Page 32 of The Rough Ride (Sanctuary, Inc. #3)

N ick stood, wavering a second. His knees were like rubber.

Never in his life had he imagined something like—like this happening. Yeah, sure, he’d watched movies where the guy ended up with a kid by accident, but he’d always shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth and thought, dude, you’re in over your head.

Liz took his hand and urged him down the hallway to the kitchen. She poured two fingers of Southern Comfort into a glass, took a sip, and offered it to him. “It’ll take the edge off the shock, Sergeant. You’ve got that deer in the headlights look on your face.”

He sipped slowly and paced the kitchen, guilt tugging on his heart.

“I can’t believe you’ve been through all this alone, babe.

Honestly, I had no idea. I’ve spent a lot of time berating Ella’s deadbeat dad in my mind, and as it turns out, I’m that dad.

” He ran a hand through his hair. “I wouldn’t blame you for being really pissed. ”

Liz tossed her hands in the air and laughed.

“Pissed is the furthest emotion from my mind. I’m ecstatic.

” She took the glass from his hand and sipped.

“I’m beyond thrilled that you’re Ella’s biological father.

All along, I’d hoped against the odds that you were the one.

I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve yearned for a family, that you’d understand my decision to keep her and not hate me for it.

You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Nick. You’re my best friend.

I can never seem to get enough of your love. ”

He cupped her cheek and pulled her close. “You’ve been the love of my life since high school, honey. How can I possibly make any of this up to you? I’ll try to be a good father to Ella.” Emotion clogged his throat, and his eyes filled again. Not just overwhelmed, but surprised and happy.

Liz lifted her eyes and smiled. “It’s the little things, Nick. Like how you held her until she fell asleep tonight.” She gave him a firm but gentle kiss and whispered, “I believe in you. I believe you’ll overcome the pain from your past and find joy in getting to know your daughter.”

That was a very tall order. He kneaded the tight muscles in her shoulders. “Why did you name her Ella? Is it a family name?”

She wrapped her arms around him. “It’s an acronym.”

Of course, it was an acronym. Her brilliant mind would insist on something with significance. A chuckle rumbled through his chest as he ran his hands through her hair.

Liz sighed. “I didn’t know if she’d ever have a strong male figure in her life, what with my dad gone and the baby daddy situation in the air, so I named her after strong, vital women. The E is for Eileen.”

Hmmm. “After my aunt?”

“Yeah, she’s amazing, don’t you think? She was so good to you. Still is.” She traced a soft finger along his jawline. “The first L is for Louise, my mom’s friend. Her positive attitude and sense of humor encouraged me all through rehab and pregnancy.”

“I don’t know her very well. Guess I’ll have to change that.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

“Yes, definitely. The second L is for Liz because I’m her badass mom.” She laughed out loud. “God help her.”

“And the A?”

“For Arlene. Kindest woman I know. She’s made of love.”

His eyes filled again. Wow. Why did he want to weep? He swallowed hard. “Beautiful name, babe. It has a truly heartfelt meaning.”

She stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “There’s more, Sergeant.” She ran her hands up his biceps. “Ella has a middle name, too.”

He trailed kisses across her shoulder. “What’s that?”

“Rose. Ella Rose.”

His breath hitched, and he buried his face in her hair. His voice choked in barely a whisper. “After my mom?”

“Yes. She loved you so much, and she loved me. Bravest woman I’ve ever met.”

“Honey,” he sighed deeply. “She’d be so honored. I’m honored. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I always wanted Ella to be yours, if not by birth, then by love.” Liz leaned back, dabbed the tears from her face with her dress sleeve, and swiped the moisture from his cheeks as well. “So, what happened at the Richardsons’ this weekend to soften your attitude about children?”

Nick barked a laugh. “It’s a long story. The short version is that I babysat the two younger kids for almost three days until Angie, their mother, arrived home early this afternoon. The first six hours were the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. ”

She eyed him speculatively. “ Most terrifying, huh? That’s saying a lot since you’ve thrown a live grenade out of an airborne chopper.”

“Yeah, well, I survived. More importantly, the kids did. Natalie, the four-year-old, broke through my shell. She got to me.” Slayed me. He cupped Liz’s derriere and whispered in her ear. “Why’d you work so many hours on a national holiday?”

“Somebody’s sabotaging my work. That’s all I can say about it. But they needed help straightening it out.”

He raised his eyebrows. “And did you?”

“Sort of. I’ll need to start from scratch, though. Once it’s broke, it can’t be fixed. Next time, I’ll make it even better, more efficient.” Liz shrugged. “I can’t worry about it anymore. My brain is too tired.”

“But you’re okay? Can I help with anything?”

She rolled her eyes. “Always my watchful security specialist, aren’t you? I’m fine. Work will be fine. Trust me.”

“You, I trust. It’s everyone else I worry about.” But he wouldn’t be concerned tonight. She was right here, where she belonged. He cleared his throat. “Thank you for giving me a daughter. She’s a priceless gift.”

Liz launched herself into his arms. “I love you. I will forever love you for saying that.” She framed his face with her hands and kissed him. One kiss led to another and within seconds they swept each other into a swirling duel of teasing tongues and love bites.

Wait. Wait . He pulled back and heaved a breath. “I don’t have any protection.”

She peeked up at him with a sheepish grin. “Don’t worry, I went on the pill before the Sanctuary rescue. I knew my resolve was cracking.” She shrugged. “You know, just in case.”

It was party time. In a nanosecond, he’d tugged her back into his arms. Her hands grabbed at his hair, his hands searched for the zipper on her dress. She unbuttoned his shirt, tracing the outline of the muscles on his chest with her hands and nibbled her way across his six-pack.

He looked down. Nothing turned him on more than seeing his Liz kiss whatever she wanted when he could watch.

He wouldn’t need his shoes, toed them off, and kicked them out of the way. He finished unzipping her dress with one hand while the other roamed her hair and guided her mouth to his favorite places. He slipped the dress off her shoulders, reveling in cleavage that begged for his touch.

Liz wriggled the dress down over her beautiful curves, and the slinky fabric pooled on the kitchen floor.

She stepped out of it, snatched and tossed it on the counter.

Her red satin bra and panties left him breathless.

She took his lips in a searing kiss and made quick work of undoing his belt and pants zipper.

Thank goodness. His erection bobbed free.

A sexy smile dawned across her face, and her eyes lit up with mischief. “Are we playing our strip version of capture the flag ?”

Okay, okay. She’d seen his stars and stripes boxers. If either of them wore underwear with the colors in the US flag, it almost always led to this favored game. He’d play along. She was quite the competitor, but he always won. One way or the other.

Liz squealed with delight and made a bee line for the dining room. She stretched her arms against the farthest forest green wall and gave him a sexy shimmy.

He sauntered toward her and placed his hands on the table. “I will win, you know. You often forget to count the pieces of clothing you’ve got left.”

His confidence was adorable, but he was underestimating her. “Let’s play, Sergeant. That’s your side of the table and this is mine.” She winked at him. “I go first. Pants, please.”

“False start, babe. My belt’s still on.” He yanked it from the loops and cast it into Ella’s baby swing. “Your turn. A shoe.”

She removed the shoe from her prosthetic foot and tossed it into the living room. “Give me whatever piece you want, soldier.”

He pulled off a sock and hung it on the draped crystal chandelier. “Your other shoe.”

She bent over, giving him a wide-angle view of her ass, removed the shoe and lobbed it at him.

He knocked the shoe aside with his arm. “Hey, no roughing the passer. And, that sexy peek of your mons is an illegal formation. Do it again—I’ll leap the table and sack you.”

Her nipples tightened under his wolfish stare. “Then you’d be offsides.”

Nick shook his head and snickered. “True. But thinking about your red zone distracts my defense. I’ll break a rule or two if necessary. Your turn to pick.”

“I want your shirt, Sergeant.” She leaned against the wall and savored the erotic torture as he undid his cuffs, and shrugged it off. His body was a masterpiece of thick muscles. Maybe turn in her panties and surrender?

Nick held the shirt exactly halfway across the table. “Here you go, babe. It’s yours.”

She stepped closer and reached for the shirt. His big arms swooped around her and unhooked her bra.

“Hey, that’s a flag. It’s cheating and an automatic first down for me. ”

He nibbled her lower lip and smiled. “ That was an honest interception. You read the play wrong. Gotta watch my eyes.” He traced a finger up her throat and whispered, “Ready to declare me the winner yet?”

“Never. I play to win.” She allowed the bra straps to slip down her arms. The tent in his pants stood at full salute.

Her core throbbed and her underwear was soaked with lust, but all she needed to do was demand a forfeit or capture his boxers.

She held her bra with two fingers and in one dramatic sweep of a hand, dropped it on the floor.

He whimpered and adjusted himself. “You’re killing me, Lieutenant.”