He waited for me to sit down in the recliner before handing Isa over, then he watched me give her the bottle for a moment before he went back to the crib. My focus was usually completely on Isa when I fed her, but my gaze kept straying toward Griffin while he put the pieces together with steady precision. The way he moved, looking so capable, did things to me I refused to name. I found myself staring longer than I should, heat creeping up my neck as I watched the play of ink and muscle in his arms.
He didn’t look up, but I realized he’d caught me when he murmured, “Keep looking at me like that, and we’re gonna have problems a lot sooner than I planned.”
My face flamed as I busied myself with the bottle, but not before I caught the satisfied glint in his eyes.
By the time he had the crib and changing table built, Isa had dozed off against my shoulder. Getting up, I crossed the room to lay her down gently, tucking a light blanket around her tiny form. She stayed peaceful, her lashes dark against her cheeks. It had been a long day for both of us, so I was glad she was getting some much-needed rest.
Without Isa to distract me, the tension between us thickened until it practically sizzled. And despite every logical reason screaming at me to keep my distance, a reckless part of me didn’t want to leave this room anytime soon.
5
CROSS
Isa’s soft breathing filled the room, as she finally settled after the long, chaotic day. The crib was simple, but it fit a little girl’s nursery. White wood with carved spindles tucked neatly into the corner of the room. A plush, lavender-colored bunny sat next to Isa, its stitched eyes peaceful and serene. The house had gone quiet around us, the earlier urgency replaced by a tense, expectant silence that crackled between Hannah and me and was impossible to ignore.
My gaze lingered on her as she stood near the crib, her attention entirely on Isa, as though the baby’s steady breathing was the only thing tethering her to the moment. Hannah’s body was rigid with residual stress, her delicate frame vibrating subtly from the strain of the day.
But even under that tension, there was something so fucking natural and effortless about the way she cared for Isa. She’d stepped into that role like it had been waiting for her, as though she’d always belonged there. No hesitation or second-guessing. Just quiet competence and a tenderness that tugged at something inside my chest.
The dim glow of the lamp cast soft shadows across her golden-blond hair, now pulled back into a loose ponytail, exposing the graceful line of her neck. My eyes traced that slender curve, lingering on the sensitive spot where her pulse beat steadily beneath the warm skin. My cock stirred, heat pooling low in my gut as my eyes roamed over her curves.
Even with the exhaustion of the day settling in, the need that burned for her hadn’t faded. It was only intensified now without the distractions.
Slowly, she looked up from Isa, her dark brown eyes lifting to meet mine, wide and unguarded for a fleeting second. I felt the same pull from earlier—stronger this time, unhindered by external chaos. The air seemed electric, my body tightening with desire at the way she held my stare, a question and a challenge mingling there in equal measure.
Her lips parted slightly, and I watched her take a shaky breath. Her chest rose and fell softly beneath the thin fabric of her pale-yellow sundress. Every line of her body and subtle reaction had me burning to close the distance and see just how soft she’d feel beneath my hands.
Without breaking eye contact, I picked up the baby monitor and flicked it on, the low, static hum filling the quiet as Isa continued to sleep peacefully. Moving toward Hannah, I took her delicate hand firmly in mine, feeling the slight tremble in her fingertips as her eyes widened in surprise. Her skin was warm and soft, sending sparks of heat racing up my arm.
“Come on.” My voice was rougher than intended as I led her toward the bedroom door.
She didn’t resist, her gaze still locked on me, a mix of apprehension and anticipation shining from her eyes. I carefully shut the door, the silence amplifying the charged atmosphere between us.
I released Hannah’s hand but didn’t let her slip away from me. Instead, I took a deliberate step forward, forcing her gently backward until her spine met the cool wall. My palm settled at her waist, my thumb tracing slow circles over the soft, delicate curve of her hip through the thin fabric of her dress, while my other hand rested firmly on the wall beside her head.
Her eyes widened, and a startled gasp slipped past those lush lips I’d been fantasizing about for hours, but she didn’t move away. Which was good because I wasn’t letting her run now.
Her body went still beneath my touch, her chest rising and falling a little faster, the quickening rhythm of her breath betraying her despite her attempts at composure. My gaze dropped lower, lingering deliberately on the way the rapid thrum of her pulse beat at the graceful curve of her throat.
She licked her bottom lip nervously, and I bit back a groan as my attention tracked that small, innocent movement. It took everything in me not to claim her mouth right then.
My gaze dipped further, noting how her nipples had tightened into hard little points beneath her dress, revealing exactly how much I was affecting her. Her breath hitched softly, a barely audible sound, and I looked even lower, catching the subtle shift of her hips and the way her thighs pressed slightly tighter together—proof that she was every bit as affected by this tension as I was.
That reaction went straight to my cock, and my grip on her hip tightened instinctively. And possessively.
Satisfaction surged through me when she made no attempt to break away, the defiance she’d shown earlier replaced by a vivid awareness of me.
Deliberately, I leaned closer, my gaze locked onto hers, watching every flicker of emotion and arousal that passed through those expressive eyes. The air between us grew evenmore charged, crackling with an undeniable pull that neither of us could fight.
Hannah's lips parted softly, a small, needy sound escaping her throat, breaking the tense silence. That tiny sound shattered what little control I had left. I closed the remaining distance, my mouth claiming hers without hesitation.
Her lips were warm and soft, tasting faintly of strawberries. Innocent and irresistible. For a moment, Hannah went completely still beneath me, surprise holding her rigid, but then she melted against me. Her arms came up to clutch desperately at my shoulders rather than pushing me away. Her fingers tightened in my shirt, pulling me closer, urging me onward, and any thoughts of holding back vanished entirely.
My kiss deepened, my tongue sliding past her parted lips to explore every sweet inch of her mouth. She moaned softly, a helpless little sound that sent a bolt of lust straight to my already swollen and stiff cock. My heart pounded harder, the rhythmic rush of blood roaring in my ears as her body molded perfectly against mine.
Her responses weren’t hesitant—they were instinctive, passionate, and utterly fucking perfect. I felt the change in her breathing to rapid and uneven, along with the urgent rise and fall of her tits as they pressed firmly against me. Her curves fit perfectly into my frame.
Heat surged between us, igniting something fiercely possessive deep within me. My hands slid firmly down to her hips, gripping hard and pulling her lower body flush against mine. She gasped when she felt the thick, rigid length of my cock pressing insistently into her belly, pulsing with unmistakable need. I swallowed the soft sound with another deep kiss, letting her feel exactly what she did to me.
