As Hot as It Gets

She tried to ignore the incredibly noticeable stares of all the women in their vicinity, and focused on greeting Jackson’s teammates.

“This is Cash,” Jackson told her, gesturing to the SEAL with the dark hair. “Cash, my girl Mia.”

She felt herself flush at the introduction, but didn’t object to it. She supposed she was his girl. Tonight, anyway.

“Nice to meet you, Mia.” Cash flashed her a gorgeous smile, his vivid blue eyes twinkling with admiration as he extended his hand.

“Ditto,” she said, shaking his big, callused hand.

“Blondie over here is Dylan,” Jackson went on. “Be careful or he might just charm your pants off.”

“Definitely a possibility,” the blond agreed cheerfully, “considering I haven’t had sex in—”

“Ten days,” Cash and Seth finished, rolling their eyes.

Mia grinned as she and Dylan shook hands. “I take it you’re not happy with your current situation?”

He sighed. “I most certainly am not, honey. But my partners are out of town, so I’m afraid I must remain celibate for a while longer.”

Partners?

Before she could question the remark, Jackson finished up the introductions by pointing to Seth. “And you’ve already met this smartass, right?”

“I have.” She smiled at the scruffy-haired SEAL. “Nice to see you again. Why didn’t Miranda come tonight?”

“Oh, she’s here,” Seth replied in his deep, gravelly voice. “She and Jen just took the rugrats to the bathroom. We’re meeting them inside.”

“Jen is Cash’s girl,” Jackson explained. “You’ll like her. She’s a real sweetheart.”

Mia couldn’t believe how many people gawked at them on their way to the stadium entrance. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. The four SEALs made an imposing picture—they were equally tall and muscular, and walked with the same predatory swagger that made every pair of eyes gravitate in their direction.

As the men paid the kid at the gate, Mia noticed that all three of Jackson’s teammates were wearing cargo pants that had a gazillion pockets. And yet strangely enough, she was able to get a clear sense of their personalities based on their outfits. Cash’s cargo pants were olive-green and paired with a black long-sleeve shirt, giving him an intense, serious vibe. Seth wore black on the bottom, a gray pullover the exact shade as his silvery eyes, and his dark stubble lent him a feral, badass air. In contrast, Dylan’s pants were khaki-colored, and his blue polo shirt and white button-down told her that he was the most easygoing of the bunch.

And then there was Jackson. Her sexy cowboy in his trademark denim and plaid, with a white undershirt and beat-up black combat boots. She wondered why he didn’t just go all out and wear cowboy boots. And a Stetson. Lord, she suspected he looked damn spectacular in a Stetson. Like a military Marlboro man.

The five of them moved through the crowd and ascended the bleacher steps with Seth in the lead. His hawk-like gaze scanned the rows of seats. “There they are,” he said, then moved purposefully toward his target.

Mia smiled when she spotted Miranda and the twins.

“Hello again,” she greeted the dark-haired woman, before turning to the two adorable children. “Hey, guys, remember me? I’m Mia.”

The little girl—Sophie, she recalled—dove out of her seat and threw her arms around Mia’s legs.

“I remember!” Sophie declared, her dark head barely reaching Mia’s stomach. “You made our garden pretty!”

Mia bent down to return the hug, and was surprised when Sophie’s brother Jason also jumped up to embrace her. She tweaked his brown hair before straightening up, then watched in amusement as the kids scrambled over to Seth and dragged him to the seat directly between them.

As Cash, Dylan and Jackson flopped down and got comfortable, a blonde with a heartbreakingly beautiful face stood up to introduce herself.

“I’m Jen,” she said, her warm blue eyes sweeping over Mia. “Texas has told us a lot about you.”

“Texas?” Mia echoed.

Jen grinned. “Jackson didn’t tell you about his nickname?”

“Um, you guys call him Texas? You realize that’s the least original nickname on the planet, right?”

“Hey, don’t blame me.” Jen tossed her long golden hair over her shoulder. “Smartass Seth is the one who came up with it. C’mon, sit over here with Miranda and me. We’re way more fun.”

Laughing, Mia followed Jen down the aisle, and a moment later she was sandwiched between the two women while the men and the Masterson twins congregated at the end of the row.

Since Mia didn’t have many female friends—or friends, period, for that matter—she felt slightly ill at ease surrounded by so many new faces, but she quickly discovered that Miranda and Jen were the coolest people on the planet. They were both so friendly and laidback, their easy laughter and hilarious remarks making Mia feel like a real part of their group and not just some random interloper.

When the Warriors took the field, she pointed Danny out to everyone, which led to a conversation with Miranda about single parenthood. It turned out the other woman knew all about raising kids alone—she’d been a single mom to her twins before marrying Seth, and she confessed that having a partner to help out had made her life a million times easier.

“And surprisingly, Seth is a great dad,” she told Mia in a low voice. “It took him a while to warm up to the twins, but now he absolutely adores them.”