LITMIR.BIZ

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behind her daughter. But at the moment, she was too desperate to argue the point.

      “Emily deserves a mother and a father,” he said, his gaze moving over his child’s features as if he just couldn’t look at her enough.

      Kelly fought back a thread of temper. She’d give him a little leeway here. After all, he’d only just found out about Emily. “She has a mother and a father,” she said, proud of her quiet self-control.

      “Together, Kelly,” he said, in a tone that reminded her far too much of her brothers when they were on a “we-know-best” kick.

      Instinctively, Kelly’s spine went ramrod straight.

      “She deserves to have two parents. Together.” Jeff threw his hands wide. “Hell, every kid deserves that!”

      That last sentence came a little loud for Emily’s tastes, and the little girl screwed up her face and let out a wail that had Jeff’s face blanching.

      “What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong with her?”

      “What’s wrong,” Kelly snapped, feeling the last of her patience unravel, “is that her father shouted and scared her.”

      Shame swept across his features, and he ducked his head and winced when Emily kept crying. “I didn’t mean to scare her.”

      “I know that,” Kelly said. “She, unfortunately, doesn’t.”

      Jiggling the baby in her arms, she cooed and whispered to her, inhaling the sweet, soft scent that was Emily’s alone. And as the baby quieted again, Kelly felt her heart swell to bursting with love for this tiny person who was so much a part of her world now, she couldn’t imagine life without her. Looking up at Jeff, she saw regret shining in his eyes and took pity on him. “It’s okay, Jeff. She’s fine.” “She’s got a great set of lungs,” he muttered, and winced again when the baby turned a tearstained face toward him. He reached out one hand to her, but before he could touch her, he curled his fingers into a tight fist and let his hand drop to his side. “Look, Kelly,” he said, “maybe I said this all wrong. And I know that wasn’t the most romantic proposal in the world. But I just want to do the right thing here.”

      “I know that, Jeff,” she said. “I really do. But getting married just isn’t it.”

      Kelly noticed his jaw muscle twitch and she knew she hadn’t heard the last of this conversation. He had thirty days’ leave, and knowing Jeff, he would be there every day of it. He would slide back into her life. Into Emily’s life.

      And she didn’t know if she could stand that, knowing that he’d only be leaving again.

      Five

      Back at his hotel room … alone, Jeff sat in the dark staring out at the moonlit ocean five floors below him. From a distance, he heard voices drifting in the night air and knew that other couples had found each other in the darkness. And he felt more isolated than he ever had before.

      Sighing to himself, Jeff eased down into one of the twin chairs positioned on the narrow balcony, propped his feet on the rail in front of him and stared out at the ocean. Moonlight glimmered on the water’s surface, laying down a silvery path toward eternity. Stars were sprinkled across the black sky, and a soft, cold wind blew in off the ocean, tugging at the collar of his shirt. A chill crawled down his spine, but he shook it off, too intent on his thoughts to worry about the cold.

      He’d left Kelly just an hour ago, but she hadn’t been off his mind for an instant. Of course, her image in his brain now shared space with his daughter’s tiny face.

      His daughter.

      Jeff reached up and scraped one hand across his face as if he rubbed hard enough, he could wipe away the confusion … the shock that still reverberated throughout his body. But it wouldn’t be that easy. Hell, nothing would be easy ever again.

      His entire world had shifted, moved into a brand-new sphere, and he didn’t have a clue what to do about it. Reaching for the bottle of beer sitting on the table beside him, Jeff took a long drink, then set it down again. All of his life, he’d avoided committing to anyone or anything besides the Corps.

      Not that he had anything against commitment—it was just that he’d never really thought of himself as the family type. What did he know about families? Nothing, that’s what. And hell, little girls?

      He reached for his beer again, even knowing that it wouldn’t do any good. What he needed was a plan. Some idea of what to do next. Some help. But there was no help to be had. He was on his own. As he had been most of his life.

      That thought floated to the surface of his mind, and he pushed it aside. No time for regrets. This was a time for action. But what kind of action? He’d already proposed and been turned down flat. Hell, he’d argued till he was blue in the face, but Kelly, stubborn woman that she was, hadn’t given an inch. Ordinarily, he would have enjoyed that. He liked a strong woman. One who could stand on her own two feet. But damn it. Not now.

      “Back to a plan,” he muttered, not thinking twice about talking to himself. He usually worked out his problems best when speaking them aloud. Somehow, it seemed easier that way. “So what I need here is a battle strategy. This is no different than sneaking into enemy territory. I’ve got to reach my objective and get back out before the enemy knows what’s up.” Unfortunately, the enemy in this case was Kelly.

      She was standing firm against him and what he knew was the right thing to do. And he had to find a way around her defenses.

      He knew how he’d like to get around them, and as images chased each other through his mind, his body went hard and his blood boiled in his veins.

      Damn, he wanted to touch her. Wanted to feel her soft, smooth skin next to his. “Okay,” he told himself firmly, “that’s not going to get you anywhere.” Except right where he wanted to be. Inside her.

      Jeff yanked his feet off the rail and stood up, a sudden, restless energy pulsing through him, demanding action. Maybe a run on the beach, he thought, glancing down at the nearly deserted stretch of sand. He had to move. To get his blood pumping. And since what he wanted to do was denied him … at least for tonight, a fast five-mile run would have to do.

      Turning around, he marched into the hotel room, stalked across the mini-living room of the small suite and entered the bedroom. He tugged his T-shirt off, then bent to take off his boots. As he pulled off his socks and undid the top button on the fly of his jeans, a knock on the door stopped him.

      Frowning, Jeff moved soundlessly across the carpet, back through the living room to the small entryway. He turned the knob, yanked the door open and stared, openmouthed at Kelly.

      Her mouth went dry.

      Good God, she thought, her gaze sweeping over him quickly, thoroughly. She’d actually forgotten just what a hunk Jeff Hunter really was. His bare chest looked as though it had been sculpted by a master out of teakwood. Tanned and smooth, his skin rippled with row after row of well toned muscles. His abdomen was flat with a few stray curls of dark hair that disappeared beneath the unbuttoned waistband of his jeans. His bare feet were braced wide apart in a fighting stance. One hand rested on the door while the other was fisted at his side. High up on his shoulder, she saw the Marine Corps tattoo that she vividly remembered tracing with her tongue one memorable night.

      Mercy. She actually felt heat streaming through her body. Every nerve ending went to full attention, and she knew that if he so much as touched her, she’d splinter into a thousand pieces.

      Oh, she hoped he would.

      His pale blue eyes watched her, and Kelly licked dry lips before speaking, desperately praying her voice would work.

      “Maybe I should have called,” she said finally.

      “No,” he said, and his voice scraped along her spine, sending goose bumps racing up and down her arms. “It’s fine. I was about to go for a run—”

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