brother-in-law sent me over. He wanted to make sure you were coming to the party.” She laughed and tossed her long hair over her shoulder in a smooth, careless move. “He said he’d come get you himself, but he was afraid you’d clobber him.”
“Your brother-in-law?”
“Yes. Wolf. Well, I call him Big Wolf. I’m married to Baby Wolf.” She beamed another smile. “’Course my husband, Jace, gets his boxers in a twist when I call him that. Helps to keep our men off balance, don’t you think?”
So the blonde was a relative, not a conquest. Interesting. Must be a close-knit family, unlike hers.
The lady extended a manicured hand. “I’m Wendy Anne, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you.” Becca shook her hand and glanced over the woman’s shoulder at the delivery guy bringing her pizza. “I wasn’t planning on attending the party, as you can see.”
Wendy Anne stepped aside so he could hand Becca her order.
She signed the charge slip on the top of the box. “Please tell the birthday boy I wish him well and I hope he grows up soon.”
Wendy Anne laughed, snatched the pizza from her and spun, keeping it out of her reach. “I’ll just take this and set it out with the rest of the food at Wolf’s. Meanwhile, put on the sexiest damn thing you’ve got and come on over.” She turned and winked. “Ignore the birthday boy, as you call him. Flirt with the rest of the firemen at the party. It’ll drive him nuts.”
“The guys on the Harleys are firemen?”
“That’s right. Wolf, my Jace and most of the men at the party are from Station Thirty-two over on Carpenter Street. Wolf heads the Marine Rescue Unit as well as serving as a fireman.” Wendy Anne glanced away for a beat. “You’re the first woman I’ve known my brother-in-law to show a real interest in since he left the SEALs.” More laughter bubbled forth from this likeable woman. “He even asked me which shirt he should wear tonight. He never does that.” She headed back toward Wolf’s townhouse. “Get your vixen on, girl. I’m going to enjoy watching you two dance around each other. Just come on in. Door’s open.”
Becca closed her door and locked it. “Einstein, that whole family is nuts. ‘Dance around each other,’ indeed. Do you believe what she said? I’m the first he’s shown any interest in?”
Einstein whined.
“Yeah. I don’t believe it either. What about all the women we’ve seen sashaying in and out of his townhouse?” She snapped her fingers and he jumped down from his chair. “Want some kibble, baby?” He followed her into the kitchen. “Don’t know what I’m going to eat.”
She was not going to her neighbor’s party. Although, for two cents, she’d put on that slinky red dress she saved for special occasions, strut over there and retrieve her supper. Not a bad idea. She’d saunter in, make eye contact with Mr. Ex-SEAL and leave with her pizza.
Wolf knew the moment Becca stepped into his living room. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He swiveled slowly and the air whooshed from his lungs when he zeroed-in on her. Holy Mother of God.
Someone had painted a skimpy red swath of material over a small portion of her skin. It was strapless, pushing the tops of her breasts upward, inviting a man’s fingers to trail over them…or his lips to taste. His fingers flexed in an unspoken command. The hem of the dress barely caressed the essentials. His gaze took a long, leisurely tour of toned thighs and calves, and his cock stood as if it wanted to get a peek at them too. Her red ankle-strap stilettos initiated fantasies of having those satiny-looking limbs wrapped around his hips while he sank into her warmth—repeatedly.
Once his gaze had slowly devoured the sight of her red toenails and snaked over every curve of her luscious body to her siren-red lips, his jeans were so damn tight his pecker would bear the zipper’s imprint for days. Hell, he’d have to stop going commando if he spent more time around her.
Becca glared at him with those smoking eyes of hers, heavily made up to ensnare a man’s attention—and she certainly had his. In fact, she’d captured it his first day here when he glanced out his kitchen door to see her playing with Einstein in her backyard. With his work schedule and hers, meeting up with her to introduce himself and strike up a conversation hadn’t come easy. Now that it had, he intended to get to know her better.
Their gazes connected and a current of potent awareness seemed to arc between them. Becca’s eyes narrowed and she hiked her pointy chin before she sauntered toward Barclay and Quinn from the fire station. Was he seeing correctly? Holy fuck, the back of what barely passed as a dress dipped to showcase two dimples at the flare of her most excellent ass. Damn. Shouldn’t that be illegal in polite society? He glared at the guys. Just what the hell were they gawking at with lust in their eyes? Freakin’ perverts.
“Wow, who’s the lady in red?” Cassie, his baby sister, pointed with her beer bottle. “Redheads don’t usually look good in that color, but she looks fantastic. That is one killer dress.”
“Yeah. What there is of it.” He snatched the long neck from Cassie. “She’s Becca, my next-door neighbor, and you are not drinking.”
“I’ll be twenty-one next month.”
“Well, this isn’t January, now, is it?”
“You’re awful grumpy for being the birthday boy.” Cassie frowned.
Yeah, well try being the birthday boy with a massive hard-on in a roomful of people. He brought her beer to his mouth and upended it. Lord knew, he needed something to cool off with after feasting his eyes on Becca.
Cassie looped her arm in his. “I don’t need you to be my daddy anymore, big brother. You’ve sacrificed too much for us. All of us.” She jerked her chin in Becca’s direction. “You need to get a personal life. I see how you look at her. It’s as if she were a pitcher of ice water and you needed a long, slow drink.”
Hell, baby sister, if you only knew.
He bent to kiss Cassie’s dark hair. When he’d resigned his commission with the SEALs she had been sixteen, troubled and homeless. She needed his influence and care. So had his other three sisters. His brother, Jace, newly married to Wendy Anne and finishing college, had had his own list of responsibilities. The last thing Jace needed heaped on his plate was four teenage girls crowding his apartment, taking away the privacy every man should have with his new wife. It seemed the whole family needed Wolf’s help to get them through the grief of losing both parents in the hellacious fire that destroyed two homes on their block.
His CO tried talking him out of resigning and had said he had a bright future in the Navy. But as the oldest sibling, he had obligations. Family had been so important to his mom and dad. He wasn’t about to dishonor their memory by turning his back on them.
“Is there any more of that fruit punch you made?” He’d like to keep her from drinking until she was legal… or thirty-five.
Cassie’s eyes narrowed and she nodded.
“Why
