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As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one checking somebody out. Adrian’s eyes lingered on me in all sorts of strategic places, both before and after he took my coat.
“Where’s the little one?” I asked.
“He’s in the kitchen, strapped into his high chair.”
“Should I feed him?”
Adrian smirked. “Well… he’s learning how to feed himself. And he’s fiercely determined, so you’ll need to clean him up afterward for sure.”
I chuckled and made my way to the kitchen. The mess, by then, was damn near apocalyptic.
“Sorry,” Adrian apologized. He ran for the sink. “Let me—”
“No, no,” I told him. “I’ve got it. You finish getting ready.”
I could tell he was in the process of getting dressed because he was still barefoot, and holding a pair of socks. He thanked me and disappeared into the hallway, leaving me with the cutest little baby I’d seen in forever.
“You can get some in your mouth, you know.”
Little Brayden looked up at me curiously, all wide-eyed and covered in goop. His little face broke into a smile, and my heart nearly exploded.
Five minutes and half a roll of paper towels later, I had everything cleaned up. He’d need a bath to get the puree out of his hair before it hardened, but he was otherwise no worse for wear.
“You and I are gonna be good pals, kid.”
Brayden clapped his hands. I clapped mine back.
“Now get over here…”
I lifted him into my arms, marveling at how small and light he was. Beneath the scent of liquefied carrots, he smelled like baby. It was the kind of thing you couldn’t really describe unless you’d smelled it yourself.
“You guys make it through?”
A deep, masculine laugh came from the doorway. Adrian was twisting away at a pair of silver cufflinks. He was having trouble with them, though.
“Here, hold this monster.”
I handed his son over, then went to work. There was something inherently sexy about doing a man’s cufflinks. Kinda like wearing his shirt… with nothing underneath it.
Adrian watched as I finished up, then shook his sleeves straight. His face broke into a panty-melting smile.
“Follow me. I’ll show you where you can set up.”
I shadowed him down the hall, and into the first room on the left. It was decorated like an office. A large desk against the window had been totally cleared, and a large surge-protector plugged in to offer me ten or twelve outlets.
“What do you think I’m running here? A Bitcoin mining operation?”
“Hmmm?”
I laughed. “Never mind. This is actually perfect. Thank you.”
“I figured it’s quiet, it’s open, and it’s across from Brayden’s bedroom so you’ll be able to hear him when you need to,” said Adrian. “There’s a small baby monitor in the nursery, too. It’s portable, so you can just take it with you after putting him down.”
He then started telling me about his internet connection, but the truth was I’d already checked it out myself. The bandwidth was good, and the bps speeds were suitable for my needs. I’d mostly be debugging here, anyway.
“Any questions?”
He was bouncing Brayden off his hip with practiced ease, and his son was laughing harder with every bounce.
