Feeling the need for another shot of caffeine, she popped a single serve cup into the shiny modern brewer the owners had thoughtfully placed in the kitchen and pressed Brew."What kind of funny thing?" Grace asked. "You haven't been there twenty-four hours. Are you in trouble already?""Yes. No." She raked her fingers through her hair. "I don't know.""Well, spill it, sister. Give me all the deets."Choosing her words carefully, she explained about the mix-up on the lease and her unexpected roommate."Wait just a minute," Grace interrupted. "Are you telling me that, after all the shit that happened to you, you're sharing a cottage with a sex god?""Did I say sex god?" Peyton demanded. "Did I even intimate he was, um, anyone like that?""You didn't have to." Grace snorted. "You said he's a Navy SEAL. I've seen the movies and read the articles. They're all sex gods.""I hadn't noticed.""Liar, liar, pants on fire." Grace laughed. "Sorry, Peyton, but this could only happen to you

Peyton leaned back in the lawn chair Dix had dragged from the storage shed, along with the other outdoor furniture, and let the sun bathe her with a warm caress. She had gone for a swim while he was out for his run and been caught unawares, standing on the dock in her swimsuit when he returned. Her first and most immediate thought was to yank her long T-shirt over her head and cover up her body. Despite the weight she'd lost, she was still self-conscious about her appearance. Surely Dix Amendola had seen the most gorgeous women in the world in less than she was wearing. She was certain to fall short in the image department.Then, as quickly and automatically as the thought came, another one replaced it. Why should she even care? This wasn't a date or a weekend getaway with a hot guy - even if the guy she was with was hotter than hell. It wasn't anything except two people who accidentally ended up sharing a cottage. There was no reason for Dix to think anything about her one way or ano

Peyton rolled onto her stomach and began a lazy crawl back to shore. She had just hoisted herself onto the dock and stood up, water dripping from her body, when Dix came out of the cottage. He just stood there for a long moment, watching her. She did her best to ignore him as she dried off then headed back to the chair where she'd left her tablet. Dix didn't move or say a word, just watched her with eyes that seemed to see beneath her skin, until she was lying down again. Even though she couldn't see him anymore, she could feel his eyes on her like twin lasers.Should she close her eyes and pretend she was going to sleep? Turn on her tablet and pretend to read? Whatever she did, it would be just that - pretend - because she was too acutely aware of his presence."I'm thinking of taking the boat out for a little spin around the lake." He laughed, a rusty sound. "Little being the operative word. That's a trolling motor, and I'm sure won't go past five miles an hour."She sat up, stunn

"Well?" He almost whispered the word, his lips back to within a hair's breadth of hers. "If you don't say anything, I'm going to assume the answer is no, and we'll do our best to forget this ever happened."As if she could.She ran the tip of her tongue over her lower lip. Dix's mouth was so close, she stroked his along with hers, and his hands tightened on her."Y-yes." She almost whispered the word. Lord, why couldn't she just say it with confidence? There was no doubt she wanted this, no matter what else happened between them, But, at least this time, she was going into something with her eyes wide open and no unrealistic expectations.His mouth came down on her again, firm this time, with just the right amount of pressure. He used his tongue to trace the seam between her lips, a gentle caress, rimming the outline then back to that seam. The contact was harder, more intrusive until she parted her lips for him and that hot tongue swept inside. Tilting her head back, she welcomed

Dix snugged Peyton next to him tightly, her soft body curled into his. They had made love twice more - No. Not made love. Had sex. He needed to stop thinking of it as anything else. There was no future for him the other way. His brain was messed up, as was his future. Getting involved with anyone was not only at the bottom of his to-do list right now, it wasn't even on it. But, for the first time in forever, he wasn't a ball of nerves lying in bed. He thought he might actually get a decent night's sleep as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to take comfort from the woman he was holding.He sank softly into fleecy clouds, his muscles relaxing, his nerves not synapsing as he let the dream surround him. There was Peyton Gerard, naked, red hair tumbled in curls around her shoulders, rosy-tipped breasts begging for his mouth, her - Whap! Whap! Whap!The helicopter blades sang a symphony as the craft hovered to release the team at the drop zone. The stealth helicopter, a Blackhawk f