Worth the Fall (The McKinney Brothers, #1)(13)

“Peeze,” said Charlie.

“I could use some cooling off. What if I take them out?”

“No, you don’t have to do that.” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, watching the waves.

Matt watched the lip.

“But, Mommm.” Jack wasn’t giving up.

“The water’s calm. What if I hold their hands?”

“Well.” Abby hesitated. “I guess.” She wet her lips, then rolled their pink fullness together. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble.”

His mind jumped to how that mouth would feel…And, yeah, he needed to cool off. “Nope. No trouble.”

When he’d given all the kids a turn in the water, except Annie, who politely declined, he dropped onto the sand next to Abby.

She sat, leaning back on her hands, long, slender legs out in front, crossed at the ankles. Her skin looked smooth, and he imagined it feeling like silk as he ran his hands slowly from her sassy red toenails all the way up to her thighs.

Okay. Maybe he needed more cooling off. The water rolled in waves, stretching endlessly to the horizon. And that was not what he wanted to look at. Say something, dumb-ass. “Your kids are great.”

“Thank you.” She tilted her head slightly, giving him that smile again. The one that could bring a man to his knees.

And it damn near took his breath away.

“You didn’t have to play with them all day,” she said, her words genuine, her voice soft.

“I enjoyed it.”

“Well, so did they. I’m going to be the boring mom now,” she grinned, teasing. “Your castle-building skills are far superior.”

I’d build one every day if I could look at you.

“You have kids?”

“No, just a slew of nieces and nephews.”

She made a soft sound of understanding, then seconds passed as he struggled to think of something to fill the growing silence. Something witty or intelligent. “Where are you from?”

Ah. Brilliant.

“I moved around a lot. We live in Raleigh now. What about you?”

“Near Virginia Beach.” He didn’t miss that she hadn’t exactly answered his question.

With her attention on the kids, her expression turned serious. “I wanted this to be a great trip for them. It’s their first time at the beach.”

They were all very busy, digging and gathering, looking for treasures. “I think they’re having fun.”

Abby took a handful of sand and let it fall through her fingers. “More since you’re here. I’m kind of out of my element.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You look like you’re doing okay.” Although he had noticed she had no beach chair. “Is this your first time?”

“I’ve been once, a long time ago.” She focused on the water in the distance.

Matt got the feeling there was more to say, but she didn’t say it.

“It’s obviously not yours.” She gestured to the castle.

“Nope.” He smiled, recalling family vacations and childhood memories. For some reason he didn’t mention he was a Navy SEAL. It seemed like too much of a pickup line, and this was different.

She was different.

He sat there beside her trying to figure out exactly why.

“Hey, Matt, look at this,” Jack called.

He tore his eyes away to see Jack, packing wet sand into a wall. “Good job.”

“It probably seems stupid, a pregnant woman bringing four children to the beach alone.”

Matt turned back, studied her profile. He ached to skim his fingers over her cheeks, to touch her, take her face in his hands. “Not stupid. Brave maybe.”

She made a derisive sound like a laugh. “I don’t know about brave. I figured it was now or…well, not never, but”—she laid a hand on her belly—“not for at least a couple of years.”

“Do you know what you’re having?”

“A girl.”

“That’s nice.” She raked her fingers over the sand and he caught sight of the ring again. For a man who lived and breathed patience and control, he was without either at the moment. And he needed to know. “I’m sorry about your husband.”

Her hand froze and he immediately wanted to call the words back.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Jack said his father died and I just assumed…”

“He did. Die.” She twisted the gold ring on her finger. “My husband. He was killed in a plane crash six months ago.”

Damn. He didn’t know what to say, and on top of that, he felt like an ass for being glad she wasn’t married. He shouldn’t be glad she was alone.

Waves crashed onto the shore; the children’s voices carried on the wind. Neither spoke for a moment.

“He never knew I was pregnant.”

Well, shit. What could he say to that? “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s really okay,” she said lightly, repeating their earlier words from the pool, as if she didn’t want him to feel sad or uncomfortable.

The sun hung low, casting everything in a soft light, and when she raised her sunglasses to the top of her head, he was hit full force with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. Brilliant and sparkling; light in the center, darker around the edges; glittering like glass. He didn’t look away, and their eyes held until he was sure she must feel the connection too.