Page 23 of Unintended Love

Gently pushing her away, Clint informed Theodora, “I’m on a video call.” He pointed to the screen.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to have one of the baby pictures.” She stepped back and stared at the screen, where Ashlin stood in her black flight suit with no identifying patches, no makeup, and her thick auburn hair pulled tightly to the back of her neck.

Clint thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. “I’ll see you⁠—”

“Clint, darlin’” Theodora interrupted again with her heavier-than-usual Texas twang, “I’m supposed to tell you it’s only a few minutes till dinner. And don’t be late because there’s company at the table.”

He looked over his shoulder at her. “Yeah. Sure.” Clint returned his attention to the screen and his face to the camera. “I’m so excited about seeing you in a few hours.”

“Clint,” Theodora whined the one-syllable word into three. “Mama and I are waiting for you to escort us down.”

He scowled, still facing the camera. Ignoring Theodora’s demand, knowing he only had a few more seconds with his wife, he said, “Take care of yourself my little tiger.”

In the small box on the screen that showed his picture, he could see Theodora approaching his chair, distracting him from Ashlin, who glanced to her side.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in a few hours. Stay safe.” She kissed her fingers and placed them on her camera. Phone in hand, still connected, she started walking.

Kimmy strode to him and stood beside her daughter, right behind his chair. “I expect you to keep your promise and take care of my daughter and her son.”

Clint glanced at the screen, where he no longer saw Ashlin, just movement. Damn. She’d left before he was able to tell her to stay safe and give her a two-finger kiss. It was the way they said goodbye every single time. He stood and glared at the two women standing in his office.

“I’ll take care of Theodora and her baby as promised. I always keep my promises.”

Clint’s phone rang in his hand. He smiled and looked at the caller ID, hoping it was Ashlin so he could give her their usual sign-off. He continued walking toward the dining room as he answered, “What’s up, Murillo?” He hoped there wasn’t a problem with any of the men. It had only been a few days since he had taken over as senior noncommissioned officer.

“I just heard that the airstrip is going on top security lockdown around midnight. I’ve never been involved in that before. That was usually just you and Javier. What do I need to do?”

How the hell had he found that out already? Clint glanced at his watch and realized it had actually been several minutes. Of course Xena had handled the flightline by then.

“You don’t need to do anything,” Clint reassured his new SNCO. “This is something Xena and Digger are handling. Our team is not involved.” Van’s words raced through his mind: give him a chance. “When it includes our team, I’ll call you in and give you a full briefing. Enjoy your sleep knowing you don’t have to be up in the middle of the night.”

“Thanks, Clint. I know I have fucking big shoes to fill. I don’t want to fuck anything up on day three.” Lukas Murillo sounded genuinely concerned about his new position.

“All’s good,” Clint reassured him. “Head to supper. That’s where I’m going.” He hung up the phone and turned the corner. Theodora grabbed one arm, and her mother had the other.

“We have the most handsome man to escort us to supper,” Kimmy declared.

Clint wanted to roll his eyes, but pasted on a smile. “This way, Ladies.”

Chapter 9

Ashlin quietly processed the last thirty seconds of her conversation with Clint through her mind for the third time. Ultrasound picture of our baby? Yes. She was positive the woman said “our”. Then he’d scowled at her. She had never seen his face contorted into a frown, or was it more of a grimace? Was that look actually directed at her or the other woman in his room? The pregnant one with the big boobs.

Up until that moment, she had been very confident in her B cup, but that woman was certainly a double D. Clint was definitely a boob man, given all the attention he’d paid to hers while they were in Las Vegas. He’d massaged her breasts so gently, then rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger before gently squeezing it, shooting temptation straight to her clit. She almost came when he sucked on one breast and gently pulled the other nipple. He certainly knew how to ignite every nerve ending in her body. She’d bet her next paycheck that he would most definitely appreciate the pregnant woman’s huge breasts. Had he touched that woman the same way he’d touched her?

Ashlin shook her head violently as if that could erase the picture she’d just painted in her mind. The idea of her husband with another woman infuriated her. Maybe that was jealousy, she admitted to herself. She’d been monogamous since he’d kissed her while watching the fountain at the Bellagio on the first night their teams had been together. She’d thought he was drunk, especially after he’d told her that he’d wanted to do that for years. She, on the other hand, had been relatively sober. Since all she’d eaten for lunch was a salad, she’d purposefully slowed down her alcohol consumption that afternoon.

As her team approached the well-used SUV outside the church, she touched her lips, remembering the tingle in her heart the minute Clint’s lips had met hers.

A second later, the video exploded back in her mind, replacing any tender feelings. That other woman was most certainly pregnant. Ashlin could easily tell when she stood after bending over to place the ultrasound picture on his desk. Ashlin had gotten a good look at the small black-and-white picture, too. There was definitely a baby.

“Are you all right?” Kayla asked as they climbed into Father James’s vehicle, headed to their secretive helicopter, since dusk was quickly turning into night.

“I don’t know,” Ashlin said honestly.

“Did something happen to Clint?” Kira questioned as she crawled into the far back seat.

“Please don’t tell me he was an asshole and cheated.” Mia leaned forward from the rear seat and spoke right next to Ashlin’s ear.