Page 59 of Rulebreaker

“Auntie Aspen probably is sleeping,” Atlas says. “But we’ll go later this afternoon, okay?”

She nods. “Okay. Can I go play now?”

“Of course,” he says. “I’ll make you a new sandwich and bring it out when it’s done.”

“Thanks Uncle Atlas!” She runs off and he watches her go with a fond smile before turning to face me.

“She’s going to be jealous,” I murmur.

He nods. “Oh, yeah.”

“What do we do to mitigate that?”

“Some of us have to spend more time with her than the baby.”

“The baby won’t notice if we’re not very hands-on at this stage,” I muse thoughtfully. “So there definitely needs to be a group of us who focus on her and not–do we know the baby’s name?”

He shakes his head. “They had some ideas but said they wouldn’t know for sure until they met her.”

“I’d love to see them but I only have a couple of hours and then I have to get my stuff from your place and head to the airport.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go.” He slides his hands around my waist, drawing me close.

“Me too.” I tilt up my face for another kiss and his warm lips part mine. Kissing him is as natural as breathing now, and far more satisfying. I move against him, leaning in for more as our tongues swirl together. Heat pulses through me and I’m momentarily resentful that we’re babysitting and not back at his place…naked. Bodies sweaty and thrumming with need. His cock–

“We’re home!” Briar’s voice makes us jump apart and I smile as I note the erection tenting Atlas’s pants.

“Hey!” I position myself in front of Atlas, my back to his front. “You must be exhausted.”

“I dozed for a few hours at the hospital,” she says, yawning. “But I’ll be fine as long as my boss doesn’t drag my ass to work.”

Atlas chuckles. “Your boss is tired too. Babysitting is hard!”

She turns, eyes slightly narrowed. “Was everything okay?”

Atlas hesitates, glancing around before lowering his voice. “Someone’s a little…jealous. Dealing with feelings that are new to her.”

Briar nods. “I’ve been waiting for this. Thank you for letting me know, though.”

“I let her get it all out, and I think I talked her off the ledge, but I’m sure some Mommy time will go a long way.”

“Absolutely. And you two should have some alone time before Lily has to leave. I appreciate you guys staying with Frankie, though. We really wanted to support Aspen as much as we could.”

“No problem at all,” I say. I think it’s probably safe to move away from Atlas, and I reach for my purse. “I was supposed to be in meetings all day but I got out of one early so I came back to check in with everyone.”

“Everyone else has gone home to get some sleep,” Briar says. “I’m going to spend some time with my daughter and hopefully sneak in a nap.”

“She also has a grilled cheese on order,” Atlas says lightly.

Briar nods. “Grilled cheese. Quality time. Sleep.”

I grin. “Sounds like a perfect day,” I tell her, giving her a hug. “I’ll see you soon,”

Atlas grabs my hand as we walk out to his Range Rover. “How much time do we have?”

I glance at my watch. “I have to be at the airport in a little over two hours.”

“Plenty of time for a quickie.”