by Lexi Blake
Angie mumbled something under her breath about the least of their problems, but when she turned, there was a grim look on her face. “I’m only trying to think about that kid. I can’t imagine what it must be like to get to know a bunch of men who disappear from his life. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Do you know something I don’t? From what I’ve heard, Sera’s only dated one man since she had her baby, and she never introduced them. I’ve heard the man is a roughneck, so she’s probably better off. I don’t know. Maybe that’s a wonderful way to live. I know there were times I wished your father had spent months on an oil rig and not at home. Honey, I don’t think you should worry about this. Once we get through all the wedding craziness, I suspect she won’t be around much. I’ve heard she’s thinking of selling and moving to Houston.”
She was starting to hope that wouldn’t happen, especially if it meant losing Harry.
“That might be for the best. There’s a lot of work in Houston.” Angie nodded as though the idea pleased her.
Was her daughter getting jealous of Harry? Angie had spent so much of her childhood shoved to the side in favor of her brothers, and Celeste knew she was guilty of that, too. She slid an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Come on. Cal should be here soon. Let’s talk about your career. You know I wouldn’t mind having you at Beaumont Oil.”
The smile on her daughter’s face was worth everything. She let her worries go as the door came open again and Cal walked in.
Her little family was all right. It was all she could hope for.
chapter twelve
Harry watched from the doorway to Luc’s room as Sera kissed her son’s head and placed him in his bed.
“Hey, is it okay if he stays in here?” He gestured down to Shep, who had been sitting quietly at her feet while she read Luc a bedtime story and sang a song to help him sleep. It had been a soft moment that he’d wanted to be a part of, but he’d hung back because she’d given him a lot tonight.
Shep had been patiently waiting at the door when they’d come back from dinner. Delphine had told them the dog had watched at the window until they’d returned.
“I don’t think I can keep him away. These two are in love,” she said with a smile.
Shep’s tail thumped softly against the floor in agreement.
“’Night, buddy,” Harry said, giving the dog a pat before he held out his hand. It was time to take Sera to bed, to wrap his arms around her and show her this could work.
She turned the light off, the room illuminated only by the small nightlight that cast a soft glow. She stepped up to him, and she was so lovely his heart seemed to tighten. “Did I thank you for dinner?”
It hadn’t been a particularly romantic affair, but it had been one of the best nights he’d had in forever. Her hand slid into his and he tugged her out to the hallway. “I had the best company, so I think I should be the one thanking you.”
She closed the door with her free hand and went up on her toes to brush her lips against his.
He backed her up against the wall, his hands going to her hips. “I loved our evening, Sera. I loved spending time with Luc. I loved seeing this side of you. You’re a good mom.”
She teared up slightly. “Sometimes it’s nice to hear that. It can be hard. I get judged a lot. I always have to worry if I’m giving him what he needs.”
“You’re giving him everything he needs,” he said, brushing his lips over her forehead. “He’s a happy, healthy kid, and now he’s got a sixty-pound furry ex-military bodyguard who works for pets and kibble.”
“Well, I kind of like having my own ex-military guy,” she said with a hint of a smile.
There was a noise at the end of the hall and she started. Delphine walked by in a fluffy bathrobe, her hair up in a towel. “Don’t mind me. I’m going down for some tea. ’Night, kids.”
Sera had gone stiff. “’Night, Momma.”
Maybe she wasn’t ready for this. He backed up. “Hey, you know you don’t actually owe me anything, right? I can go to my room at Beaumont House and be back here bright and early to pick up my dog and maybe have some breakfast with you. I’ll bring the donuts. I had a wonderful time tonight and that’s all I need.”
Her shoulders relaxed again and she reached for his hand. “I want my sleepover. I’m sorry. It’s weird. I live with my mom. I feel like you should be sneaking into my window. I’ve never had a man stay over.”
Soon she would have other options. “You know when we get the electrical finished, it might be easier for you to move into Guidry Place. I think we can have the downstairs fixed up. You’ll have a kitchen, and the master bedroom is attached to a study that could easily serve as Luc’s room.”
He would find a way to move himself in, and in a few weeks, she would wake up and wonder how that ring had gotten on her finger.
Because he was pretty sure he was going to marry her and stay here in Papillon and raise a family.
“I hadn’t thought about that. It would be nice to be on my own,” she said with a smile. “Even Zep has his own space, though it’s an apartment over the garage. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but I’ve never lived in a place that was all mine.”
She wanted to. It was easy to see she wanted a home where she was the queen. He could give her that. Oh, he couldn’t afford to buy her a new house, but he could fix up the one she had. He could put all his talent and care into making that old space a wonderful home for her and Luc, and eventually for himself. She would see they could make it work and that Papillon was the place for them.
“I can have it ready in a few weeks, maybe less. Once the electrical is cleared, we can move you in and you can work on the house whenever you have time,” he promised.
“It won’t get condemned?”
He shook his head. “It was never going to be condemned. The house isn’t nearly as bad as everyone around here thought. You’ll have it gorgeous in no time.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone believe in me the way you do.” She moved back toward him now, her arms drifting up around his neck. “I think you should take me to bed now, Harrison Jefferys.”
He wanted nothing more than to do exactly that. He leaned over and picked her up, carrying her the short distance to her room. It was next door to Luc’s, though according to what she’d told him earlier in the evening, it hadn’t been so long since she’d had his crib in her room.
She’d been a girl who’d had to grow up fast. Then she’d been a mom. He wanted to make sure that tonight she felt like a woman. His woman.
He eased into her small bedroom. It was pretty and feminine and made him think about what Sera could do with a space if she had serious cash to decorate. She had a great eye for design, for making a room both comfortable and stylish.
But she needed a bigger bed, though the good news was they would have to cuddle.
The even better news was he got to kiss her and be with her.
He tugged her shirt off before lowering his mouth to hers. Over the baby monitor, he heard a little huff and sigh.
Sera smiled. “It’s okay. He’s just turning over. He’ll let us know if he needs us. Right now, I’m the one who needs you.”
He wasn’t about to ignore the invitation in her words. He let his hands find her hair and sank them in, reveling in how soft she was, how perfectly she fit against him. “I thought about you all day. I didn’t like you going to New Orleans without me.”
She tipped her head back, her palms running under his T-shirt. “I didn’t, either, but I absolutely love that you took care of passing that first inspection for me. You’re right. I would have obsessed over it, but next time I want to be there. I want to learn how to handle these things.”
“I can teach you.” He kissed her over and over again. He would love teaching her, standing beside her as she grew confident. With a twist of his hand,
he eased her bra off and tossed it to the side.
“I can teach you, too,” she said with a sexy smile. “I can teach you how to make me breakfast and how to babysit so I can have a girls’ night.”
He loved it when she was playful. The intimacy they’d found wrapped a warm blanket around him. He hadn’t realized how cold he’d been before he met her. “If you’re not careful, I’ll think you’re with me for my babysitting skills and not my fabulous body.”
Her hands came up to pull his shirt over his head and it joined her clothes on the floor. Her hands brushed over his chest and he sighed at the feel. She looked at him like she could eat him up. “Well, it is a fabulous body. You’re as pretty on the outside as you are on the inside, Harrison Jefferys.”
He wasn’t half as pretty as she was, but he wasn’t about to argue with her. He would rather show her how much joy she brought him.
He leaned over and kissed her, letting his tongue play lazily with hers.
He undressed her and then let her ease him out of the rest of his clothes. They weren’t hurried, rather enjoying the slow intimacy that kept growing between them. He sat on the edge of the bed and let her help him take off his prosthesis because she told him she wanted to learn how to do that, too. She treated his leg like it was a precious thing. Where she’d tossed his clothes, she was careful with the prosthesis, placing it where he could easily reach it.
He sat on the edge of her bed and put his hands on her hips, cupping them and exploring her curves. “You make me feel wanted, Sera. You don’t ever look away from my scars.”
She smoothed back his hair. “Because they’re beautiful. Because they’re this amazing part of you.”
He let his hand find the beginning of the thin scar that curved slightly right above that spot he’d lavished affection on nights before. The scar that given her Luc. “This is beautiful. Just like the rest of you.”
He drew her in and nuzzled her neck, breathing in the scent of her. It had been days since they’d been skin to skin and he realized how much he’d missed this. They’d had a few hurried encounters during the week, but nothing like this.
Her hands stroked up and down his back, and she cuddled close to him. Her breasts nestled against his chest. “Sometimes I forget I’m more than a mom. The days get so crazy and they seem to go by in a flash, but when you look at me, I feel like I can slow down.”
Oh, he could make her feel like a woman. He kissed along her collarbone. “See, I felt like time dragged all week because I couldn’t have this with you.”
A little chuckle went through her. “Oh, I remember having this with you on my aunt’s old sofa.”
“Not the same,” he whispered as he ran his hands down to her backside. “That was a quickie and that’s not the way I like to make love to you. I want to take my time, make it last. I want to feel your body against mine, feel the way you sigh when I touch you. I want hours to spend on you.”
A chuckle went through her. “Well, we didn’t have hours. Someone’s always showing up at Guidry Place.”
Which was precisely why he needed to figure out a way to spend nights with her. All week long every time he figured out a way to get his hands on her, one of her brothers would show up to help. Or her friends would drop by with snacks. It was lovely, but deeply frustrating.
He cupped her luscious backside and turned his chin up to look at her. “Maybe after we get caught a couple of times, they’ll know to knock before walking into your house.”
She gasped as he turned and moved them onto the bed. He covered her with his body and finally had her exactly where he wanted her.
“Harry,” she said with big wide eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it’s the perfect idea.” It wasn’t. The perfect thing would be to spend every night and every morning with her, to tie himself so tightly to her that no one would expect she would be alone. He was fine with being known as the couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It was true. Anytime she was in a room, he wanted to touch her.
He lowered his lips to hers and felt that sigh he’d talked about. It softened her and made him feel welcome. Like he was coming home. Her arms wrapped around him and drew him in. He kissed her over and over again, doing exactly what he’d wanted to do all week long—take his time, explore every inch of her body.
He loved the way she gasped when he kissed her breasts and settled his lips on her nipples, pulling on them and lavishing them with affection. The feel of her hands tightening on his back, the bite of her nails digging in, made his whole body tighten with anticipation.
But he wasn’t done with her yet. Not even close. He’d learned how good it could be to wait, to draw out the moment until he thought he couldn’t wait a single second longer to have her.
He kissed his way down her body. He wouldn’t make her wait at all. He would give her everything he had, and only when he thought she couldn’t take it anymore would he give in and seek his own pleasure.
“You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?” She whispered the words as her hands fisted in the soft comforter that covered her bed.
It was like she could read his mind. He simply kissed her belly button and moved lower. He slid down her body until he found that sweet part of her that needed so much.
He groaned as he let himself taste her. She was honey and sunshine and sweet arousal.
She cried out and immediately he heard a little whine from the baby monitor.
“Oh no,” Sera said and started to move.
He pressed her legs back into the bed. “Give it a second, baby.”
She relaxed back and they both waited for a moment. Blissful silence. He grinned up at her.
“You need to be a little more quiet, baby.”
“But you’re making me crazy,” she whispered.
“And I’m going to make you even crazier.” He settled back down and eased a finger inside, seeking that sweet spot that would send her over the edge.
She reached out and grabbed a pillow, putting it over her face as she moaned out her pleasure.
He rolled off her and grabbed the condom he’d left on the bedside table.
“Give it to me, Harry.” She was on her knees, her hair wild around her shoulders.
She took his breath away. He handed her the condom and lay back. “You going to pay me back?”
Her lips curled up as she ripped open the condom. “I’m going to take what’s mine, Harry. You’re mine, aren’t you?”
He’d always known she could be fierce when she wanted to be. “I’m all yours.”
He was hers in a way he’d never belonged to anyone. She fit with him. She completed something deep inside him he hadn’t even known was lacking.
She reached down and took him in her hand, eliciting a groan from the back of his throat as she stroked him.
“You’re going to have to be quiet,” she said with a grin.
Yep, it was payback time. He bit back a groan as she rolled the condom on him. Now he was the one holding on to the comforter, trying his hardest not to lose control because she was a sexy goddess about to work her magic.
She took charge, straddling his body and leaning over to kiss him. He could feel the heat of her body as it skimmed against his skin. Everywhere she touched him seemed to heat and throb with the need for more. More touch. More connection. More her.
He flexed his hips, trying to find his way inside. She’d made him forget about anything but making love with her. She sat up and stared down at him for a moment, allowing him to memorize what she looked like, how gorgeous she was in the glowy light that came from the small lamp on her nightstand. He let his hands find her thighs and move up to her hips and waist.
“I’m all yours, Seraphina, and I don’t want to be anything else,” he promised her quietly.
She lowered herself down, t
aking him inside. His breath threatened to stop at the feel of her surrounding him. Warmth flooded his body and he had to grit his teeth in an attempt not to lose it then and there. He wanted this moment to last, wanted to watch her find her pleasure again.
She looked down at him, her eyes warm. “I’m crazy about you.”
He let his hands stroke from her waist up to her breasts as she began to move over him. He watched her, studying and memorizing how gorgeous she was when she took over. He managed to last until she’d shuddered and moaned his name and then it was his time. He flipped her over and lost himself in her body.
He let himself go, giving her everything he had until he finally found his own bliss.
They lay tangled together. Somehow they’d managed to get under the covers, and he wrapped her up in his arms. Peace suffused him, his heart rate starting to come back down.
“I like having you here,” she whispered. “I like not sleeping alone.”
“Me, too.” He liked knowing if she needed anything, he was right here, and Luc was next door. He liked being together. “I like waking up next to you even better.”
“I hope I don’t snore,” she said with a yawn. “The only other man I ever spent all night with said I snored.”
“He was obviously an ass.”
“Wes could be a jerk when he didn’t get what he . . .” Sera went still.
And he was suddenly perfectly awake again.
* * *
***
Sera sat straight up, utterly unable to believe she’d said the words. But she had. She held the sheet to her body and tried to think of a way out.
“Wes? My cousin Wes?” Harry’s brow had furrowed as if he didn’t quite understand the words she’d said. “Why would you wake up with Wes?”
