Hotter Than Ever (Out of Uniform) (24 page)

They shot her sheepish grins, because they both knew she was right. For the past few days, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off her. If Claire was in the room, at least one of them was right there beside her, touching some part of her body. Stroking her shoulder while she read the newspaper. Fondling her ass when she loaded the dishwasher. Kissing her neck as she flipped pancakes on the stove.

Not that she was complaining. She loved the endless affection they bestowed on her, same way she loved the deliciously naughty things they did to her in the bedroom every night. There was no doubt about it—she was utterly addicted to these men. She craved them every second of the day, eagerly awaiting their return from the base each afternoon so the three of them could lose their clothes and drive each other wild.

But that was in the privacy of the condo. Tonight they would be in public, surrounded by Dylan and Aidan’s friends, and she was feeling panicky about people knowing she was sleeping with two men.

“You can’t do that in there.” She gestured to the townhouse across the street. “I don’t want your friends to think I’m some kind of skank.”

“They would never think that,” Dylan assured her.

“Maybe not, but I still don’t feel comfortable with them knowing about us. The three of us, I mean. So maybe tonight, just one of you can be my date?”

She felt bad asking it, but neither Dylan nor Aidan seemed insulted by the request. They simply glanced at one another, and then Aidan said, “Rock, paper, scissors you for it?”

Dylan shook his head. “No need. The choice is obvious. You’ll be her date.”

Aidan’s dark eyebrows furrowed. “Why is that obvious?”

“Yeah,” Claire said warily. “Why is that obvious?”

Dylan spoke in a gentle tone. “Because they all know you were going to marry my brother. It might seem, I don’t know,
weird
if you’re suddenly involved with me. It makes more sense that you’d be seeing Aidan.”

She couldn’t argue with that, but his reasoning still made her feel ill at ease. She had to wonder if they’d be having these types of conversations often. Because really, how was it going to work when they were out in public? One day she’d be Aidan’s girl, the next day Dylan’s? Aidan would be her boyfriend when they went out for ice cream, Dylan when they were at the beach?

Her head started spinning, so she forcibly shoved the silly thoughts aside. What was the point in worrying about any of this? In less than a week, she’d be going back to San Francisco. Back to her job. Back to real life.

And real life didn’t include having wild, passionate sex every night with two navy officers.

A pang of sorrow squeezed her heart at the idea of saying goodbye to them, and she had to banish that thought too. It was Christmas Eve, damn it. It was supposed to be a happy night, not a time for feeling sad.

“Okay, I’m seeing Aidan, then,” she agreed.

They got out of the car and crossed the street, heading for the house where Dylan had lived up until a couple months ago. The moment they walked through the door, two dark-haired cyclones burst into the hall and attacked Dylan.

“Dylan!” Their high-pitched shrieks nearly shattered Claire’s eardrums, but she was smiling as she watched Dylan scoop the kids into his arms, which only made them squeal louder.

Sophie and Jason Breslin looked exactly the way she remembered them. When she’d been here in September, she and Dylan had accompanied Seth and the kids to a carnival, where they ended up getting quite a scare after Sophie took off without telling anyone. Luckily, the little girl had been found, and she looked happy as a clam as she chattered away in Dylan’s arms, telling him all about her visit to Santa yesterday.

“And he said I was gonna get a doll!” Sophie’s dark ponytail swung around, her brown eyes shining with excitement. “And a yellow dress and—”

“—a new baseball glove and an X-Box!” Sophie’s twin brother Jason was talking equally fast, waving his hand in front of Dylan’s face in an attempt to claim all the attention.

“Whoa, one at a time, squirts,” Dylan interrupted with a laugh. “You’re making my head spin.”

Holding the two six-year-olds as if they weighed no more than a feather, he strode into the corridor.

Claire and Aidan exchanged an amused look, then trailed after Dylan and the kids. The most delicious smells permeated the house, making Claire’s stomach rumble. She’d had a light breakfast because she’d wanted to save herself for this evening’s turkey dinner, and the aromas in the air made her ravenous for some food.

When they entered the living room, they encountered nearly a dozen people. The only one Claire recognized was Seth, Dylan’s former roommate, and the tall scruffy SEAL wasted no time introducing her to his brand-new bride, Miranda.

Claire had barely finished saying hello to the pretty brunette when she was being introduced to someone else. Cash McCoy, a dark-haired hottie with piercing blue eyes, who quickly called a stunning blonde over and introduced her as his girlfriend, Jen.

Next was Carson Scott, a fair-haired man with a chiseled GQ face, and his wife Holly, a petite pixie of a woman with bright green eyes, apparently Jen’s brother and sister-in-law.

Matt O’Connor was the one with the shaved head, and his girlfriend Savannah had ash-blond hair and laughing gray eyes.

Jackson Ramsey rounded out the group, a lanky man with dark hair, whiskey-brown eyes and a Texas drawl that made Claire melt.

“Nice to meet you, sugar,” he said with a smile, sticking out his hand.

Smiling back, she shook his big, callused hand. He held on a little too long, and the appreciation flaring in his eyes was hard to miss.

Dylan and Aidan didn’t miss it, either, because suddenly she was being ushered toward the couch and told to sit down and take a load off.

She hid a grin, kind of enjoying the possessive way they’d dragged her from the sexy Texan.

Other than Aidan, every man in the room was a SEAL, and every woman was outgoing and talkative. For the next hour, Claire found herself in a million different conversations that were impossible to keep up with, and through it all, Miranda’s twins bounced around the room from person to person, or ran around the eight-foot Douglas fir in delight.

“Sorry about them.” Miranda leaned in from the other couch and shot Claire an apologetic smile. “They’re super excited because this is the first year we’ve had such an enormous tree. Well, that and because they get to spend Christmas with Seth this year.”

Claire smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. Your kids are adorable.”

“I think so too.” Miranda stood up and searched the room for her husband. “Seth, help me with the turkey?” she called out.

Seth didn’t even hesitate. With a beer in hand, he abandoned his conversation with Dylan and Cash, and dashed into the kitchen with his wife.

“Oh, he’s so whipped,” Jen said with a laugh. “I absolutely love it.”

Claire glanced back at the blonde, who was sitting right beside her. Aidan was on Claire’s other side; he wasn’t touching her, but the heat of his thigh and scent of his aftershave were comforting. There were so many people here, all of them strangers to her, and a part of her felt like an interloper.

At least until Jen grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Look, I promised Cash I wouldn’t bring this up—” She rolled her big blue eyes. “He thinks it’s inappropriate holiday subject matter. But I just want you to know that Dylan’s brother is a total douchebag.”

Claire choked out a giggle. “Wow. Well. That’s honest.”

“I’m serious. Everything I know about the guy, I absolutely hate.”

“Me too,” Holly Scott chimed in from the other end of the sofa. “I met him right after Dylan joined the team, and all he did was drone on and on about cigars. Do I
look
like a cigar aficionado? Why did he pick me, of all people, to have that conversation with?”

“At least you didn’t get the golf talk,” Jen told her sister-in-law. “When I met him, he went on for a good half hour about the new putter he bought.”

Claire sighed. “Yeah, Chris is really obsessed with that putter.”

“I’m so sorry he walked out on you on your wedding day.” Jen’s voice was laced with genuine sympathy. “That’s unforgivable and you deserve a whole lot better.”

“Thanks. But if I’m being honest, I was relieved he didn’t want to go through with it. I think I knew marrying him would be a mistake, but I just couldn’t admit it to myself.”

“It still doesn’t excuse his taking off,” Jen declared. “I can’t believe someone like that is actually related to Dylan. Dylan’s like the sweetest guy on the planet.”

“He’s been pretty wonderful these past couple of weeks,” Claire confessed.

“Hey, sis, come settle an argument between me and McCoy.” Carson’s booming voice sounded from across the room.

Jen rolled her eyes again. “I love how I’ve become their referee. Every time they bicker, I’m the one they both look at, thinking I’ll back them up.”

“I’ll go with you, hon,” Jen’s sister-in-law offered with a laugh. “That way you can take Cash’s side and I’ll take Carson’s, and everyone’s happy.”

Claire grinned as the two women excused themselves. That left an empty spot beside her, which Jackson quickly took advantage of.

Dylan, who’d been chatting with Matt and Savannah, immediately swiveled his head, tensing up when he spotted Claire’s new couch mate. He didn’t march over like a caveman, but he did keep an eye on them, which made her want to laugh.

“So, sugar, how much longer are you in town for?” Jackson asked in that deep, sexy voice of his.

“Just another week.”

She felt Aidan stiffen, but he didn’t say a word.

“Did you get a chance to do some exploring? Please tell me those boys have been showin’ you a good time.”

Oh, he didn’t know the half of it…

“Yeah, we did a few things,” she said vaguely. “It’s been fun.”

Aidan chuckled softly.

“Well, if you need another tour guide, I’d be happy to show you a few places, sugar.” Jackson flashed a devilish smile that succeeded in making her heart skip a beat.

Lord, did the SEAL program only recruit heartthrobs or was it simply a coincidence that all of Dylan’s teammates were drop-dead gorgeous and oozed charm?

She thought she’d managed to mask her reaction to Jackson’s killer grin, but clearly she hadn’t, because suddenly Aidan’s arm came around her, his hand resting possessively on her shoulder.

Jackson immediately got the hint, his eyebrows rising. “Ah, Rhodes has already staked his claim, I see.”

As usual, Claire’s cheeks turned bright red. She didn’t quite like the idea that she was something to be “claimed”, but Jackson’s blatant appreciation combined with Aidan’s obvious jealousy and Dylan’s watchful gaze did wonders for her ego.

How many other woman could say they had three very attractive men interested in them?

“Dinner’s ready! Get your asses in here, boys and girls.” Seth’s mocking voice wafted out of the kitchen, prompting Jackson to shoot her one last grin before he wandered off.

Claire was about to get up when Aidan tugged on her hand. He pulled her toward him and kissed her before she could protest. Brushed those firm lips over hers, slipped her a little tongue and then broke it off.

“What was that for?” she asked.

He pointed at the ceiling.

Her gaze followed his finger to note the sprig of mistletoe hanging above them.

She laughed. “I didn’t even notice that.”

Heat flared in his eyes. “Why do you think I told you to sit here?”

“So it was your evil plan all along.”

“Yup.” His endearing dimples popped out. “C’mon, let’s eat.”

She’d just gotten to her feet when she spotted Matt and Savannah lingering near the doorway. From the distrustful way the couple was looking at her, she realized they must have witnessed her and Aidan’s kiss.

Wariness circled her insides, growing stronger when Matt clapped a hand on Aidan’s shoulder and casually fell in step with him.

Leaving Claire alone with Savannah.

“Hey,” she said tentatively.

A pair of gray eyes pinned her with a hard look. “So your rebound is Aidan?” the blonde asked coolly. “I assumed it would be Dylan, if anyone.”

Discomfort tightened her belly. “I’m…Aidan is…” Claire cleared her throat. “It’s not a rebound. Aidan and I are just enjoying each other’s company. Just having a little harmless fun.”

Savannah pursed her lips. “A little harmless fun.”

The suspicion in the other woman’s tone irked her. “Look, no offense or anything, but what’s it to you? You were introduced to me as Matt’s fiancée. Why do you care who Aidan spends time with?”

“Aidan is a good friend of ours. Matt and I care about him.”

“Yeah? Well, so do I.” Claire knew she sounded haughty, but she didn’t care.

“Good, then that means you don’t want to see him get hurt.” Savannah paused ominously. “So you’re not going to hurt him, are you, Claire?”

Needles of indignation pricked her skin. “No, I’m not going to hurt him.” She cocked her head. “Will you beat me up if I do?”