Sinking into the warm water, I sip my wine, reveling in the moment. I never get to do this.
Xander is spoiling me, and if he’s not careful, I could get used to it.
I must languish in the warm water for close to half an hour before a soft knock sounds on the door. “Come in,” I call quietly, and then Xander appears around the door. He has a glass of water in one hand, and he swaps out my empty wine glass for the water.
I have barely a second to be embarrassed, very aware that the only thing keeping him from seeing all of me is the thin layer of bubbles clinging to the surface of the water before he leans over the tub. Bracing those sexy, strong arms on the rim of the basin to leverage himself over me, he drops his mouth onto mine in a soul stealing kiss. One hand disappears beneath the surface of the water, slipping between my thighs. I moan into his mouth, my entire body heating as his fingers find what he’s looking for.
“Are you enjoying your bath?” he husks against my mouth. I nod, my eyelids fluttering closed as those fingers slide inside me, slow and deep. “Good. Dinner should be ready in about ten minutes. Come join us when you’re dressed.”
And then the bastard leaves me practically panting in the dim light of the room and ridiculously turned on. Holy shit.
Stepping out of the tub, I dry off and then wrap the fluffy towel around my body before padding into the bedroom. I move to grab my go-to outfit of biker shorts and a loose tunic top, but stop myself. Instead, I step over to the closet and thumb through the hangers, my fingers sliding over a simple, dusty blue maxi sundress with a built-in shelf bra, so I don’t have to put a nursing bra on beneath it. It has thin straps that cross over my shoulders, a V neckline, and a slit clear up the thigh. I haven’t worn it sincelast summer, before I was pregnant with Bea. It’s flowy and comfortable, and casual enough for a simple dinner with Xander and the kids, while just provocative enough to drive this man a little crazy.
God, I hope it still fits.
I pull on a pair of cheeky panties and then slide the maxi dress over my curves. I’d piled my hair up in a claw clip while I’d lounged in the warm bath, and stray tendrils are curling against my neck and temples. Brushing just a touch of blush to my cheeks and refreshing my mascara, I stare at myself in the mirror for a long second, running my palms over the dip of my waist and down the wide fullness of my hips. My right thigh peeks out of the high slit of the dress, my feet bare where the hem brushes my ankles.
Garnering my courage, I open the bedroom door and step out, releasing a long breath. It smells divine, but it’s the music drifting to me from down the short hallway that steals my breath. I can’t help but laugh as I enter the living room.
Lifelong hotshot bachelor Xander Macomb is currently listening to Disney sing-along songs playing from the bluetooth stereo. Penny is singing loudly along with Elsa, her arms thrown wide as Xander spins her in the center of the kitchen by one hand. Bea is cradled in his other arm facing outward, her little back tucked into his chest, her arms and legs kicking and waving like crazy. A wide, mostly toothless grin stretches across her face. Dalton is sprawled out on his back on the couch, his head propped up on the arm and a chapter book resting on his chest, but he grins up at me as I walk through.
My heart cracks wide open in my chest at the scene before me.
Oh god, I missed this. My kids missed this. These moments that mean so damn much but seem so little in the grand scheme of things. Something as simple as making dinner together as afamily and dancing in the kitchen. Tears sting my nose, but the smile that pulls at my lips is one of pure happiness.
Dalton is right. Xander makes me smile. He makes me happy.
I never thought I’d have this again. I was so sure that I would neverwantto have this again.
Xander’s eyes find mine then as I come into the kitchen, and his gaze travels from the top of my head down to my toes and back. The heat in that gaze when it finds mine again is scorching. He licks his lips, then bites the bottom one between his straight, white teeth. I swear I hear a deep growl rumble out of his chest a second before he steps over to me.
Clasping the back of my neck in his palm, he angles my head up and back so that I’m looking up at him. My breathing is stuttered, eyes bouncing between his as he brushes his lips across the corner of my mouth.
“Fuck, Teddy,” he whispers beneath his breath, that low rumble for my ears only. I’m practically panting. “You are stunning. So fucking pretty, Mama. Goddamn, the things I want to do to you…”
Penny chooses that moment to interrupt us, wrapping her arms around my thighs as she bounces in place. “Mommy, dance with me!”
Xander kisses me swiftly, then backs away. I don’t miss the way the back of his hand passes over the fly of his jeans, making me blush as I turn toward Penny.
“Last song and then dinner,” Xander says, stepping around the kitchen counter to set Bea in her pack ‘n play in the living room. He makes sure she has several toys within reach, and then he’s back to the kitchen. He dishes up everyone’s plates, asking me about portion sizes for Dalton and Penny while Dalton helps set the table with silverware and napkins.
Once I have both kids settled at the table, Xander stops mewith his hands on my waist and his mouth on the curve of my neck. “This may be dinner, but I know what I want for dessert.”
I giggle, shaking my head. “Xander.”
“Sit down and eat while it’s hot. Would you like a little more wine with dinner?” he asks, stepping away. I shake my head, and he refills my water instead, placing it on the table. Once we’re all seated, he leans on his elbows and looks over at Dalton. “How was school today, champ?”
Again, my heart cracks open. Dalton launches into a tale about what they’d learned in science, and then Penny gets a turn to regale us with her knowledge of the full alphabet. Sitting kitty corner to one another at the table, Xander looks over at me and winks before sliding his left hand over the bare skin of my thigh that’s peeking out of the slit in my dress.
The heat of his palm on my skin burns through me, his fingers squeezing around my thigh, just above my knee. I can’t deny that I love having his attention, his open affection, like this. It’s like a balm to my soul, and to my heart.
It’s a little ridiculous how truly crazy I am about this man. He hasn’t said he loves me again since that first time, but his actions say it for him. I can see it in his eyes as he watches me.
I want this. I want this so bad I ache with it. It’s so damn easy with him. And he’s so good with my kids it’s unfair.
Dinner is always a little chaotic, and Penny manages to spill her milk on the table. Before I can stand to grab a towel, Xander is pushing to his feet and dropping a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ve got it. Stay here.”
Once dinner is done, he sends both big kids to the bathroom to wash their hands and faces and to change into pajamas just as Bea starts to fuss from the pack ‘n play. He takes my empty plate to the sink while I grab her. Glancing over at him almost shyly—how this man can still make me blush after everything is beyond me—I slip one strap of my dress down my arm and settle the baby in to nurse.
