Christmas was probably the toughest day of the year for Carolyn. When she was younger, she'd missed her mother terribly on Christmas. After she left the Light Keepers, the day became even lonelier. She'd gotten into the habit of volunteering somewhere on Christmas Day—a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, wherever help was needed. This year, she'd offered to help Suzanne Marshall at the Star Bright Shelter for Teens, which offered a temporary home for runaways.

The Knight brothers were having their first Christmas together in years, now that both Tobias and Ben were out of the military. She had to admit that a sense of sharp envy filled her as he walked away, down her little walkway, past thorny winter rosebushes.

He was heading for his family, while she was alone. As always.

But she was completely wrong, as it turned out. Suzanne had recruited more friends and practically the entire crew of Jupiter Point hotshots.

Her husband, Josh, and their little daughter Faith, now a boisterous toddler, were helping out—in Faith's case, by sampling pie dough by the handful. Rollo Wareham and his fiancée Brianna Gallagher, and Lisa Peretti and her boyfriend Finn Abrams were peeling potatoes, chopping up vegetables, arguing about how long turkey should be cooked, tossing big bowls of winter greens. Evie and Sean Marcus, who were with Evie's parents, had sent a gigantic basket filled with oranges and figs and chocolates.

About twenty kids lived at the shelter; all had left home for dire reasons that Carolyn didn't know about. All she knew was that they were away from their families, and she knew exactly how that felt. She'd left because she wanted to, but being away from her father and stepmother left a big hole in her heart. Especially on Christmas.

But this Christmas, for the first time, she wasn't quite as sad. She could still feel Tobias’s big warm body next to hers, his hand resting on her hip when they woke up that morning. His rumbling voice wishing her Merry Christmas, the sweet kisses he landed on her jaw to wake her up.

Shelter from the storm, that was Tobias. In his arms, she felt safe in a way she hadn't since she was a kid.

"What are you thinking about? You look like the cat who ate the cream," Suzanne said as she kept one eye on Faith, the other on the pie crust she was rolling out.

"Oh, nothing. Just that it's nice to be here. I'm glad we're giving these kids a party today."

"Oh, pssssht. You can't fool me. You look different. This isn't about Christmas, it's about a man. Don't even try to deny it."

Brianna butted in from the opposite side of the long wooden table, where she was slicing up beets she'd brought from her own root cellar. Brianna was a landscaper and gardener. A green thumb and red hair—a Christmas package all on her own. "Don't drive her away with your nosiness, Suzanne. We need her or we'll never get all those potatoes peeled."

Carolyn laughed; Brianna was known for her bluntness, also known as tactlessness. But everyone knew she had a heart of gold. Especially Rollo, the banking billionaire turned firefighter who had fallen in love with her. Brianna liked to refer to Rollo and herself as the prince and the peasant girl.

If she and Tobias were in a fairy tale, which one would it be? Carolyn mulled that over. Maybe Hansel and Gretel, each cast out from their childhood homes, lost in their own wilderness.

She smiled at the silly thought. Fairy tales were just stories. They had nothing to do with reality.

"Okay, that smile. Something's going on with that smile." Suzanne tossed her long lemony hair over one shoulder. Maybe Suzanne was Rapunzel, with that long hair. Hadn't she been rescued from the roof of her house, when it burned down?

"Sorry, I was thinking about fairy tales," said Carolyn, shaking herself back to attention.

"Good ones, I hope," said Suzanne. "Some of them are terrifying. I got a collection from Fifth Book from the Sun that nearly scared my socks off. No way am I going to read them to Faith."

"You should," said Carolyn soberly. "Kids get it. They know about monsters. Fairy tales help them understand." She looked up to see the other women staring at her. "What?"

"You sound like there's a story there," said Lisa softly.

Carolyn looked away, embarrassed. She knew these women because they were friends of Merry's. But they didn't know her whole story; not even Merry did. They were all friendly and lovely, but she had no idea how they'd react to knowing she used to be the poster child of a fringe pseudo-religious militia.

Josh, Rollo and Finn came strolling over. They were all hotshots or former hotshots, which meant they fought wildfires during the summers. In the offseason they got some time to relax, in between helping out the local fire department and reconnecting with their families.

Josh, the playful one of the crew, picked up his wife Suzanne's hand and twirled her around in a dance move. "Big news, everyone," he called to the group. "Kids, gather 'round. I have a story to tell you about a little thing called a wicket."

The teenagers, a mix of girls and boys, black and white, Latino and Asian, crowded into the kitchen. "What's a wicket, Josh?" asked a boy balancing on crutches. A bruise purpled his cheek; it made Carolyn's heart ache.

"I'm so glad you asked. A wicket, my friends, is something you use in a game called croquet. The famous Knight brothers happen to own a set. Y'all know the Knight brothers, who run that flightseeing service with the little planes?"

Carolyn felt a full-body flush sweep through her at the mention of the brothers.

"They just called me and challenged us to a match. The winning team gets a free flight along the coast. What do you guys say? Do we accept the challenge?"

Everyone cheered, the kids jumping up and down and clapping. Everyone except Carolyn, who was frozen with joy. Tobias was going to be here after all?

She fanned her face, which had gone hot and pink, and just happened to catch Suzanne's eye. Her blond friend winked at her, as if she knew exactly what Carolyn was thinking.

So much for discretion.

Then again, did it really matter? Was there something wrong with her and Tobias engaging in a mature, adult, X-rated affair? No, not at all. Was there something wrong with people knowing about it?

Half an hour later, the Knight brothers arrived in Tobias’s Land Rover, pulling into the driveway with an emphatic screech of brakes. Watching through the kitchen window, Carolyn felt her heartbeat spike as they jumped out of the vehicle. Never step when you can jump—that could have been a Knight family motto, from what she'd seen.

They were such a physical family. The combination of the four of them was like a neutron bomb of sexy. Will, the oldest, tall and gray-eyed, his every move like a slow drawl. Ben had the most carefree appeal, his lips already curved around a joke. Aiden, the baby of the family, the ultimate surfer kid with his blond bedhead.

And then there was Tobias. If you could distill the core appeal of the Knight brothers to one man, you would get Tobias. Independent thinker, rebellious, fierce, strong, protector of the vulnerable and champion of the misfit. That was Tobias.

The teenagers knew it, too. As the kids gathered around to meet the brothers, Carolyn kept sneaking glances in between peeling carrots. Their voices drifted into the kitchen, introductions, laughter. She noticed how they flocked to Tobias, even though he was the scariest looking of the bunch. His aura of "don't-give-a-fuck" power paired with a core of deep-down kindness—kids picked up on that kind of thing.

He was especially kind to the boy on crutches, the one with the bruise. He gave his cast a thumbs up and offered to team up with him on the croquet field. Her heart pulsed as she watched him. How could such a powerful-looking man be such a softy inside?

The men she'd known at the Light Keepers weren't like this. They liked to control things, they wanted wives who would do their bidding. They didn't consider a teenager worth listening to, especially a female teenager. Listening and kindness were considered women's work; men were supposed to be deferred to in all situations.

Fortunately, Tobias’s similarities to the men from the compound were only on the surface. He relied on his physical strength, his power, as they did. He knew his weapons, just like the Brigade men, but that was because he was former military. But he was different in some fundamental ways. For example, he respected her. He treated her like an equal.

She turned back to her task and shook off all thoughts of the Light Keepers. What she and Tobias shared had nothing to do with them. The past was over and gone.

A deep voice spoke in her ear. "I pick you for my team."

Tobias. She swung around, feeling a rush of delight at his nearness. He held a covered roasting pan and sported a freshly shaven face and a big grin. "I'm not playing. I've got carrots to peel."

"We can help." Aiden stepped to Tobias’s side, glancing from one to the other of them. He didn't seem worried about whatever was going on between his former teacher and his big brother.

"Hi Aiden. Merry Christmas."

He gave her an innocent smile. "Merry Christmas to you. May the angels smile upon you."

She laughed. "I have a feeling I'll never live that down."

"That's a good bet. Knight brothers never miss an opportunity for teasing."

"You be nice, or I'll start smoking again," Tobias told his little brother in a stern voice, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Aiden made a disgusted face at him.

"Where's Merry? How's the family Christmas going?"

"Merry took her mother to the airport. She has a gig tomorrow," Tobias explained.

"And we decided that we wanted to share the Knight family love," added Aiden with a grin. "Merry got us this croquet set as a joke, but we plan to conquer the world with it. Starting here."

Tobias put the roasting pan on the long table. "We brought some our traditional Knight family Mustard Roast Potatoes. Garlic, mustard, oregano, olive oil—best potatoes you ever tasted. Aiden practically cried when we decided to bring them here.”

"I did not." Aiden scowled at him. "I simply made the point that some people don’t like potatoes and it would make more sense to bring the fruitcake Aunt Mary sent us."

Tobias made a secret face of disgust for Carolyn's benefit. "Some of the candied fruit literally looks like bioluminescent mold. We didn't want to scare anyone."

"So." Aiden's smile dropped and he fixed Carolyn with a challenging glance. "You and my brother."

She folded her arms across her chest, trying to hide her panic. "Mmm, hmm?"

"You probably know by now that our father is dead. So we like to watch out for each other."

Tobias shot Aiden a warning look. "Where are you going with this?"

"You hauled your nosy ass to Evergreen, now it’s my turn."

"That was different," Tobias growled.

"I don't see how." Aiden pushed back the sleeves of his sweater, looking unnervingly businesslike. "First of all, let me say that I already know my grade, or I would not be daring to have this conversation."

"Very wise," she said gravely.

"So … what are your intentions toward my brother? Do you realize that those muscles are just the tip of the Tobias iceberg? And that he's not an iceberg at all, even though he can look a little intense?"

"I have figured that out, yes. It's true that I nearly called security on him when he first turned up in class. But I have since discovered a different side of him."

"This is completely unnecessary," said Tobias, turning a little red in the face. "Carolyn, ignore him. I swear to God, a kid goes to college and all of a sudden he thinks he rules the world."

"Wait, I'm not done," Aiden said stubbornly. "Professor Moore, did you know that Tobias personally saved an entire village in Afghanistan? He got them to evacuate just before a bomb hit a dam nearby. He got a Silver Star for that. The only reason he hasn't gotten a Purple Heart is that—"

Tobias clamped a hand on his brother's shoulder and marched him away, sending Carolyn an apologetic glance over his shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. Honestly, Aiden had no need to fluff Tobias up to impress her. But it was pretty cute that he wanted to.

Carolyn took a break from her peeling beets and stepped outside for a breath of air, and to watch the chaos of twenty teenagers and a bunch of adults ready a course for croquet. Josh, deep into an intense discussion with Will, held a handful of wickets, which he kept waving around. Tobias and Aiden joined them, and the wickets got doled out for installation.

Tobias walked with Josh toward the first wicket location. Josh was carrying little Faith on his shoulders; she shrieked with laughter and her hands dug into his hair. At one point, when it looked like she might slip off Josh's back, Tobias put a hand on the little girl's back to steady her. She grinned at him like a gap-toothed little imp, and Carolyn's heart nearly melted.

Tobias, she realized in a flash, would be a jewel of a father.

No. No. Don't go there, Caro. Christmas was doing its usual thing—making her long for everything having to do with families. Stick to reality. This is hot sex with a hot guy. Enjoy it for what it is. Live for the moment.