Ashes(96)

Knox shot him a scowl. "It's really no wonder that Devon wants to kill you."



Tanner's grin widened. "The little hellcat wouldn't do that."



Harper snorted. "You persist in believing she's some cute little kitty that you could easily handle. One day, that attitude's going to come back and claw you on the ass – literally."



That didn't seem to bother Tanner at all. In fact, he looked like he'd enjoy it.



Twisted.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN





Leaning against the doorjamb of Knox's home office a week later, Harper waited as he finished his call. He'd begun to spend more and more time at the mansion, doing meetings via teleconference whenever he could. She knew it was because his protective instincts were becoming harder to deal with, and she was guessing that his demon was also more at ease when she was around. Her own demon certainly preferred being at home and having Knox nearby.



As he finally ended the call, she arched a brow. "You busy?" He didn't just stand; he sort of …  gracefully uncoiled from his seat, and she had no idea why she liked that so much.



"Never too busy for you. You know that," said Knox. The baby's mind lightly touched his – it often responded to his voice that way, and it got to him every time. Rounding his desk, Knox tilted his head, tension mounting inside him as he took in her nervous expression. "Something wrong?"



"No. I just have something to show you."



He smiled as realization dawned on him, and the tension in his muscles fell away. "You're finally letting me see it?"



She pushed away from the doorjamb. "Yes. It's ready."



Knox draped his arm over her shoulders. "Lead the way." She hadn't let him in the nursery even once since she'd began painting it, wanting it to be a surprise. She'd let him do a few things, such as assemble the pretty dragonfly mobile – and he suspected that was because she wanted to be sure he felt involved to some extent – but that was pretty much it.



He hadn't complained. He'd sensed that she'd made it her project and that designing it meant something to her. Since he wanted her happy, and since Meg had explained that it was a "nesting" instinct that was perfectly natural, he'd given Harper that.



Once they reached the closed door of the nursery, she said, "Don't forget; if there's anything you don't like, we can change it."



"I'm sure I'll like it just fine." Twisting the knob, Knox pushed open the door …  and his mouth almost fell open. Damn, the woman had been busy, and her hard work had paid off.



He walked silently along the plush, cream carpet and skimmed his hand over the side of the crib. Like the dresser, changing table, and rocking chair, it was a light, smooth pine. Woodland murals decorated the lemon walls and closet doors, matching the woodland-themed quilt. The most striking artwork was the large, white, tree mural that spanned from floor to ceiling.


      ///
       
         
       
        



The pine shelves were lined with the gifts she'd been given at the baby shower – stuffed animals, baby monitors, and a photo frame that held the baby's first ultrasound picture. A diaper pail and baby chair, both of which were also gifts from the baby shower, sat in the corner.



The breeze coming through the open window fluttered the white curtains and jingled the dragonfly mobile that hung over the crib. The room felt bright and airy, especially with so much natural light. When the sun shone on the lemon walls, they turned into a deeper, sunbeam shade. She'd created a warm, serene space that was as inviting as it was cozy. He was now extremely glad he'd accepted her request to leave the whole thing to her.



"I was startled when the delivery guys assembled the furniture before they left," she said. "I'm used to flatpacks." Still, it had taken Harper a week to get the room exactly the way she wanted it. She'd bet Tanner and Keenan were ecstatic that the manual labor was over, because she'd really put them to work. "Well, what do you think?" He turned to face her, and the pride on his face warmed her.



"I think you did an amazing job." Knox placed his hands on her shoulders. "And I think you made the best decision when you chose to design it yourself."



She smiled, relieved. "I'm glad you like it."



He cocked his head. "You were worried that I wouldn't?"



"Well, you're a very selective guy. Hard to please, in many ways."



He breezed his mouth over hers. "It's never hard for you to please me. Really, I love what you've done with the room, and I think the baby will love it too. I meant to ask, why the dragonfly mobile? I like it. I'm just curious."