That was only a few of the things she loved about him.
Closing the small space between them, she touched her lips to his once more. “Laying my heart out here, okay?”
His gaze never wavered from hers. “Okay.”
“I want you. Time with you. Sex with you. Conversations and laughs.” She smiled. “More sex.”
He smiled, too.
Then she glanced toward the stairs. “It’ll be dicey though. Ryder will need time to get acclimated.”
“No explanation needed. I want you to feel completely at home here, and I want Ryder to feel the same. Neither of you need to tiptoe around or think of it as my house.”
She bit her lip. “It is your house. Your home.”
Lifting a shoulder, he glanced around, but there really wasn’t much to see in the downstairs bedroom. “It didn’t feel like a home really.”
“More like a refuge?”
“Until you.” This time his smile was teasing. “What do you say we figure it out as we go along? If I need to change something, let me know.”
“Same,” she said quickly. “If we overstep or get too noisy –”
Now he outright laughed. “Fine, okay. If I have a request, I’ll pass it along, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. Speaking of noise though, do you think we need a play space for Ryder?”
Choking on her emotion and love, Joey said, “He was living in the cabin with me. Believe me, right now he’s in awe of all the space.”
Hendrix missed nothing, so he hugged her gently and kissed her forehead. “Thanks to you, he’s a happy boy. I want to keep him that way, so let’s say the timing is on you.”
Groaning dramatically, Joey dropped back in his arms so he had to catch her. “Iseverythingon me?”
Despite the small, sexy smile on his mouth, his tone was serious when he said, “I’m happy to dig in wherever you need me, but you’re a stellar mom with an instinct about these things, so you can let me know when it’s right. For the record, I’m ready. I’ve been ready since I first saw you a year ago.”
If only he’d made a move sooner. Look at all the time they’d wasted. Not that she minded so much. Hendrix deserved patience too after everything he’d seen and how it had impacted him. “I have a feeling you’re more patient than I am.”
He nuzzled her neck, finding a sensitive spot that sent sensation over her like a warm, tingly tide. “Whenever and wherever.” He opened his mouth on her skin and her stomach bottomed out. “Early morning or late night, whenever you think he’s sound asleep, feel free to crawl into my bed.” Returning to her mouth for one more decadent kiss, he stressed, “Doesn’t matter what time it is.”
After those diabolical kisses and husky words, he’d pretty much guaranteed she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“So you know, you’re not on a timer.” He stood with her in his arms. “I can wait. Just because you’re here, under the same roof, doesn’t mean you have to figure it out right away.”
She loved that about him, too. “I’m as anxious as you are, so we’ll see how it goes.” When he started up the stairs, she laughed. “I can walk, you know.”
His gray eyes stared into hers. “I like holding you, and I like having you here. Youarestaying, right?”
Eventually, she’d like a declaration of his feelings. For now, this was more than enough. “With you is where I want to be, and yes, we can sort out any issues as they come.”
At the landing, he set her back on her feet.
Pressing her hand to Hendrix’s chest, she felt the steady beat of his heart. “Will you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“Please look out for yourself as closely as you look out for everyone else. You matter to me, Hendrix.” She hugged him, loving the solid feel of his body, his innate strength, and the protective way he returned the embrace. “Promise me you’ll do that.”
Near her ear, his hot breath curling her toes, he whispered, “I have you, Joey, so it’s guaranteed I plan to stick around.”
Chapter Six
