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Joy replied with an irritated whine, and Madison bit her cheek to stop from laughing, but the sound of his footfalls in the hall had her scrambling for her shirt. She hadn’t even managed to get it halfway on when he came in.
“She says don’t bother, Mama. She’s hungry again.”
“Oh.” Her face went hot, but she managed to keep her hands steady as she reached for her daughter. Hunter settled Joy in her arms, and then stretched out beside them on the bed.
Oblivious to the onlooker, Joy latched on and began to nurse with her usual gusto. The same sense of abandon eluded Madison. Sitting there, half-naked, feeding her child in front of Hunter struck her as more intimate than anything they’d just done together. Exchanging orgasms could be written off as a diverting recreational activity. This? Not so much. She was incredibly conscious of his attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she tracked his gaze from the baby nursing at her breast, to her feverish face. His scrutiny unnerved her.
He reached out and brushed his fingertips over her cheek. “You’re blushing.”
“I’m not used to having an audience.”
“Just pretend I’m not here.”
The suggestion made her laugh, despite feeling uncomfortably exposed. “Pretend six plus feet of hard-packed, sharp-eyed man isn’t there? That takes more pretending than I can manage.” She adjusted her position on the pillows, attempting to relieve the tension in her back.
“You doing okay?”
The man didn’t miss a thing. “I’m fine.” She planted the soles of her feet on the mattress and pushed herself up a fraction higher on the bed. “I may have overdone it a little today. I’m trying to spend more time on my feet.”
He slid an arm behind her and rubbed the heel of his hand along the small of her back. She almost moaned out loud.
“What’s your hurry?” His hand continued working tiny miracles on the tight muscles.
“I’m not hurried, exactly, but I scheduled an appointment with my doctor next week, and I’m hoping she’ll sign off on me returning to work. The quicker I get back on the job, the quicker I can get my own place.”
His hand stilled. “I don’t remember posting an eviction notice on your door.”
“And I don’t remember receiving one, but come on, we both know the sooner Joy and I get set up in our own place, the better.”
“I’m more concerned about the where and how than the when.”
“Hunter, I knocked a file off your desk the other day and had to put it back in order. I know you’ve applied to med schools and you’ll no doubt start somewhere in the fall. This is your second chance. The last thing you need is another roommate with a baby.” All those words came out in a rush, but now she held her breath for his reply, because some stupid part of her wanted to hear him disagree with her.
He scowled. “Okay, yes, I’ll need to minimize distractions come fall, but last time I checked my calendar I counted quite a few months between February and September.”
Sweet of him not to hurry her along, but even the stupid part of her recognized they were fundamentally in agreement. He didn’t need them putting
down roots in his life. He had lots to accomplish before he’d be ready to take on major distractions. She had lots to accomplish, too, which brought her to yet another reason why she couldn’t just languish in his hospitality for months. “This may be hard for you to understand, but I need to get my feet under me and stand up on my own. I need to do that soon, so I don’t lose confidence in my ability to pull it off. I know a lot of people might not think a low-end job riding a register and mixing lattes is much of a goal, but earning my way, and providing for my daughter mean a lot to me. I was raised by that kind of woman, and that’s the kind of woman I want to be.”
“No, I know what you’re saying. But you don’t have to rush. You’ll get there.”
She shrugged, and aimed for a casualness she was far from feeling. “If my doctor tells me I have to adjust my timeline, then I’ll adjust.” Or find a new doctor. “But there’s nothing wrong with my goal. I have to be able to look myself in the mirror and see a person I respect.”
“And right now you don’t?”
“Right now I don’t.”
“Maybe you need a new mirror?”
“I need my own mirror.”
“Well, whatever mirror you’re using, I hope it shows you you’re beautiful.” He cupped the back of Joy’s head in his big palm. “Both of you.”
Her face turned hot enough to melt glass. “She is.”
“She looks just like her mama. Same forehead.” He ran one blunt-tipped finger down the baby’s forehead. “Same nose.” His finger traced the outline of Joy’s upper lip. “Same mouth.” Without warning, he reached out and pinched Madison’s chin. “Same stubborn chin.”
She’d also noticed those similarities, but she had other features as a reference, and couldn’t help seeing some of them in Joy. Cody’s straight brows. His smile. “She’s got some of her daddy in her, too.”
