Love Beyond Reason(20)

Jace made no attempt to get up off the bed, and Happy's eyes opened in shock when she saw the two of them on the small bed and Katherine tucked in for the night.

"What—"

Jace didn't let her finish but stood up and relieved her of Allison.

"Katherine's tummy got a little upset at work. She called and asked me to come drive her home. I insisted that she get right into bed and get a good night's sleep."

He lied so glibly. Katherine thought.

"Oh, my dear, are you feeling all right? Maybe we should call a doctor," suggested Happy, and Katherine reacted instantly.

"No. No, I'm fine. I think I ate something at lunch that didn't agree with me."

"Jace is right. You stay right in that bed and don't worry about a thing. I'll take Allison back to my house for the night."

"No, Happy. I want her here with me," Katherine said. Somehow Allison's small body provided a sense of security and stability to her shattered nerves.

"But what if you have a contagious virus? The baby—"

"No, it's nothing like that." Jace interrupted Happy's objections. "I've decided to stay here tonight. If Katherine needs any help or starts feeling worse, I'll call for you."

Katherine and Happy both looked at him in astonishment. Happy was the first to recover. "But, Jace, are you sure that's proper. I mean—"

"Of course. I'll stay in the living room. I was going to be up all night going over some graphs and doing some charting anyway, so I'd just as well do it here."

Happy was reluctant to agree, but Jace's manner was so disarming that she stifled any further protests.

"I think we'd better let Katherine get to sleep," he hinted, and Happy quickly responded. She said a hurried good night, patted Allison on the back, and left.

Jace laid Allison in her crib and said, "Don't go away, princess, I'll be right back." He turned in the narrow space between the crib and the bed and asked, "Are you finished?" Katherine nodded affirmatively. "Want anything else?" She nodded negatively. He took the tray and went out of the room.

When he returned, he rubbed his hands together briskly and leaned over the crib. "I've never done this, Allison, but you can talk me through it, okay?"

Katherine laughed as his big hands grappled with the tiny buttons on Allison's playsuit. He finally got her out of it and changed her diaper, putting on a more absorbent disposable for the night. When she was properly creamed, powdered, snapped, and buttoned into pajamas, he lifted her out of the crib and carried her into the kitchen to get her bottle. Katherine could hear him talking to the baby the whole while.

He came back with the bottle of milk in one hand. He sat down in the wicker rocking chair and winced when he heard it crackling under his weight.

"Is this damn thing going to hold me?" he asked and Katherine laughed.

"I hope so," she said in a voice muffled by her covers.

"It's all Allison's fault, you know. If she weren't so fat, we wouldn't be so heavy. You hear that, princess? You're going to have to go on a diet." He plopped the bottle into her mouth and she smacked it eagerly with hungry lips.

From her bed Katherine watched Jace as he fed the baby. He talked to her softly, and she stared up at him in fixed fascination. Her tiny fists reached out for his face as he leaned down over her.

The warm tea in her stomach and the soothing sound of Jace's deep voice made Katherine drowsy, and she snuggled down deeper into the light covers, sighing contentedly.

When Allison had done justice to the milk in the bottle, Jace put her to his shoulder to burp her. He laughed when she produced a booming belch.

He laid Allison in the crib on her stomach and patted her round bottom before pulling a flannel blanket over her. Then he put out the lamp on the table next to Katherine's bed. Only the light from the living room filtered through the doorway into the dim room.

Jace sat on the edge of the twin bed and supported himself on hands place on either side of Katherine. "How are you?" he whispered.

She felt protected and young, as helpless and dependent as Allison. "I'm fine," she whispered back.

His breath stirred her hair as he lowered his head and brushed warm lips across her forehead, She closed her eyes and felt feather-light kisses on her lids. He trailed his lips to her ear and she accommodated them by turning her head on the pillow and allowing him access.

"I know you're in no mood for romance after the experience you had tonight, but, Katherine, I want so much to kiss you." He breathed the words in her ear, and she felt the moist tip of his tongue caress her earlobe.

With a small gasp of pleasure she turned her face toward his, searched for his mouth in the darkness, found it, and melted her lips onto his.

They thought each other to be delicious. Tasting was as much a part of the kiss as touching. He drove her mad with a darting tongue that would- n't be caught until it had tickled each crevice of her mouth. Then it filled her mouth and she moaned, working her fingers through his hair and capturing his head even as she held his tongue.

"Katherine," he rasped against her cheek, "I can't do this for much longer."

"No?" she asked disappointedly.

"No," he replied shakily.

She reluctantly unlocked her hands from the back of his neck, and he started to stand. "Jace," she said.