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Instantly, her full breasts gushed, and she looked around for a place to feed Hallie. The glider was in her room with Zy, and she wouldn’t risk waking him up. She hadn’t had the budget to buy a second glider for this room, so there was no place to sit. She figured that, as Hallie moved out of her bassinet and into her crib, she’d move the glider in here.
Tessa hustled through the kitchen, turning on the automatic brewer for her morning tea, then headed into the living room. As she settled in one of the recliners, she flipped on the TV just in time to catch the weather and traffic report from the local news station and opened her pajama shirt so Hallie could nurse. The baby latched on immediately, her strong pulls and greedy noises telling Tessa how hungry she was. Then again, she hadn’t gone five hours without a meal in her life.
The local news ended and a national morning show began. She paid almost no attention to the cheerful hosts in their professional clothes broadcasting from New York. Everything about their lives looked so glamorous. What did she have in common with them right now?
Besides, this was her favorite time of day, the quiet before the storm. When the new morning breathed fresh promise while they shared the last of the night’s peace. She always felt close to Hallie in these moments. Tessa smiled as her daughter laid a little hand on her and continued eating with gusto.
She stroked her brown, baby-soft hair. “Hey, slow down, sweet pea. How about a burp?”
When she sat Hallie on her knee, bracing her little body across her palm and patting her back, Hallie wailed with displeasure. But Tessa coaxed a hearty burp from her, then opened the other side of her top so she could continue nursing.
The baby rooted around before enthusiastically latching on. Tessa giggled. “Wow, you are hungry.”
She lifted the remote to change the channel when the door to her bedroom zipped open.
Zy charged out shirtless, hair mussed, eyes alert as he scanned the shadowy room. As soon as he found it empty of threats, his burning stare fastened on her. She was so aware of her exposed breast, illuminated by the light of the TV, as Hallie sucked.
From his broad shoulders to his strong thighs, he turned rigid all over. And…were his sweatpants tenting?
Heat flashed through Tessa. She reached for a burp cloth or a blanket to cover herself, but she had neither.
Zy seeing her breastfeed shouldn’t make her self-conscious. She’d done it in front of other people. Well, nurses and doctors, along with a neighbor who had three kids of her own. But still, people. She was merely feeding her baby the way nature intended. There was nothing sexual about it.
Except when Zy’s gaze touched her, her heart thudded, her belly fluttered, and the air around them sizzled.
It felt undeniably sexual.
What would she do if he tried to touch her? Kiss her?
“Are you okay?” His voice sounded like he’d had an all-night bender of whiskey and rough sex.
It sent a shiver through her. “Fine. You were only asleep for twenty minutes. Why don’t you go back to bed?”
“No. I’m up.”
She didn’t dare glance down again to see if that was true everywhere. “Sorry. We didn’t mean to be loud. As soon as Hallie is done, I’ll start coffee.”
“I’ll do it.” Finally, he blinked. “I apologize for staring. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s fine. It’s just a baby eating, right?”
“Sure.” Zy didn’t sound convinced.
Tessa was desperate to break the tension between them. “Hey, really. Thanks for letting me sleep last night.”
“Happy to help. All you have to do is ask.”
She winced. “I’m not very good at that.”
“I’ve noticed.” He delivered a gentle admonishment before he disappeared into the kitchen. “What flavor of tea do you want this morning?”
He’d noticed she wasn’t drinking coffee? Then again, she shouldn’t be surprised. Nothing escaped this man.
“The jasmine green tea, please. Cabinet to the—”
“Right of the stove. Got it.” Behind her, she heard the door open and the rustling of the tea box. “What do you need to accomplish today?”
“Groceries for sure.”
“We can do that. Think you ought to take Hallie to her new daycare for a couple of hours so you both get used to it?”
They should. In fact, Tessa was days past due. “No.”
“Your call. Just thought I’d put it out there.”
She sighed. “Fine. We’ll take her after breakfast. And I need to clean your wounds again. I forgot last night.”
“They’re almost healed.”
“Almost isn’t totally.”
He sighed, mirroring the sound of her annoyance. “Fine.”
Tessa laughed. “You can dish out the medicine, but you can’t take it?”
“No, I can. And I know you promised the colonel, so we’ll do that, too.” The automatic brewer hummed, then water dispensed. “Your tea is steeping. Want anything in it?”
