Summer was coming.

His grin grew into a smile.

Then he fell asleep.

Chapter Fourteen

I’ll Go Gentle

My eyes slowly opened and even just upon waking, I was profoundly confused.

This was because my vision was filled with an immensely attractive, no, criminally attractive smooth-skinned, defined, hard-muscled wall of chest as well as the top of Billie’s head pressed to the sculpted ridges of some ribs. Then there was my arm under Billie’s arm slung over a flat, carved stomach.

I blinked and the chest was still there, Billie was still there and our arms were still there.

I blinked slower and found the same when I opened my eyes.

Cautiously, I tipped my head back and as it went I saw a familiar, corded throat then a familiar, strong, square, dark-stubbled jaw and then I was staring at Ten Point Five Detective Mitch Lawson’s profile. Locks of hair had fallen on his forehead, his eyes were closed, his thick long lashes resting on his cheeks and him lying there sleeping was beyond hot. It was mega-hot. It was immeasurable hot.

He was so beautiful I couldn’t breathe.

I’d been so worried about Billie last night and so out of it about everything I hadn’t realized he was bare-chested. I also hadn’t really let myself think of being in his bed with him and with him bare-chested.

I liked it. All of it.

Oh boy.

I looked at the alarm clock and it was ten minutes after I usually got up to get myself sorted so I could then start getting the kids sorted. I didn’t have to run them to school today since Mitch was doing it. Still, it was time to start on the day because Mitch might be running them to the school but someone had to get them up, showered, dressed, book bags packed (wherever those were) and fed.

And that someone was me.

Carefully, I moved my head from Mitch’s shoulder and then bent down. Pulling Billie’s dark hair out of her face and smoothing it back, I leaned in to kiss her temple. My poor girl had been scared last night of something that was very real.

That was another thing on the morning’s agenda. Find some way that didn’t scare the hell out of them to talk to Billy and Billie about what Billie meant.

“Sweetheart,” I heard Mitch rumble.

My head tipped back to look at him and seeing his sexy-drowsy face, his eyes warm on me, those locks of hair on his forehead, something happened to me that hadn’t happened since I was four years old and learned about the world I lived in which was a place I could never leave.

I got transported to a fantasy world.

“Hey,” I whispered.

His hand came up and cupped my cheek as his eyes roamed my face.

Then he responded, “Hey.”

“You sleep okay?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Mitch answered quietly.

“Good,” I whispered. “I’ve got to get the kids ready for school. How do we do that and not interrupt your morning schedule?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll work around you.”

Jeez. He was such a nice guy.

“’Kay,” I said softly.

His eyes dropped to my mouth, they became heated, my chest heated in return and he ordered gently, “Come here.”

I went there, not thinking, just moving toward him as his hand slid from my cheek into my hair. When I got close his eyes roamed my face again, all around and down to my shoulders and neck.

“Never seen you with your hair down,” he murmured, his fingers sifting through it. “It’s softer than I imagined.”

He imagined how soft my hair was?

His hand cupped the back of my head and his eyes locked on mine. “And I thought it would be pretty, f**kin’ soft.”

“Mitch,” I whispered then said no more.

His fingers put pressure on my scalp, pulling me toward him then his mouth put pressure on mine.

God. I liked this fantasy world. It was freaking great.

Billie shifted between us and Mitch’s hand moved out of my hair. I turned to the side and looked down to see she had her head tipped back and her sleepy, little girl eyes were on us.

“Is Mitch your boyfriend now, Auntie Mara?” she asked.

At her question, I came crashing out of my fantasy world.

Shit!

I started to pull away and Mitch’s arm around my back tightened, his hand shifting up to between my shoulder blades, flattening and holding me close therefore I had no choice but to freeze.

“Um…” I mumbled.

Shit!

I decided to shift the subject and asked gently, “You sleep okay, sweetie?”

“Miss my teddy,” Billie replied.

Personally, I thought Detective Mitch Lawson was far superior to a tiny pink teddy bear but I wasn’t six years old.

“We’ll find him for you,” I promised.

Mitch moved and I watched him hook Billie under her armpit and slide her up his chest so she was face to face with him and, incidentally, me.

His arm wrapped around her back and he asked, “You eat oatmeal, gorgeous?”

Billie scrunched her face and answered, “Donuts.”

I watched up close as Mitch grinned into her face and that whoosh flowed through my belly. It was far more dangerous when I was lying in bed with him, pressed close to him (and Billie) at the same time witnessing him being so sweet to my cousin.

“Donuts are a Sunday breakfast when you got nothin’ to do but watch cartoons. Oatmeal is a before school breakfast when you gotta activate your brain,” Mitch explained.

Billie’s head tipped to the side and she smiled a mini-confused, wonky smile. “Oatmeal activakes my brain?” she asked and Mitch’s grin turned to a smile.

“Yep, it goes into your belly and gives your whole body energy, wakes it up, even your brain, so you can be super smart,” Mitch answered.

Billie lifted a hand and placed it on his neck, her eyes had grown wondrous. “Oo, I wanna be super smart so I can grow up and be a hairdresser!” she declared. I smiled, Mitch chuckled and both his arms got tight, the one around Billie and the one around me.

“Then how ‘bout, while Mara wakes your brother up, you help me make you and him some oatmeal?” Mitch suggested.

“’Kay,” Billie agreed.

Then, before I knew what was happening, Mitch’s hand between my shoulder blades pushed me in, his head came up, his lips brushed mine and I felt another belly whoosh as well as some tingles. Then Mitch let me go and curled up, taking Billie with him. Then they were out of bed, leaving me in it, luckily lying down so that I didn’t fall down because I was treated to a view of Mitch’s beautifully muscled back and equally beautiful ass in a pair of navy blue, drawstring pajama bottoms. I watched him move out of the bedroom, Billie’s arms and legs curled around him, her eyes on me over his shoulder and she was waving at me as if Mitch was taking her on a vacation and not into the kitchen.