by Tori Kayson
“All right.” He released the drapes, now wrinkled, and hopped down from the couch. Was that a smudge of chocolate on the material? He’d already found her hidden stash? How was that possible? She’d tucked it way back in the shadows on the highest shelf in the kitchen.
The doorbell chimed.
“Mav!” Pudgy legs pumped as he raced to the door. Sneakers lit up as they slapped the hard wood, the bright red cape fluttering behind him. He latched on to the door handle.
“Wait for me please. You know the rules about opening the door.” Summer dredged up her sternest mommy voice. But she couldn’t deny the spark of pleasure, the flutter that picked up speed in her mid-section, knowing Maverick would be on the other side of that door.
Logan’s arm hung suspended mid-air, his fingertips barely grazing the knob. He craned over a shoulder to shoot her an impatient look. “But you’re not hoowing.”
“I’m hurrying. Just give me a minute.” So she was having a bit of trouble getting her legs to cooperate. They were right behind her heart.
Finally, she reached her son and lifted him to press his eye to the peephole. “Who do you see?”
“Mav!”
“All right. Now before you open the door, let me check please.” She set him down and verified that yes, indeed, Maverick stood outside her apartment door. All six foot gorgeous plus of him, even taller with his tan Stetson, his profile facing the viewfinder as he scanned the parking lot. Always the lawman, even on leave.
What was she thinking inviting him to dinner? How was she—
“Now, Mommy? Pwez!”
She sighed, a war waging between her heart and her head. Her head was telling her that this wasn’t wise, that she was making a big mistake. Her heart cried out that Maverick was different, at least in matters that counted, like spending time with her son. At the moment, her heart was winning.
“Sure.” She couldn’t uninvite him, could she?
Besides, in a couple weeks, he’d be headed back to Dallas and they would likely never see him again. What was the harm in being friends while he was in town? That’s it. Friends.
She tugged the door open, caught sight of the full length of him, and drew in a long breath.
Friends? Ha. That would never happen.
****
“Want to come in for some coffee?” Summer dug in her jeans pocket for the apartment key. A mixture of dread and anticipation took turns sliding across her features.
Try to keep him away. He hadn’t enjoyed a simple evening like this in…when? He couldn’t remember a more relaxing time on a date. Much better than his last one. When he’d dished out megabucks for an elegant dinner in a stuffy restaurant, the company less than appreciative, and not nearly as much fun. “Sure.”
Maybe before the evening ended, he could ease the dread from her face. What was she afraid of? Him? Or his badge?
He waited for Summer to unlock the door then held it open for her. Her hair hung loose tonight. Honey colored locks tumbled over her shoulders in gentle waves, brushing his chin as she skimmed past. He leaned in. Caught a whiff of violet and woods. Fresh. Clean. Alluring and exhilarating. A hint of forever. Of…home.
His breath snagged in his lungs. Yeah. He could totally see it. Especially when the little guy breezed through the doorway, his red cape hanging limp behind. Chubby fingers clutched the bright orange pumpkin tote Maverick had given the boy, now bulging with all kinds of candy.
“Hang on there, cowboy.” Maverick scooped the toddler up in his arms, gritting his teeth against the slight twinge of pain in his midsection. “Where you going with that stash? Didn’t you promise me my cut?”
The jokester reached into the container, a sly look of concentration bunching his brow. When Logan opened his fist, two measly pieces of chocolate rested in his palm. Probably candy the kid didn’t like. Isn’t that what Mav and his siblings used to do with his parents?
“That’s it?” Maverick snorted and tickled until the boy giggled and squirmed.
“Potty! Potty!” Logan squealed.
He squinted, studying the boy. “Potty? You sure?”
The boy’s head bobbed up and down.
“Alrighty. He’s all yours, mama.” He’d already helped Logan with the potty process several times at the ranch, but he didn’t want to infringe on Summer’s personal space. He held out the wiggling boy, still gripping tight to the plastic pumpkin’s handle.
Summer laughed, taking her son to her chest. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait.” He stopped her progress with a light touch to her arm. “I’ll guard the stash until you get back. Make sure the candy robbers don’t get it.” He arched a brow and held out a hand, shooting a serious look at the miniature superhero.
Summer’s freckled cheeks puffed out, and she barked out a fake cough, hiding a grin behind a hand. She did a bang up job keeping the laughter from bubbling up her throat.
“Okay. Don’t let the candy robbers get it.” Logan nodded and repeated with a serious intensity, and actually handed over the goods.
Mav schooled his features and battled the laughter that threatened to erupt. He forced a solemn tone. “I’ll take good care of it.”
“Tank you, Mav.”
Smiling, Summer headed down the hallway, her lips pressed against Logan’s nutmeg colored hair. The sound of little boy giggles mingled with her tinkle of laughter. Her scent lingered, causing all sorts of havoc with his pulse.
Leaving this precious family behind was going to kill him. Sam’s coffin being lowered into the ground still haunted him, but he hadn’t thought about Sam in days. Somehow this pair had managed to sweep away his guilt and consume his thoughts.
But at his next appointment, Mav expected the doc to release him for work. And that’s what his job was all about, wasn’t it?
Deaths and darkness. Homicides and victims. The training. The constant drilling into his head to shoot to kill, living with and protecting some as horrible as the jerk who killed Sam. Innocent or guilty, it didn’t matter. They were all treated the same.
Each protected with his life.
Disgust and shame welled up. Frustration building, he clenched and unclenched his fist, a breath away from hurling the bag of candy against the wall. What he wouldn’t do for a pencil and sketch pad right now.
Summer would never consider him as husband material. She’d made that quite clear. And could he blame her? Why would she want someone like him around her son, influencing and shaping Logan into the man he was created to be?
Mav lowered himself onto the edge of the couch. He set the pumpkin on the floor before he could cause any harm to Logan’s candy or the boy’s precious trust in him. With an elbow on his knee, he rubbed his face with a palm. He had to pull it together. For Logan.
Footsteps padded down the hallway, headed his way. Miniature, quickened steps followed by slightly heavier ones moving at a more cautious speed.
A body slammed into Mav’s knees and palms slapped his thighs. Grinning, Logan lifted up arms to be held.
Mav obliged, cradling the little one against his chest. A tightness coiled around his lungs, lumped in his throat. He surely hadn’t done anything to deserve this youngster’s adoration.
A sniffle forced his gaze up, in time to see Summer swipe a finger along her cheek.
Aww, now he’d done it. Made her cry.
“Mommy said bedtime.”
“What? Bedtime already?” He forced some lighthearted exaggeration into his tone and glanced at Summer.
With only the soft glow from a corner lamp, her blue eyes glittered, the irises light and clear and soul-deep, liquid pools of…forever. But he didn’t like being the cause of the shimmer in the purplish hollows rimming her freckled cheeks or the moisture dotting her black lashes.
Two palms landed on both Mav’s cheeks and forced his attention back to the tiny superhero in his arms. “Yeah, but I wanna stay up. Wif you, Mav.” Logan curled an arm around Mav’s neck, and pudgy fingers tickled his skin
, igniting dreams to life. What would it be like to tuck this little fella in bed every night?
“Mama’s right, cowboy, even when you might not agree with her. And cowboys and superheroes always mind their mama. Especially when it comes to bedtime.”
A quiver started in Logan’s bottom lip and then his cheeks bunched up as if Maverick had just yelled at him, or worse. The long night of fun and too much chocolate was beginning to take its toll.
“How about if I help your mama tuck you in? Would that be all right?” He glanced at Summer for approval, and she nodded.
“Yes!” Logan squealed and thumped Mav’s shoulder. His pouty expression immediately slid away.
Summer led the way. When she stumbled over the area rug underneath the dining set, he braced her with a hand to her elbow.
“Thanks.” She didn’t move right away. At least, not her feet. But, she shifted her face so that he couldn’t read her expression.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“No. I don’t mind.” She shook her head, a sad smile curving her lips, and finally moved down the hall.
He followed, the little guy’s arms snug around his neck. Warm lips pressed against different spots on the cool skin next to Mav’s collar. Logan was kissing him?
Something unfamiliar, a longing for more than the skeletal emotional existence he barely eked by on today, gripped his heart like a vice. A yearning for a family, for fulfillment and contentment. Painful in its intensity, but yet sweet at the same time. He staggered down the hall.
Summer flicked a light switch and disappeared through the open doorway.
Good. Maybe she hadn’t noticed the panic that hijacked his limbs. He took a steadying breath. “This must be your room, big fella?”
“Yep. My woom.”
Of course it was. Framed posters of superheroes hung on one wall. A pint-sized bed sported a bright red bedspread splashed with the same character as the boy’s pajamas. Summer tugged the blanket down and patted the pillow.
“Wow! How cool is this? I wouldn’t mind having this bedroom.”
“It’s my favwit.”
Nodding, Mav set the boy down on the soft ivory sheet. He pulled the blanket up, covering the toddler up to his chin, and sat down on the edge of the bed. “I can see why.”
“Wanna read a stowy?”
“I think you’ve had enough excitement for one night,” Summer said.
Maverick glanced back at her. She was leaning against the superhero wall, her arms folded across her chest, her expression still unreadable.
It hit him then. That she was a superhero, but not the fictional kind. As a single parent, how much energy did it cost her every day, working and single-handedly raising this precious, mischievous child? Just keeping the kid safe meant he was on alert every time Logan was around.
“Maybe I can read a story to you on another night? When we have more time.” He was probably being presumptuous, pushing his luck. But he couldn’t bear to disappoint the boy.
Logan’s head bobbed against the downy white sheet. Long lashes closed over chubby cheeks.
Mav smoothed down the cowlicks that always stuck up from the back of Logan’s hair. As if he could help himself from touching the kid. Or squelch the yearning that drifted up with Logan’s musky toddler scent, spiked with a hint of chocolate.
“Look at that. He’s already sound asleep. It’s like you flipped a light switch.” Summer stood behind him. Her whisper tickled the hairs around his ear. “That didn’t take long. You have an open invitation to show up around bedtime every night.”
He blinked. Tamped back the image those soft-spoken words evoked. “Really? Be careful, sweetheart. I might take you up on that.” He figured she meant something entirely different than what he had in mind. Even so, desire pulsed through his limbs.
“Oh, that didn’t sound—”
He cut off her embarrassment. “I know what you meant.”
“Ready for that coffee?” Slender fingertips curled around his shoulder. Flowers and chocolate, wishes and desire all swirled together, threatening to unleash his self-control.
“I better take a rain check.” His voice came out gruff. He blamed it on the dark room, and the fact that he hadn’t been with a woman in a very long time. And this one…well, she was so much more than a one night stand. She deserved better, and she wanted more. More than what he could offer. More than who he was.
A man with a badge permanently attached to his chest.
But she was so…tempting. Especially when he twisted to face her, positioning his legs on either side of her thighs. He slid index fingers into the belt loops of her jeans to tug her closer.
And she came. Willingly. Not even a tinge of hesitation in her darkened irises. Her fingers tightened around his shoulder, and her lips parted with more than a hint of invitation. The only sound in the room her short puffs of chocolate scented breath.
That, and his pulse whooshing through his head, telling him this probably wasn’t a good idea. But he ignored it.
Framing her cheeks, he brought her face down. Searched her expression, looking for anything that might indicate that he was treading where he shouldn’t.
“Kiss me.” Her voice came out hoarse.
“Thought you wanted a cowboy.” Eyes mere slits, his body thrummed with unleashed desire. Crazy to bring that up now but he had to see where he stood. To remind her—
Lips collided with his, soft and full, tender yet demanding. Luscious and intoxicating when they opened wider, silencing him. Her hands cupped the back of his head then weaved through his hair.
Talking could come later. Much later.
“Wow.” He finally broke away. His breathing so labored, that’s all he could muster.
“Yeah.” Her chest lifted and fell as if that kiss shook her world too. Her forehead dipped to his.
He gave them both a minute to haul some oxygen into their lungs then stole another kiss. This one sweet and teasing, slow and easy, his thumbs caressing the smooth skin around her jeans. A kiss that would make her forget about that cowboy. At least, until tomorrow.
Something skittered across his boot, small and lightweight. A mouse?
He blinked. Broke contact and lifted Summer onto his lap, tamping down his pleasure over her soft moan of delight.
“What?” Another brush along the bottom of his jeans. He shuffled his boots, reached for his tucked-away weapon. Reflex. Not like he could fire it inside her apartment. But he surely couldn’t allow a rodent to roam around loose in Logan’s—
A meow, loud and wailing, pierced the silent bedroom. A cat?
Summer burst out laughing. “Whiskers. You found us. I was wondering where you were.”
Whiskers. “A cat.” Now who was embarrassed?
“What did you think she was?” Summer’s arms still latched around his neck.
Think? Who could think with those beautiful blue eyes staring at him? Lips all red and swollen, curved up on the ends, begging for another kiss.
He dragged in a breath and mashed a hand through his hair. He needed to get out of here before he wouldn’t be able to leave. He wasn’t into loving and leaving, but Logan sitting across from him at the breakfast table wasn’t cool either. Not yet. Not this way.
“I…better be going.” He shifted Summer until her stockinged feet landed on the rug and then he stood. Careful to keep some distance between them. Careful not to step on the…Whiskers.
“Oh. Okay.” She dipped her head, hiding behind a thick curtain of blonde hair.
Now he’d done it. But it was better this way. Everything about this woman snapped his thin thread of self-control.
Lacing fingers through hers, he tugged her down the hallway behind him, silently cursing the feline’s timing. But what if the cat hadn’t slithered by his leg? Things most definitely would have progressed further than just a kiss, but he wasn’t ready for anything more. Not with a little one involved. And not until he was sure that Summer didn’t have any reservations about
his job. Even then—
The front door loomed. He snatched his hat and jacket off the coat hanger on the wall, and slid them on. When he turned around, she was chewing on her bottom lip, arms folded across her chest.
“Hey.” He nudged her chin with his thumb.
Long lashes fluttered up, revealing questions, accusations.
“I’m sorry I let things get carried away in there.” Was he?
Yeah. Maybe.
No. Definitely.
What was wrong with him? He wasn’t a hormonal teenager anymore. He’d mastered control over those sudden hot urges a long time ago.
But her puffy red lips and the clear disappointment on her face…what could he do about that? Before he could squelch the impulse, he reached for her again.
She burrowed deep inside his jacket, her arms sliding all the way around his back. Snuggled against his chest, the top of her head skimmed his jaw.
“Mmmm.” He closed his eyes, breathing deep of her berries and flower scent.
Passion whipped through his blood. Could she hear his heart thumping against his chest? Louder than the tick of the clock on the fireplace mantle. Louder than the purring going on around his ankles. Sweet torture!
He snagged her forearms. With a firm grip, he slid them away from his back, holding them hostage down at her side. He gentled his voice. “I’m a marshal, Summer, pure and simple. I’m not the cowboy you have your heart set on.”
Rebellion hiked her chin and flashed from her eyes. But resignation won the battle. She nodded. “I know.”
He let go of her hands, and son of a deuce, if it didn’t feel as if he let go of someone dangling off a ten-story building. But he was the one falling. Not her.
The cat let loose with a crazy loud feline howl again. Mav reached down to scoop her off the wood floor. A snowy white ball of fur except for spots of black and brown on her head, like a cap. Long whiskers twitched with curiosity, her satisfied vibrations warming his palm. She arched her back against his hand, her moist nose tickling his fingers.
“She’s beautiful.” He handed over the kitty. But his gaze never wavered from Summer’s face.
“Thank you.” She took the bundle of fur from him, cradling Whiskers against her chest.