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The laugh I let out was cut short when the skin between my shoulder blades began to tingle. It was that disconcerting feeling you got when someone was watching you. I cast my eyes over my shoulder as I pushed a giggling Cash back and forth, back and forth. That feeling persisted, like a laser beam penetrating my skin, but I couldn’t see anyone staring, which only made it that much more disturbing.
I tried to brush it off, telling myself it was just in my head, but when ten minutes passed and the feeling hadn’t gone away, I decided it was probably best to do as Lyric had suggested and follow my instincts, which screamed at me to grab Cash and get out of there.
And that was exactly what I did.
I gave him a snack as soon as we got home, and sat him in the living room with his coloring books and crayons while I wentthrough and checked every window and door to make sure they were locked.
I had no doubt I was overreacting, but better safe than sorry. Eventually, that feeling ebbed, and the nerves I’d felt the whole first half of the day took its place. To get my mind off the evening to come, I enlisted Cash’s help in baking cookies to eat after dinner. He’d been excited, wanting to make chocolate chip cookies specifically for his dad, claiming they were his favorite, so that was what we did. They came out of the oven smelling like gooey, chocolatey heaven, and it was a struggle to keep Cash from trying to eat them all before his father got home.
Eventually, nap time rolled around, and while Cash slept, I cleaned the kitchen of the cookie chaos and started on dinner. A voice in my head kept insisting that it needed to be special. Since I’d started working for him, I’d noticed that Laeth was the kind of man who favored red meat over poultry or pork. He always seemed to enjoy what I cooked, no matter what it was, but he enjoyed steak and burgers and the like even more.
One of the cookbooks I’d gotten from the library had a recipe for an herb rubbed prime rib, so I decided to make that with roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes.
I was halfway through making dinner, so consumed in my task that I let out a startled yelp and whipped around at the sound of the front door opening and closing.
Laeth came walking in, his walk more of a swagger as he made his way to the kitchen. The faded jeans molded to his strong, thick thighs, the muscles bulging with every step he took. It wasn’t so much a walk as it was a prowl. Everything the man did looked lethal and predatory. Especially the way he was looking at me.
I swallowed thickly, trying to alleviate the sudden dryness in my throat. I clasped the wooden spoon I’d been using to stir thegravy in both hands, my knuckles turning white at the death grip I had on it. “Y-you’re home early.”
“I am,” he said, not bothering to offer a reason as his gaze raked over me, the slate gray darkening as his tongue peeked out and slicked his full bottom lip. The action made me shiver. It was almost as though I could feel his gaze like a physical touch, and that electric current I’d told Lyric about zapped right through me.
One look from him and my panties grew wet as my nipples pinched into tight, stiff peaks. One look and goosebumps spread across my skin while my breathing grew labored.
God, I wanted him, and from the feral glint in his stony eyes, I knew he wanted me too. Tonight was going to be a defining moment. I just wasn’t sure how.
He sniffed the air, and even that was sexy. “Christ, Bambi. It smells fucking incredible in here.”
“It’s prime rib.”
His eyelids grew hooded at my announcement, and that was all I needed to know I’d made the right call on dinner.
“It won’t be ready for a while,” I continued, needing to talk through the nerves pumping through me. “I—I didn’t know you were coming home early.”
Just then, Cash came charging into the kitchen from his bedroom like a tiny tornado. “Daddy!” he cheered, his little legs pumping as he grew closer and launched himself at Laeth.
He bent, a smile wreathing his face, and caught his son in his arms, picking him up and swinging him in the air like he weighed next to nothing. Watching father and son interact like that was something else. A flutter started deep in my belly and traveled down between my thighs as I watched Laeth’s massive arms bulge and flex with the weight of his son.
“Hey, kiddo. You have a good day?”
His eyes went big, like he’d had the most exciting day in the history of time. “Yeah! Day-Day took me to da pawk!”
“You went to the park, huh?” I melted a little just then, loving that Laeth was getting better at understanding his son’s toddler speak.
“Yeah! A fly all da way up on da swings!”
Laeth gave an exaggerated look of shock for Cash’s benefit. “Wow! All the way up? That is high.”
“Uh-huh!”
“That sounds like a lot of fun.” Laeth rested Cash on his hip, the two of them looking absolutely adorable together. “And guess what? I’ve got something else fun for you.”
“What? What?”
“You’re gonna have a sleepover at Aunt Shane and Uncle Jensen’s tonight. So you’ll get to hang with Brantley too. Won’t that be fun?”
Cash sucked in a dramatic breath so big it was a wonder he left any air in the room for us, then let out an ear-piercing squeal of excitement loud enough it almost made my ears bleed.
Laeth chuckled through his wince. “I guess that means you’re excited, huh?”
