Kira was always beautiful, but seeing her in one of his t-shirts set his soul on fire. Now that he'd seen and tasted every inch of that gorgeous body, no way in hell was she covering it up. When she entered the kitchen, he grabbed the hem and pulled it up and off of her with one swift move.

"Jaxon," she laughed and reached for the shirt. "What are you doing?"

"No clothes allowed in the house," he decreed with a wicked leer.

One eyebrow rose in amusement at that. "You expect me to walk around naked?"

"Roger that," he readily agreed.

Kira looked pointedly at his sweatpants before she queried, "Does that rule work both ways?" Jax dropped his pants, his fully erect cock proudly on display in answer. She grasped hold of his cock with a firm, yet gentle hold and said, "I think I like this rule."

"Vixen, you're gonna be the death of me," he accused as he backed her against the refrigerator.

"Maybe," she teased with a sassy smile. "But you'll die a happy man."

"No doubt," he agreed and groaned when a knock sounded at the door.

"Yo, Blade. You up?" Hunter's voice called.

"Fuck," he bit out and pulled his sweatpants back up. The tent his cock made in the front confirmed that he was indeed up.

"So much for running around naked," Kira laughed as she pulled the shirt back on.

Jax walked over to the door and yanked it open to scowl at his teammate. "This had better be good," he warned.

"Dude, I'm here at your request," the team's technical surveillance officer reminded with a grin as he walked inside uninvited.

Shit. Jax had forgotten he'd asked Hunter the night before if he would take a look at the laptop that his brother was desperate to get his hands on. He hadn't even discussed it with Kira yet. The woman had the damnedest ability to distract him. And she did it without even trying. Like right now when all she did was walk into the room.

Wearing his fucking t-shirt.

Goddamn that was hot.

Sliding a possessive arm around her waist, Jax said, "Kira, this is one of my teammates, Hunter Sheridan. We call him Stealth."

"Which name do you prefer?" She asked as she shook his hand.

"The one you want to scream in ecstasy," Hunter said smoothly and flashed her the wicked smile that never failed to have frog hogs on their knees.

Offering blowjobs.

The comment hadn't surprised Jax. His teammates loved to flirt outrageously with each other's women. The only reason it didn't piss him off was that he knew that none of them would ever cross the line and hit on her for real. What he hadn't expected was Kira's response. Or how fucking happy it made him.

"In that case, I'll have to call you Jaxon," she replied with a sassy smirk.

Hunter laughed his ass off and pulled her into his arms for a brotherly hug. "Welcome to the team, Kira. You're gonna fit right in," he assured her.

"Vixen, I asked Stealth to have a look at the laptop before you give it back to Raven," he explained.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Everything on it is encrypted," she pointed out.

"All the more reason for Stealth to play around with it," Jax admitted. "He can hack just about anything."

"And if it's encrypted, they have something to hide," the computer geek confirmed.

"Not to mention having a backup copy of whatever's on it will give you leverage," Blade admitted.

"Fine by me," she agreed.

Jax grabbed the laptop from the coffee table, shoved it into Hunter's hands and steered him out the door. "Let me know what you find," he requested and shut the door in his friend's face. Turning, he saw Kira staring at him in surprise for giving the other man the bums rush. By way of explanation, he dropped his sweats and commanded, "Strip."

He was pleased to discover that she followed orders very well.

 

***

 

While Jax went down to the coffee shop to grab bagels, Kira took a quick shower. That was the only way she'd get a quick one. Showering with Jaxon was an experience she wasn't likely to ever forget. Or rather, sex in the shower, with Jaxon was. Lord. The man played her body like a finely tuned instrument.

It seemed he'd learned a lot from romance novels.

She thanked her lucky stars for it.

Hearing the bathroom door open, she wiped the condensation away from the opaque glass, peered through the steam-filled room and caught a glimpse of a man's silhouette. Jaxon was back with brunch. When he didn't say anything, she asked in amusement, "Enjoying the show?"

"You have no idea how much," she heard his muffled response over the sound of the water.

"I'm surprised you're not tired of the view by now," Kira joked as she turned the water off. "You've kept me naked the entire time I've been here." His answering bark of laughter had her smiling happily in response. Wrapped in a towel, she pushed the glass door open. Blinked. Did a double take.

Because the man leaning against the opposite wall, arms folded over his chest, one ankle crossed over the other, looking completely at ease, was not Jaxon. His face was clean shaven, his hair was cut military short, and he looked way too young. She stared at him in astonishment as his eyes raked down to her bare feet and back up again.

When he flashed her the same panty-melting smile, she felt a scream rising in her chest. The bathroom door opened and her wild-eyed gaze locked on Jaxon before bouncing back and forth between the two of them. He looked exactly like Jaxon, some functioning part of her brain realized, but a younger, less muscular version.

"Damn, Dad. Tell me she's my birthday present," the younger one said and shot her a wicked wink.

Dad, she wondered a bit wildly and stared at them blankly before her overloaded synapses made the connection. Kira's mouth dropped open in shock as she realized that this was Jaxon's son. Geez, Louise. They looked so much alike that she should have realized, but it had never even occurred to her that he might have children.

Especially not a full-grown son!

Oh, shit.

Did that mean he had a wife as well? Please God, let it be an ex-wife, she thought a bit desperately and fervently prayed the woman was not going to join them too. Especially while she was standing in the shower dripping wet. Her face flamed bright red as she realized that Jaxon's son had caught her in his father's shower.

Oh, shit.

And she'd made that crack about Jaxon keeping her naked. Talk about a horrible first impression. Praying that the floor would open up and swallow her, Kira opened her mouth to say something, anything, but what the hell could she say? The only thing that came to mind was oh shit, and it wouldn't help the situation a bit.

"Nope, she's my birthday present," Jaxon said with a wicked grin before he hauled his son into his arms for a hug.

"Wanna share?" The younger version of him asked hopefully as he returned the embrace.

Jaxon laughed and turned his son toward the door. "Out. Kira needs to get dressed," he said in amusement.

"Totally unnecessary," the young man insisted as his father nudged him through the doorway. "I'll take my clothes off if it'll make her more comfortable."

He closed the door and said, "That was my son, Slade. He comes home from boarding school on weekends when I'm not deployed."

Kira nodded absently and couldn't help asking, "Is his mother here, too?"

"She died when he was born," he confessed.

Relief swamped her and then she felt like shit because of it. Trying to come up with something reasonably intelligent to say, she asked, "How, um, old is Slade?"

"Eighteen today," he admitted and grimaced. "Which means I'm thirty-six today."

"It's your birthday?" She asked in surprise and was shocked to discover his age. Jaxon did not look thirty-six. And he had the body of a much younger man. Then her brain processed the rest of what he'd said. "Both of you?"

"I was seventeen when Molly got pregnant," Jaxon explained. "She received a head trauma in a car accident and ended up brain dead in her seventh month. They kept her on life-support until it was safe to deliver Slade. The doctor performed a cesarean the day I was legally able to take custody of him. Her parents pulled the plug the next day."

"That's… heartbreaking," Kira said sincerely as her emotions ran the gamut. "I'm so sorry you lost her like that."

"We barely knew each other," he admitted. "Molly was an only child. Spoiled, sheltered and on her own for the first time at college. I was her walk on the wild side. Her parents accused me of corrupting their baby. They tried to convince her to have an abortion, but I begged her not to do it. They never spoke to her again before she died."

"They sound like terrible people," Kira said as tears filled her eyes.

"They were," he agreed. "They disowned their daughter and turned their back on their grandson. It really pissed them off when I named him Slade. It's their last name. If he'd been a girl, I would have named him Molly. Since he was a boy, I figured his mom's last name would work just as well."

She was so touched by his story that tears filled her eyes. Kira came to a heart-melting realization. Behind that aloof manner, Jaxon had a beautiful, compassionate soul. And she knew beyond a doubt that he owned her heart. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.

He'd barely been an adult himself, and he'd taken custody of his son. There weren't many men who would do the same thing. She'd be willing to bet that he was a wonderful father. "You are such a good man, Jaxon Caulder," she said seriously. "Molly was lucky that you were the father of her child."

***

His heart had been in his throat waiting for her reaction since he walked into the bathroom. It hadn't exactly been the ideal situation for the two most important people in his life to meet. Yeah, he'd known Slade was coming home this weekend. The problem was, Jax had gotten so wound up in Kira that he'd forgotten what day it was.

She had looked completely shell-shocked to discover that he had a son, and that had scared the hell out of him. Because Jax loved Slade more than anything in the world. His determination to provide a real home for the boy was the reason why a frog hog had never set foot in his place and never would.

Although the little shit hadn't appeared surprised in the least to find a woman in his shower. Thank fuck the kid hadn't walked in while they were making love on the couch. Kira would have died of embarrassment. His devil may care son would have laughed his ass off. Or offered to show him how it was done.

He was an idiot for not telling her that he had a son before now. But Jax had never let the women he fucked meet his son before. Slade was the main reason why he kept them at a distance. There was no sense in letting the kid get attached to a woman who wasn't going to be around for long.

Kira was the exception to that rule.

He planned to keep her with him until death did them part. In order for that to happen, she and his son needed to like each other. So he'd given her the unvarnished truth and hoped for the best. Her reaction made him love her even more. He hugged her fiercely and placed a kiss atop her head.

"I'm the lucky one," Jax admitted. "Slade is the best thing that ever happened to me."

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and then confessed, "I couldn't have made a worse first impression."

His amused gaze took in the woman in his arms. Wearing nothing but a towel, hair still damp from the shower, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Not to mention that Kira was hotter than hell wet or dry. No doubt Slade had formed the same opinion. He was his father's son, after all.

His smile was positively wolfish when he confessed, "I'm pretty sure seeing you like this impressed the hell out of Slade."

She swatted his chest lightly even as that delightful blush covered her cheeks. "Jax, I'm serious," Kira admonished. "I thought you had come in, and I uh, made a comment about you keeping me naked the whole time I've been here."

His laughter echoed through the room. "Vixen, my manwhore son is going to love you," he assured her. "As bad as I hate it, the no clothes rule is on hold for the weekend."

"Are you sure? Slade did say he didn't mind getting undressed." The teasing minx squealed in surprise when he swatted her bottom and complained, "Hey, I thought we agreed no spankings."

"Oh, I'll spank that gorgeous ass if you flash it at another man," Jax growled possessively. "The kid can find his own woman."

***

"Since he looks like you I doubt he'll have a problem with that," she assured him and received a kiss that left her knees weak.

Jaxon reluctantly released her and said, "I'd better get the hell out of here while I still can."

"Go," she said with a laugh and shooed him out the door. Once she was alone, Kira turned and caught her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a drowned rat. Horrible first impression, she assured herself in dismay. No doubt Slade had thought the same thing in spite of what his father said.

His father.

Christ Almighty. She was still trying to grasp the fact that Jaxon had a son. An adult son. Wow. She hadn't seen that coming. Although it did explain why he lived in this building since he'd said that the team members with families had moved in. Up until now, she had assumed that he'd had a live-in girlfriend before, but maybe that wasn't the case.

Which reminded her that she needed to do something about her living arrangements. Now that Jaxon had solved the issue with Raven, it should be safe for her to go home. Although the thought of leaving him was depressing as hell. Even so, it was the right thing to do. She'd intruded on his generosity long enough.

Her mind made up, Kira blow dried her hair before going into the bedroom to get dressed. She stuffed everything into her backpack and carried it into the living room. The sound of laughter coming from the kitchen drew her over to the breakfast bar and the scene before her was so adorable she couldn't help smiling.

Jaxon and Slade appeared to be having a competition to see who could fill baking sheets with pre-packaged cookie dough squares the fastest. When Slade snatched one from his father's package and popped it into his mouth, Jaxon complained, "Cheat," and ate a square from his son's package.

Kira couldn't help laughing at the pair when a good-natured argument ensued. They were just so damn cute. Both men looked up at her wearing identical sheepish expressions, and she shook her head in amusement. "Only men could turn baking cookies into a competition," she teased.

"We take our cookies very seriously," Jaxon assured her with a grin.

"It's kind of a tradition," Slade explained with a matching crooked grin. "Dad can't cook for shit, but cookies are pretty foolproof, so he always bakes them when I'm home."

Aww. Kira was pretty sure that her heart just melted. Because that had to be the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. Badass SEAL, Jaxon Caulder, was a devoted single father who baked cookies for his son. God help her, she couldn't have found a more amazing man if she'd special ordered him. Which made leaving that much harder.

"What's with the bag?" Jaxon asked with a frown.

"I'm intruding," she explained and forced a smile to her lips. "Now that the thing with Raven is over, I can get out of your hair."

"You're leaving?" Slade asked in disappointment.

"No, she's not," his father denied as he exited the kitchen.

"Jaxon, you resolved the situation," she pointed out reasonably. "I should go home now."

Without a word, he removed the backpack from her shoulder and led her back into the bedroom where they had shared the most exquisite passion. When the door closed behind them, she turned to face him and the breath caught in her throat. Uh, oh. He was wearing the wolf shifter look again. It never failed to make her girly parts get all tingly when he did that.

"Is this because of Slade?" He demanded as he tossed her bag onto the bed.

"His being here did play a part in my decision," she admitted. "It reminded me that you have a life and I've intruded on your generosity long enough."

Those piercing black eyes studied her as if he were trying to see inside her very soul. It was unnerving as hell. Then he shocked her silly by asking, "So you're not pissed because I have a son?"

"No," Kira hastily denied. "I'm impressed. The two of you are obviously very close, and it would be rude of me to intrude on your time together."

Jaxon seemed to relax, and his expression softened as he asked, "Do you want to leave, or do you just feel like it's the polite thing to do?" When she hesitated before answering, he pulled her into his arms and added, "Because I'd really like for you to stay, Vixen."

Vixen.

Kira loved it when he called her that. And she was thrilled that he didn't want her to go. A sigh of utter contentment left her as she snuggled deeper into his strong embrace. "I'll stay on one condition," she agreed and gave him a serious look that the sparkle in her eyes belied. "There had better be milk to go with those cookies."

That lethal dimpled smile appeared as he promised, "I'll go get some right now."

 

***

 

When his father ran out for milk, Slade said seriously, "I'm really sorry about walking in on you earlier, Kira. I thought you were my dad."

"I thought the same thing," she admitted, and her cheeks turned the prettiest shade of red. The old man had excellent taste in women. She was fucking gorgeous with or without clothes. "Seeing you instead was a bit of a shock."

"Tell me about it," he agreed and took the baking sheets out of the oven.

To say that Slade had been shocked to find a woman in his home was an understatement. When he'd arrived and heard the shower running, he'd stuck his head in the door to let his dad know that he was home. But when he'd seen a curvaceous feminine form through the opaque glass, he hadn't believed his eyes.

Because his dad had never brought a woman into their home before.

Which could only mean that this one was special or else she wouldn't be there, but he wanted confirmation, so he decided to do a little digging. "What's the attraction?" He queried curiously as he removed cookies from the baking sheets and placed them on a platter. "I mean it's obvious why dads interested in a gorgeous woman, but what do you see in him?"

Kira gave him a look of patent disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," he denied and shook his head. "Most people think he's cold and unfeeling."

She laughed. Actually laughed at that and then nodded her agreement. "That was my first impression," Kira admitted. "But I have to admit; your dad is the most sensitive, compassionate man I've ever known. There's nothing cold and unfeeling about him."

Satisfied with her response, Slade put the empty pans in the dishwasher and queried, "How long have you known him?"

"Three days."

She'd figured the old man out in three days?

That could only mean that his dad had let her in. Because no one ever saw the real Jaxon Caulder unless he wanted them to. "You see him for who he is," he said approvingly since nothing could have pleased him more. "Not many people look past that aloof facade and recognize the man inside. You're a lethal combination, Kira."

"A what?" She asked and looked perplexed by the comment.

"A woman with beauty and brains," he elaborated and shot her a devilish wink. "My kind of woman."

***

Kira quickly realized that Slade was a charmer. And an outrageous flirt. She laughed at his nonsense and asked, "Does that line ever work?"

"Don't know," he admitted with a careless shrug. "Never had to use a line before."

Which assured her that she'd been right. All Slade had to do was flash that dimpled smile he'd inherited from his father and the girls dropped their panties. The kid was just too handsome for his own good. And he knew it.

"Are you hitting on my woman again?" His dad asked as he entered the kitchen carrying a gallon of milk.

"Hell yeah," the younger man confessed with a patently wicked smile. "I like older women."

"You do realize that I'm nine years older than you, right?" She queried in amusement.

"Which means I'm nine years older than you," Jaxon pointed out with a grimace and didn't look too pleased with the difference in their ages.

"Well, I actually do prefer older men," Kira assured him. "Younger guys don't know how to treat a woman."

"Challenge accepted," Slade grinned like the little devil he apparently was. "It'll be my pleasure to clear up that misconception."

Jaxon laughed and shook his head. "Slade?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Eat your cookies."

 

***

 

That afternoon, Kira was sitting on a blanket on the beach. She was more enthralled at the scene before her than the book she'd brought along. The sight of Jaxon and Slade surfing was awe inspiring. Both father and son were incredible athletes, and they made it appear so effortless that she was almost tempted to try.

Almost.

In spite of the fact that she would have made a complete fool of herself, she might have given it a try if the water had been warmer. Like it was, the men were wearing wetsuits to brave the frigid Atlantic chill. Kira had been overheating since she saw Jaxon in the body-hugging black neoprene suit.

Geez, Louise, that man had an amazing body.

She was so engrossed in the view; she didn't realize she wasn't alone until she heard her name. She glanced over and saw a pair of scuffed up biker boots planted in the sand beside her. Her heart stopped beating for an instant. Sheer terror filled her. A scream lodged in her throat, choking off her air supply.

Her terrified gaze lifted slowly up faded jeans and a well worn black leather jacket. Her eyes locked onto the man that had fueled her nightmares for weeks. Wind-tossed blonde hair framed a handsome face partially obscured by a closely trimmed beard and his blacker than night eyes were hidden behind mirrored shades.

Raven.

A sob of sheer terror was wrenched from her chest. She hastily crab-walked backward, scrambled to her feet and turned to run toward the ocean. Instinctively seeking the safety that she knew Jaxon would provide. Before she could take more than a step, strong arms caught her, held her tightly against a chest covered in wet Lycra.

"Back the fuck off, dude," she heard Slade growl in warning.

"Damn, son," the biker said in amusement. "You're the spitting image of your old man."

"The fuck are you doing here, Rave?" Jaxon practically snarled.

Kira turned toward the sound of his voice and saw the brothers standing toe to toe. Raven looked cocky as hell, but he was smiling. Jaxon looked like he was about to take the other man's head off of his shoulders. Slade's hold tightened protectively as he moved a safe distance backward, taking her with him.

"Happy birthday, little brother," the biker said with a huge smile before he hauled Jaxon into his arms for a bear hug. The SEAL's rigid body relaxed before he stiffly returned the hug.

"You know this dude, Dad?" Slade demanded suspiciously.

Raven removed his sunglasses and fixed his brother with a look as he said, "Damn good question. Do you know me, Jax? Or am I just a bad memory?"

Jaxon sighed and admitted, "He's my brother."

"Say what?" The younger man asked in surprise.

"I'm your Uncle Raven," the club president announced cheerfully as he turned to face them.

Kira was amazed at the transformation. The big, tough biker didn't look nearly as scary as he normally did. At the moment he looked more human than monster. He was actually smiling and those blacker than night eyes looked warm and friendly. Geez, Louise, she'd been in the sun too long because her brain had to be fried.

"Glad to see you're okay, Kira," Raven said and damned if he didn't sound sincere. "Believe it or not, I was trying to protect you."

Kira's temper flared red hot at the blatant lie. "By threatening to make me your old lady?" She demanded as she pulled away from the safety of Slade's arms and stomped right up to him. "By scaring my father so bad that he killed himself? You call that protecting me?"

"Yeah, I do," he agreed. "Crunch had been looking for an excuse to off himself since the accident. He took advantage of a bad situation, but his death ain't on me." In spite of her desire to do so, Kira could not argue with his assessment since it was the painful truth.

"Making you my old lady was the only way to keep your sweet ass safe if anyone found out you'd been keeping the books," he pointed out with a truly wicked smile. "Most of the women I know wouldn't consider that a threat."

"Most of the women you know have bra sizes larger than their IQ's," she accused hotly.

Raven laughed heartily and clapped his brother on the back. "I do love a feisty woman," he admitted. "You sure you won't change your mind about keeping her?"

Jaxon slid an arm around her waist and pulled her possessively against his side. "Not a chance in hell," he denied.

"Good call, little brother," was said in approval. "Now where the fuck is my computer?"

***

Fortunately, Hunter had brought the laptop back before they'd gone surfing. He hadn't managed to crack the encryption, but he had made a copy of the data files and uploaded them to a private cloud server. Just in case. They all assumed the files were records of illegal activities, which meant they could contain just about anything.

Jax led his family up to the condo and handed over the laptop. "You need to get out, Rave," he said seriously. "Try to have a real life while you still can."

His older brother looked sadly at the woman and young man standing off to the side and back at him before replying, "Live a good enough life for both of us, Jax. There's no hope left for me." After one more brotherly hug and a wicked wink, he was gone. With a sigh of resignation, Jax closed the door.

"How the hell did I not know you had a brother?" Slade demanded in confusion.

"That, my boy, is a very long story," he admitted wearily.

 

***

 

That evening, they met the team at a pizza place to celebrate Jax and Slade's birthday. Another tradition, Slade informed her. Kira hadn't wanted to intrude and had offered to stay at home, but neither of the birthday boys would allow it. When they both refused to go without her, she gave in.

She was shocked when the entire team greeted her with hugs and amused at their outrageous flirting. It didn't take long to figure out they were doing it just to mess with Jax. The malevolent looks he gave them was proof that it worked. The way he held her possessively by his side confirmed it.

Kira was thrilled at the knowledge that he was jealous and it seemed his teammates were as well. It was hilarious to watch the group of badass SEALs act like college frat boys. Especially when they were interacting with Slade. His uncles teased him without mercy, but the young man gave as good as he got.

Thankfully, Kira wasn't the only woman in the group. Char 'Sheba' Holt and Jenna 'Stilettos McBride welcomed her like she was a member of the family. Jenna even teased her about stocking up on body lotion to help prevent future cases of beard burn. Char had laughingly admitted that she had the same problem with Reed's beard.

Before the night was over, Kira had managed to get everyone's name and call signs straight, and she was looking forward to spending more time with the rowdy crew. They worked hard and played even harder. They were a tight-knit group and had each other's back at home and in the field. They took care of their own and had accepted her into their fold.

For the first time in her life, Kira felt as if she had found someplace where she belonged.

It was freaking awesome!