Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(21)



She turned to straddle him and pressed a kiss to his mouth. “Okay, let’s take it day by day. I can’t promise anything, but I’m willing to try.” Her heart stuttered as he turned a sexy smile on her. He looked so happy that she almost felt bad about what she planned to put him through. No guts, no glory. When his hand slid slowly up her leg to the curve of her bottom, her thoughts scattered.

Beth felt the hard line of his erection pressing into her stomach as she lost herself in his kiss. Unlike their usual frantic coupling, Nick set a gentle pace. He drove her wild as he lazily caressed her. By the time he moved over her and took possession of her body, she was almost out of her mind with need.

He drove into her gently, as if afraid she would break. His mouth covered hers, his tongue tentatively thrusting inside to stake claim. His kiss became wild and uncontrolled, completely at odds with his possession of her body. She wrapped her legs around his hips, forcing him deeper inside her. She was frantic for a release from the building pressure. Each time her body clenched and she was close to going over the edge, he pulled back, refusing to let her go over the other side. After his third retreat, she was so desperate that she sank her teeth into his shoulder. Suddenly, the maddening rhythm was gone and he lost all control. She hung on for dear life as his hips drilled into her and they both found the release that he had been denying them.

When she floated back to earth, she was certain about one thing; no matter what other problems they might run into down the road, sex would never be one of them.

Chapter Eleven

They arrived at Jason and Claire’s a few moments before six the next evening. Nick looked completely at ease as they walked through the door. She had to envy his endless supply of confidence and easygoing demeanor. He seemed perfectly content to be spending his Saturday night babysitting.

Claire showed her Christina’s room and how to make her bottles. Nick stood in the living room talking to Jason as if he hadn’t a care in the world. When Claire and Jason had both kissed Christina good-bye, Claire gave Beth an evil smile and plopped the baby into Nick’s arms. Jason smirked while Claire tried to cover her laugh with a cough. Finally, there was a crack in Nick’s confident façade. He looked at Claire and asked, “So, are you guys sure about this? You know that we don’t actually know anything about babies, right?”

Jason clapped him on the shoulder and said, “You’ll be fine. We still don’t know what the hell we’re doing most of the time, but you learn. See you guys around midnight.”

With another smirk, Claire followed Jason out the door.

As soon as the door closed, Nick held Chrissy out to Beth. She sidestepped him and walked to the couch to relax. Nick continued to stand in the entryway, obviously clueless about his next move.

“Come on over here and sit down.” She smothered a laugh as he held the baby in front of him like a ticking bomb. When he gingerly settled onto the couch beside her, she gave him a round of applause. Chrissy picked that moment to smile at him adoringly and he was a goner. She saw him melt before her eyes as another female lost her heart to him.

“Hey, beautiful, are you from around here?” Chrissy grinned at him as if she knew exactly what he was saying. “So, do you want to go out and get a bottle or something one night?” Chrissy gurgled in delight. Apparently, you were never too young to appreciate a hot guy.

Nick looked at Beth and asked, “So, what do we do now, just sit here?”

“Pretty much. Claire said that she had already fed and bathed her. We’ll put her down for bed in about an hour.”

Nick grinned. “An hour? Man, we got off good. If we had held them off until seven we would be home free.” He had barely finished his last sentence when all hell broke loose. One moment Chrissy was smiling and the next moment she looked like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.

My God, they call this a spit-up? It looks more like a nuclear explosion. Nick had vomit dripping down his shirt, running off his arms, and pooling in his lap. Chrissy was apparently thrilled to be rid of the load and cooed happily.

“Holy f**kamoly!”

“Nick! Watch your language.”

“Princess, she can’t talk. I have puke all over me; don’t you think I deserve the satisfaction of some profanity?”

Beth started laughing but was silenced when he thrust the baby in her arms. “I’ve got to get this stuff off me before I add some of my own to it.” Giving her an evil grin, he said, “Good luck, honey.”

Wrinkling her nose at the foul smell, she carried Chrissy to her room and settled her on the changing table. She swiveled her little head around as if looking for Nick. “He’ll be back soon, sweetie, and Auntie Beth will make sure he holds you again.” She managed to strip the baby’s clothes off and give her a quick bath with the warm baby wipes. Getting her dressed again was more challenging with her little legs kicking frantically. After ten minutes of getting one leg in just to have another kick out, Beth was about to give up. She was at her wit’s end when Nick walked in with damp hair, wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

“I had to raid Jason’s closet.” Looking at the stains on Beth’s shirt, he added, “You might want to look through Claire’s.”

“I will if I ever get Chrissy’s clothes on. It’s like trying to dress a wild animal.”

Nick walked over and tickled Chrissy on the stomach, sending her off into a fit of giggles. “Here, you hold her up and I’ll slip her legs in.” Finally, with a little teamwork they had her dressed. Beth was exhausted and ready to collapse.

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