A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby. Laura Marie Altom
always deserved.
Pandora turned on the overhead light, heated the formula and poured the liquid into Quinn’s bottle. But as she tried to add water to the pan with one hand, it slipped, clanging Quinn into instant, startled tears.
“I’m sorry,” she crooned, setting the bottle on the counter to free both her arms for soothing. “I didn’t mean to scare you. It was just a loud noise. Nothing really scary.” Like the nightmares she still had of the day her Julia had been taken.
“Everything all right?” Calder, wearing nothing but athletic shorts, hovered on the kitchen’s threshold. As was beginning to be habit, her mouth went dry at just the sight of him and her pulse raced. At what point did her body get the memo that as her boss, not only was the man off limits, but she had no interest in romance—period? Her life’s sole focus was regaining custody of her child.
“Fine,” she murmured, wishing she wore more than a flimsy, too-short nightgown. “Sorry we woke you. I dropped a pan, which scared this guy.”
“Glad it was nothing major.” He ambled toward the fridge. “Got anything good in here?”
“There’s leftover meat loaf from dinner. If you’ll take Quinn, I’ll make you a sandwich.”
He groaned. “I know making late-night snacks for me is hardly the job description I gave to your agency, but man, does that sound like a good trade.”
Laughing, she handed him the baby, trying to ignore the almost electric awareness stemming from an act as simple as brushing against his hands and forearms. Even harder to ignore, though, was the heat radiating from his magnificent chest—and his smell. Manly soap mixed with faint sweat.
Reminding herself of the task at hand, she made quick work of assembling his meal while he sat at the table with Quinn. “Ketchup or mayo?”
“Gotta go with ketchup.”
“Warm or cold?”
With another happy groan, he asked, “Woman, how has some lucky guy not snatched you up?”
If he only knew.... “Stick to the question at hand, sir.”
“Fair enough.” He failed to look remotely chastised. “I’m used to eating pretty near anything, anywhere, but since you asked, warm sounds off-the-chart good.”
She nuked the sandwich. When the microwave dinged, she set his plate in front of him. “Be careful. It could be too hot.”
“Thanks. If this tastes anywhere near as good as it smells, I might steal you away from Quinn to make you my personal chef.”
Pandora held out her arms for the baby, steeling herself to disregard any physical pleasure stemming from the exchange. “Judging by what you’ve told me about your eating habits, sounds like he needs me more than you.”
“Probably true.”
When Calder took his first bite, Pandora realized she’d been holding her breath in anticipation of his verdict. It shouldn’t matter whether or not he liked her silly sandwich, but it did.
Only when he smiled did she exhale. “All I can say is wow. If the mashed-up food you feed Quinn is half as good as this, he is one lucky kid.”
Fairly glowing from Calder’s compliment, Pandora had the feeling she was the lucky one.
After his latest bite, Calder glanced at her, then cocked his head. “You look different.”
“I’m, um, not wearing my glasses. They’re mainly for reading and driving. Long-distance stuff.”
He nodded. “You look good—not that I mind glasses, just that...” He reddened. “I’m gonna finish my sandwich.”
Mortification didn’t come close to describing the emotion surging through Pandora. She looked good? What did that even mean? In manspeak, was that a step above ugly, yet beneath homely? Moreover, why did she care?
* * *
“SO IT’S THE MIDDLE of the night,” Calder said to his friends during a break in day two of smart-bomb training. “I hear Quinn screaming, only once I find him in the kitchen with the new nanny, he’s already settled down. And damn if she doesn’t look pretty good in this skimpy naughty-nightie number. Her hair was all down and a little crazy and she’d even lost her glasses. Anyway, so next thing I know—”
Mason whistled. “You two put the baby to bed, then got busy?”
“Get your mind out of the gutter.” Calder smacked the back of Mason’s head with one of the wiring manuals they were supposed to be studying. “From there, she makes me a meat-loaf sandwich I swear was better than sex.”
“Sounds to me like you’re not doing it right.” Heath high-fived Mason.
Calder shot them both dirty looks.
Cooper never stopped reading.
“All I’m saying is I think I found a keeper.”
“Don’t you mean Quinn found a keeper?” Deacon asked.
“Who asked you, married man?”
Finishing the last swig of his bottled water, Deacon shrugged. “Just pointing out that for a guy who hates female attachments, and considering this nanny’s only been on the job twenty-four hours, you’re sounding awfully content.”
“What’s wrong with that? As long as I keep things professional with Pandora, I can see this working out for a nice long time. I do what I want. Quinn’s getting great care. It’s a win-win for all involved.”
Heath snorted. “What’s the nanny getting out of it?”
Calder winked. “The pleasure of seeing me.”
* * *
“IT’S A LITTLE BARE, but it has good bone structure.” Natalie, in her official capacity as the owner of Earth Angels, the child-care agency Pandora worked for, finished her walk-through of Calder’s home and set her clipboard on the kitchen counter. “I know it’s only been one night, but how was it?”
“Good.” Pandora held Quinn, waging a playful battle over who had control of her glasses. So far, the baby was winning.
“Care to elaborate?”
“It was very good. Awkward at first, but I guess that’s to be expected. Did you know Quinn was literally left on Calder’s doorstep? Calder’s only had him a few months.”
“Whoa.” Natalie sat at the table. “Sure your new boss wasn’t pulling your leg? He certainly didn’t divulge any of that while filling out his paperwork. Sounds crazy.”
“Tell me about it. Remember how when I first asked about Quinn’s mother, he put me off? I assumed they must’ve had a nasty divorce, but I never expected anything like this.”
Quinn squirmed to be let down, so Pandora set him on the wood floor she’d cleaned earlier that morning.
“Luckily, Quinn doesn’t show signs of abandonment issues.”
“He did wake up around two last night. Seemed more interested in having a nice cuddle than a bottle.”
“Poor thing....” Natalie shook her head, then sighed. “Well, I’ve got two more stops, then a mountain of paperwork back at the office, so I’d better go.”
When she stood, Pandora gave her friend a hug. “Even though your stay was official, it was nice seeing you. We should do lunch.”
“For sure. And didn’t you have a visit with Julia last Saturday? How’d it go?”
“I wish. Her foster family rented a beach house, so we needed to postpone until this week.”
Just thinking about seeing her daughter filled Pandora with anticipation, but also resentment. To her way of thinking, Julia should’ve been