With a shrug, Kenton let himself into the mudroom and dropped the duffel on the floor. A scrabbling of paws on the tile floor was his only warning before a large dog slammed into him, knocking him off balance and pinning him to the wall. The dog’s head was against Kenton’s chest. It didn’t move to bite him, but Kenton felt the heat of its breath and heard a low growl from its throat.
What the hell! What was a dog doing in his house?
Before Kenton could attempt to shove the dog away, a baseball bat was thrust into his side. Shit. Had he entered the wrong house somehow? His fist clamped around the key he still held. No, he’d let himself in. Before he could say anything, the pressure left his side as his attacker changed strategies and swung at his head. He parried instinctively and caught the bat before it connected, but he couldn’t prevent the glancing hit to his shoulder.
He gripped the bat and wrenched it away from his assailant. At the same time, he pushed off the wall, shoving the dog back as his senses processed who he was up against. He squinted, trying to make out a shape in the shadows. The figure was not what he’d expected. Tall and curvy, the dip of her waist a defined valley between bust and hips. And he caught the faint whiff of perfume, fresh violet.
A woman? The realization made him hesitate. He’d have had a man on the floor in no time, but…
“What are you doing here?” The voice was feminine, pitched low and threatening. Kenton would be impressed with her bravery if he weren’t so damn annoyed to find someone in his house.
“This is my house,” he ground out. The dog retreated from him and went to her. “What the hell are you doing here?”
No answer came, but a blast of light from overhead illuminated the space. She’d flipped on the old fluorescent bulb that hung above them.
“Holy hell,” he said under his breath when he caught sight of her.
She was gorgeous. Gold streaked her dark blonde hair, and her eyes were green like summertime leaves. A smattering of freckles covered her nose and cheekbones. And her mouth was a lush, deep pink, inviting and teasing his imagination. He hadn’t been wrong about the curves, either. The swell of her chest beneath her tight-fitting shirt sparked a thirst within him that only seemed to grow as his eyes slid over her hips and down her long legs. The black leggings she wore hid nothing.
She wasn’t eye level with him—few women were—but she was taller than average. The fleeting thought that she’d fit just right against his large frame came and went in his brain in the split second they evaluated each other.
Her chin came up, a look of challenge on her face, and she continued to hold the bat clutched in front of her, long lashes blinking over her eyes. He needed to speak, but he was still drowning in the sight of her.
Her lips parted, and before she could speak, the sharp cry of a child came from overhead. A kid? There was an unknown woman, a dog, and a kid in his house? What alternate universe had he walked into?
“Oh, damn,” she muttered.
2
“Sorry,” Mia said.
She had recognized his face as soon as the light came on. Kenton Fitzpatrick, the home’s owner. Pictures of him with his family or other men dressed in uniform lined the mantel. She’d studied those pictures, adored those pictures, and dreamed of having his tall, built frame around hers on more than one occasion. And the photos hadn’t lied, he was all muscle with high cheekbones and a sharp jaw.
Dark hair, intense eyes, tanned skin, and the shadow of stubble—the man was a heartbreaker. No doubt about it.
His imposing attitude didn’t detract, even a little bit, from his sensual, masculine persona. Except he looked confounded and pissed at the moment, since he was probably completely unaware that she was… well… living in his house.
She lowered the baseball bat, no longer worried about defending herself and her nieces, and grabbed for Eliot’s collar. Tension still coiled through the dog, making it hard for her to drag him away from Kenton.
“Come on, Eliot. Be a good boy,” Mia pleaded. The chocolate lab mix was usually the perfect family pet. Lovable and happy. But he didn’t like anyone he perceived as a threat to her or the girls. An unknown man entering the house after dark was definitely more than he could handle. Mia gave another yank on his collar. “Down, Eliot. It’s okay.”
“I’m glad you think it’s okay,” Kenton said, his hands going to his hips. “From where I’m standing, someone has invaded my house.”
“Right. About that…” She trailed off as she struggled with Eliot and with how to explain her presence in Kenton’s beautiful home. Another piercing cry from upstairs cut through the air. Most likely Emma. She’d been unsettled all evening, so much so that Mia had been reluctant to put her in the room she shared with Ava, who was the quiet, calm twin. Emma, bless her little heart, was more demanding of attention. But Mia had thought she was tired enough to sleep. Eliot’s barking must have woken her.
Mia felt torn between dealing with the dog, explaining her presence to her unexpected visitor, and racing up the stairs to comfort Emma before she woke her sister. She was on the verge of sprinting away when Kenton barked out a sharp command. She didn’t recognize the language it was given in, but it had the immediate effect of making Eliot sit down and Emma stop crying.
What kind of wonder was this? Even Mia felt frozen in place.
Kenton’s phone rang in the silence, but he made no move to answer it as his eyes swept over her from head to toe. His gaze was assessing, not critical, and she recognized interest in his eyes. The look disappeared as swiftly as it came.
“Are you going to answer that?” she asked, pulling out her own phone and opening the app that connected to the nanny cam in the twins’ bedroom. Mia had only been a parent for six months, but she’d learned quickly that sudden silences were as terrifying as all-out screaming.
Emma’s face showed on the small screen. The toddler was sitting in the corner of her crib with her favorite stuffed bunny on her lap. Tears glistened on her face as she chewed on the bunny’s ear. She was okay. Mia took a deep breath. With any luck, Emma would settle herself back to sleep while Mia dealt with the angry man in front of her.
Kenton touched Eliot’s ears and spoke in a low voice that Mia couldn’t catch, but it was a tone the dog understood. He immediately pushed his nose into Kenton’s hand and gave his wrist a lick. Eliot must have recognized the man’s scent—it was all over the house, especially in the master bedroom.
Mia slept in the guest room herself, but she’d wandered into Kenton’s bedroom from time to time, usually late at night after the girls were asleep. She’d been curious about the single man who’d bought such a lovely and large home. She hoped he’d never realize that she’d opened his closet and drawn in the rich scent of man and sandalwood from time to time.
Something about his scent and his belongings had felt reassuring to her at a time when her life was in chaos. Normally, she didn’t mind a little uncertainty. She tended to thrive on it, but not now that she was responsible for her young nieces. She wasn’t going to shed her free-spirited ways completely, but her priorities had had to shift.
“Would you like to explain to me why you’re in my house?” Kenton asked, now that a subdued Eliot sat at his feet.