Page 34 of Spring UnVeiled
“I’ve sponsored two girls.”His comment was so offhand Dylan wanted to punch the son of a bitch in the nose.
“I thought you were married?”How Adam knew that, Dylan had no idea.
“Legally, I still am.The bitch took my girls and went home to momma.”His grin was evil.“But as long as I have a family, I still rate my three-bedroom house on base.”He shrugged.“It’s now just filled with Cas and Bani.They keep the house clean, take turns cooking so I still get a hot meal every night, and lots of sex.”
“How come Miss Nami doesn’t get caught?”Dylan gestured back to the house.“That’s a brothel no matter how you sell it.”
The guy from Team 7 laughed.“Who do you think was in that back room?She keeps all the single brass happy, including the base commander and the commander in charge of the military police.”
Fuck.This was bigger than Dylan had thought.
When they reached the cars, the other lieutenant offered, “If you’re interested in sponsoring one of the girls, or two, just let me know.I can hook you up.”
Dylan hesitated before opening his door.He was still on a mission.“Who else do you know who’s sponsored girls?I might want to talk to some others.I’m just not sure about this deal.”
The man was a wealth of knowledge and obviously a little drunk.He rattled off the names of two other SEAL officers.“A couple others transferred out with a winter rotation but took the girls with them.Miss Nami’s boss has the same set up on the East Coast.”
“Thanks, you’ve been a big help,” Dylan said as he slid behind the wheel and closed the door.He glanced at Adam.“Can you fucking believe him?”
Dylan was so wound up when he got home, he compiled all the information and sent it to Commander Dennis.Then he took a shower, scrubbing and rinsing three times, but he couldn’t get the stench of all those different perfumes off his body.He only hoped it would come out of his clothes.
Chapter14
Genevieve’s alarm went off,indicating it was her turn to take over Ian’s care.She’d gone to bed at her usual nine p.m.and vaguely remembered hearing the baby fussing.She yawned and slid her bare feet into slippers.Although the upstairs was carpeted, the entire main floor was tile, and she hated cold feet.Even the thought of trekking down to the kitchen and preparing a bottle gave her the shivers.
She wandered down the hall and peeked into the adorable bedroom, checking on her grandson.
The nightlight didn’t offer enough illumination for her to see the baby.Pausing quietly to peer into the crib, she held back the scream when she saw it was empty.Since they’d brought Ian home, he’d never left the room.
Had someone broken into the house, knocked out Evan, then they’d sneaked upstairs and stolen their grandson?Genevieve’s mind always conjured the worst possible scenario.
She flew down the stairs to find Evan and make sure he was all right.Together, they would find the baby.
But she was stopped short at the sight of her ex-husband stretched out on the couch holding the baby.Both were sound asleep.Evan’s muscular chest was completely on display since he was wearing nothing but plaid sleep pants.Ian was sprawled chest to chest with his grandfather in nothing but a diaper.
Where the hell was her phone when she needed to take a picture?Instead, she plopped down in the overstuffed chair to catch her breath and to slow her pounding heart.
Then she realized how silly that entire scenario was about someone stealing the baby.No one ever got the drop on her ex-husband.If somebody had tried to break in, there’d be a dead body in the living room.Only SEALs knew about the baby, and they would protect Ian with their lives.
For several minutes, she just watched the two.
Evan’s chest was now sprinkled with more than a few silver hairs matching those at his temples.She had several gray hairs but had decided not to color her hair like so many other women her age.She’d always considered hair dying on par with Botox and breast implants.This was the body God gave her, and she was going to take care of it the best way she knew how, without enhancements.
This was the fifth night in a row Evan had slept on her couch.As agreed, he took the early shift and would sleep for a few more hours before he went into the office while she took baby duty.As he promised, he was always home by noon, allowing her several hours of free time every afternoon.She knew that would change next week when he was expected to be at work all day.She, too, should return to work on Monday, but Genevieve wasn’t sure she was ready to leave Ian to the care of someone else.
A tear slipped down her cheek.Kylie should be there taking care of her son.But she was gone—memorialized and buried earlier that day.According to the lieutenant’s wife who had stayed with Ian while they attended the services, he had slept a lot during the day.That evening, nothing made him happy.Perhaps he felt the grief that permeated the house.
Both man and baby looked so peaceful in sleep.Evan looked sexy in nothing but sleep pants.
Nothing.That word rattled through her mind, kicking open doors that she’d slammed shut nearly ten years ago.He was naked underneath those sleep pants.
For the first time in too many years, Genevieve’s girl parts were very aware of the nearly naked man in the room.
Maybe it was the adrenaline letdown.Maybe it was the fact that they had been together nearly nonstop since last Friday night.Maybe it was because Evan held her the way she needed every time she’d cried, and that was a lot.It might’ve been because she still loved him.
It was time for her to admit the truth to herself—she’d never stopped loving Evan Hubbard.
She gently picked up the baby and took him upstairs to his room, but she had to come back down for the monitor.Evan looked cold so she pulled up the blankets, then brushed her lips over his.
