Page 30 of Deadly Scandals

Sienna leaped into my arms, with Samuel right behind her.

I clung to my flesh and blood as if I were coming back from a long deployment. I’d missed them so fucking much that I vowed to turn my life around. Become the father they needed. April was clearly a mess right now. They needed a stable parent, and I was the only one available for the job.

“Daddy! I can’t believe you’re here! I begged Mommy to let me come visit you but she said no.” Then she hugged her teddy bear. “Is she going to be okay? Is she sick?”

I didn’t want to lie to her. I had no idea. “I don’t know, Princess. I hope she will be okay. Mommy loves you very much. I’m going to stay here with you guys until she’s better.”

Sam threw his arms around me. “I love you, Daddy. Sienna said you were coming but I didn’t believe her. I told her that you were too busy killing bad guys.”

A lump grew in my throat. My boy was proud of his old man. Now I needed to be his hero, not only by fighting bad guys but also by protecting him. “Well, buddy. I’m here now.”

I stood up and thanked the neighbor who had watched them.

“It was no problem,” she said. “They’re good kids. I hope April is okay.”

Ashley narrowed in on the lady. “Excuse me, may I ask you a few questions? My name is Ashley Pierce. I’m NCIS. Did you happen to see this man in the neighborhood anytime recently?” She reached into her purse and flashed a picture of Paul.

Oh, hell no.

My fucking cock had blinded me again. It had been a huge mistake to bring Ashley here. I didn’t give a fuck about Paul right now, or my ex-wife. I needed to get my kids to bed and make them feel safe. I would not let Ashley turn my reunion into an investigation.

Before I could grab her wrist, Sienna spoke up. “Oh, Mr. Paul? He was here just last weekend. He brought me a present!”

What. The. Fuck?

Ashley crouched down in front of my daughter. “What kind of present?”

I pulled Ash to her feet and whispered in her ear, “Knock it off, woman! What the fuck do you think you’re doing? My kids have gone through enough tonight. Their mom is in the hospital. Drop it, now, or I’ll send you back to the airport in the limo.”

Ashley’s eyes met mine with a stare that I had normally only seen in fellow SEALs. But she didn’t challenge me. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s get a good night’s sleep.”

We said goodbye to the neighbor. “Okay, guys. I got us a room at a hotel nearby. Let’s gather your stuff. It’s really late now.”

My son’s lip quivered.

I picked him up. “What’s wrong?”

“What about Taco and Snowball?”

Fuck. I didn’t think about their pets. “They’ll be fine. We can come back and check on them tomorrow.”

Sienna shook her head. “No. We’re not going without them. Why can’t we stay in our house? I’m tired.”

I did not want to stay in my ex-wife’s house. A house that I had purchased.

“Don’t you want to stay in a hotel?”

Both of my kids shook their heads.

Fuck.

“Okay, tonight only. Let’s go.” We walked across the street and opened the door, which was unlocked. Not that it mattered. I had a key. April and I had fought about that too, but I had insisted. Just in case of an emergency like this.

The kids ran inside and vanished upstairs.

I turned to Ashley. “You’re welcome to stay. If you don’t feel comfortable, you can take the limo to the room I booked. Sorry about this.”

“Don’t apologize. I’d like to stay.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I placed my hand on the back of her head, pulling her into me. Our lips met, and despite this shit-tastic day, my heart soared. I wanted to explore her hot little mouth, throw her down on the floor and drown my sorrows in her pussy, fuck her until I could forget the pain that was my life.

But my kids could interrupt us at any second. I forced myself to pull away from her lips and just held her body tightly against mine.

She was right. Sometimes even a SEAL needed a hug.