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Hope slipped her palm over my thigh and my dick jumped. Leaning close, she nuzzled my shoulder, her voice husky. “I hope they’re sleeping soundly.”
“Me too, Hope. Me, too.”
Her hand slipped further up my thigh.
“Do you really want me walking in to speak to Melissa sporting a massive hard-on?”
She snatched her hand back. “No!”
“I didn’t think so,” I said smugly. I wasn’t the only one who was possessive.
Walking up the path to the house, Hope relaxed and glanced at me. “I’m sorry if I ruined tonight. I had a wonderful time.”
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
In truth, her commitment to her daughter was one of the things I found most attractive about her.
I turned the key in the lock and ushered her inside the house. Classical music played over the house speakers, music I put on for background noise once Sia went to bed. “Looks like we’re in luck.”
I took her coat, the thought that it was the first of many times I would do that crossing my mind. It wasn’t a bad thought.
Hope slipped off her shoes and padded down the hallway into the family room, me close on her heels, thoughts of having those ankles up around my ears in the very near future.
Melissa sat straight up in the rocking chair, her eyes wide and mouth agape. The alarm on her face set my nervous system aflame.
I scanned the room. “Where is Brayleigh?”
In front of me, Hope came to an abrupt standstill, her head cocked.
The music changed and we both heard Brayleigh’s cries at the same time.
Hope charged up the stairs.
I locked eyes with Melissa and growled, “What the fuck is going on?”
Melissa stood with Sia nestled in her arms and pressed her finger to her lips. “Sh, she’s sleeping.”
I cracked my neck back and forth, my skin shrinking, bones melting. Torn between Melissa and the stairs, I strode forward and took my daughter. My spine tingled, a numbness creeping over my limbs. “Why is Brayleigh upstairs?”
Maybe she fell asleep early.
Maybe she just woke up and Melissa didn’t hear her over the music.
“Sia needed to sleep. She was tired. Brayleigh wouldn’t settle, so I put her upstairs.” She shrugged.
My chest tightened.
“You put her upstairs.”
My head swam.
“Yes.” She shook her head and reached for me. “It’s not a big deal. It’s called sleep training.”
I couldn’t move. Not even to escape her hand on my arm.
“So, Brayleigh gets sleep training while Sia gets cuddled.”
“She needed sleep, Ares. Brayleigh is loud and wouldn’t settle. She’s only been up there an hour-”
