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Of course, the grim reality was hiding in the shadows like the reaper, waiting with fangs and claws to chomp down into our flesh and bone.
Great, girlfriend. Imagine your nightmares tonight.
If I managed to get any sleep at all.
Now I was mesmerized all over again by the way Jonny smiled after taking the first bite. I’d seen men smile hundreds, thousands of times, but so many of the gestures were more like smirks, as if they had something to hide, something ominous and cunning. That had been the world I’d lived in for long enough I could see through it in a heartbeat. What I witnessed during the next ten or so magical seconds was spellbinding.
The smile Jonny issued while teasing his son, taking huge spoonfuls of the gooey mess then both of them laughing was about to melt me into a giant puddle on the floor. The brutalsavage of the man who hadn’t thought twice about taking the lives of the men chasing us inside that black sedan had transformed into a bright light, a big teddy bear.
I was so taken aback that I hadn’t realized I’d lifted my spoon into the air, drops splashing across the top of my other hand. Of course as we’d both experienced before, Jonny seemed to sense I was staring at him, twisting his head over his shoulder. He’d been very careful not to say anything out of character in front of his son, refusing to give away either our closeness or the fact we were in significant trouble. So when his nostrils flared, the look of desire in his eyes like a fire on a cloudless night, I started to sway a little.
“You’re making a mess,cherie. Come sit with us.” Gah, his voice was so commanding, creating another wave of wetness, only this time between my legs.
Flirting I’d never been very good at, but I couldn’t resist lifting my hand, licking the ice cream off my skin. Now the way he was looking at me was as if he had plans on painting my entire body with ice cream, taking his time to lick it off with his rough tongue.
And God knew I would enjoy the hell out of experiencing a tongue bath.
I blinked several times, realizing that Christian was signing something to me furiously. I’d learned in the two hours I’d been able to spend with the young man that he was brilliant, the artwork on the refrigerator not a clear indication of his talent either. While dinner was being finished, he’d asked me what my favorite animal was, and I’d told him a Golden Retriever. The picture he’d drawn was so spectacular that it literally had taken my breath away.
I tried to pull my concentration, shifting it to the little boy, unable to keep giggling myself from what he’d signed. I was forced to turn away, laughing so hard that I almost choked. Even better, so was Christian.
“Uh-huh. I can tell the cookie monster is going to bring out the tickle monster.” Jonny’s voice was followed by an entirely different playful growl and within seconds, his son was yelping with joy, laughing even harder.
By the time I’d spun around, Jonny was holding him with both hands several feet off the floor, blowing air on the boy’s tummy. All I could do was watch and laugh.
Then it hit me hard that I could love the brooding man so easily, falling hard when that was the last thing I needed to do, especially right now.
When Jonny finally placed his son on the floor after also flying him around as if the kid was on a magical airplane, I was so struck by how close they were that I almost teared up.
“Alright, kiddo. Finish that fabulous dessert Ms. Beckett made for you so I can tuck you into bed. And what about Ms. Beckett? You need to be a good girl and finish your dessert too.”
“And why should I do that, Mr. James?”
“If you’re patient then you will find out.”
With that he returned to conversing with Christian, the little boy listening to every word intently.
As I took another bite of ice cream, crunching on the cookies, I realized that was the moment I’d fallen in love with the man.
Now what the hell was I supposed to do?
CHAPTER 23
Jonny
I felt her presence behind me and for the first time since my little boy had entered my home and my world, it felt natural to be a dad. I’d never anticipated that having a woman in my life would change my attitude or alter my needs, but that’s the way it was every time I was around Sedona.
She’d been playful and silly, exactly what both Christian and I had needed tonight. I’d never seen my boy react that way he had around anyone. While Margaret was good at what she did, trustworthy to keep a close eye on him, Christian certainly had never been enthused about her strictness or basic attitude. I’d chosen her on purpose, trying to allow Christian to heal without having a mother figure in his life to confuse him.
Or remind him of what he was missing. What else had I been so wrong about?
“Now, can you go to sleep for me, cookie monster?” I asked as I tucked the covers under his arms just the way he liked for me to do.
He nodded, grabbing and squeezing his favorite bear that he’d brought with him. Nights like tonight, I wished with all my heart he would speak, but in a way, he’d spoken volumes by allowing himself to enjoy the evening without staring into space or worse, throwing tantrums. I was more than grateful for Sedona’s abilities, the way she’d handled him as if she had a child of her own.
“Light on or off?” I asked, already knowing the answer. He couldn’t tolerate the dark any longer. I hated the fact I hadn’t taken the time to learn more sign language, something he felt comfortable with, but I’d certainly learned ‘light on.’ “How about a batman light tonight?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
