“Be careful what you wish for. The night’s still young.”
Her smile widened. “True. Last night, we got lucky.”
Yes, they had.
“You want something to drink?”
Becs glanced around the empty kitchen. “I should probably turn in. If, by chance, we get lucky again, I’m sure they’ll be up early in the morning.”
“Yeah. Probably.” Evan knew he should go to bed, too.
If he were tired, that wouldn’t have been a problem. He should’ve been. Chasing six kids around all day took it out of you. He could blame it on the coffee, but it would’ve been a lie. The woman standing two feet away was the reason for his insomnia. More accurately, her admission last night. Not a minute had gone by since then that he hadn’t thought about it. It had taken every ounce of self-control he possessed not to broach the subject last night. Since she hadn’t either, Evan was starting to think he’d dreamed it all.
“Did you wanna keep talking about … you know … what I said last night?” Becs asked. “I mean, we were interrupted, so we didn’t get to finish the conversation.”
Their quiet time had certainly come to an end faster than he’d anticipated. The moment the third girl showed up, Sophia decided they should get in the swimming pool, which meant Evan was needed to keep an eye on things. The party was in full force from that point on. Right up until they had tucked the girls into their fancy blanket forts that Becs had helped them make in the game room. At that point, Becs had been invited to hang out with them, leaving him to ponder the conversation alone.
“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Becs said, her voice softer than before. More hesitant.
If he didn’t know better, Evan would’ve said she was as nervous as he was. But he wasn’t sure that was even possible.
Becs was the first woman Evan had been interested in since his wife. At least for more than an intimate encounter. And since Gayle had been his high school sweetheart and the first woman he had slept with, Evan didn’t have a long, sordid track record with women. He hadn’t actually been on a date in more than a decade. Not since before Gayle died. The women he’d been with over the years had been ones he picked up in bars, ones he ensured understood he wasn’t looking for anything more than sex, so there’d been no subsequent dinners or movies or any of that social shit required to maintain a healthy relationship. Evan didn’t do relationships, so as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t necessary.
And while he wanted to take this woman to bed—God, he wanted that more than his next fucking breath—Evan wanted more from their relationship than that. Even if it was only friendship, he wanted more. The problem was sex muddied the waters. Intimacy increased affection in many cases. Evan wasn’t ready for something complicated. Was he?
“Sorry I brought it back up,” Becs said with a sad smile. “Would you mind if I slept in Sophia’s bed? If and when I get them to sleep, I mean.”
Evan heard her words, but he wasn’t listening. He was stuck on her apology and the fact she thought he was bothered by the topic. Sure, it made him uncomfortable, but he admired her boldness. The fact that she’d brought it up had surprised him. Hell, everything about Becs surprised him.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I guess that means the decision’s mine to make.”
Decision? What decision?
Becs stepped around him. “Good night, Evan. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Before she could pass him, Evan reached for her. He cupped her face, pivoting to face her as he did. Without thinking about the repercussions—there would certainly be time to do that later—he kissed her.
The moment her soft lips met his, his senses were overwhelmed. Her sweet smell, her smooth skin, the barely audible whimper that escaped her as she leaned into him, her cool hands curling on the sides of his neck. And when her lips parted, allowing him entry, he knew he was in over his head.
She was sweet. Her taste, her touch. Their tongues met, a hesitant, languid mating. Evan wasn’t sure he’d ever been as turned on by a simple, innocent kiss as he was now. It was intense despite the lack of urgency. He savored her for long minutes, unable to release her even when his brain told him it was the only option.
When their lips finally separated, Evan didn’t pull away, nor did she. Her hands remained on his neck, his cradling the back of her head. Evan rested his forehead against hers and let his heart rate return to normal.
“I’ve wanted you to do that for a long time,” she whispered.
“Not as long as I’ve wanted to do it,” he assured her.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the moment was broken. Evan stepped back just as Carly and Sophia appeared in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.
“Aren’t you two supposed to be in bed?” Becs asked, her eyes glittering with both remembered passion and renewed amusement.
“We want popcorn,” Carly said.
“Popcorn?” Becs put her hands on her knees and bent to their level. “I think popcorn sounds like the greatest birthday sleepover snack ever.”
“Yay!” Sophia shouted, hopping up and down.
“You two go on up. I’ll bring it up as soon as it’s ready.”
