Page 44 of His Fake Fiancé

Claire opened the door to the guest house, thankful she’d made it there before KC. Yes, her family’s ranch was next door, but there was a lot of acreage in between. And, she had no idea how close KC had been when they’d been on the phone.

She dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her running shoes, and moved deeper in to the house. All the lights were on, the place a disaster. There were toys and blankets and stuff strewn all over the living room. The pack and play was open, but there was no Olivia.

The kitchen wasn’t much better. There were cheerios on the floor, and the tray of the highchair was covered in something that looked a little like snot. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was probably banana. Not surprising. Bananas were one of Olivia’s favorites. There was also a bowl of congealed oatmeal on the counter and what looked like dried yogurt streaked across the counter.

“Jake?” No answer.

She headed down the hallway. The shower was on, which explained why he hadn’t heard her. She wandered into the nursery, ready for few baby snuggles before she had to get changed. The crib was empty. And the window was open.

Panic slid through her veins, chilling her from the inside out. Her gaze shot around the room, like somehow the baby was going to poof back into her crib.

A massive shot of adrenaline dumped into her veins, making her shake. Her heart smacked into her ribs so hard and so fast, she found it hard to breathe.

“Jake?” Her voice had a hysterical edge to it, but she didn’t care. She raced out of the bedroom and over to the bathroom door. The shower was still running and… was he singing? At least that’s what she thought it was. Either that or he was murdering a cat.

She banged on the door. “Jake?” She strained to hear anything on the other side of the door. The water was still running, the caterwauling continuing.

She knocked again. “Jake?”

Still nothing.

“I’m coming in.” She grabbed the knob and pushed the door open.

A cloud of steam enveloped her, rushing into the cooler air of the hallway and then dissipating. The rush of the shower was louder, as was Jake’s song. But that wasn’t what stopped her short in the doorway.

Jake was in the shower, Olivia in his arms, bopping back and forth to what she could only assume was the beat of the song he was murdering.

And he was completely naked.

She wasn’t sure why that realization came as such a shock. He was, after all, having a shower. But for some reason her brain short circuited and she just stood there, staring.

The glass shower stall was apparently coated with the anti-fog stuff, because she could see everything. The way his muscles bunched as he swayed to the song. The way the water slid all the way down the long, lean length of him.

And if he just turned a little bit more this way, she’d get the Full Monty.

Her blood fizzed to life, zinging through her veins. She swallowed hard and licked her suddenly dry lips. She should really leave, now that she knew everything was okay. Any second now, her muscles were going to unlock and she’d be able to move. Close the door and pretend like this never happened. Any second now…

Jake must have sensed something because all of a sudden, he stopped singing and looked toward the door.

Their gazes collided and everything stopped. Just stopped. It was probably only for a second, but it felt like an eternity.

And then the biggest grin broke out on his face, devastating her further. “Hello,” he said, like her standing there watching him shower was the most normal thing in the world.

Her cheeks felt ready to explode. She opened her mouth to say something, but all the words got stuck on the back of her tongue. So, she just stood there, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Or an idiot.

Jake didn’t seem the least bit phased. Which wasn’t a shock. There wasn’t a bashful bone in his body. “Olivia and I—” he bounced the baby up and down in his arms, and she let out a little shriek of delight ”—got a little messy, and it was just easier this way. Wasn’t it, Peanut?”

As if she was agreeing, Olivia let out another squeal and smacked her palms against his cheeks. Jake pretended to bite her fingers and she laughed, which made him laugh.

It was the sweetest, most adorable thing Claire had ever seen. And if her brain had been working properly, she probably would have melted into a puddle on the floor. As it was, she just stood there, staring, unsure of what to do.

Jake reached over and shut off the water. The silence was almost deafening. Then he turned and slid open the shower door.

Claire blinked, her gaze travelling the full, gloriously naked length of him.

He was stunning. All golden skin and sinewy muscle. She hadn’t imagined the beauty of his abs. They were still the kind you could easily do a month’s worth of laundry on, and still want to go back for more. And he had that sexy V thing that cut between his abs and his hips, and led directly to…

Yup, he was stunning there, too.