Page 43 of Her Tempting Protector

“And that’s another thing, just how many SEALs do you know? And how close are you to Peter? Are you seeing anyone?”

Did all of that just come out of my mouth?

Her laugh might sound like liquid sunshine, but he really didn’t appreciate it being aimed at him. Cullen waited.

“Seriously, you can stop laughing at any point now, Carys,” he grumbled.

“Come on, Cullen, besides listening to you sing this has been the only thing that has lifted my spirits since we’ve started on this bumpy trip.”

He heard the worry in her voice. She unclipped her seatbelt and, holding the baby close to her with one hand, she reached over the seat to touch Shada.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“She’s breathing okay, which is the best I can hope for right now.”

“Then buckle back in.” He knew his voice was rough, but he hated it when she wasn’t securely fastened. “Then answer my damned questions.” He snarled the last part on purpose knowing it would make her giggle again…and it did.

“I know a lot of SEALs. I’ve been to a couple of barbeques down in San Diego with a team called Black Dawn. It’s been a couple of years since the last time I went, but I’ve gone. On that team there are two men, Jack Preston and Aiden O’Malley. Both have invited me to their homes when I’ve been stateside. Now before you get all growly again, they are both happily married men, and I consider their wives friends of mine.”

“And the paragon otherwise known as Peter?”

“I think you’re saying you like me.” He heard the smallest amount of wonder in her voice. Was she kidding? Had she been living under a rock?

“Not only do I like you, I would definitely be handing notes to you in class. I would also be kicking Peter’s ass to the curb. Now tell me who he is to you.”

“First, you tell me if you’ve got someone special in your life, and I’ll answer your game of twenty questions.”

He really liked that question. A lot.

Adam snuffled and she pressed her nose to his neck and crooned to him. Silent Night again. Seriously, the woman couldn’t carry a tune.

“No, Carys, not seeing anyone. Haven’t for a while. I’m finding I’m getting particular in my old age.”

She continued to rock the baby, but she looked at him sideways. “Old age my Aunt Fanny. We already agreed you’re young.”

“Not in SEAL years. I’m old. I’m also betting I’ve got you beat relationship-wise. Who’s Peter?”

“Peter and his husband Alex have been happily married for six years, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not sure you have me beaten on the relationship front. I’ve been married and divorced, what about you?”

She really didn’t play the boy-girl games well. She led with her heart, she played at a deeper level than most of the women he knew. He’d bet his bottom dollar that she married and divorced young and had been gun shy ever since.

He wished he could hold her hand, but the road was too rough.

“When were you married? How old were you?”

“Cullen.” Her tone was snippy. He guessed she used that tone when she was talking to newbies at the hospital. “The rules were that you were going to answer some of my questions.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smothered a smile when she frowned at him. “Never been married, never been engaged, nor have I lived with a woman. I’m not afraid of commitment. My dad saw my mom one day when he was at the garden center in Akron—she didn’t know a perennial from an annual and she was driving the teenage clerk up a wall. Dad fell for her like a ton of bricks, or as he tells it, a bag of sod. Mom took a little longer to warm up.”

“So, you’re looking for a relationship like your parents?”

“Yep. Kids, pets, laughter, and a love that never stops. Our house will be Grand Central Station for the neighborhood.”

“And how do you see this working with you gone all the time?”

“Totally depends on my wife and what we figure out. What’s her career like? What are her priorities? I’m not going to do Spec Ops forever, this is a young man’s game, and I’ve been recruited for a desk job. Or I might retire. All I know is that my family is going to come first. That’s how it was for my parents, and that’s what I want as my kids start growing up. I don’t want them saying I wasn’t at their soccer games.

“So, do I get to ask more questions? Did I pass?” he asked.