Jerry’s lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “I would like it if it was…” he began, before he seemed to reconsider. “Ideally, a date would be where I took you to a nice restaurant, maybe a moonlit walk along the pier, somewhere quiet where we can talk. I’m desperate to get to know you better, although I don’t know how long it’ll be before I’ll feel comfortable leaving Ladyb—I mean Mia, with a sitter. Watching a movie with kids isn’t exactly the epitome of romantic.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” I said, reaching across the void between us to brush a fingertip along the lines of a heart tattoo on his forearm. “It just means we’ll have to take things slow.” I felt goosebumps lift along his skin, and when I chanced a look into his eyes, there was unmistakeable heat there.
“I’m good with slow,” he said.
On the screen, a white feather was floating past the movie credits, to land on the ground at a man’s feet. I was just about to suggest we pause the movie when Sam came running back in, breathless, and I pulled my hand back into my lap. “Okay, I’m back.” He plopped down in front of his plate and picked up a piece of pizza, meat lovers, digging straight in.
We briefly paused the movie to stack dishes in the dishwasher, to grab bowls of ice cream, and for Jerry to put Mia to bed in her crib. When we restarted the movie, Jerry was sitting a lot closer than he had before, and with Sam’s attention on the movie, Jerry reached over and took my hand, lacing our fingers together. Itwas so innocent, but it made my heart race in my chest, likeIwas the teenager with a crush.
Pounding heart or not, there was nothing on earth that could’ve kept me awake. I fell asleep not long after, fingers entwined with Jerry’s. It all just felt so… right. Plus, I’d barely had any sleep last night, so who could blame me? I woke up as Jerry was draping a blanket over me. The TV was off, the room dark. Sam had already gone to bed.
I fought to sit up, shaking my head to clear it. “I should go…” I mumbled.
Jerry pressed me back down with a firm hand on my shoulder. “No. Stay. You shouldn’t be driving when you’re this tired. I have a spare room if you prefer.”
I probably should’ve fought a little harder to go, but I just couldn’t find the willpower to say no. So instead, I sank back into the couch, my eyes already drifting closed once more. “No, no, this is perfect. Thank you. Wake me to help with Mia.”
He didn’t, of course. He let me sleep the whole night through.
8
Jeremiah
“Morning,”Lazlosaidbehindme, voice rough, and I turned to watch him as he shuffled into the kitchen. His clothes were wrinkled, and so was his face, a crease from the pillow I’d tucked under his head lining the side of his cheek. He was so adorably rumpled, and I found it strangely hot. Who knew that slightly awkward and ultra-competent doctors were my thing. I had the urge to kiss him, morning breath and all.
I approached him, hooking a finger into a belt loop and reeling him in. He gave no resistance, coming willingly. “Morning. Did you sleep okay?” My voice had gone deeper, eyes straying to his lips.
“Strangely enough, I did.” He leaned in until our chests brushed, his fingers tracing idle patterns along my stomach that had my dick sitting up and taking notice. “What about you? You didn’t wake me up to help with Mia.”
“Nah, I’m an old pro at nighttime feedings. I don’t have to work today, but you needed your sleep.” I watched as his tonguedarted out to wet his bottom lip. We were close enough that I could feel his breath on my mouth… but I could hear Sammy at the top of the stairs, and I forced myself to back away from the good doctor with a groan. There was a time and a place for a first kiss, and this wasn’t it. It wasn’t something I wanted to rush. Once I got him alone, I had a suspicion we wouldn’t want to stop at just one kiss.
“I hope you’re hungry,” I said, returning to the counter where I had a bowl of whipped eggs, just waiting for the bread. “I’m making French toast this morning.”
“I feel like I’m taking advantage of your hospitality. I’ve eaten better here than I ever do at home.”
I couldn’t help but frown. I didn’t like hearing that. “You need to take better care of yourself, or I might just have to take over for you,” I said with mock sternness… except not really.
He bit his lower lip. “I was going to ask if I can use your shower real quick, but now I’m curious about how you might take over if I didn’t…” His smile was full of mischief, and heat flared inside me.
“Don’t tempt me,” I growled. I nodded in the right direction. “Bathroom is the first door on the left. There are towels under the sink and new toothbrushes in the drawer. Help yourself to anything you need. Call me if you need help washing your back.” I gave him a wink, and his chuckle echoed all the way down the hall.
I had just dunked the first slice of bread in the egg mixture when Sam came clattering down the stairs with more energy than he usually had in the mornings. He raced straight out the door, yelling, “I’ll get the eggs!”
I looked out the window, following his progress to the barn. What was going on with him? He’d been acting strangely, and while I had so far chalked it up to teen hormones, I decided we’d better have a long talk tonight. It felt like he was hidingsomething from me, but it was such an unfamiliar feeling that it was easy to disregard.
My attention was diverted when Lazlo emerged from the bathroom with damp hair and smelling like my shampoo. The part of my DNA descended from cavemen was pleased by this. He pushed his dark hair back from his forehead, the waves temporarily tamed. “People are going to start talking if I keep showing up to work wearing yesterday’s clothes.”
“I’d offer you something to wear, but I doubt it would fit, and I’m pretty sure they’d talk even more if you showed up wearing another man’s clothes.”
Passing him a fresh mug of coffee, he groaned and looked up at me with an almost erotic look on his face. “You are way too good to be true,” he said breathlessly as he cupped his mug and breathed in the steam.
“Are you talking to me or the coffee?” I asked with a laugh. I was seriously about to get jealous of that mug, the way he was caressing it.
“Can’t it be both?” He smiled innocently at me, lowering into a chair at the table.
“If coffee makes you moan like that, I can’t wait to see what other sounds I can coax out of you,” I muttered under my breath, making his jaw drop a little. Before he could answer, though, Sammy came barreling back into the kitchen. His cheeks were flushed with the morning chill, but he seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for the day.
I loaded up a plate with the first French toast off the griddle and set it at his usual spot at the table. “The bus will be here in 15 minutes. Get eating, kiddo.”
