Page 16

He kept his hand on the wall as his back and head bowed.
“Do you want to talk about it?” He looked like he was about to break, and everything I knew about Beckett until now told me he was stoic and didn’t let much bother him.
“They want to take Zoey away from me.” The raw pain in his voice cut right through me. He looked so alone standing there with the glare from the streetlight shining over him. He looked like he needed a hug.
Without giving it much thought, I moved behind him, wrapped my arms around his trim waist, and laid my cheek against his muscled back. His spicy scent surrounded me, and I had to remind myself I was comforting him as part of me reveled in touching his deliciously taut abs.
I was a terrible person. How could I be so turned on right now?
He stiffened for a moment, and I was afraid I’d made a huge mistake. Of course he wouldn’t want a woman he could barely stand to hug him. I needed to let go and hope we could pretend it never happened. I shifted my body, but before I pulled my arms away, he slid a hand over mine, my arm caged across his abdomen with the weight of his own.
He let out a sigh as his body relaxed into mine. “I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t.” For all his faults, at his core, he was a great dad. I knew this and was embarrassed at the awful thoughts I’d had about him earlier today. There was no way a judge would decide to remove his daughter from his care.
“You don’t know that, but thanks anyway for saying it.” A tingle of awareness spread through me at the sound of his deep voice.
I knew I should let go of him, but my arms didn’t want to cooperate. Being here like this with him was… nice. Far nicer than the fighting that was more our norm. While we had this mini-truce, I needed to discuss our interaction earlier. “I’m sorry about the way I behaved today. Zoey told me about her costume.”
His hand squeezed mine. I loved the steady hum of electricity that seemed to hover below the surface everywhere we touched. Reluctantly, I tugged my hand out from under his. It was hard to move away, but with all that I was feeling just now, it was probably for the best.
Without me holding on to him, he turned around and leaned against the brick wall. His shadowed moss-green eyes watched me as though he wasn’t sure what to do with this aberration in our interactions.
“I should have made time to call and let you know I was going to be late,” he admitted.
I smirked. “Yeah, you probably should have, but I get it.”
He grinned back. The smile made his already handsome face gorgeous. “Are we getting along?”
“Don’t get used to it. I’m sure you’ll do something stupid soon to muck it up,” I teased.
He laughed and shrugged. “Probably.”
Voices from the side of the building filtered over to us. “We should probably get back inside.” This little bubble we were in was too intimate for my liking.
“Yeah.” He unexpectedly cupped my chin in his hand. “Thanks for getting Zoey out of there. She didn’t need to see any of that.”
I licked my suddenly dry lips. Our eyes locked together. Energy hummed between us and I desperately wanted to slide my hands around his waist. His eyes darkened, his pupils blown wide. Was he feeling the same desire that raged within me?
His other arm banded around my waist. We were locked in this moment, neither one of us able to back away. He bent forward and the heat from his gaze burned through me. I gave in, settled my hands on his hips, and pressed my chest to his. Instantly, my nipples pebbled from the lust coursing through me.
I needed his lips on mine, regardless of the consequences. Our eyes silently communicated our desire, and I was certain he wanted the same thing.
My heart beat a fast staccato in my chest. I closed my eyes, feeling his breath puff against my cheek. His lips were so close I could smell the hint of apple and cinnamon. His groan vibrated through my chest.
“Daddy? Ms. Winter?” The squeak of the back door had us jumping away from each other.
Shit!That was close. I smoothed a hand down the front of the yellow skirt of my Snow White costume.
“Hey, Zo. We’re right here.” He cleared his throat.
She opened the door wider. “Are you two done? You’re missing the whole party.”
“Yup. Just finished,” I interjected and gave Beckett a tentative smile before moving around him to go to the door.
“Did you and Ruby finish the cookies?” I asked, grasping at anything to talk about.
“Yeah, forever ago,” she replied.