Burned (21 page)
Oh, no…
Sean whirled on Gage. “What did you do?” He stood up and wiped at his mouth as though he could scrub away and erase what he’d eaten.
Gage shrugged, his blue eyes dancing with glee. “Secret ingredient brownies. Hunt added the secret ingredient though.”
Sean rounded on the team leader. “What the hell’s in them, man?”
Snickering, Hunter stood and picked up his plate. “Chocolate. Mostly made up of extra strength laxatives.”
Zahra covered her mouth with a hand as the other guys broke into howls of laughter.
“You asshole,” Sean snarled, then stared in horror at the lone brownie on the platter. “
Shit
.”
“Yep, that about covers it, on both counts. Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it? You guys have a good flight this afternoon.” Hunter winked at Zahra and took his plate to the sink as well.
Pale, a little sweaty, Sean put a hand to his stomach and looked up at her. “Oh my God, I ate six of them.”
Wonderful, she thought with a grudging giggle, knowing she’d never understand what made these alpha males tick. Wasn’t this going to be a fun trip to Coeur d’Alene?
Seated on Sean’s mother’s favorite chair in the living room with her leg propped up on an ottoman and a cozy flannel throw tucked around her, Zahra soaked up the comfort of the house Sean had grown up in. Just the immediate family was there because Sean’s sister-in-law and niece were away visiting her parents in Washington State. Mrs. Dunphy was currently in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on dinner while Sean was outside with his dad and brother manning the grill. While she felt dumb sitting on her ass during her first impression with the family, no one would let her lift a finger, much less get up to help any of them. The flight had left her leg and even her foot swollen, so the rest felt wonderful.
The afternoon and plane ride had been eventful, since Sean had made frequent use of the facilities despite the bottle of anti-diarrhea medication he’d gobbled down in a futile effort to combat the laxative-laced brownies. As soon as he’d found out what Hunter and Gage had done, Sean did what any sane person would and ran to the bathroom to jam his finger down his throat and puke up everything he could.
She didn’t know how much of the stuff Hunter and Gage had put into the batter, but it must have been a lot because even with the little bit that Sean had actually ingested, he couldn’t make it more than half an hour without bolting for the bathroom. It would have been funnier than hell if she hadn’t felt so bad for the guy. Not that this lesson would do anything to stop him from pulling more pranks on the others in the future. No, she was pretty sure this had only sparked a prank war.
Sean’s mother came out of the kitchen with a glass of iced tea and a small plate of sliced homemade banana bread. She was a friendly, petite woman with dark brown hair styled into a sleek angled bob, and dark eyes that crinkled around the corners when she smiled. She set them down on the side table next to Zahra just as Sean came in from the deck through the sliding glass doors. Without glancing at them he rushed up the stairs for the guest bathroom once more.
His mother shook her head and grinned as she sank onto the sofa next to Zahra’s chair. “First time that boy brings home a woman he’s serious about and he’s so nervous he’s in the bathroom all night.”
Zahra smothered a laugh, deciding not to reveal the true source of Sean’s torment. “I’m really the first?”
The woman’s deep brown eyes sparkled with warmth. “You are. So I’m doubly thrilled that you’ve come to visit. We don’t get to see Sean as often as we’d like, with his job and all the traveling he has to do. Maybe now he’ll come home more often and bring you with him.”
While everything was new and she didn’t know exactly what sort of expectations she had for their relationship, Zahra did know she wanted to be a permanent part of his life. “I’d like that.” She picked up her glass of iced tea to give her hands something to do so she wouldn’t fidget. Being here was the perfect break for her, but seeing the tight knit family dynamic going on put a lump in her throat. She’d never been part of a real family before and right now missed her mom more than ever.
“Do you need anything else? Dinner won’t be much longer.”
“No, this is perfect, thanks.” It felt strange to have strangers fussing over her, but kind of nice.
Sean emerged at the foot of the stairs a few moments later, still looking a little pale. His mother shook her head at him. “There’s really no need to be so nervous,” she chided. “We’ve already decided she’s a keeper.”
A proud smile broke over his face as he crossed the room toward them. “I already decided that too.”
His mom flashed her a wide-eyed
Oh-my-God-did-you-just-hear-that
look and did a terrible job of hiding her smile as she bit into a piece of banana bread. “So, how long did you say you’ll be in town?” she asked him casually, though even Zahra could tell the question was anything but.
“A few days.” Sean lowered himself onto the ottoman and carefully lifted her leg to position it across his thighs then took her foot between his strong hands, massaging her tender sole as he continued. Zahra barely held back a moan of bliss. “With the investigation taking off we’ll both be needed back at work shortly. Luckily Zahra’s boss has a soft spot for her and was willing to let me have some time off so I could whisk her away for a while.”
“Well I should think so, after what happened to her,” his mother replied indignantly, nodding at Zahra’s bandaged leg. “But are you sure you don’t want to stay here with us rather than at the hotel? Look at how comfy she is now. After dinner you can just tuck her in upstairs instead of putting her in the car and making her move around more than necessary getting around the hotel.”
“Thanks, but we’ve already booked a room.”
“So cancel it. For heaven’s sake, if you’re worried about needing to use the bathroom so much, just use the one downstairs later.”
“It’s not that.” Sean looked up at Zahra and gave her a private smile. The heated look in his eyes, combined with the sinfully wonderful massage he was performing, made her toes curl and her belly flutter with anticipation. That look in his eyes told her that him wanting the privacy of a hotel room had nothing to do with his current predicament and everything to do with getting her naked and making her cry out his name once they were in bed.
His mother turned to her. “Zahra, it should be your call, so if you decide you want to stay here instead, you’re more than welcome. Don’t you let my son boss you around.”
Zahra had to laugh. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. He’ll always know where he stands with me.”
“Steaks are done,” Sean’s brother suddenly called through from out on the deck. “Let’s eat, people.”
Sean’s mother shot her an encouraging smile and got up to head into the kitchen. Sean reached out to take Zahra’s glass from her and eased out from beneath her sore leg. He knelt beside her chair and set a hand on the back of her neck. “We haven’t even been here two hours and my mom’s already in love with you. You are so in,” he said with a laugh, leaning in to kiss her.
Seeing him so relaxed and happy, knowing that his family seemed to have accepted her so far, filled her with joy. “I like them. I’ve always wanted to be part of a real family,” she added softly, feeling suddenly shy.
At her quiet admission he pulled back and searched her eyes. The answering tenderness in his gaze turned her heart over because she knew he understood what she meant. “Well hell, and you got stuck with mine?” Kissing her on the mouth once more, he pulled the blanket off her and lifted her into his arms. “Come on then, sweetness. Time to baptize you into the clan with your first official Dunphy dinner. Should be a memorable experience for you,” he added wryly.
That it would be, and she was looking forward to it.
Wrapping her arms around his sturdy neck, Zahra snuggled into his strong embrace and allowed him to carry her to the dinner table where her new adoptive family waited.
The End
Titanium Security Series (romantic suspense)
Ignited
Singed
Burned
Bagram Special Ops Series (military romantic suspense)
Deadly Descent
Tactical Strike
Lethal Pursuit (September 2013)
Suspense Series (romantic suspense)
Out of Her League
Cover of Darkness
No Turning Back
Relentless
Absolution
Empowered Series (paranormal romance)
Darkest Caress
Historical Romance
The Vacant Chair
Another big thank you to my support team, Katie Reus and my hubby Todd. Your constant encouragement means so much to me and I appreciate the gift of you both being in my life! Love you guys.
Also, thanks to author Julieanne Reeves and J.R.T. editing, for giving this story a run through with fresh eyes. It needed it!
Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and sons. You can visit Kaylea at
www.kayleacross.com