He couldn’t fail to notice. Heat washed over her. It was both embarrassment and arousal. Embarrassment because she couldn’t believe the way her body responded to a look and arousal because she also wanted him to act on it.
It simultaneously wasn’t a good idea and also the greatest idea ever.
He lifted his head, his eyes blazing into hers again before the heat banked abruptly. It was like he’d flipped a switch or doused himself in ice water. One moment he was looking at her like he wanted to eat her alive and the next he wasn’t interested in anything about her.
“I need to shower,” he said as he turned away. “And then I’m going to watch TV in bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
He left, taking all the heat and light with him. Jenna straightened, frowning to no one in particular. What the hell had just happened? And why did she feel like she wanted to go outside and scream?
She didn’t though. Instead, she went and got a cold bottle of water from the fridge then traipsed upstairs to peek in on Alice before retreating to her room. She could hear the hum of Noah’s television through the wall. She imagined him in there lying on his bed, freshly showered, his body naked on the sheets.
Heat bloomed between her legs, no matter how hard she tried to shift her thoughts away from Noah’s naked body. She’d seen enough of him that she could imagine the rest, and she spent a lot of time imagining before she finally shut off the lights and tried to sleep.
It didn’t work, though. There was only one way she was getting over this itchy feeling beneath her skin. She slipped her hand beneath the sheets, skimming downward until she encountered wet heat.
And then she made herself come—three times—before the ache subsided enough to sleep.
Jenna had great tits. Noah already knew that, but seeing her nipples poking against the fabric of her tank top last night had riveted his attention in a way he’d managed to avoid thus far.
Now he couldn’t stop seeing it. Her leaning against the counter, back arched just enough to thrust her tits forward—and then those nipples tightening as he’d stared at her.
He’d worked his ass off in the yard to get his thoughts off Jenna. And then he’d gone inside and she’d been there in the kitchen, watching him. He should have taken the water bottle and gone up to shower immediately.
Instead, he’d joked with her about trimming bushes and stared at her tits. When his balls began to tingle, that was the alarm he’d needed to get the hell out of there before he started something he couldn’t afford to start.
He didn’t one hundred percent know she’d have been receptive, but he wasn’t going to take the chance. Not last night, and not today either. Even if he was still thinking about her nipples and wondering if they’d be dark or light and how they’d feel under his tongue.
He was totally a tits man. He loved breasts, loved sucking a woman’s nipples while she moaned. But he loved the rest of the package too. He loved exploring, finding a woman’s erogenous zones, and exploiting them until she was boneless.
Fucking hell, he needed to get laid. But how was he going to do that now that he had a woman and child under his roof? He could leave them for a night or two, but that didn’t feel quite right. Not for getting laid, anyway.
The smell of coffee floated through the air. He lay there for a few more minutes, then swore softly as he got out of bed. He couldn’t avoid her. She lived in his house because he’d asked her to, and he needed her to stick around and take care of Alice so he could work.
He tugged on a T-shirt and athletic shorts and then went to brush his teeth. He stared at his reflection while he did it, frowning hard at the face in the mirror.
“You’re a fucking elite soldier, dude,” he muttered when he was done brushing. “You’re used to deprivation and hardship. You can manage to coexist with an attractive woman without spending all your time thinking about seeing her naked. And even if you do think about her naked all the fucking time, you’ll live through the boners.”
With that bit of advice to himself, Noah went downstairs to get coffee. The sun was shining through the kitchen window, and Jenna was at the table looking at her laptop while Alice sat in the high chair and ate cereal.
The morning light streamed across the room, highlighting the domesticity of the scene and the golden hair of both the woman and girl. It hit him that in another world, Noah might be walking into the kitchen to kiss his wife and child. It was disconcerting enough that he halted, staring.
Jenna looked up. “Hey,” she said. “There’s coffee.”
“Thanks,” he replied, his voice a croak as he moved to the cabinet and took out a mug. He poured a steaming cup, intending to retreat to another room, but Alice looked up at him and grinned, and his heart tugged. It was the first time she’d smiled at him without him doing something silly since he’d brought her home.
“Morning, Alice,” he said. “How’s the baby girl today?”
“Eeeeee!” she replied. “No!”
Noah looked at Jenna. “I don’t understand.”
Jenna was grinning. “Well, she’s happy to see you. And I believe that’s her attempt at your name. No-uh,” she said to Alice.
“No-no!”
“Oh boy, that’s going to be fun, isn’t it?” He put his coffee down and went to pick Alice up out of the high chair. She wrapped her chubby little arms around him and his heart melted.
Jesus, Sally. Why did you do this to me?
“You mean your name and the word that means stop doing that thing?” Jenna asked. “Yep, lots of fun. I suggest we tack uncle on there or something. Up to you.”
“Uncle is fine.” He looked at Alice, amazed at how much she was smiling. She’d been a lot more wary when he’d first brought her home. And a lot quieter. Not that he blamed her. He hadn’t had a clue what to do. He was still learning, but at least he could change a diaper, bathe her, feed her, and try to potty train her. Not that she’d done great on that score so far.
“What’s Uncle Noah doing with Alice?” he asked in a higher-pitched voice than usual. He swooped her down and around, making zooming noises, and she laughed.
“No-no!”
“Uncle Noah.” He sounded it out. She studied his face so he said it again, slowly.
“Unk No-wuh,” she repeated.
“Good job, kiddo.” He zoomed her over to the high chair, but she didn’t want in it. She clung to him, so he got his coffee and went over to the table. He told himself it was because of Alice that he sat down next to Jenna, but he knew he could have carried her to the living room.
Alice sat on his lap and reached for the coffee. “I don’t think so,” he said, moving it farther away.
She turned her little blue eyes up to him and frowned. “Want dink.”
“It’s too hot. And it’s yucky.” He made a face. Alice watched him intently. Then she gave up the notion as fast as she’d started it and reached for the floor. “Is she done with breakfast?” he asked Jenna.
“Yes. You got here toward the end.”
Noah set her down and she toddled off to the basket of toys Jenna had created for her. She dragged out blocks and puzzles and scattered them everywhere.