“You’re welcome.” His expression clouded over. “But I’m still unhappy about you exploring all those foreign countries without a single concern for safety.”

“Isn’t that your job? Exploring foreign countries without a single concern for safety?”

She had him there.

Before he could point out that he was trained for that kind of shit, Jen’s cell phone broke out in an ear-shattering military march, complete with pounding percussion and a lot of horns. The sound was so intense it made the dining room table shake.

She grinned. “That’s my dad’s ringtone. He programmed it in for himself because he thought my other ringtones were too girlie.” Rolling her eyes, she lifted the cell phone to her ear and said, “Hi, Dad.” She paused, and then all the color drained from her face. “Are you serious? Did he…did he hurt her?”

Cash’s shoulders went rigid.

Next to him, Jen breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God… Yes… Dad, I just said yes, okay? I’ll be there in thirty minutes.” She mumbled something unintelligible under her breath. “Yes, Dad, he’ll come with me. Tell Carson he doesn’t have to—oh fine, whatever.” Her jaw tightened. “Yes, sir.”

She hung up and turned to him with a flat, angry expression. “An hour ago Brendan showed up at my parents’ house.”

“What did he do?”

“Nothing crazy, which proves he’s not a total moron. You don’t mess with the admiral, and Brendan knows it. But he did yell a little and demand to know where I was. Carson already told our parents that Brendan and I broke up, but he didn’t give them any details. Now they have an idea, seeing as Brendan mentioned the restraining order during his rant.”

She scraped back her chair and stood up with a scowl. “He scared my mom—and trust me, she doesn’t scare easily. And he pissed off my dad, who is now requesting our presence.”

Wariness climbed up Cash’s throat. “Our presence?”

“Carson told him I’m staying with you, so he wants you there. Be prepared, because he’ll probably grill you.”

Cash felt shell-shocked as he watched Jen scurry off toward Matt’s bedroom. He had to meet her parents? Now?

He ran a hand over the stubble coating his jaw. Normally he had no problem charming a girlfriend’s folks, but if Admiral Scott was anything like both Carson and Jen described, then no amount of charm would work on the man. Shit. And he didn’t even have time to shave, damn it.

Cash sprang to action. In his bedroom, he rummaged through his dresser drawers for some presentable clothing—showing up in sweatpants and a wife beater definitely wouldn’t make a great first impression. He settled on a pair of wrinkled khakis he hardly ever wore, hence the wrinkles, and a blue button-down shirt. Forgoing his trademark shitkickers, he shoved his feet into a pair of brown loafers he found in his closet, which made him take pause because he had no idea how they’d gotten there.

He looked—and felt—like a total tool in the getup.

When he stepped out of his room, he collided with Jen, who took one look at him and burst out laughing. “Are you wearing khakis? And loafers?”

He gritted his teeth. “I’m trying to look presentable.”

“Why?” It dawned on her. “For my parents? Oh, that’s sweet. But unnecessary—they’ll be too busy lecturing me to notice what you’re wearing.”

He cast a longing look at the television before walking over to turn it off. So much for his sacred Sunday ritual. Instead of football and beer, he was about to spend the afternoon with Jen’s parents.

And Carson.

Shit, he’d forgotten all about Carson.

“By the way—not one word to your brother about what we’ve been doing all weekend,” Cash said as they left the apartment.

Jen was walking ahead of him, and she spared him a pithy look over her shoulder. “Gee, really? I was planning on giving him a play-by-play of every orgasm I had.”

They reached the stairwell door. Before she could walk through it, he grasped her chin with one hand and glared at her. “I’m serious, sweetheart.”

She frowned. “What exactly did Carson threaten you with when he told you to keep your hands off me?”

With a sigh, he dropped his hand from her face. “I’m planning on doing the officer training this year, and I need a recommendation from him. He implied he’d give me a bad one if I got involved with you.”

Jen’s jaw fell open. “Cash, if my brother denies you a good recommendation based on who you’re sleeping with rather than your skills as a soldier, then he’s a really shitty lieutenant.”

“Maybe, but I can’t risk it.”

Now she let out a sigh. “Fine, my lips are sealed. But I can’t promise I won’t tell him off for all the other ways he’s been interfering in my life lately.” She paused. “Not today, though. I’ll already have my hands full dealing with my dad.”

She reached for the door handle, then stopped abruptly. Grinning, she surprised him by looping her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes and giving him a long, open-mouthed kiss that left him breathless.

As their tongues met, Cash’s anxiety vanished, replaced by a blast of molten heat that sizzled from his mouth straight down to his groin. Christ, he couldn’t get enough of this woman. She was like a new drug he hadn’t known existed, and every kiss, every touch and mind-numbing release, fueled the addiction.