Brianna's Navy SEAL (2 page)

Cable could say without an ounce of arrogance that most women found him attractive. He smiled at a bird flying overhead. Well, maybe not
most
women. He seemed to scare Wanda and Celie more than attract them. But he was aware of his rugged good looks and powerful build and their usual effect.

With Brianna, though, there was something deeper. He could get fanciful and say she was a nurturer type and drawn by his alpha maleness. In a primitive way, she wanted a powerful mate to provide her with healthy children. Or it could just be that she liked the juxtaposition of warrior and kindergarten teacher. Whatever it was, he wouldn't be averse to encouraging it.

He'd just about decided to haul himself out of the swing when the door to a house across the street opened. A small, stacked blonde came out, dressed to run in a sport bra and bike shorts. Cable watched her stretch for a minute and enjoyed the sensation of mild, disconnected arousal.

Then the woman looked up and he realized it was Brianna. The general tingling became a full-on burn, and he swallowed hard when she jogged across the street.

"Hi!"

Cable wondered where she got her energy when she bounded up his porch steps. He shifted to lean forward and hide any ... embarrassing sights.

"Evening."

"Wanna go for a run?"

He grimaced. “I hate running.” He'd done a lifetime's worth during training and his tour in the military.

Brianna just shrugged and stepped lightly back down to the sidewalk. “I'm off to the club, then. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure."

Cable watched her jog slowly down the street. She didn't bounce, like he'd expect a nicely rounded woman like her to. She was tauter than she'd seemed, and he found his interest piqued even more.

He sighed, finally rising to brave the furnace. He lifted his leather briefcase and bounced the keys in his hand until he found the house key.

Tomorrow, maybe he'd find the energy to ask Brianna Macgregor for a date.

Brianna had to run more slowly than she was used to until she got her breath back. Nothing attracted her more than a tired-looking man relaxed on his porch. Unless it was a towering man getting ready to teach tiny five-year-olds. Or a scary-looking yet friendly man leaning against a counter drinking coffee.

Okay. Nothing attracted her more than Cable Addison.

The man oozed sensuality and charisma. And adventure, dammit. Some part of her had apparently not been crushed by last summer's fiasco. She'd missed most of the staff meeting today, working to convince herself that was the
old
Cable. A kindergarten teacher was about a totally different kind of adventure.

She'd found herself wanting to join him on the porch and ask him questions, but the man knocked the breath out of her so she couldn't think, much less converse. That had to change. Cable would definitely not be interested in a brainless twit. At least, she hoped not. Then she'd have a lot more competition.

She smiled and sped up as she neared the gym, then mopped her face with the towel around her neck while she signed in.

"Hey, Brie, did you get a load of the new kindergarten teacher?” The front desk clerk was a college student who would be student teaching at the elementary school this year.

"Yes, Rachel. His room is across from mine."

Rachel sighed and tipped her head back. “Man, do I hope I get to teach in his class this year!"

"Something tells me he won't need much help.” Brie grabbed an extra towel and headed for the free weights. It was ridiculous to feel jealous, she thought. Of practically a teenager, even.

But her annoyance grew when she heard other women in the weight room talking about the new hunk in town. Women who'd never before ventured beyond the aerobics room or the treadmills. Brianna tried to hide her scorn as she took over the leg press from a scrawny woman in a leotard and leg warmers.

"He came into the store today,” the woman told her friend, who was struggling to do old-fashioned sit-ups on a slant board. “His head practically dented the door jamb on the way through."

Yeah, they had to be talking about Cable. She tried to pretend she wasn't listening while she removed the ten-pound weights from the sled and added two forty-five-pound plates.

"What ... was ... he ... doing ... in ...
your
... store?” Slant Board panted.

Leg Warmers grabbed her foot to stretch her right quads. “Believe it or not, he was buying art supplies."

Brianna recognized the woman now. She owned the education store in the strip mall. She finished her set and rested.

"Art supplies! Is he a fairy?” The sit-up woman had given up and was now flopped in a heap on the mat.

"Of course not!” the other woman protested. “He's alllll man!"

Brianna abruptly stood and yanked another forty-five-pound plate from the plate tree. She added the weight, then another to the other side.

"Is he married?"

"I don't think so. No ring, and I asked if the supplies were for his kids. He just kind of smiled at me.” She sighed, and Brianna thumped herself back onto the bench and raised her legs. The sled made a lot of noise as she whooshed through her second set. The women glared at her. She added three reps out of spite.

"Anyway,” the store clerk said, turning back to her companion, who was now struggling to curl a five-pound barbell. “I can't wait to see him again. I'll get a date from him, no doubt."

Another woman chimed in from in front of the mirror, where she had a wooden pole across her shoulders while she twisted at the waist. “If I don't get to him first, honey! My brother runs the paint store. He's painting the bedrooms in his house.” She paused significantly. “Moss green."

The other women groaned like that was an unpardonable sin. Brianna gritted her teeth and added twenty-five pounds to each side of the sled, then positioned herself on the bench. She waited to hear what the woman was going to add.

"I'm an interior decorator. I'll offer him my
services
for free.” She tittered in what she probably thought was a sexy manner. Brianna rolled her eyes and tried to control the weight as she lifted the sled with her feet.

"He's new in town. I'm sure he'd appreciate a hot meal and companionship,” someone said.

"Who wants to offer him companionship?” Another woman had joined the fray. Brianna recognized that voice. Darcy Langlais. What was she doing back in town, the slut?

"He's a Navy SEAL,” Darcy said. “We all know what military men want when they're on leave."

Brianna pushed too hard and felt a sudden “twang” in her right inner thigh. “Gaah!” She cried out and let the weight go, grabbing the pulled muscle. She ignored the concerned attention the others gave her and pulled herself upright.

"Minor pull.” She waved them off. “I'll be fine.” She concentrated on walking normally out of the room and down the hall to the front door. Once she was out of sight of the building she allowed herself to limp.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she grunted with every step. It took her three times as long to get to her street as it had going the other way. The muscle tightened painfully as she went, and she cursed. She was as bad as those women in there.

When she got to her own block, she groaned in relief. Only a few more steps. She'd almost reached her driveway when suddenly someone was at her side. In her pain and concentration she hadn't noticed Cable mowing his lawn. The mower stood abandoned in the middle of the postage-stamp sized front yard.

"Brie, are you okay?” He supported her by the elbow and she allowed herself to lean on him. “What happened?"

"Groin pull,” she muttered through her teeth, hissing as he lowered her to the top step of her porch. “Leg press."

"How much weight?"

Brie blushed. She felt it in the heat of her cheeks and chest and hoped he didn't notice. She hated to admit to her stupidity. She wasn't an amateur. “Two-thirty."

Cable let out a whistle. “Third set?” She nodded. “That's impressive."

Brie grimaced and lay back on the floor, letting her injured muscle stretch, tensing until it relaxed. “Impressive if I manage not to hurt myself doing it."

"Where'd you start?"

"Ninety."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cable shake his head. “You went up too fast, Brianna."

"Skip the lecture,” she told him.

"Where's your key? I'll get you some ice."

That had her sitting up again and beginning the slow struggle to her feet. “No way. I'm not putting ice on my groin in front of you."

Cable chuckled. “Would it help if I told you I had some medical training?"

Brie finally got to her feet. “Somehow I think your ‘medical training’ runs to treating gunshot wounds and broken bones, not routine groin pulls.” She began limping toward the front door. Cable stayed where he was, perched against the front rail, watching her with folded arms.

"How'd you get distracted? You don't look like someone who would make that kind of mistake."

"I'm not.” Brie pulled her key from a hidden pocket in her bike shorts, glad she had worn this pair and that the key wasn't tied to her shoelace. “I was listening to all the town spinsters bragging about how they were going to pin you down and seduce you with interior decorating and home-cooked meals."

Cable followed her into the house and toward the kitchen in the rear. There was obvious amusement in his voice. “Let me guess. The clerk from the teacher's store."

"That was one.” Brie poured herself a glass of water from the cooler, then offered one to Cable. He took it gratefully, then frowned a little. He looked so cute when he frowned! Brie scowled and turned her back to him. She was as bad as all the others.

"Who else?"

"The paint store guy's sister."

"Ah. Is she the interior decorator?"

She nodded. “Apparently doesn't like your choice of paint."

Cable came up next to her and placed his empty glass in the sink. Brie held herself still as his body heat and personal scent—pine and paper—reached out to her.

"Don't worry. They won't bag me."

"Why not?” She resisted the urge to look up at him, knowing his fiery blue eyes would be focused on her.

"I'm not baggable at the moment.” He moved away and Brie breathed more freely. She pulled a bag of peas from the freezer and sat at the table, resting the bag against her offended muscle. Cable helped himself to the chair across from her, a thoughtful move because then her lap was out of his line of sight.

"Why not?” She gulped her water, feeling dehydrated and not from her workout.

"I'm looking for the right woman. I plan to do the bagging.” He looked amused again and Brie couldn't help but sigh internally. None of the big-screen action heroes could hold a candle to this guy.

"Well, good luck. You'll need it trying to find one in this town."

"One what?"

"Right woman."

"Why?"

"If they're not taken, they're not right."

He tilted his head at her. “Maybe. Maybe not.” A beat. “You're not taken."

Brie's heart sped up and she allowed herself to meet his gaze. Oh, yeah, that was interest. She felt giddy and tried to act her age. “No. I'm not baggable for different reasons."

The phone rang before Cable could ask what they were. He stood and grabbed it off the wall, handed it to her, then waved a goodbye. “Call me if you need any help,” he whispered, then left.

She would, if she had any inkling what his phone number was. She waited until she heard the screen door slam shut before raising the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Rick's Pizzeria?"

Brie cursed again and slammed the phone to the table.

The first week of school was as exhausting as it was exhilarating. Cable watched the last group of bus riders get dismissed, then returned his attention to the roster and his notes from the week. Most of the kids would be fine. He had two potential troublemakers who seemed to enjoy daring each other to be naughty. He would do his best to keep them separated. He'd be setting up the groups for Centers this weekend and Carl and Zack would be in different groups.

He had a crowd of eager learners and an overall level of ability higher than he would have expected, with a few far past the pack and three or four that had to catch up.

A knock on his open door was followed by a deliberate throat-clearing. Cable waved the principal into the room.

"How'd you do?” the little man asked. Cable always had to hide his amusement at the guy's tentativeness and unassuming demeanor. Most of the principals he'd known were a bit tougher, at least externally. He hadn't yet seen Steve Dvorak tested.

"Fine.” Cable closed his folio and gathered the files he needed. “The kids were great. Very well behaved, considering the weather and the excitement of starting school."

"Yes, the days were quite hot, weren't they?” Steve perched himself on the edge of a table and folded his arms under his bow tie. “I wanted to talk to you about your teacher's aide."

"Great!” Twenty-six kids were a lot to handle alone. Not that he had problems, but he could only give one child attention or assistance at a time. “Did you find one?"

Steve gave two short jerky nods. “Elyse Macgregor."

Cable raised his eyebrows. “Brianna Macgregor's ... what?"

"Mother. She's raised three daughters through the system and is quite familiar with how we do things."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Quite.” Steve looked a little disconcerted. Cable wondered how long it had taken him to work up to the confrontation he'd expected and hadn't gotten. “Well.” The principal straightened and pulled down the bottom of his buttoned blazer. “I wonder if you have a moment to meet with Mrs. Macgregor?"

"Now?” Cable glanced at the clock. Not that he had anything to do at home besides watch for Brianna.

"If it's convenient.” As if offended, Steve had stiffened even more. Cable hadn't thought it possible.

"Sure. No problem.” He stood when Steve ushered in his new aide, and shook the hand of the petite, dark-haired woman who entered. The only resemblance Cable could see to Brianna was the sparkle in her eyes.