A ray of sunlight roused me from my slumber. “Rise and shine, beautiful.” Mitch planted a kiss on my forehead.

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. “What time is it? I thought this was a vacation.”

“It’s six-thirty, babe. But extra magic hour starts at eight and Chip ’n Dale’s Critter Breakfast opens at seven. Let’s go.”

Kill me now. The only Chippendales I was interested in seeing performed at the all-male revue in Vegas. No shame in my game. Why should SEALs have all the fun with strippers? Beautiful, sexy men dancing around me? Sign me up.

My head pounded, and I just wanted to go back to sleep. I should’ve known better than to date a SEAL who rises before dawn. Hell, it was doubtful he even went to sleep last night; when I had crashed, he had still been awake. Maybe he was doing speed. I’d snoop around later.

This was not how I had imagined a sexy getaway with my hot new lover would go. I had pictured breakfast in bed, another round of mind-blowing sex that included multiple orgasms, a couple’s massage, and dinner at a romantic restaurant.

But this wasn’t a romantic getaway. This was a family vacation with two young kids. And Mitch wasn’t my boyfriend. He was my suspect.

I hobbled out of bed, and then I tripped on a rogue Lego. Damn, those things were sharp. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, rubbed on some sunscreen, slipped into a T-shirt and jean cutoffs, and put on my flip-flops.

Chip ’n Dale, here I come.

I opened the door and gasped when I saw Mitch dressing Sienna in her princess costume. She was The Little Mermaid, complete with a red wig, purple top, turquoise tulle skirt with a starfish tucked into the belt. She looked adorable, and a motherly instinct that I didn’t know that I had took over.

“Sienna, you are so pretty. You look just like Ariel.”

“My daddy is King Triton!”

I tried not to roll my eyes. Yup, Triton, Navy SEAL, God of the Sea. Not that I wouldn’t mind seeing Mitch wearing nothing but a merman tail and a crown, but that was for another day and place. No time to cosplay.

Instead, Mitch looked hotter than ever in a black T-shirt that hugged his incredible chest and green cargo shorts that fell right at his massive thighs. And to complete this picture-perfect family, his sweet son Sam was dressed as an adorable Buzz Lightyear.

“Okay. Time to eat!”

Mitch hurried us out of the room and downstairs to the restaurant. After we posed for a photo at the entrance, we were ushered into the buffet.

Two way-too-peppy woodland creatures greeted us at once. Sam and Sienna instantly recognized them as Chip ’N Dale. I was so out of the Disney loop. I had grown up way too fast as a child. I had never had the luxury of theme parks, fairy tales, and fantasy lands to escape to. While my friends dreamed of finding Prince Charming and falling in love, I dreamed of being a warrior and slaying the evil man who had kidnapped the princess from the castle. Was my sister still out there waiting to be saved? I might never know the answer to that question. 

Mitch sensed my uneasiness. He kissed me on the cheek. “Let me get you a plate. Just sit here.”

He got up to go to the buffet with his kids. I saw him pile Mickey Mouse waffles with strawberries, syrup, and whipped cream onto two plates. The kids returned to the table, and I helped cut up their food while Mitch grabbed us our own food. 

I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to appreciate this slice in time. Why could I not be more present? I was at the Happiest Place on Earth with a wonderful, loving man. He had treated me like a queen since we had gone out on our date, but I was so suspicious and frankly, I was being a complete bitch. At least for today, I needed just to try to have fun and not treat Mitch like a suspect. 

Mitch sat back down and handed me my plate filled with eggs, potatoes, and sausage.

I leaned in and kissed him. “Thanks, babe.”

His eyebrow raised. “Babe? Oh, so you like me again? You are running hot and cold.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just have a lot on my mind. I wish I could turn it off.”

“In BUD/S, we focus on one task at a time. Just get through one evolution. One run. One swim. Just be here now, with me.”

I squeezed his thigh. “I’ll try.”

After we finished our food, Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Minnie came over for hugs and pictures. Mitch paid, and we finally left the restaurant and entered Disney’s California Adventure through the back gate of our hotel. I was immediately wowed by the beauty of the park. We went over to Radiator Springs, the Monsters Inc. ride, and went on the Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, which Sienna insisted we ride on multiple times.

The kids were laughing, and Mitch was the biggest kid of them all. Maybe I’d been wrong about him.

My phone buzzed. It was my boss. I quickly excused myself from Mitch and returned the call.

“What is it? Is there a break in the case?”

“What case? I told you to drop that, Agent Pierce. No. That’s not why I called. You have been assigned a new partner. Please check in tomorrow.”

I exhaled. “Really, sir? I never take a vacation, and I’m in Orange County. Disneyland, actually. Is there any way this can wait a few days and I’ll meet him when I return?”

“No. It can’t wait. I’ll give you the night, but I expect you to report back tomorrow.”

“Fine, sir. I’ll be there.”

I hung up and made my way back to Mitch, who handed me some rose gold Mickey Mouse ears embroidered with my name. 

He placed them on my head and then kissed me. “I want to see you wearing nothing but these later.”

“I’d love to, but I’ll have to take a rain check. My boss just called. I have to report to work tomorrow.”

His face fell. “You sure? I thought you had a few days off.”

“Me, too. I mean, I was approved for leave, but I guess I was assigned a new partner. I should head back now so I can get settled. I’ll take an Uber.”

He shook his head. “No, we can leave with you.”

“Nope. I’m not going to ruin your kids’ vacation. They need this. You need this time with them, too. I see so much joy on their faces. And I remember when my sister was taken, the only time I was happy was when I was distracted. Please stay as long as you can. Call me when you return to town. I’ll be waiting for you at my place with nothing but these ears on.”

The smile returned to his face, and he smacked my ass. He cupped my face in his hand, and we kissed for the whole world to see. And I wasn’t embarrassed. I was proud of being with him. 

I said goodbye to his kids and went back up to the room to pack. After arranging for a rental car from the hotel, I grabbed my bags and waited by the curb for the shuttle to the car rental place.

Most days, I was thrilled to go to my high-stress job. But sometimes, I just wanted to be a normal girl on vacation.

The shuttle arrived. I rented a car and drove to my place in San Diego. I turned in early, woke up in the morning, and got ready to work. 

I wondered who my new partner would be. I hoped it wasn’t an older agent who was a stickler for rules. Or, worse yet, a newbie who didn’t have a clue what to do. 

I grabbed a hot mocha, a luxury I normally didn’t indulge in, at the coffee cart outside. I would need the extra caffeine jolt. As I made my way up in the elevator, I noticed my supervisor was standing by my door.

“Sorry to cut your trip short. We are working on a lead for a new case, and I wanted to make sure you and your new partner got a good head start on it. I’ll give you a vacation later. Agent Carrion will be here shortly.”

I choked on my coffee, and it spilled all over my white dress shirt.

“Agent Carrion? As in, Grant Carrion? Did he leave the SEALs? You have to have a college degree to become an agent. I’ve read his file. He’s a highly honorable SEAL, but I don’t think he’s qualified to become an agent. Do I have any say in this matter?”

“No, Pierce. You don’t.”

Heat rose in my body, and I pushed the bile down in my throat. I couldn’t possibly work with Grant as my partner. For one, we had hooked up once when I had been undercover as Autumn. And now I was fucking his best friend. And even though we had hooked up when he was broken up with Mia, now he was married to her, and it would be way too awkward. Mia and I were like sangria and sensibility. We didn’t mix. I couldn’t stand her and was still convinced she had something to hide. No. There was no way I could work with Agent Carrion.

The door flew open, and I quickly realized the joke was on me.

“Agent Pierce, I believe you know our newest agent.”

My partner stood in front of me in a tight-fitting suit, high black heels, and the giddy look of a newbie on her first day of work.

“Good to see you again, Autumn. I can’t wait to work with you. We are going to have so much fun.”

I downed my coffee and planned to take a shot of whiskey from my flask.

My partner wasn’t Grant Carrion. It was Mia Cruz Carrion. A woman I despised. A woman I was still convinced was guilty as sin.

Fuck my life.