“This little thing can put off some serious heat.”
Something happened at the poker table to send up a rousing chorus of laughter.
“No way, man,” Decker said. “Pull up your sleeves, dude. There’s no way you just laid out four aces.”
Bella shifted again, her face scrunched, and she turned her head, pressing her face to Everly’s side with a sound of complaint.
“How much longer is the flight?” Everly asked.
“Not sure. Maybe forty-five minutes.” He slid from the seat and stood. “There’s a small bedroom in the back. Let’s lay her down.”
He offered to take her, but Everly shook her head. “I’m not going to risk her waking up before she’s ready. Bella functions best on Bella’s schedule.”
Austin chuckled. “You figured that out fast.”
He led her to the back room where a twin bed was tucked into a small space, and watched Everly struggle to get Bella into a position to lay her down without waking her up. She put a knee on the mattress and leaned over, holding Bella close to her until his daughter’s small body was curled on the mattress. Then she stayed close, murmuring soothing encouragement for Bella to rest.
Everly’s hair fell forward, and she tossed it over her shoulder. The move also gave Austin a perfect view of the open neckline of Everly’s T-shirt and the swell of her full breasts against her lace bra.
Heat licked his belly before he turned his gaze away. But it was too late. The image was burned into his memory. Right along with the sight of water streaming down her fit body on the pool deck. And the image of her dark hair slicked off her wet face, her blue eyes flashing at him from the jungle pond.
She finally straightened with a sigh. In the small space, Austin was only inches behind her. The scent of something floral filled his head. Camellia? Jasmine? He didn’t know. But the scent pulled up the vivid memory of the last time they’d been this close. To the passion that erupted between them whenever they were within two feet of each other. To the resulting feel of her mouth under his, her tongue teasing his mouth, her body beneath his hands.
“Sometimes it seems fast,” she murmured, confusing Austin until he realized she was responding to his comment about how quickly she’d figured out Bella’s habits. “And sometimes it feels like—not exactly second nature, but natural. Like I’ve been with you both for a long time.”
A languid sensation quieted everything inside Austin, allowing him to hyperfocus in the moment—on the way her heat rose gently off her body. On the invisible buzz between them. On the way his body seemed to lean toward her, craving connection. Having her so close made everything inside him calm and settle in one way yet rev and race in another.
“You’re right.” Only after he heard the words did he realize he’d said them aloud. The sudden resurgence of intimacy between them made Austin crave more. And more. And more.
“It does seem like you’ve been with us a lot longer than you have.”
A smile curved her cheek. A bump of turbulence nudged the plane, but she didn’t turn to leave. Austin pressed a hand to the wall beside them, bracing himself.
“She’s come a long way with you in a short time,” he told her. “You have a knack that Decker saw before I did.”
“I don’t know about that.” She laughed and glanced over her shoulder for a split second before returning her gaze to Bella. “Probably more trial and error than a knack. Every kid is so different, you know?”
“No,” he admitted. “Bella’s the only kid I know. I’ve only known her for two years, and she changes so much every day, I often wonder if I’ll ever know her. But I can definitely see changes in her since you’ve been with us.”
She looked at him again, and his gaze lowered to watch her lips move.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about it. The changes are subtle, but they’re there. She sits at dinner with us now. She interrupts conversations less. She’s far more patient when her wants or needs aren’t immediately met. She sleeps a lot better.”
“She does?”
“Hasn’t woken once in the night since you came to the house.”
“That’s not because of me,” she insisted.
“There’s no other explanation. Maybe she just, I don’t know, somehow feels more settled with you there. I know I do.”
Her gaze sharpened. “What?”
He shrugged. “You bring something to the house that’s been missing. Some sort of…” He searched for the right words but couldn’t nail it down. “I don’t know. Organization or confidence or control. You have a way about you that’s secure, grounded. Like you could handle anything that comes.”
Another bump of turbulence made them sway. Austin’s hand automatically moved to her waist. Before he could take it away, she covered it with her own and looked at him over her shoulder. “Thank you. That’s really nice to hear.”