“Don’t worry, she’s resting in her room,” he says with an easy laugh. “I’ll save the dirty talk for when you and I are alone.”
Once we hang up, I hang my dress back in my closet and change into denim cutoffs, a slouchy pink tee, and a pair of comfy sandals that my feet instantly thank me for. Then it’s a quick, familiar drive across town to Lex’s, where the door swings open before I even get a chance to ring the bell.
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
In dark-washed jeans and a fitted black tee that hugs his shoulders just right, Lex looks way too good for a man who’s been taking care of a sick two-year-old all day. In fact, I’d say he was date-night ready, if not for the toddler snot smeared on his shirt. And, of course, the grouchy-looking Grier propped on his hip.
“Can you say hi to Corrigan, love bug?” He bounces Grier a little to get her attention, and she manages half a smile and a tiny wiggle of her fingers. Then it’s right back to zombie mode, complete with a sad little whimper.
Poor thing.
“Looks like someone’s about ready for b-e-d.”
As if on cue, Grier sniffs twice, then yawns. Yep, it’s lights out for this one.
I follow Lex inside and straight up to Grier’s room, where the usual mess of toys is now joined by a full-blown kiddie pharmacy. There’s a big purple bottle of cough syrup on the dresser and, oddly, a box of fruit snacks next to it.
Lex must notice me eyeing them and quickly offers an explanation.
“She’ll only take the cough syrup if I give her those afterward.” He nods toward the fruit snacks, then shakes his head. “What can I say? The kid drives a hard bargain.”
“Gummies?” Grier perks up between sniffles as her dad tucks her in. She’s only recently graduated from the crib to a big-girl bed, and I can’t help but smile at how sweet and small she looks snuggled up under the light pink quilt.
“No, sweetheart. You already did your medicine. You’ll get more gummies tomorrow. Now, what story should we read?”
Without even glancing at her bookshelf, Grier blurts out the answer I’ve heard a half dozen times. “Dwagons Play Dodgeball!” It’s immediately followed by a coughing fit.
“Cover your mouth, honey,” Lex says gently. “Like this, see?” He demonstrates by fake coughing into his own elbow, and Grier mimics him exactly, right down to the pattern of his coughs. It’s pretty darn cute, to be honest. Like father, like daughter.
“Quick learner, as always,” I say, pulling the familiar blue board book from the shelf and handing it to Lex.
A proud smile breaks out across his face. “Yep. That’s our girl.”
As quickly as the words come out, his eyes deepen with instant regret.
Not his girl. Our girl.
There’s a long, awkward silence as he takes the book from me, but instead of addressing his slipup, he ignores it, sliding in under the covers next to Grier and starting the story.
Meanwhile, another story is playing in my head. A very different story. One where Grier is ours, not just Lex’s. And to my surprise, it’s not as scary of a thought as it should be.
“Cor?” Lex looks up at me with an easy smile. “Do you want to join us?”
Yes. In every way.
Lex guides Grier to scooch over a bit, making enough room for me on the edge of the bed. Even in her zombie state, she insists that I get under the covers too, tugging at the sheet until I oblige.
“Grier sandwich,” I say with a laugh, cuddling in extra close. “Now, where were we?”
Two and a half reads of Dragons Play Dodgeball later, Grier is finally sound asleep. It takes some light gymnastics for us both to get out of bed without waking her, which only leads to more laughter that we have to muffle, but we eventually make our escape without her batting an eyelash.
Before long, we’re back in the same spot on the couch as last night, this time with a bottle of wine and two take-and-bake pizzas Lex rustled up from the back of the freezer.
“Thanks again for being so flexible about tonight.” Lex smiles as he pulls an extra-large piece off the pizza stone and plates it for me. Despite his ten years in New York City, the man hasn’t lost the “ladies first” manners they teach us down here.
“It’s really no big deal,” I say, accepting the plate and lifting the slice to my lips. There’s still steam rising off it, so I blow a cold stream of air along the hot, gooey cheese, looking up just in time to catch Lex staring at my lips.
“You know how kids are. One second she’s bouncing off the walls, the next . . .” He takes a deep breath, rubbing the tension out of the back of his neck. “That one is unpredictable.”
“Some of the best things in life are unpredictable,” I murmur, blinking up at him with a knowing look.
He responds with a soft, easy chuckle. “Yeah, I’d say a lot of good, unpredictable things have been coming into my life lately.” He pauses, his gaze momentarily dipping down to my legs. “Speaking of which, I want an IOU on seeing you in those heels.”
My eyes can’t help but roll as I try and fail to suppress a smile. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen me in heels before.”
“I don’t think my senior prom over a decade ago counts,” he says. “Plus, your dress covered them anyway.”
I nod, setting my plate on the coffee table and grabbing a napkin for each of us. “I still can’t believe Dak bought that we went just as friends.”
“Listen, you know I love Dak like he’s my own brother, so it’s with nothing but total respect that I say this.”
Lex pauses, his eyes darkening as he glances around the room, as if there were anyone around to hear him. Then he leans in close to me, like we’re a couple of high schoolers gossiping in the back of study hall.
“Your brother?” he whispers behind a cupped hand. “He can be kind of a dumbass.”
A laugh explodes out of me, loud enough that I have to smack a hand over my mouth to keep from waking our little patient upstairs. Once I get myself under control, I give Lex a playful shove with both hands.
“You’d better hope I never tell him you said that,” I finally manage to say on a strained laugh.
“Yeah?” Lex lifts a brow in a challenge, shifting closer to me on the couch.
All at once, the mood changes, the sexual tension between us as thick as the humidity of an August night. He reaches toward me and tucks back a loose strand of my hair, causing my goose bumps to run wild as the pads of his fingers linger on the tender skin behind my ear.
“Well,” he finally says softly, his tongue sweeping over his lower lip. “You’d better not tell him about this either, then.”
Sliding his fingers to the back of my neck, he draws me into him, closing the space between us with a slow, open-mouthed kiss that sucks the air right out of my lungs.
Holy God in heaven, this man. One kiss from him, and I’m putty in his hands.
He coaxes my tongue into his mouth, sucking and massaging it with his, and I moan into him, planting my hands against his firm chest. It’s all I can do to find some semblance of balance in this moment where I feel like I’m totally and completely falling.
When he pulls back, it’s only a fraction of an inch, barely enough space to catch his breath as he grabs my hand and lowers it from his chest to his zipper. The kick of his erection against my palm sends a gasp tumbling from my lips.