“I have bunk beds,” said Millie. “That way she won’t have to sleep with one of us.”

“But my bed is big enough for two,” argued Felicity. “It’s a double.”

“It’s actually only a full and not big enough for you and an adult,” I told her. “Millie’s bunk makes more sense in terms of space.” Actually, what made the most sense in terms of space was to offer her the other side of my king-size bed. And if she wandered over to my side, I wouldn’t complain one bit.

“Hey,” Frannie whispered from the hallway behind me.

I turned around and felt my face get hot, as if she might have guessed what I was thinking.

“Hey,” I said quietly. “I’m just going to put some clean sheets on Millie’s bottom bunk for you. And maybe she can lend you something to sleep in.” She was so petite, I figured Millie’s clothes might fit, although she had a lot more curves.

Frannie smiled. “Ah, I think her things will be too small for me.”

“Yeah. Geez, Dad. Do you think she’s a kid?” Behind me, Millie’s tone was pure eye roll.

I frowned over my shoulder at my firstborn, then turned back to Frannie. “I’ll get you a T-shirt. Would that be okay?”

She nodded. “Perfect. And really, don’t go to any trouble about a bed. I can sleep on the couch with the blankets.”

“Will you be comfortable?”

“Totally,” she assured me.

I scratched my head. “Okay. If you want to. I’ll get you a pillow.”

“Thanks. Oh, and if you by any chance have an extra toothbrush …”

“We do. Millie, can you get her a new one from the drawer?”

“Sure, Dad.”

“Do you need a towel or anything?” I asked Frannie, although I panicked a little at the thought of her taking a shower at my house.

She thought for a second. “Maybe just a little one so I can wash my face.”

“I’ll get her one,” said Felicity, bolting out of the bathroom and going to the linen closet at the top of the stairs.

“Thanks, Felicity. I’ll be right back,” I told Frannie. “Girls, finish up and get in bed. I’ll be up to say goodnight in a minute.”

Downstairs, I went into my room and searched for a clean T-shirt for her to sleep in. Unfortunately, my nicest white ones were either dirty or freshly laundered but pink. Cursing, I hunted through my drawers and found a dark gray one with USMC written across the chest in thick black letters. It was faded, but had minimal fraying and no pit stains. She would swim in it, but at least it would be more comfortable than sleeping in her clothes.

Oh, fuck. Don’t think about her without clothes on.

I grabbed an extra pillow from my bed, tossed it onto the couch on my way through the living room, and hurried back upstairs, where the bathroom door was closed. With the T-shirt in my hand, I said goodnight to Millie and Felicity, kissing their foreheads and telling them I loved them.

“Can we really go to work with you and Frannie tomorrow?” asked Millie, yawning.

“Sure. If we can get ourselves there.” Grimacing, I remembered how my engine refused to turn over earlier. Assuming it was a dead battery, I’d have to get a jump tomorrow. “Go to sleep now.”

When I left her room, Frannie was coming out of the bathroom, and we met in the hall. She’d left the light on, thank goodness, otherwise we’d have been alone in the dark. Her face was freshly washed, and she looked even younger and sweeter without any makeup on.

Because she is young and sweet. So stop thinking about putting your dick in her mouth.

I thrust the shirt at her. “Here.”

She took it from me. “Oh—thanks.”

“I put an extra pillow on the couch. I just need to grab a spare pillowcase for it from the linen closet. I’ll do that right now.”

“Okay.”

“All the blankets are still down there too.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She smiled at me, and my chest got so tight I could hardly breathe.

Go, asshole. Get the pillowcase. Get downstairs. Leave her alone to change and get the hell into your room where you belong. Then shut the door and don’t even think about coming out again.

But I stood there staring at her for ten more seconds, my hands clenched in fists at my sides. I wanted to kiss her so fucking badly. Just once, to know what those sweet little lips would feel like on mine. To hold her in my arms. I found myself wondering, on a scale of one to ten, exactly how wrong it would be. A seven? An eight?

I shoved my hands in my pockets.

She glanced over her shoulder into the bathroom. “Guess I’ll get changed.”

I nodded. “Okay. ’Night.”

“’Night.” She went into the bathroom and shut the door, and I slumped over with a sigh of relief.

Fuck. That was close.

Then I ran to the linen closet, grabbed a spare pillowcase, and descended the stairs three at a time. I had to be out of the living room by the time she came down.

The problem was, I’m shit at changing pillowcases. I can get the old one off just fine, but fuck if I can get the new one on. Three minutes in, I was flustered and sweaty and still trying to shove that fat fucking pillow into the case—why the hell was this so difficult? Why was it sideways? Had the case shrunk in the dryer? Cursing, I switched on a lamp and tried again.

Of course, she came tiptoeing down the stairs in time to see me struggling with it. Giggling, she set her clothing on the couch and reached for the pillow. “What’s happening here, is it fighting back?”

“Yeah.” Gladly, I handed it over, groaning inwardly at the sight of her in my shirt. It was huge on her—the hem nearly reached her knees—but that was probably a good thing. I did not need to see any more of her bare legs.

“There.” She slipped the pillowcase on with no trouble at all.

I shook my head. “What’s the secret? And why do only women seem to know it?”

She hugged the pillow and gave me a devious smile. “I’ll never tell.”

God, she was cute. And sexy. And really, really close. The curtains were closed and only one lamp was on, making the room feel intimate. The house was sleepy and silent under the snow, and we were alone—whatever happened would be our secret. My mind went to a dangerous place. My heart was doing something scary in my chest.

Nothing can happen, I told myself. Nothing.

But instead of backing away from her and going to bed like I was supposed to, I reached for the pillow she held and tossed it onto the couch.

Her smile faded.

I moved closer to her. I took her face in my hands. I rubbed a thumb over her soft pink lips.

“You should tell me to go to bed,” I said quietly.

“Why?” she whispered.

“Because if you don’t, I’m going to kiss you.”

Her hands slid up my chest as she rose on tiptoe. “Mack. Kiss me.”

I lowered my mouth to hers, vowing that I’d only kiss her once—one time—just to know what it was like. Of course, that was before she opened her lips and invited my tongue between them. It was before she slipped her arms around my neck and pressed her chest to mine. It was before my hands moved down her sides and crept beneath the bottom of my shirt. And it was well before she jumped up and wrapped her legs around me, entreating my hands to slip beneath that ass I’d been thinking about all day.