He shrugged. “Expectations are clearly laid out. It’s easy to succeed there.”
“So, back to your daddy issues,” I said, not willing to examine my own too closely. “You vowed not to get a trophy wife to spite your parents?”
He shrugged. “Trophy wife? Never. Married in general? Essentially.” He swallowed. “I’m never going to do the wedding ring and picket fence. What’s expected and perfect. I definitely don’t want pedigreed children. I would never curse a child by bringing them into this world with grandparents who expected them to carry on the Burghart legacy. That’s a hefty burden.”
I checked in with my emotions, but no part of me felt daunted by what Kennedy was saying. He wasn’t saying no to a relationship. Only to one that was shaped the way his parents wanted him to do it. He lived his life on his own terms, and I respected that.
I did that for myself as well.
“Yeah, I never wanted a picket fence, either. My mom gave up a dream career as a biologist when she got pregnant with my oldest brother. It always seemed sad to me. I promised myself I would never give up a career to have a family.”
Kennedy shifted, rolling me beneath him. He brushed my hair back once more, and I got lost in his gaze. In him. In the feel of his weight. The comfort and safety I felt in his hold.
Kennedy leaned forward and kissed the soft flesh above my nipple, then worked his way up my neck. “So we’re in agreement. No picket fences. No two point five kids.” He kissed across my jaw until his lips brushed over mine. He hovered just above them. “Just us doing… this… together.”
My heart stopped beating. Then restarted at a gallop.
Together?
Like,together-together?
“Exclusive.” The muscle in his jaw flexed. “No more dates with Lee Landers, or I will plant a car bomb in his vehicle.”
Pleasure bloomed in my chest. Kennedy was claiming me. I never thought the guy would claim any woman in his lifetime, least of all me.
I laughed. “I might pop a tire on that redhead’s vehicle if you keep winking at her.”
“I’ll control the winking,” Kennedy promised.
I rolled my hips when he kissed me then looped an arm behind his neck to deepen it, claiming him right back.
CHAPTERTWELVE
KENNEDY
“Bingo!”Quincy burst through the door to Ford’s grandma’s house–aka Alpha Mountain HQ–and marched into the office where Ford, Taft, Hayes and I sat going over the latest intel for an upcoming job.
Any time she walked through those doors, she snagged all of my attention, but even more so now because she appeared to be bursting with news.
“What’s up, Flyer?” I asked, leaning back in my office chair, trying not to smile too big. I didn’t need to signal to everyone that she and I had spent the entire night exploring each other’s bodies. Thoroughly.
That I’d nearly made her cry with so many orgasms.
That I’d slept with her tucked up against my side.
I had a feeling they all knew we were together, minus the intimate details.
“I just got off the phone with my dad. It’s usually a painful experience, and I won’t bore you with the reasons why.” I knew some of them, but she was humming with energy as if she’d had a gallon of high-octane coffee. “He doesn’t like me working with Ford because of the whole dishonorable discharge thing, sorry, but yeah. A while ago, I threw out a few scraps about the truth. What really happened because while he’s an expert in passive aggressiveness, he follows facts. Since I work with you Ford, he knew my intel was solid. I knew he’d follow up, and he did.”
I blinked, trying to follow, but Ford sat at attention. “Admiral Mason?”
“Keep up, Master Chief. Yes, Admiral Mason, my dad.”
“So what did he find out?” I asked after pulling the lollipop from my mouth, rubbing my fingers together to get ready to type the info into my keyboard.
She cocked a hip. “Well, he wouldn’t say over the phone. He asked me to fly out there, so we could talk in person, but that must mean it’s important.”
“Is he still at 32nd Street?” Ford asked, using the insider name for Naval Base San Diego.