Because of the Baby(24)
Her mouth was hot and sweet and welcoming and Keaton feasted on her lips like a man offered a gift from the gods. She matched his passion, held nothing in reserve. It was this openness that allowed Keaton to reel his wayward desires back in.
“That was crazy,” she gasped as soon as he freed her mouth.
“Not crazy,” he corrected, “wonderful.” Keaton framed her face with his fingers and held her still so he could scrutinize her face. “If you cook like you kiss, I’m going to be in trouble.”
“In trouble how?” Shadows were creeping into her eyes.
“I won’t be able to stop myself from wanting more.”
Color flooded her cheeks. She hooked her fingers around his hands and pulled them away from her skin. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry on either account.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because you’ve never struck me as a man who does anything that isn’t good for him.”
If that was her attempt at a warning, she was going to have to be a whole lot clearer. “What about kissing you isn’t good for me?”
She set her hands on her hips and regarded him incredulously. “Have you forgotten the bad blood between our families? It already forced Skye and Jake out of town. Can you imagine how bad it would be if we were caught?”
“So what are we supposed to do with these feelings between us?”
“What feelings? It’s just a simple case of proximity lust. Nothing more.”
Keaton studied her, wondering if that was what she truly believed, or if it was a way to let him off the hook. “Is proximity lust a scientific term or something you just made up?”
“It is what it is.”
Five
Lark fled to the kitchen without removing the wrap, leaving Keaton to deal with Grace. She needed a second to regain her composure, and that wasn’t going to happen if he offered to help her out of the yards of fabric.
She set about readying a bottle for Grace and plating the roast and potatoes for her and Keaton. Earlier she’d opened a bottle of red wine, but now she wasn’t sure if drinking alcohol was a good idea after what had just happened between her and Keaton. The last thing she needed was for her guard to falter. Or had that ship already sailed?
“Why don’t you eat while I feed Grace?” she offered, carrying both plates to the dining room. She’d set the table earlier and now wondered what she’d been thinking to bring out her crystal candleholders and best china.
“The table looks very nice, but you shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.”
“No trouble.” She relieved him of Grace and gestured toward a chair. “I opened a really nice Cabernet, or there’s beer or whiskey.” She was rambling because he was staring at her, his gaze inscrutable.
“The Cabernet sounds perfect. Let me get it. You sit and I’ll get Grace’s bottle too.”
Lark dropped into her seat and discovered she still had the rabbit tucked into the wrap. With a wry grin, she plucked the stuffed animal free and shifted Grace’s tiny form into the pouch. The baby’s eyes widened as she settled into the sling, but Keaton had appeared with the bottle before Grace started to cry.
“I’m going to have to figure out the proper way to use this,” Lark said, stabbing a piece of carrot with her left hand and lifting it to her mouth. “Being able to free up even one of my hands is really nice.”
They traded off when Grace needed to be burped. Keaton had a knack for getting the infant to release the bit of air that she consumed with the formula. While he gently patted Grace’s back, Lark quickly wolfed down her dinner. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she popped the first bit of roast into her mouth.
“I don’t think I ate lunch today,” she remarked, shaking her head over her absentmindedness. “Grace was awake more than usual in the morning and then Julie came by and freed me up so I could get dinner ready. I don’t know where the time goes.”
“Babies take up more time than I imagined possible,” Keaton agreed. “And I think establishing a routine with Grace will eventually help, but right now we’re both learning about her needs and how best to meet them.”
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For saying exactly the right thing to stop me from feeling so overwhelmed. I just need to take it one day at a time.”
“We,” he corrected. “I’m here for Grace, as well. You don’t have to do everything yourself.”
Without warning, her chest tightened to the point of pain. Even though she’d let Keaton move in and surrendered part of Grace’s care, she hadn’t really let herself rely on him. In her mind he was an extra pair of hands that freed her up for short periods of time. Since bringing Grace home four days ago, she hadn’t left the house, because to do so would be to fully relinquish responsibility for Grace to him, and Lark wasn’t comfortable doing that.