she’d felt about dating Seth had finally withered away. After she’d told him she loved him, she’d instantly wished she could take the words back—not because she didn’t mean them, but because saying them out loud made everything feel so…real. She hadn’t wanted to love Seth. She hadn’t wanted to love any man. For the past seven years, she’d been on her own, and she’d been doing just fine. So why rock the boat? Why open her heart to a man and risk being let down?

But Seth had proved time and again these last couple of months that she could count on him. He was there for her. He was there for her kids. Nowadays, she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life. Not seeing that mocking grin anymore, or hearing his raspy voice, or feeling his powerful arms around her.

Seth twisted off the bottle cap and sipped his beer. She’d started stocking the fridge with Bud Lights for the nights he stayed over, which were starting to be a lot. So often, in fact, that he had his own toothbrush in her bathroom now.

“Does one of us need to pick up the rugrat?” he asked. He’d taken to calling the kids that again, but now he said it with affection rather than scorn.

“No, Coach Diaz is dropping him off.”

She knew Jason was disappointed that she and Seth hadn’t made it to his Little League game today. Miranda usually managed to show up halfway into the game, sometimes earlier if she broke a few traffic laws, but her afternoon ballet class had run late today. And Seth had gone to the beach to work out with a few other SEALs, so he’d been MIA too.

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you. I’m going to be scarce for the next few days.” Seth’s expression displayed a hint of regret.