Becca glared at him with those smoking eyes of hers, heavily made up to ensnare a man’s attention—and she certainly had his. In fact, she’d captured it his first day here when he glanced out his kitchen door to see her playing with Einstein in her backyard. With his work schedule and hers, meeting up with her to introduce himself and strike up a conversation hadn’t come easy. Now that it had, he intended to get to know her better.
Their gazes connected and a current of potent awareness seemed to arc between them. Becca’s eyes narrowed and she hiked her pointy chin before she sauntered toward Barclay and Quinn from the fire station. Was he seeing correctly? Holy fuck, the back of what barely passed as a dress dipped to showcase two dimples at the flare of her most excellent ass. Damn. Shouldn’t that be illegal in polite society? He glared at the guys. Just what the hell were they gawking at with lust in their eyes? Freakin’ perverts.
“Wow, who’s the lady in red?” Cassie, his baby sister, pointed with her beer bottle. “Redheads don’t usually look good in that color, but she looks fantastic. That is one killer dress.”
“Yeah. What there is of it.” He snatched the long neck from Cassie. “She’s Becca, my next-door neighbor, and you are not drinking.”
“I’ll be twenty-one next month.”
“Well, this isn’t January, now, is it?”
“You’re awful grumpy for being the birthday boy.” Cassie frowned.
Yeah, well try being the birthday boy with a massive hard-on in a roomful of people. He brought her beer to his mouth and upended it. Lord knew, he needed something to cool off with after feasting his eyes on Becca.
Cassie looped her arm in his. “I don’t need you to be my daddy anymore, big brother. You’ve sacrificed too much for us. All of us.” She jerked her chin in Becca’s direction. “You need to get a personal life. I see how you look at her. It’s as if she were a pitcher of ice water and you needed a long, slow drink.”
Hell, baby sister, if you only knew.
He bent to kiss Cassie’s dark hair. When he’d resigned his commission with the SEALs she had been sixteen, troubled and homeless. She needed his influence and care. So had his other three sisters. His brother, Jace, newly married to Wendy Anne and finishing college, had had his own list of responsibilities. The last thing Jace needed heaped on his plate was four teenage girls crowding his apartment, taking away the privacy every man should have with his new wife. It seemed the whole family needed Wolf’s help to get them through the grief of losing both parents in the hellacious fire that destroyed two homes on their block.
His CO tried talking him out of resigning and had said he had a bright future in the Navy. But as the oldest sibling, he had obligations. Family had been so important to his mom and dad. He wasn’t about to dishonor their memory by turning his back on them.
“Is there any more of that fruit punch you made?” He’d like to keep her from drinking until she was legal… or thirty-five.
Cassie’s eyes narrowed and she nodded.
“Why don’t you get us each a glass? Lots of ice in mine.” Punch was the last thing he wanted, but if it kept her away from the booze, he’d gladly suffer through.
“You are so-o-o transparent.” She strode away.
“Yeah, well, you are so-o-o underage, Cassie-Bassie.” He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him.
Wolf’s gaze swept to Becca. Quinn had her backed against the wall where his forearm rested above her pretty head. She was paying close attention to whatever he was saying. No doubt Quinn, the bastard, was working his charm on her. Something elemental and possessive unfurled and snarled in Wolf’s gut. Oh no. Oh, hell no! He shouldered his way through a roomful of guests. If anyone was going to flirt with her tonight, it would damn well be him. He had seen her first, dammit.
“When is the charity bike ride for children’s toys?” Becca’s gaze flicked to his when he stopped next to her and Quinn.
“Saturday after next. Right, Wolf?” Quinn gave an ornery grin. “Guess who’s leading the ride dressed up as Santa?” Quinn the blabbermouth jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “We voted The Wolf in.”
“Railroaded would be more like it. I took off work to look after Cassie when she had her wisdom teeth out, and the whole gang at the station decided to pick the least-likely candidate for the position.” He sidled up to Becca and trailed a finger down her arm. “Do I look like Santa to you?”
She scowled and turned slightly out of his reach. “No, you don’t. You do resemble one of his elves, though. Dopey.”
“Hey,” he splayed a hand over his chest. “You’re breaking my heart here. Besides, wasn’t Dopey a dwarf?”
She nodded and winked. “Yup, but tall or short, in your case, it fits.” Pleased with herself, if her smirk was any indication, she fingered one of her dangly earrings, which was so long it kissed her bare shoulder. “Is Cassie one of your girlfriends?”
“Oh, God, no. I’m his baby sister.” Cassie handed him a glass of punch. “Wolf, where are your manners? She doesn’t have a drink.” His sister elbowed Quinn. “Hot lips, why don’t you get Becca a glass of wine. White or red?”
“I’m not staying. I just came over for—”
“She’ll have white. It goes best with birthday cake.” Wolf kept his gaze locked on Becca’s. “Bring her a slab of cake, too, Quinn. In fact, fix her a whole plate of goodies. My sisters have outdone themselves.”
“Hey, it’s not every day our big brother turns thirty.” Cassie took Quinn’s hand and they ambled toward the dining room.
For some reason, Becca blushed a deep red. “How…how many sisters do you have?”
He sipped at the punch and set it on a nearby table. “Four. I’m the oldest, then my brother Jace.” He started to point across the room, thought better of it, and stepped nearer to Becca. Placing one hand at the small of her bare back, he indicated where his brother sat with his wife on his lap. “You’ve already met Wendy Anne.”
“Yes.” She shivered slightly under his touch, which pleased him.
“They’re expecting a child. They just made the announcement at our family Thanksgiving meal. They lost the first baby, so Wendy Anne wanted to wait until her first trimester was over to share the news.”
Becca glanced at him. “How do you feel about being an uncle?”
He laughed. “I’ve already bought the stroller. Rated the safest on the market. It’s going to be the kid’s first Christmas gift. That and a big toy wolf.” He motioned with his hands. “It’s got to be the size of Einstein.”
“What’s a baby going to do with a gigantic thing like that?”
“You just wait. The kid will drag it everywhere.” He turned her slightly. “See the girl in black over by the doorway? That’s April, the oldest of my sisters. She’s arguing with Jenna, another sister. April’s engaged and wants her best friend for her maid of honor. Jenna’s feelings are hurt, but with three sisters, how can April choose just one?”
“I see her point.”
With her heels, Becca was nearly as tall as his six foot two, and he liked being able to look directly into her hazel eyes. There were gold flecks in their depths. He leaned a little closer to inhale her vanilla and lilac scent.
“Is Cassie the sister who gave you Fluffy?” She glanced around. “Where is the cat?”
“Hiding out upstairs