by Robyn Grady
Although no family—including his—was without its hiccups. And shadows, past and present. They simply kept them better hidden than most.
Cruiser’s snout nudged again and Zack came back to the situation at hand. Baby awake. Captain needed on deck. He blew out a breath and shook out his hands. He could do this. Hell, it was the least he could do.
Zack padded past Trinity’s recliner. She was breathing evenly, brow smooth, eyes closed. His fingers itched to touch the silky sweep of her hair but he wouldn’t risk waking her. This shift was his.
With another nose nudge, Cruiser knocked open the bedroom door. Zack pulled up his sleeves and inched inside. The baby was awake, watching her fingers wriggle in the shadows. Her gaze roamed, quickly found his and she kicked her legs in their wrap as if saying hello the only way she knew how.
Zack remembered how soaked she’d been that morning. But he was a man who commanded many and normally never backed off from a challenge. This couldn’t be too hard. Just get your mind around the problem, Harrison, and do it!
In a fluid movement, he scooped her up and, holding her firmly, tested her padded behind with a palm.
Not wet. No leakages around the legs. He rolled back his shoulders. That was good enough for him.
He cradled her in one arm, waited for the inevitable—for her chin to dimple and bottom lip to drop. But she only gazed up at him, blowing bubbles and wriggling her toes in her leggings. Zack’s throat clogged. Sweetheart was definitely the word.
Cruiser gave his leg a bump and Zack growled down. “Stop pushing already. I’m here, aren’t I?”
He moved out to the main room, thinking about his next step. Bonnie had had a bottle before going to sleep. She shouldn’t be hungry, but she did look wide-awake. He had experience with older kids. They were easy to entertain. But a three-month-old? No success. In fact, plenty of failures.
What was he supposed to do now?
* * *
Waking slowly, Trinity sucked in a breath then noticed that the light in Zack’s living room where she’d fallen asleep had changed. From the shadows stretching over the timber floor, it was long past midday. More like midafternoon. However long she’d slept, she certainly felt refreshed. Bonnie must still be sleeping soundly, Trinity thought as she shifted to sit straighter in the recliner, or she’d have heard from Cruiser.
Enjoying a stretch and a yawn, she rubbed her eyes but stilled when she heard a sound rumbling nearby. Zack’s voice. But there was another noise. A gurgling. Giggling.
On a burst of energy, Trinity scrambled up on her knees so that she could peer over the back of the recliner.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
This had to be a dream.
Propped up on forearms, Zack was lying on his front on a blanket on the floor. The baby was propped up on a bank of pillows opposite. Zack was shaking something that rattled and wobbled. Trinity had no idea what it was or how he’d come by it. She only knew the baby thought the sight and sound hilarious.
Zack was smiling, too, in a way that both surprised and warmed Trinity to her core. In that instant, in her mind, he was transformed. No longer simply the handsome, ruthless hotelier, but so much more a regular guy in sexy blue jeans who obviously enjoyed making a little girl laugh. Trinity wanted to laugh, too, even as moisture welled in her eyes. If she didn’t disapprove of him so much, she might even be convinced to like him.
He glanced across and that glossy lock of hair fell over his brow as he beamed out a dazzling smile.
“Hey, look who’s up.”
“What’s going on?” Trinity moved off the recliner, thinking how goofy her expression must be. She couldn’t stop grinning and her voice was tellingly thick. “How long has she been awake?”
A sound came from behind Bonnie’s bank of pillows. Cruiser’s snout popped up, smiling and panting as usual. Zack shook the rattle again.
“We’ve been playing for around fifteen minutes.”
“Is she wet?”
“She wasn’t when she woke up. She’s made me work since.”
Trinity’s palm caught her chest, and not totally to mock him. “You changed her?”
“I did. Fed her, too, when she started to grizzle.”
Trinity made her way over. “So I’ve lost my job. Changing, feeding, maybe some rocking…”
“Whoa.” Zack tipped onto to his side and she caught a long, horizontal view of “totally carefree and masculine” that would fit superbly in the center of a ladies’ magazine. “Let’s not get carried away.”
He said the words but didn’t look half as reticent as he had before and, across the way, the baby was throwing out her arms to him like she’d been doing it her whole life. Bonnie wanted the toy Zack held. Trinity was curious, too. Joining them, she sat cross-legged on the floor. That’s when she saw the stash…a pile of similar-looking toys—colorful homemade stuff—bunched up by Zack’s side.
“My nephews and nieces pass on these treasures all the time. We have dolls with wobbly heads.” He shook the rattle then swapped it for a stuffed sock with pipe-cleaner whiskers. “As well as lots of animals. The teachers keep them busy in preschool.”
From a distance, she eyed a duck, a giraffe and a horse with three legs and a trio of purple-button eyes to match. A brown plaster disc with odd markings left her stumped, though.
“What’s that?”
He collected the piece. “Tom-Tom the Turtle.”
When the baby stretched out her arms and wiggled her fingers, Trinity held her tiny hand in hers. “Oh, you can’t have that, sweetie.”
“There’s nothing sharp. Nothing that’ll fall off.”
“She’ll put it straight in her mouth.”
Zack jumped up, rinsed the turtle under a steamy faucet, shook it off and brought him back. “All clean.” He handed Tom-Tom over to a bedazzled Bonnie. “I’m sure Nicki won’t mind.”
“Who’s Nicki?”
“My second-oldest nephew. This was last year’s birthday gift.”
“And that?” She nodded to a face with a fluffy yellow mane.
“Loger Lion. No body, I’m afraid. He was from Ava my niece for Christmas. She’s four.”
“Loger?”
“Ava has trouble with r’s.”
Her heart warming all the more, Trinity accepted Loger when Zack handed him over. She’d known he had lots of extended family, and it made sense kids liked to make gifts of their craft bits and pieces, but, “Why do you have all this here?”
“They’re at my apartment, too. Some at the office. My brothers have eight kids between them. Believe me, that’s a lot of bead picture frames and finger paintings to go around.”
His dark eyes were sparkling, with pride. With love. Here was a side Zack had never shown, particularly not to the press. He’d never let go and shared himself like this with her. Then again, she wasn’t normally one to share, either.
He chose another animal from his stockpile. “I was about to have Necky Giraffe duel with Loger.”
“Necky?”
“I don’t choose the names, remember?”
“Why can’t they dance instead?”
His brow wrinkled in a delectable frown. “Because they’re both guys.”
“Guys can dance.”
“Only with beautiful women.”
His dark eyes shone as a ghost of a different, mischievous smile hooked his mouth. It was all Trinity could do to keep from pushing common sense aside and doing something stupid like leaning forward to brush her lips over his. Instead she shelved the urge and concentrated on working out the show Necky and Loger were set to perform.
“Guys can dance together,” she pointed out, “if you’re a lion who’s taken classes and wants to show his best friend how much he’s improved. Loger used to have two left feet.”
He grinned. “All these years and I never knew.” He slid over to give her space on the blanket beside him. “Have a seat. There’s plenty of room.”
Trinity’s heartbeat s
kipped. The urge to do precisely what Zack suggested was so strong, the impulse was a little scary. But his mood was more light not seductive, and with Bonnie looking so happy and content…why not?
She shimmied over and lay down on her belly beside Zack and facing the baby. While Bonnie sucked on Tom-Tom, Trinity held up Loger. The baby sat riveted, waiting for the show.
Rolling a little toward Trinity to accommodate the movement, Zack trotted out his giraffe.
“My dear Mr. Loger,” he began, but she interrupted.
“On second thought, maybe it should be Miss Loger.” She was a girl, after all.
He set off again. “My dear Miss Loger, I couldn’t help but notice how luminous your mane looks today.”
“I did wash and straighten it very carefully.”
She looked from the animals to Zack. He was smiling, not at the show or at Bonnie, but at her. An amused, highly appreciative look.
“Would you care to dance?” he finally asked.
She waited for her heart to stop beating in her throat before she replied, “But there’s no music.”
“I’ll sing to you.”
And this time, while the baby giggled and, engrossed, sucked Tom-Tom more, Trinity heard a different, deeper note in Zack’s voice. Her skin started to heat and thoughts began to veer to places best kept under lock and key.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
But he tipped closer and insisted. “I’ll sing about your eyes.”
Trinity quivered to her curling toes. He’d spoken near her ear and she knew without looking that his gaze was intent, on her profile…on her lips. She tried to get her suddenly whirling thoughts back on track.
“Maybe we should find a song we already know.”
“Know what I really want to sing about?” His warm breath brushed her hair. “How much I enjoyed holding you last night.”
A series of brush fires ignited and raced through her blood. She ought to move away. Tell him to stop. With him so near, devouring her with that hungry gaze, she wanted to forget what she knew and admit that she’d enjoyed it, too.
When his mouth grazed her temple, she tingled and weakened more. “Dance with me, Trin,” he murmured. “Dance with me tonight.”
As his chin grazed a lazy path around her cheek and his fingers slid away from the giraffe, a spike of adrenaline shot through her and finding her senses, dropping the lion, she leaned away. Got to her feet. Unbalanced, flushed, she pushed back hair fallen over her brow.
“I should probably get a bottle ready for Bonnie.”
He gazed up at her, his dark gaze intense. Determined. “I already fed her, Trin. She’s perfectly happy.”
“Then I’ll put on coffee.”
“I don’t want coffee. I want you.”
He reached for her but she dodged his touch and, panicked, crossed to the kitchen. Her body burning, she felt his gaze on her while she collected the pot with a trembling hand. Would he follow her? Run his hot palms over her shoulders, down her sides? God help her, she wanted that. Wanted him. And she shouldn’t.
Couldn’t.
She was a convenience, nothing more, no matter how wanted he made her feel.
When he began to talk again to the baby while she saw to the coffee, Trinity let out a long breath, but the craving didn’t ease. She closed her eyes and imagined him kissing her objections away, almost felt his mouth sliding over her body and his hard, long length bearing down. Despite the absurdity of it all, she wanted those things badly.
In fact, she was beginning to want this—the whole package—way too much.
Seven
Zack growled. “Cruiser, get your nose out of there.”
“He’s definitely found something,” Trinity said.
Probably scaring the life out of some poor squirrel, Zack thought.
Cruiser barked. Propped up in Trinity’s arms, Bonnie screeched and, delighted, tried to clap her hands.
After the Loger/Necky scene, the mood had been strained. When the sun had poked through its thinning cover of clouds and the snow looked as if it was covered with a billion scattered diamonds, Zack had suggested they all get some fresh air. He’d loaned Trinity some boots that were way too big and an overcoat that came down past her shins. After bundling the baby in blankets, he’d shrugged into a bomber jacket and had led the other three outside.
He hadn’t intended for the toy pantomime to veer off in that direction, with his instincts taking over and body leading where he clearly wanted to go. And Trinity’s determination to refuse him only made the need stronger. More insistent. Watching her saunter around in his cashmere sweater all morning had driven him near crazy. At one point, when the baby had been down, he’d very nearly crowded her into a corner and spoken to her in a language she had to understand. Could be something to do with deprivation of sensation—being stuck out here on their own—but whenever she was remotely near, every cell in his nervous system lit up like a pinball machine and gravitated toward her. And he could see in her eyes, hear in her voice, she felt it, too.
Tomorrow Child Services would be out and that would be the end of playing house. But before they said goodbye, he was determined to have Trinity curled up around him, murmuring his name while they made love throughout the night. He needed to end the anticipation. Once and for all, put those fires out. But all that would need to wait till dark.
Now he packed a snowball in his hands and pitched a slider at Cruiser’s butt. The dog jumped then crouched low before zipping off full speed at them, skidding out at the last minute and spraying snow all over them. Trinity was laughing while she checked the baby whose smile split her little face. When Zack pegged another, it hit Cruiser’s leg and he did the galloping skidding thing all over again. But this time rather than running off, he arced around and caught the back of Zack’s coat in his teeth and tugged, trying to drag him back.
“Hey, quit that!” Zack pulled the other way while Trinity and the baby ended up in fits.
When his jacket was finally free, he lunged at the dog who dodged at the last minute. Zack landed face-first in the snow.
His head shooting up, he blew snow from his mouth and caught Trinity’s stage whisper to her conspirators.
“Quick, let’s get him. Let’s get Zack.”
Cruiser was barking, his tail wagging furiously and the baby was squeaking, her arms going crazy while she giggled. Trinity pounced up and kicked snow over his back and legs at the same time the dog leaped over him, back and forth like a not-so-graceful steed in a steeple race.
Sliding in the mush, Zack got to his feet. He was outnumbered and cold and near out of breath from laughing. But he was far from defeated. Meaning business now, he prowled toward Trinity and Bonnie. Her eyes flashing in a stream of late afternoon sunshine, Trinity blinked several times then backed up toward the house.
“Okay. Game’s over.”
“Uh-uh. I don’t think so.”
“I’m holding the baby.”
“She’s in trouble, too.” Cruiser barked and Zack narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t worry. You’re next.”
Zack belted forward and swung Bonnie out of Trinity’s arms. After twirling her carefully in the air, he set her in her carrier, which sat in its upright position on the porch, then set off after Trinity. When he caught her, they both fell into the snow while Cruiser yapped and their laughter echoed through the trees. Then the dog trotted off to look out for the baby and suddenly everything other than a pair of beautiful violet-colored eyes faded into the background. His blood was singing, his senses sparking and she was trapped in his arms, her lips so pink and close and tempting. There was no escape. He was going to kiss her, and when he was finished, he’d take a breath and damn well kiss her again.
His gloved palm holding steady the back of her head, he slanted his head over hers. Because she was panting and winding down from a fit of laughter, he didn’t have to work to part her lips. He struck gold on contact and, without thinking, she accepted then embrace
d his kiss.
As their tongues wound around each other and the sizzle morphed into a burn, he drew her shoulders in and gave her no room for doubt. He’d found the magic combination to her lock and now that she was open to the possibilities he wouldn’t let anything hold them back.
Except, of course, the fact they had a three-month-old probably wondering why all her fun had stopped.
Reluctantly Zack forced his saner self to surface and broke the kiss, but his lips stayed close to hers. He meant for her to see the hunger blazing in his eyes.
“It’s been a good afternoon,” he murmured while his blood throbbed and, giving in, his head angled down again.
But, still out of breath, Trinity turned away. “We have to go in. Bonnie needs her bath.”
“She’s already had her bath.”
“It’s getting dark.”
Grazing his lips over her cheek, he smiled. “I know.”
“The baby—”
“Will sleep in the bedroom tonight and before you remind me about our responsibilities, it’s a well-known fact that adults make love with babies in the house.” His smile brushed her cheek.
She seemed to hold her breath. “It’s not a good idea.”
“It’s possibly the best idea I’ve ever had.”
“I don’t even like you.”
He frowned. “You don’t know me.”
“All the more reason—”
“For you to say yes…”
* * *
An hour later, Trinity emerged from that bedroom and announced, “She’s down.”
From the kitchen, Zack looked over. “That was easy. Is Cruiser at his post?”
“Couldn’t drag him away if we tried.”
“Ready to eat? We have omelet à la Zackery. Secret ingredients are mushrooms and cheese.”
“Sounds delicious.”
Trinity held the plates while he cut the omelet with his spatula, served up half each and, as usual, her nerve endings began to buzz. How would she ever survive the evening without having Bonnie as an excuse to put between herself, Zack and his confessed intent to finish what they’d begun last night and this afternoon in the snow.