Hot SEAL, Confirmed Bachelor- Cynthia D'Alba Page 0,15

Then he slid into the police cruiser, pulled around Benjamin’s truck, and drove off.

“Goddammit.” Benjamin jumped from his truck and strode to the rear. Sure enough, the cocky little bastard had broken the driver’s side taillight. He kicked his tire as multiple versions of sonofabitch flowed through his gritted teeth.

Then, for some reason, he laughed. Taking on a Navy SEAL like that took some balls, or a complete lack of brains, and the kid didn’t strike him as brainless. If he was the nice brother, the other two had to be something.

Still…dammit. The light cover wouldn’t cost that much to replace. He was simply annoyed by the hassle of having to deal with it.

Back in his truck, he started driving and then took himself in a different direction from the grocery story. Maybe he and his new girlfriend needed to have a talk. If she, as she’d said, announced next weekend that they’d split, he could likely expect more shit from the local PD, even if she told her brothers she’d been the one to break it off.

The way he saw it, if she broke it off, then the family would think Benjamin had been some kind of asshole to her. If he broke it off, then he was the asshole who’d hurt their sister.

Yeah, he didn’t see this being a win-win situation, or at least, not a win for him.

He pulled into her driveway, thankful for not being stopped by San Diego police for a broken taillight. It had been dark when he’d brought her home and still dark when he’d delivered her car, and he’d not been able to see much of her property.

Now, he could see the yard had been properly cared for. Flower beds without a single weed ran around the base of the porch and alongside the house. The yard’s thick grass had been recently mowed with the edges along the drive and sidewalk neatly trimmed. One step off the drive into her yard confirmed Holly’s stumble last night had been well-cushioned.

The side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. He’d put money that her brothers kept the yard up for her.

He bounded up the stairs and rang the bell. He could hear movement from inside the house. He stepped back so he was clearly visible through the door’s peephole. Inside a minute, a lock clicked, the door opened, and she was there, definitely wearing a surprised expression on her face. His heart knocked around in his chest.

“Benjamin? I wasn’t…Did you forget something last night?” She looked over her shoulder and back to him. “I don’t remember seeing anything that might belong to you.”

“How about a Ford F-250 taillight?”

She frowned. “What?”

He shook his head. “I had a run-in with your brother where he proceeded to bust out my truck’s taillight.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, lord. I’m sorry. Which brother?”

“Coronado cop.”

With a nod, she said, “Danny. Sorry. He’s the youngest and a little hotheaded.” She gave her head a shake. “Really sorry. I’ll have a talk with him. He won’t bother you again. I’ll make sure of that.”

“Listen, have you got a minute? Can we talk?”

“Talk?” The frown wrinkles on her forehead deepened. “Um, sure, I guess.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Um….” She stepped back and with a shrug, said, “Come on in.”

“Is your daughter here?”

“Oh, hell no,” she said with a laugh. “My angel of a mother took her and her cousin to the mall and then to dinner.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he followed her to the open kitchen.

She chuckled. “I suspect you know how I feel. Death warmed over. My mother thought it was hysterical.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Anyway, if Katie were here, I wouldn’t have let you through the door.”

Taken aback, he could only nod, not quite sure what to make of her comment.

“Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got water, juice, soft drinks, maybe a bottle of wine.”

“Water would be great, thanks.”

She filled a glass with ice and water from the door of her refrigerator. After filling a second glass, she motioned toward the screened Florida room at the back of the house. He’d admired the room when he’d put her car fob in the pottery frog on the back porch outside this room. Under the screened roof was a small pool with luscious tropical and floral landscaping. The entire backyard was fenced, so this area looked like a little oasis in the desert.

“This is fantastic,” he said, looking