AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are you doing up?” he asked, his voice soft. “I’m on duty tonight.”
“Bad dream,” she answered and stepped into the room. “The mystery volunteer from the hospital was trying to take one of the boys.”
The description didn’t convey the panic the nightmare manufactured inside her, but Ryder must have understood how bad it had been. He moved toward her and wordlessly transferred Noah to her arms.
Esme sighed as she drew the baby closer and leaned down to breathe in his sweet scent.
“No one’s going to take either of them.” Ryder was so close she could feel the warmth of his body and took comfort in his vow. It was easy to believe everything would be fine with this man to protect her.
Undoubtedly, he’d use his strength and power to keep Noah and Chase safe, but who was going to protect Esme’s heart when she was so vulnerable to losing it?
They stood together for a minute, their arms brushing as they rocked back and forth. Then she began to sing a lullaby her mother had favored when Esme was a girl. “‘Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,’” she crooned. The classic song might not have the same resonance as a selection from the Springsteen catalog, but each of the boys smiled in their sleep as she continued with the verses, whether in response to her voice or their private dreams, she couldn’t say.
When the last note ended, they placed the babies in their shared crib. Ryder had moved Noah’s crib from his apartment to the nursery, but the boys slept better when they were close together, so until that changed, Chase and Noah slept side by side in their swaddles.
Ryder placed a hand on Esme’s back as they left the room, and his touch pulsated through her, making her knees weak. As the door clicked shut, she turned, ready to apologize for her silly overreaction to a dream.
However, the heat in his eyes had the words catching in her throat.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he said, shaking his head like the words pained him to say. “I don’t know what to do next, Esme.”
She had a few ideas, but it wasn’t easy to fathom he felt the same about her.
Then he reached up and threaded his fingers through her long hair. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths as if touching her undid something in him. It certainly had that effect on Esme.
Longing coursed through her like a rushing stream, and she wasn’t sure how to dam up her desire. Her mouth had gone dry, and she licked her lips, causing Ryder to let out a soft groan in response.
She lifted onto her toes and kissed him, unable to resist and unwilling to worry about the consequences. This moment felt precious, and she had to believe the quiet night and the bond they already shared would keep her safe.
Either that or she’d deal with the eventual consequences, but not now. All she wanted was to savor the taste of him and how perfectly they fit together. He cupped her face and angled her head to deepen the kiss as Esme spread her palms over the hard planes of his chest.
She could feel his heart beating a frantic rhythm under the thin fabric of his shirt, but it wasn’t enough. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own, and her yearning surged to become a full-blown torrent of need.
Their tongues melded, and she lost herself in the moment even as her hands slipped under his shirt to move up and over his back. He trailed kisses along her jaw and neck, one finger tracing the sensitive dip of her collarbone.
Her pajama top was blessedly a scoop neck, and it felt like heaven when Ryder tugged on it and gently kissed the top of her breast.
Esme was ready to shuck the cotton fabric over her head, but the sound of a baby’s sudden cry split the air. Both she and Ryder jumped back like two teenagers discovered in the basement by angry parents.
They stood silently for several seconds, but whichever boy cried out had also settled himself. It didn’t matter. The interruption reminded Esme that there were more important things to consider than her red-hot desire for Ryder Hayes.
“That can’t happen again,” she said, unsure whether she was hoping to convince him or herself.
She could see Ryder’s thick brows draw together in the pale light from the moon shining in the window at the end of the short hallway. He looked like he wanted to argue, but after a few more charged moments of tense silence, he nodded.
“Whatever you want,” he answered, which was not the response she’d expected.
Esme figured he’d understand that nothing could happen between them but quickly realized that physical intimacy probably didn’t mean the same thing to Ryder as it did to her.
He meant something to her that went beyond kissing or even sex. The way he listened to her, laughed at her silly jokes and truly seemed to respect her as a person was more of a gift than Esme could have expected to receive.
Ryder had made it clear they were together because it was the right thing for raising the boys. But she was a woman built for love and commitment and could not risk letting him capture any more of her heart. Not with the future they’d committed to sharing.
“Good night,” she said and retreated to her bedroom, pressing her back to the door as she listened to the door across the hall close a few seconds later.
At least Esme wouldn’t have to worry about any more nightmares tonight. Sleep would be a long time coming with the memory of Ryder’s mouth on hers branded into her heart and mind.
Chapter Eight
