She groaned. “I hate it. Never call me that.”
“Ah, a weakness.”
“Please. You’re my weakness.” The minute she said it, she flushed.
Good, because you’re mine too.“Am I? That’s good to know.” He looked her over, wondering when they might get horizontal again. Of course, one didn’t always need a bed to share pleasure. “Say, Maggie?”
“Yes?”
“Do you mind if I hang out a little after Emily goes to bed? We could watch TV or something.” He was counting on thator something. Not anything to get loud or wake her daughter. But man, he needed to touch and kiss Maggie some more. Fuck, hecravedher.
“Or something, hmm?” No fool, Maggie saw what he’d really meant. “Sure.” She paused, her eyes smiling. “Let’s watch some TV together.”
“I’ll take it.” He’d take whatever he could get, because some time with Maggie was better than no time.
Chapter Sixteen
Reggie tucked Emily in, and when she insisted on a kiss to her forehead, the way her mom did it, he knew he’d fallen in love with the little girl. But giving one’s heart to a child wasn’t selfish, and not something he could guard against. Not that he wanted to.
Despite losing Amy and her daughter, Rachel, he couldn’t regret the span of time he’d been a part of their lives. The two years with them had been wonderful but not perfect. Looking back, he realized he and Amy had more than their share of ups and downs. And then they’d ended. He still missed little Rachel, but he hoped he’d made some positive impact she might remember years later.
“Good night, Emily.” He left her night-light on and shut her door to keep Frank inside.
He still didn’t know if he’d take the little guy with him when he left, but he’d let Maggie make that call.
He rejoined her in the living room, where the television was on and a root beer float waited for him. He chuckled. “I was kidding about dying for one of those. I brought it for Emily.”
“And the protein bars?”
“An alternative to all the sugar.” He grabbed one before sitting with her on the couch and enjoyed the yogurt-covered oat bar. “It’s good for you and an energy boost.”
“You need energy to handle me, I see. Good to know.”
“Energy and a whip and chains,” he murmured, wondering how she felt about wearing leather in bed, and grinned.
“I don’t even want to know what just went through your mind.”
“Nothing much.”
“Ha. Don’t play innocent with me. I live with that. Doesn’t work.”
He patted the spot next to him, amused at the distance she thought she could maintain. “Come closer. I don’t bite.” He added softly, “Hard.”
When she settled next to him, everything felt right. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her pick a fun sitcom to watch. Both aroused and content at the same time, he would have thought to feel unnerved. Instead he was happy. Fucking ecstatic just to be with her.
She sat on his right, her good arm tucked against his side.
“You still doing okay with the cast?”
“It’s not bothering me as much. Now I just want it off.”
“Hold on, Supergirl. You have another few weeks before you’re anywhere near to being healed.”
“Ugh.”
“What?”
“How come it’s Supermanbut not Superwoman? Supergirl?” She sneered. “How about Superboy? I don’t hear that often.”
