A Navy SEAL's Surprise Baby Read Online Free PDF Page B

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?
    *
    “ S O 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