The Marine's Red Hot Homecoming Read Online Free PDF Page A

before I leave.”
    “I’ll make a pot of coffee,” she promised, then kissed Jason on his forehead. “Love you. Be good for Daddy.” Then she left before any other naughty thoughts tiptoed into her sex-starved brain.
    During the half an hour that Caleb spent with Jason, Hannah reveled in the luxury of having free time without feeling utterly exhausted. She took her time brewing coffee and indulged in reading a few pages in her romance novel while she waited for the pot to fill. A girl could seriously get used to this kind of freedom, she thought, when she carried two cups to the living room and placed them on the table in front of the sofa.
    After Caleb joined her, choosing to sit on the opposite end of the same sofa, she sipped her coffee. She pulled out her iPad, then dialed Michael’s number. “Hey big brother,” she said when he answered the FaceTime call. “How’s the tournament going?” Michael had gone to Atlanta to watch a pre-Olympic swimming trial that had many potential stars racing in it.
    “Some stellar kids in this meet,” Michael’s said. “Hey Caleb. Good to see you made it home in one piece. You pop the question yet?”
    A machine did the talking for Michael, but his eyes spoke volumes. “Yes he did, but I said no,” she said, then sipped her coffee. “We’re going over the custody details tonight.”
    Michael’s mouth pinched at one corner and he huffed. “You’re kidding, right? What’d Mom say? Dad?”
    “This is my decision, not yours or Mom and Dad’s,” she said.
    “Man, you must have really botched that one,” Michael said, shooting his astute hazel eyes in Caleb’s direction. “‘Cause Hannah…”
    “It’s for the best.” She cut him off before Michael said anything that revealed how much she cared for Caleb, then plastered a smile on her face. Caring hadn’t been enough to get Brandon the help he’d needed. She didn’t dare risk putting Jason or her through that kind of hell again. “He’s leaving as soon as his dad is back on the job.”
    “Again. Really botched it.”
    Caleb shifted in his seat and crossed his arms. “I asked. She said no. Now we’re doing the adult thing to make this work. For Jason.”
    “He’s got a call to serve,” Hannah replied, then searched for a change of topic before her meddling—albeit well-intentioned—older brother tried to figure out a way to coerce them into a shot gun marriage. “You got any money riding on this meet? Someone you think will make the team?”
    “Got my eye on one kid that looks promising,” Michael said. “You should bet on him.”
    “I’ll take the guy I’ve been following instead.”
    “Your loss.” Michael’s hazel eyes squinted. “You should bet on this guy, Caleb. Might get you out of serious diaper duty.”
    “That would be awesome.”
    Caleb had changed every diaper thus far today. She definitely wanted that trend to continue. “Okay, it’s a bet. But I don’t plan to lose this one.”
    “Deal,” Caleb said, then held out his hand. “Shake on it.”
    She placed her palm in his big one and shook twice. When he didn’t release her right away, she paused to look at him. “What?” she asked, attempting to sound calm despite the gazillion electrical charges pinging through her skin and into her long neglected woman parts.
    “Michael, we’ll talk later,” she said, then quickly ended their call with her free hand before Michael caught onto her current state of discombobulation.
    “I’ve missed this,” Caleb said a few moments later. “Missed joking around with Michael. The town. The easy nights where we hang out. I’ve missed you, too.”
    “I.” She tugged her hand free, desperate to break the emotional connection along with the physical one. She refused to let herself fall into the trap of believing that his confession was anything more than nostalgia for days long gone by. “We’ve always been here. We’ll be here after you leave. I’ll make sure Jason is ready