Free Remember the Night: a Heroes of the Night military romance novel by Nicole Leiren Page A

residual tingling. Somewhere in the general buzzing of her body, the "mom" gene found a voice. "I don't know. Those machines are dangerous."
    "Told you…" Michael muttered under his breath.
    Cody glanced at him. "Give me a few minutes with your mom."
    The younger man nodded and with a huff, shuffled off to play in the waves.
    "I don't want to be the bad guy here," she started.
    "Hear me out."
    She sighed. Saying no to him proved difficult, if not impossible. So close, so sexy, and so… "I'm listening."
    "The kids are too young to ride by themselves, so we'll rent one Jet Ski, and they'll take turns riding with me. I promise not to do anything reckless." He cocked his head to the side and offered a small smile. "Uncle Sam trusted me to protect our nation, maybe you can extend a little trust for an hour or so?"
    Irresistible. That was the other word. Close, sexy, and irresistible. Pretty much summed it up. She'd always had a hard time telling him no. Except last night. Today would prove another mark in the win column for him. "You give me your word you'll be careful."
    The small smile expanded to a wide grin. "Yes, ma'am."
    She fought the bubble of laughter at his use of the damned word again. Instead, she grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it at his chest. Maybe if she messed up the perfectly applied oil, he'd be easier for her to resist the next time. Doubtful. "Michael!"
    Her son turned in her direction. The look on his face indicated he fully expected her to say no.
    "You and Natalia come here, please."
    With an exaggerated sigh, he traipsed the short distance to her chair. "What?"
    How she loved teenage attitude. "As long as you both follow all the instructions Cody gives, you may ride on the Jet Ski with him."
    The annoyed face morphed into surprise and then happiness. He leaned over and gave her a big hug.
    She couldn't remember the last time he'd done that.
    "Thanks, Mom." He looked at Cody. "Thank you, too. I promise we'll listen. Right, Nat?"
    Nat? Where had that come from?
    The young girl smiled. "Right. Thank you, Ms. Alexander."
    Evelyn grinned and shook her head. "Thank me by coming back in one piece."
    Cody smiled at her and nodded. "I promise, one piece." He set his bag down beside her. "Okay if I leave this here? Nothing super valuable in there besides my cell and my sk…my wallet."
    She scrunched her face up. He was going to say something besides wallet, but either way, it didn't matter. Her curiosity paled in comparison to her sister's, and whatever was in Cody's bag—none of her business. "Sure, no problem. I'll guard it from any wily creatures that may be skittering about."
    The three adventurers laughed and headed off in the direction of the rental slip. For a moment, she considered tallying up how many contests between her and Cody she'd managed to win but then thought better of it. She didn't need a detailed list to know she'd come out on the low end of that comparison.
    Her eyes closed as she pictured the sun gleaming off Cody's golden body. Sometimes, losing wasn't so bad.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    The bright island sun bore down on her fair skin until her blood threatened to boil. She couldn't risk another quick dip in the ocean without applying more sunscreen. With careful precision, she covered every inch of exposed skin she could reach. Her back presented a challenge. Even with her long arms and reasonable flexibility, the laws of physics challenged her to cover the areas her suit didn't. Maybe next time she'd have to make a more pragmatic choice for beach attire. Considering the way Cody's eyes had darkened when she removed her cover up, the risk of third degree burns might just be worth it.
    "Jason, can you come here for a minute and help Mommy?"
    He looked in her direction and then back at the castle he was building for his princess.
    Evelyn smiled at the look of concentration on his face as he tried to decide if getting in trouble with her provided enough of a deterrent to keeping Annie