No, she needed to keep her feelings in check, no matter what.
Which was easier said than done, as it turned out.
That evening passed in a blur of laughter for her and Jace and giggles from Maddie.Jace was amazing with the little girl, and she’d really taken to him.Even Owen couldn’t keep from smiling as he watched the two of them together.
In what must have been a move on Paige’s part, the two were now spending the night away.She tossed Aurelie a wink, like she was giving her the night to sneak around with a boy.Too bad that ship had wholly sailed.
Still, the three of them—she, Jace, and Maddie—made a cute little trio.
“She’s so smart,” Jace noted at dinner.“See how she tracks each bite I take?It’s like she’s learning from every movement I make.”
Aurelie laughed.“She’s doing exactly that.Babies learn the most in their first five years—more than any other five-year span in their life.”
He kissed her over the top of Maddie’s head.The baby just squealed with more delight.
“I love hearing you talk nerdy doctor stuff to me.What else do you know?”
She shook her head, laughing.“No way, mister.I’m not falling for that.You know you’ll have me filibustering the whole evening away with mynerdy doctortalk.”
He kissed her again, and this time, lingered with his forehead against hers.With the baby between them, it felt too much like this was real life.In fact, every time they’d shared a moment like this the past few days, she’d wondered if the accident with the condom from the other night didn’t go their way, and she ended up pregnant, if this is what life would look like.
She had to imagine it wouldn’t be like this at all.He’d be up at dawn or before to take care of the ranch—if he quit acting altogether—and she’d be up all night with the baby.It wouldn’t be a luxury anymore; it would be a responsibility.
A crushing one.
“Why don’t you tell me about your nerdy ranching stuff instead?I hardly know anything about what you do.”
His smile was downright devilish.“Aw, hon, there’s nothing nerdy about ranching.It’s the sexiest profession on the planet.”He’d purposely lowered his voice to imitate a low cowboy rumble, and she giggled.
“Okay, there, Butch Cassidy.Simmer down now.But really, talk me through your day.What, for instance, got you so muddy this afternoon?”
He blushed.“Yeah, sorry about that.I was gonna clean out the bottom of the shower, but a beautiful woman distracted me with her mouth around my cock.”
Now it was her turn to blush.“Jace William.”
“Anyway,” he said, popping one of Maddie’s crackers in her mouth and earning a playful slap on the hand from Aurelie, “I do a lot in a day, and no day’s the same.”
“Kind of like acting?”
He smiled.“Kinda, yeah.Although this work is much more fulfilling.I can see the difference in everything I do right away.”
She took Maddie and washed her hands off with water from her glass.“How so?”
“I dunno.Like take the horses, for instance.When I’m done grooming them, I can see the difference, not just in their coats, but their attitudes as well.Without it, they’re grumpy, get unhealthy, and their workload declines.That affects the cattle, which affects the sales, and the whole thing crumbles if you don’t do what needs to be done.”She took his hand and squeezed it.“I guess I like being needed.”
I need you.The thought was fleeting but true.Still, she didn’t let it pass her lips.
“Well, it’s neat to see you light up the way you do when you talk about it.Call it what you want, but you’re a nerd about this stuff.”
He took Maddie back from her and whispered in her ear, “If you want to see what really gets me going, meet me in the bedroom in ten minutes, Mrs.Michaels.”
Moisture pooled in her panties as if she were a horny twenty-year-old and not a professional.
They made love again, Aurelie surprised at not only how many ways there were to appreciate this man, but how much that appreciation grew and expanded each time they had sex.It was some sort of cosmic math problem she’d never be able to solve.
Right before bed, she checked her email to discover that their court date and interview for her green card had been scheduled.A wave of dizziness washed over her.She should drink more water, given all the exertions they’d been up to that week.
“We meet next week with the immigration agent and are scheduled for court after,” she told him.
