In the Red Zone Read online

  She embraced the indulgence of it and allowed her unspoken emotions to tumble out through her kisses. She was easily falling in love with Frank Kelly, and when she was in his arms like this, she forgot about her fears and worries. She felt only love.

  Her orgasm caught her by surprise. Usually, the increasing tightness in the pit of her stomach signaled she was on the brink of coming, but the waves of pleasure rolled through without their precursor. She cried out his name as loudly as she dared while her inner walls clenched around him. He answered by saying her name in the same hushed tones before giving her one final thrust and shuddering with a halt as he found his own release.

  “Damn it, Kiana,” he murmured before collapsing and rolling to his side. He reached for her and pulled her against him. “I could die a happy man right now, as long as I have you lying next to me.”

  She snuggled up to him and nodded, relishing the safe comfort of his arms. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  ***

  A chill washed over Kiana’s bare skin, followed by a shift in the mattress underneath her. It roused her from the sound sleep she’d been enjoying in Frank’s arms, but she didn’t fully wake until she heard Savannah crying. She bolted up in time to see the outline of a man leaving her room.

  Panic tightened her throat. She grabbed her robe and slipped it on as she chased after him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it was just Frank, and that he would never hurt Savannah, but that did little to ease the fear in her gut.

  She ran into the room and halted just as he was lifting the fussy toddler from her crib.

  Savannah grew silent and stared up at him with round eyes.

  Frank had managed to pull his pants on before leaving the room, but that was all. He shifted her into the crook of his arm, cradling her like an oversized football against his bare skin. After a few awkward attempts to rock her, he finally settled on a rhythm that soothed her. “There,” he murmured to Savannah. “That’s better, right?”

  Her daughter continued to watch him with her dark eyes.

  “Okay, now let’s see if I can make it to the rocking chair without making you cry.” He turned around and halted when he saw Kiana standing in the doorway. A sheepish smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Um, I…”

  Savannah started to fuss again, and he went back to swaying her from side to side with a rush of shushing noises. The toddler grinned up at him and reached for his face, completely taken with the stranger holding her.

  “I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds, but you were sleeping so soundly, and when I heard her crying…” He paused and looked down at Savannah. “She’s just as pretty as you are, Kiana.”

  Her heart did another flip, and she fell even more deeply in love with him right then. “Let me take her off your hands.”

  “No, I have her.” He went back to rocking the little girl, adding a little bounce to his step as he paced the room. “That is, unless you’re uncomfortable with me holding her.”

  “No, I’m not.” She’d thought she would be, but despite the anxious way he kept watching Savannah while he tried to soothe her, she trusted him with her daughter. “Did you check her diaper?”

  His face turned a shade paler. “Diaper?”

  Kiana fought back a laugh. Here was a man who pummeled quarterbacks for a living, yet the mere mention of diaper terrified him. She motioned for him to meet her at the changing table. “Usually when she wakes up in the middle of night, it’s because she wants to be changed.”

  Frank set Savannah down and stood back while Kiana changed the wet diaper. But as soon as she buttoned up Savannah’s pajamas, he took her back in his arms. “Go back to bed. I’ve got this.”

  Kiana raised one brow in disbelief. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He gazed down at her daughter’s face and elicited a smile from the toddler. “See, she can’t resist my charm.”

  She would’ve argued it was the other way around based on the way he couldn’t take his eyes off of Savannah. Kiana stood back as he carried the baby to the rocking chair and sat down. A minute later, he’d figured out how to hold her to his chest and was rubbing her back while he rocked.

  The last of her fears faded. She’d been so worried that Frank would run away from her the minute she told him she had a daughter that she failed to see the gentle side of him. There was almost something comical, yet endearing about the way he shifted Savannah in his arms, taking extreme care not to upset her while appearing to be completely in over his head. But he didn’t back away. He didn’t run scared. He gave it his best effort, just like he claimed to do with everything else that was important to him.

  He met her gaze and gave her a tight smile. “I’ve got this,” he repeated.

  Kiana returned to her bed and waited, inhaling the masculine scent of him that still clung to her warm sheets. Frank was already making his presence known in her home, and she liked it far more than she’d imagined she would.

  Fifteen minutes later, he crawled under the covers beside her and pulled her into his arms. “Confession time.”

  “What?” she asked, her breath catching. Had he changed his mind about continuing their relationship now that he’d met her daughter?

  “I’m not going to lie. Little kids scare me shitless. I mean, they’re so little and delicate, and I’m…not.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “But I think I can handle Savannah.”

  “You think?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, that whole diaper thing might take me a while to figure out, but when I look at her, I see you, and that makes the effort worth it.”

  She looked up and found him smiling down at her. “It does?”

  “Yeah.” He brushed her hair back from her face and caressed her cheek. The tenderness in his gaze was only lightened by a hint of a mischievous glint. “I hope you don’t mind sharing me with her.”

  “Not at all.” She lowered his lips to hers and kissed him with all the love that was overflowing her heart. “You’re something else, Frank Kelly.”

  “Haven’t I been telling you that from the beginning?” he teased before kissing her again.

  ***

  Frank awoke to an empty bed and a sense of bewilderment. It took several long seconds for him to recognize the strange room. Scenes of the night before flashed through his mind, from Kiana’s commanding presence at the gala to the way she’d come in his arms. But it was the babble of a small kid that made his heart stutter for a few beats.

  Ever since he’d found out about Kiana’s kid, he’d known he was in over his head. If he hadn’t wanted her so badly, he might’ve toyed with the idea of running away. But she wasn’t trying to make him an instant daddy, and he respected that. Actually, he was more relieved than anything else. It gave him time to come to terms with the fact that Kiana and Savannah were a package deal. He couldn’t have one without the other.

  But he still couldn’t explain last night. He’d heard Savannah stirring over the baby monitor he’d knocked to the ground earlier that night, but Kiana had been sleeping so soundly, she didn’t move when the first calls for Mama came in over the airwaves. He bounced back and forth with waking her, but in the end, he figured he could handle a kid. Or at least, peek in on her and make sure she was all right.

  The moment Savannah looked up at him with those big brown eyes, he was lost.

  The only time he’d been around a baby was the few peeks he’d gotten of Dan’s fiancée’s little preemie in the incubator. He’d known better than to attempt to touch a baby that tiny, especially since Camille had been born with some sort of condition where her guts were outside her stomach. But Savannah seemed sturdy enough for him to handle, and after a few awkward attempts, he figured out how to hold her and keep her happy.

  He found his clothes and got dressed, realizing his tux was too overdressed for a Saturday morning. He kept it at just the shirt and pants and ventured out of the bedroom.

  Kiana was making funny faces at her daughte
r, who resided in her highchair like a little princess on a throne. Savannah squealed in delight and clapped her hands before stuffing a handful of cereal into her chubby cheeks. They were so wrapped up in their little game that they didn’t notice him until he tossed his jacket on the back of one of the tall chairs that lined the kitchen island.

  A hint of color flooded Kiana’s cheeks, making her look even more tempting than before. “Good morning, Frank.”

  “Morning.” He sniffed the air, catching notes of sausage and cheese. “What smells so good?”

  “I’m making a quiche. I usually make one on the weekend and eat it during the week.” She glanced over her shoulder at the oven. “It should be ready in about ten minutes, if you’d like some.”

  He was hungry enough to eat the whole thing, but he’d try to restrain his appetite. “Sounds good.”

  Savannah offered him a handful of soggy cereal, and Kiana rushed in to take it. “Sorry about that, Frank.”

  “Why? She was just trying to hold me over until breakfast is ready.” He sat on the chair closest to Savannah’s high chair and poked her in the center of her tummy to tickle her. She rewarded him with a huge grin that eased his anxiety. “See? She likes me.”

  The soft glow of admiration coming from Kiana’s eyes was all the reward he needed. “Yeah, she does.”

  “And can you blame her?” He continued to search for more ticklish spots, delighting in each giggle he elicited. “I just have a way with the ladies.”

  “No arguments from me.” She came around the island and draped her arms around his shoulders. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but before you go, I just wanted to say thank you.”

  He reached for her hips by instinct, then slid back toward that delicious ass of hers. “Trying to get rid of me so quickly?”

  “No, I’m not.” The pink spots returned to the center of her cheeks. “What I was trying to say is that I don’t expect you to feel comfortable with Savannah around right away, so if you’re not, then there’s no pressure, and you can leave whenever you feel like it.”

  “I know.” He pulled her closer to him, looking up at her beautiful face. Even without her makeup, she was gorgeous. “But I like where I’m at right now.”

  She murmured his name just before her lips brushed against his in an innocent kiss.

  He dug his fingers into her ass and held her against him, wanting more. She did that to him. Just when he worried he’d overstepped his bounds, she responded by deepening the kiss. He slipped under the hypnotic spell she wove with every sensuous flick of her tongue and forgot they were not alone.

  The childish voice asking for “More” brought him crashing back down to reality.

  Kiana gave him an apologetic smile and backed away. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be.” He grabbed the cereal box from the island and poured some more into Savannah’s bowl. “So, do you have any plans for today?”

  “No, why?” The oven timer dinged, and Kiana retrieved the quiche from the oven.

  His mouth watered from the scent. If it tasted half as good as it smelled, he’d be in heaven.

  The prospect of breakfast distracted him, but he finally remembered why he’d asked about her plans. “Have you taken Savannah to the aquarium yet?”

  “I think she’s a little young for that.”

  “Nonsense. Several of the guys on the team have taken their kids, and some of them are only a year old.” He tickled Savannah’s foot, his chest tightening with every giggle he won from her.

  Kiana chewed her bottom lip and leaned on the counter. “I’ll have to think about it.”

  “I’ll come with you, if you want. No one’s going to bother her if I’m around.”

  She laughed. “You’re Frank Kelly. I’m going to have to hire a set of bodyguards to keep your fans at bay.”

  “I’m sure I can be discreet.” He ran his hand through his trademark feature—his bright red hair. “Maybe a baseball cap will do the trick.”

  “Okay, fine. When would you like to go?”

  “This morning too early for you?” He was already picturing how wide Savannah’s eyes would get when she saw the whale sharks swim by.

  “You’re still wearing last night’s tux.”

  “Easily taken care of.” He pulled out his phone and called his personal shopper at Nordstrom in Phipps Plaza. Within a few minutes, he was assured that he’d have an outfit ready to pick up in half an hour. “I’ll have new clothes waiting for me after breakfast.”

  Kiana placed a slice of quiche in front of him. “That easy, huh?”

  “Yep.” He dug into the savory egg pie studded with cheese, mushrooms, spinach, and sausage. A happy sigh rose from his gut. “This is as delicious as its maker.”

  Kiana swatted him with a dish towel, but he didn’t miss the glow of pride radiating from her smile. She broke off a small slice and blew on it before offering it to Savannah. It was like a scene from one of those magazine ads or a commercial.

  A perfect family sitting around the table, enjoying breakfast.

  He’d never pictured himself as the sort of guy who’d be a family man, but the longer he sat in Kiana’s kitchen, the more comfortable it felt. It was as though he belonged here. And if he had a chance, he’d make sure there would be many more mornings like this in their future.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kiana waltzed into her office late Monday morning like a kid who’d just returned to school after spring break. Her weekend with Frank and Savannah couldn’t have been more perfect. On Saturday, they went to the aquarium, where Frank had lifted her daughter onto his broad shoulders for most of the afternoon so she could have a better view of the fish. On Sunday, he invited them to his home in Roswell for lunch. Savannah appeared to be frightened by the vast grassy lawn, but after a few minutes, she was ordering Frank to pick the dandelions that grew along the perimeter for the bouquet she was making. And he indulged the toddler’s every whim.

  He also indulged Kiana’s every whim, too, once Savannah was sleeping. The weekend had been filled with quick, hot sex during Savannah’s naps and long, sensual lovemaking sessions into the wee hours of the morning. She’d lost count how many times she’d come, but every encounter left her eager for the next one.

  Sherita gave her a knowing grin. “Looks like someone had a fun weekend, judging by that glow in your cheeks.”

  Kiana dropped her briefcase down beside her desk and twirled around in her chair. “Fun doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  “And I suppose Mr. Hottie is responsible for it all?”

  Kiana giggled as though they were back in junior high and she was spilling the details of her first kiss. “You could say that.”

  “I knew you two would hit it off.” Her friend grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it up to the desk. “Care to share a few tidbits?”

  She pressed her lips together, trying to decide how much she was willing to divulge. “He’s good in bed.”

  “Tell me something I couldn’t guess.”

  “And he’s really good with Savannah.”

  Sherita sat up straighter, her mouth open. “Hold up a minute. You introduced him to your baby girl?”

  Kiana nodded, a smile forming on her lips as she remembered how well he handled her daughter. “He’s good with her.”

  “Now I know you’re head over heels for that boy, because there’s no way you’d let him near Savannah if you only felt lukewarm about him.”

  “What can I say? Romeo’s swept both of us off our feet.”

  Sherita grew serious. “And he’s good to you, right?”

  The underlying concern in her friend’s voice relayed the true meaning of her question. Kiana nodded and reached for Sherita’s hand. “He’s as gentle as he can be to both of us.”

  “Good, because after all the shit you went through with Malcolm, you deserve someone like him.” Sherita gave her hand a little squeeze and got up. “I’ve been waiting for you to come in and give m
e the all-clear to start sending out some checks. We have kids who need equipment, and now that we have the funds to do so, let’s not keep them waiting.”

  Back to business. She’d taken a moment on Saturday afternoon to log into the foundation’s bank account and confirmed that Tre had deposited the checks like he said he would. She was hoping they would’ve cleared by today so they could start fulfilling their mission. But when she logged onto the account this morning, the balance had read only three thousand dollars.

  Kiana blinked several times to see if she was missing a couple of zeroes, but no matter how much she stared the screen, the number didn’t change.

  “Sherita,” she called, her voice an octave higher than normal. “Come over here and take a look at this.”

  Her friend dashed to her side and peered at the screen, her brows drawn together. “Is there something wrong at the bank?”

  “I have no idea. I know the money from the gala was deposited on Saturday.” She clicked on the account for more information. Sure enough, there was a long list of checks that had been deposited two days ago.

  But it was the two hundred and seventy five thousand dollar withdrawal this morning that captured her attention and made her want to vomit.

  Sherita picked up the phone and shoved it into Kiana’s hand. “Girl, I’d be calling them right now to find out what happened to your money.”

  It wasn’t her money. It was the foundation’s. It belonged to all those kids her father wanted to protect by giving them proper helmets and pads. It belonged to those who genuinely needed it, not her. And yet, when she got someone from the bank on the line, she said in a shaky voice, “This is Kiana Dyer of the Marshall Dyer Foundation, and there seems to be a problem with my account.”