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“What time do we have to be ready tomorrow?” Reese asks Mya.
“We have to be there by nine, so I suggest you get your ass up to bed. You look tired after today.”
“Hmm,” Reese stands. “But I had fun.”
“I bet you did.” Mya winks, and hugs Reese. Then she kisses Eli’s cheek, and mine too. “I kind of like you Thorin Decker, this non-rock-God version. You’re not so bad.”
Thanks,” I snort. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“I know.” She waves, disappearing through the restaurant.
Reese reaches for Eli, and I let her. I settle the bill—Reese has paid for everything else so far—and we make our way up to our room. Reese has the dorkiest grin on her face, but I can’t bring myself to say anything, in case she feels embarrassed. That’s the last thing I want her feeling around me. She should be proud of who she’s become, the people she’s helping. I had no hand in that, but today felt like a small contribution to making her dreams a reality. And God, to make her laugh, that was the damn highlight of my day. I shut the door behind us.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Reese asks, a sleeping Eli in her arms. It’s hard to think of a more beautiful sight.
“Like what?” I grin.
She waves her hand in the vicinity of my face. “I don’t know, you’re just smiling at me all goofy like.”
I chuckle. “Guess I had fun today, too.”
“You never did tell me what caused your, uh, situation,” she giggles, and man, that sound.
I rub the back of my neck. “Don’t remind me, it was embarrassing enough.”
Reese mock-gasps. “My my, is Thor, the God of Thunder, actually blushing?” Her smile widens when she notices the rudeness of my cheeks. “Oh my God, you are!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m human okay, it happens. Now give me the kid, and go take a shower. You stink.”
“I do not,” she retorts around a smile, “but, a shower does sound really good.”
I take Eli back, and kick Reese’s butt when she walks past. “Get. I’ll get him ready for bed.”
She shakes her head, and all but skips past me, my eyes on her until she disappears into the bathroom.
“Man,” I look down at Eli, “Your uncle is so screwed.”
I lay him down on the bed, change his diaper, his clothes, and ten minutes later, Reese walks out, a towel wrapped around her body. “I forgot my clothes.”
I stare for what feels like a whole five minutes before my brain starts to function. “That’s fine,” I croak out. I lay Eli down in the bassinet, expecting Reese to be grabbing her silk pajamas and making a run for it, but when I straighten, she’s still standing there in that fucking towel.
I take a step towards her. “Reese?”
“I really want to know what happened today.” Her voice is quiet, barely a whisper. “Why you…”
Damn, I don’t want to talk about this, but my feet eat up the space between us until she’s craning her neck to meet my gaze. “You want to know if it happens all the time, or if it was because of you?”
We shouldn’t be doing this, but we’ve been flirting, and playing with each other since we left the studio. I like this side of her. In fact, I’m starting to think I like every facet there is to this woman.
“You know what, never mind. You’re a damn rockstar, of course it—”
“You,” I tell her. “It was you. In those damn leggings that showed me every dip, and curve I’ve been curious about since this morning.” Actually, I’ve wanted to know what her body looks like since I got back to Horseshoe, but this little dance we’ve been doing, and using Eli as a buffer, has had me halting any thought of her naked.
She clutches her towel tighter, and licks her lips. I lean down, catching the scent of her minty breath. “I so badly want to kiss you right now, Reese.”
“Then kiss me,” she breathes. “I want to know what it feels like.”
Her eyes are brimming with vulnerability, and I’m terrified that if we start this, I won’t be able to end it. A wail on the other side of the bed bursts our little bubble, and Reese practically jumps back a step.
