Page 58 of Her Tempting Protector

“No wonder Zed’s ass was dragging when he came to the training center in the mornings,” Cullen mused. He’d seen Lulu in a temper as she turned two years old, and he’d bet as a newborn she had been tremendously demanding.

When Adam was finally satisfied, Cullen got his diaper changed and then put him back down for another hour or two of sleep. He peeked in to see how Shada was doing, and her breathing was strong and regular. He smiled.

When he crawled under the blanket, he wasn’t surprised when Carys sleepily asked after the mother and baby. Cullen looked at her. He wondered if she was really even awake.

“They’re fine.”

“Good,” she slurred. In less than a minute, her breathing evened out and she was back asleep. He gathered her close and drifted off with her.

* * *

“Up and at ‘em, Sweets.” Carys’ eyes popped open. It took just a moment to orient herself. She sat up in the back of the truck and saw that the truck bed was open, and Cullen was shirtless and holding Adam next to his chest as he swayed back and forth.

“Does he need to be fed?” she asked groggily.

“Nope, just did it. This was number three, right after I cleaned up number two. He sure does like to poop,” Cullen grinned.

A laugh popped out of her mouth. “That’s kind of what they’re known for, crying, pooping and eating.”

“Well, he’s setting records. It’s about time for us to get going.”

“I need to check on Shada.”

“Her saline is about empty, so I figured we would leave a little early so you could get that done. Plus, you need to have cake for breakfast.”

“Shada first.” She climbed down and smoothed her finger down Adam’s cheek, coming perilously close to the heat of Cullen’s chest. He had kept his shirt on last night when she’d slept with him, but he was giving the baby the skin-to-skin contact she had recommended. She stifled a sigh, yearning to feel that same heat against her flesh. Embarrassed at the thought, she rushed past them to get to Shada.

By the time she switched the saline and got Shada out for yet another potty break and belted back up, Cullen had everything ready for them to head out. He handed her the cake and Adam.

“It’s going to be bumpy, but soon we’ll be on a highway,” he flashed her a grin.

“Have you called your team?”

“It’s going to take us forty-five minutes to an hour to get to the highway. They are cooking something up. They said to make our way there, and they’d have something for us by the time we got there.”

Carys’ stomach clenched. “Will they?”

“Absolutely. If they said they’ll have something, they’ll have something.”

She searched Cullen’s features. He really didn’t look stressed out.

“You’re really not worried?”

“Nope. They sounded confident. They have something in mind. We’re going to be golden.”