Absentminded Angel(Divine Creek Ranch 20)(26)

As soon as the shower started, Whit lifted his head from the mattress and whimpered.

“Should we pick him up?” Kendry asked, without waiting for an answer as he went ahead and did so. “I don’t want him to get worked up.”

“You know what Felicia would say? I can almost hear her now. ‘You pick that baby up every time he whimpers and he’ll expect to be held all the time.’”

“If she was here she’d deal with it. She’s not, though. Little Whit-Man here needs a cuddle.”

Whit scrunched up his little brow and his head bobbed as he looked at Kendry. After studying him, he let his head flop to Kendry’s chest, where he heaved a sigh and settled down again.

Kendry grinned and gestured grandly. “See? Magic.”

Kendry cuddled Whit and whispered to him as he bobbed in place. Whit lifted a hand as he looked up at him and Kendry grinned like a fool and high-fived him very gently. “You gotta chill for your mama and be a good boy, okay?” It was clear from his tone of voice the guy was getting attached. Jared shared the sentiment.

Whit made a tiny warbling sound and when Jared reached for him, Kendry reluctantly handed him over and said, “Don’t scare him with that big mug of yours.”

When Presley Ann came out a few minutes later, a fragrant cloud of vanilla mixed with flowers filled the room. She was wrapped up in her heavy robe and the hint of a long pink nightgown peeked out between edges of the hem as she walked but she had the robe completely closed and belted. He imagined winning her trust and peeling the robe with Kendry’s help, revealing what she wore and the sweet silky skin beneath. The wave of longing rippled through him like a shot of whiskey.

She rubbed her damp hair with her towel and said, “Uh-oh. I thought he might do that.”

“Need to dry your hair?” Jared said as he swayed with Whit. The little boy looked tiny wrapped up in his arms.

“Nah, I can put him in his crib and do that. I know you need to get back to the firehouse. I don’t want you to be in trouble with the chief for taking too long over here, or get your coworkers gossiping. I was thinking about what you said while I was in the shower.”

“Yeah?” Kendry asked as he came to her.

She asked, “What did you want to do? Go out on dates? Like boyfriend girlfriend stuff?”

Jared smiled and was a little surprised as the knot of tension inside him let go. “For starters.”

Her gaze jumped between them and she nodded. “I could do that. But could we include Whit sometimes? I’m not quite ready to leave him with a sitter at night. I’ll need to start doing that soon enough during the day when I go back to work.”

“Understood,” Jared said. “We’ll leave that up to you.”

She held out her hands for the baby. “Thank you for rescuing me tonight, Jared. And tell the chief and the guys that I said thank you, too.”

Jared held Whit close and whispered, “Little man, you be good for Mama. We’ll see you soon.” He kissed the top of Whit’s head and smiled as he got a whiff of his sweet baby fragrance. He eased him into Presley Ann’s arms and then took advantage of her full hands by brushing the damp strands of her hair back from her cheeks and cradling her jaw as he brushed his lips against hers. Her eyelashes fluttered before she closed her eyes and she lifted her chin to return the kiss. She made a soft murmuring sound as she tilted her head, shooting an arrow of lust straight to his groin.

When he released her she looked up at him, her eyes big pools of blue, and then she licked that delectable lower lip. She placed a hand on the back of Whit’s head and Jared could see that it trembled.

“We’ll check in with you in the morning, kitten,” he said and then backed away so Kendry could say good night.

Kendry said, “I’m glad you changed your mind. You won’t regret it.”

She leaned toward him and kissed him. Whit reached out and grabbed hold of Kendry’s T-shirt as he put his arms around both of them and threaded his fingers into her wet locks. He took the kiss deeper, and Jared was pleasantly surprised by the arousal he felt as he watched them kiss each other.

They locked up behind them at the bottom of the stairs and made sure the building and her car were secure before going back across the street. The chief nodded when they checked in with him and went back to his work. Except for Presley Ann’s call, the night had been a relatively quiet one, and he was grateful for it as he helped Kendry clean up the kitchen.

Ducking his head down, he looked out the kitchen window and could see that her light was still on upstairs. A shadow passed in front of it and a few seconds later the light went out. He smiled, pleased that she was finally able to get some rest. Recalling the feel of her warm lips on his, he knew his thoughts and probably his dreams would be centered on her that night.