Page 59 of Unveiled

“Yeah. I was actually waiting for you.” She gestured to the book now lying beside her. “I thought I’d read for a bit, but I must’ve dozed off.”

Sliding his hands beneath her legs, Jaxon scooped her into his arms and sank down on the cushion, still warm from her body heat, then settled her in his lap. She brushed her nose over the base of his throat, and Jaxon smiled as she inhaled.

This was the second time she’d done that, and Jaxon quirked a smile. “You must like the way I smell.”

“Shh.” She delivered a playful slap to his chest. “You’re ruining it.”

“Ruining what? You got some fantasy that I don’t know about?”

“Mhmm… I was having the most amazing dream before you woke me up.” For a moment, hope flared then crashed to the ground in a fiery explosion a moment later. “Dark hair…” Her eyes flitted downward for a moment, and Jaxon swore he could hear a hint of a smile in her voice when she spoke. “Sexy abs…”

Jaxon followed her gaze to the book lying beside him, a rugged Scot on the cover, tanned and bare-chested. Brat. He tightened his hold on her, shifting her the tiniest bit closer. She tipped her head up at him, the teasing glimmer in her sultry eyes telling him she was deriving a great deal of pleasure from yanking his chain. She ran one hand over his chest. “Chiseled pecs…”

Jaxon flattened his lips to keep from smiling. “Yeah? Anything else?”

“A kilt.” She cracked a huge grin, unable to hold it back any longer.

Jaxon snorted. “Can’t help you with that one.”

She let out a dramatic sigh. “What good are you?”

Smart-aleck. Jaxon let out a low growl, gratified when her pupils dilated, lust swimming in the dark depths. “Oh, sweetheart, I’ll show you just how good I am.”

CHAPTER

THIRTY-THREE

Jaxon stared down at the woman in his arms, her unruly dark waves tossed riotously over the pillow beside him. A few strands still clung to her face, and he brushed them away with his thumb. Her lashes fluttered, but her breathing never changed, and he knew she was asleep.

He tucked her against him as she snuggled close, not wanting an inch of space between them. He loved watching her, loved every little sound she made. He reached over to the nightstand and flipped off the baby monitor that rested beside the clock. He was a light sleeper from his years in the service; as soon as Jaclyn cried out, he’d be up. He wanted Adalyn to relax and get some sleep. The stress from the shop was weighing on her, he could tell. Adalyn worked too hard, and he wanted to help in whatever way he could.

Closing his eyes, he let his thoughts drift for a moment, inhaling the sweet scent of the woman next to him before finally falling asleep. Not long after, his eyes flew open, and he immediately took stock of his surroundings, trying to determine what had awakened him.

After a moment of silence, a stream of high-pitched chatter floated from Jaclyn’s room. A smile curved his face, and he glanced at the clock. With any luck, Adalyn would sleep for another hour or two before she had to get ready for work.

He carefully extracted himself from her lithe body, one lean leg wrapped around his like a vine. A tiny whimper left her mouth, and he tucked the covers around her. At the feeling of security, she immediately snuggled back in and dropped off to sleep again.

Yanking on the pants he’d worn last night, he crept from the room and closed the door behind him before making his way down the hall to Jaclyn’s room. She stood by the rail of her crib, talking softly to herself and bouncing on the squishy mattress.

“Hey, baby girl.”

She peered up at him over the railing, a trace of confusion in her eyes. “Mama?”

Her question sent a little pang of regret through his heart. He hated that he hadn’t been there for her—for either of them—when they needed him most. He hated that Jaclyn still looked at him sometimes like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him, like she didn’t recognize him or trust him.

“Mama’s sleeping. Come to Daddy?”

He held his arms out and waited for her to come to him. Though he’d spent most every night over the past week with her, she still hadn’t opened up completely. When Adalyn was around, Jaclyn seemed to sense that everything was okay. But she was reserved when it was just the two of them, like she was afraid Adalyn wouldn’t come back.

Maybe it was exactly as Adalyn said; Jaclyn had never been around men. They were big, scary, hairy creatures to be feared. He’d do anything to take that look of concern off her face.

His heart swelled as she reached for him, and he scooped her into his arms. Carrying her over to the changing table, he spoke to her while he changed and dressed her. “You hungry? Maybe we should make breakfast for mommy.”

She looked up at him hopefully as he tossed her soiled diaper in the pail and picked her up. “Cookie?”

He laughed and cuddled her close, brushing his nose over hers. “Good try. No cookies. Eggs?”

Together they strolled downstairs, and he whipped up some scrambled eggs while Jaclyn watched from her high chair nearby. She attacked the eggs with gusto when he set them on her tray, though he was pretty sure more ended up on the floor than in her mouth.