by Max Monroe
“I need to pee!” she shouts over her shoulder.
“Again, I’m very sorry.”
I look down at Leah and laugh.
“Please tell me that dog is the only thing you brought home for her,” I say and make a show of leaning into the truck and looking toward the back seat where Target bags are piled high.
When she tries to block my view, I reach one hand to her ribs and playfully tickle her skin.
She squeals and laughs and slaps my hand away. “Mind your business! There’s nothing in here you need to see!”
We’re both laughing by the time I pull away, and I can’t stop myself from noticing just how fucking beautiful Leah looks when she’s laughing and smiling and carefree.
Fucking hell. She’s a damn goddess.
My chest tightens, and I busy myself by stepping back and opening up the door for her.
“Thanks for taking Joe with you today, even though you brought her back with a fuckin’ dog,” I tease, and her responding smirk is equal parts amused and mischievous.
“So, now probably isn’t the time to tell you that I kind of, sort of, maybe bought her a few things to help decorate her room…?”
“You’ve got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.”
Leah grimaces.
“Christ, my kid, I swear, she could talk a poor man out of his fuckin’ shoes.”
She laughs at that. “I won’t deny that your daughter is dangerously cute and well versed in pleading her case. Especially if her case revolves around getting something she wants.”
“She’ll probably make one hell of a lawyer.”
Leah nods and grins. “Yeah. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could talk her way into law school already.”
I sigh and open the back passenger door to start unloading the bags, but she stops me before I can get started.
“Honestly, most of those bags are either for your parents or your house,” she states and reaches in to grab only two of what have to be fifteen bags from the back seat. “These are mine.”
“Of course.” I shake my head on a chuckle. “Well, how about this? You drop those off inside and come with me and Joe to drop the rest off at my parents’. Then, we can head back to my place to eat some dinner.”
“You sure you want to eat dinner with the woman who adopted your daughter a dog without your permission?”
I chuckle. “Frankly, darlin’, I can’t think of anything I’d want to do more than have dinner with you tonight.”
Well, that’s partially true.
There are certainly a few other things I’d love to do more with Leah, but none are appropriate in the company of a five-year-old little girl.
Her cheeks flush pink, and a smile lifts up the corners of her mouth.
“So, sound like a plan?” I question and reach out to brush a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Leah nods. “Sounds like a fantastic plan.”
I don’t know why her response makes me feel like I can walk on fucking water, but it does.
The sky is pitch black by the time I drive Leah home, and the wheels of my truck crunch over gravel as I bring it to a stop in front of her cabin.
“I had fun tonight,” Leah says from the passenger seat, her voice quiet in the cab.
“I did too,” I tell her and steal a glance in the rearview mirror to see that Joey is sound asleep in the back seat with Ernie curled up against her.
“And sorry again about, you know, the dog.”
I chuckle softly at that. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t say I’m exactly thrilled that I’m now the owner of a rat, but I definitely understand how it went down.”
“You’re a really good dad, Rhett. I hope you know that.”
Her words give me pause, and I search her eyes. “You think so?”
“I know so,” she answers without hesitation. “My mom reminds me a lot of Joey’s mom. She was never very good at sticking around or being in the motherly role. Though, I didn’t have a dad like you to pick up the slack.”
“That’s fuckin’ awful. I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” she responds with a nod. “Luckily, I did have Sam, and he always looked out for me.”
“He’s a good man.”
Her smile is reminiscent. “He is. I mean, he’s still a pain-in-the-ass brother sometimes, but for the most part, he’s one of the best.”
“Do you want to have kids of your own someday?”
“I’m not sure,” she answers, and her teeth dig into her bottom lip.
“You don’t think you want to get married?”
“It’s not that.” She shakes her head. “It’s just…I don’t know. A child is a huge responsibility, and I’ve been on the receiving end of what poor parenting can do to you. I guess I just want to make sure if I ever do have kids that I’m ready to be the mom they deserve.”
I hate that this beautiful, intelligent, kind, and strong woman has these kinds of doubts.
It’s one thing if she simply doesn’t feel that she wants kids, but it’s more than apparent to me that the thing that would hold her back from having kids is a fear that she wouldn’t be a good enough mom.
Which is fucking ridiculous.
I mean, look at how she is with my Joey.
I’ve never seen a more lovable, kind and caring, maternal soul in my life.
It’s why my daughter is so in awe of her. It’s why Joey always wants to spend time with her.
Without even knowing it, Leah gives Joey all the maternal things that she craves because her own mama isn’t around.
Suddenly, the urge to pull her closer to me is too strong to deny.
“Come here,” I say and lift up the center console so there’s nothing in between us anymore.
Leah tilts her head to the side in confusion, and I don’t hesitate to wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her close to my side.
“I already know the kind of mother you’d be,” I whisper, and she looks up at me with searching eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Because I just know,” I answer honestly. “You’d be an amazing mom. You care, but you also know how to loosen up and have a good time. Any kid who would have you as a mom would grow up with nothing but love and support and encouragement and comfort and safety.”
“You really think that?”
“Leah, I know that.” I reach down and lift her chin so her eyes lock with mine. “You’re amazing.”
Silence stretches between us, and we just stare at each other for the longest moment.
My eyes flit down to her lips and back to her steady gaze, and the urge to lean forward, to press my lips against hers, becomes all-consuming. It’s the only fucking thing I can think about. We’ve been dancing around it for too fucking long, and I can’t take it for even a minute longer.
I want to know what those full lips of hers feel like.
I want to know what she tastes like.
I want to know what her soft breaths feel like against my skin.
Fuck it.
I give in to the desire, slowly moving forward, closing off the distance, the entire time my eyes watching hers, making sure she’s thinking and feeling the same things I’m thinking and feeling.
And when she abruptly closes the distance of our mouths and presses her lips against mine, I know I’m not the only who’s been waiting for this to happen since the night of my dad’s heart attack—or, honestly, probably before.
Her lips are softer and smoother and silkier than my brain could’ve even fathomed, and the instant they part, I slip my tongue inside and can taste the remnants of the sugar cookie she had at my house after dinner.
A little moan leaves her throat, and the sound is so good, a tempting combination of sexy and sweet, it’s practically my undoing.
Hands in her hair, I pull her body even closer to mine, as close as two people can be inside a truck without actually having Leah in my lap.
But fuck, that’s definitely an urge I’d love to give in to.
&
nbsp; Leah’s thighs spread over my hips.
Her pussy pressed against my cock.
Her full breasts in my face.
And her moans filling my ears.
My dick reacts, growing harder by the fucking second.
Fuck, the things I want to do to this woman.
Another small moan spills from her lungs, and I’m so tempted to reach up and cup her full breasts in my big hands, but the sounds of a little voice echo inside the cab.
“Daddy, I don’t feel good,” Joey groans, and I’m shocked that I almost forgot she was in my damn truck.
Instantly, Leah pulls away, separating us quickly, and I look up in the rearview mirror just in time to see Joey lean forward and vomit all over the floor.
Well, shit.
“Oh no,” Joey says, her voice tearful. “I didn’t mean to throw up, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, baby,” I quickly reassure her.
Leah leans over the back of the front seat and brushes Joey’s hair out of her eyes. “Are you running a fever?” she questions and gently places her hand on my daughter’s forehead.
“Is she?” I ask, and she glances back at me.
“She’s definitely warm.”
“I don’t feel good.” Joey groans again and then leans forward to dry heave a few times.
Leah grabs Ernie, hands him off to me, and proceeds to gently pat my daughter’s back for comfort.
“Well, any chance the doctor’s still on call?” I question, glancing down at the still-sleeping dog in my lap before looking up at meet Leah’s eyes.
“Of course.” She smiles. “How about we get her inside my cabin so she’s more comfortable.”
I nod and hop out of the truck. With Ernie gently clutched in one hand, I round the front of the hood and to the back passenger door where Joey sits.
Leah doesn’t hesitate to take Ernie from my hands, and I carefully lift Joey into my arms and carry her inside.
No doubt, my truck needs a good wash after all the vomit, but I’ll deal with that later.
Nothing takes priority over my little girl.
“Daddy, am I going to live?” Joey asks, her eyes shut and her voice sleepy.
“Yeah, baby, you’re going to live.” I snort and roll my eyes, and Leah just smirks over at me from the other side of the small twin bed Joey has been resting on since we brought her inside a few hours ago.
It’s nearing two in the morning, but thankfully, for the past hour or so, Joey has managed to not vomit, keep some juice and crackers down, and her fever has certainly gone down too.
All thanks to Leah.
The instant I brought Joey inside the cabin, Leah jumped into action.
Within minutes, she managed to get a bucket and cold washcloths and a fan, and even made sure the guest room bed had sheets and pillows for Joe to lie on.
“And what about Ernie?” she asks, and I tilt my head to the side.
“He’s fine. He’s asleep on Leah’s couch in the living room.”
“That’s good, but do I still get to keep him?”
I reach down to brush sweaty pieces of her hair out of her eyes. “Of course you do, baby.”
“But what if he gets sick, too?”
“Dogs don’t get sick from people. They get sick from other dogs.”
“That’s good news,” she comments, her eyelids fluttering with impending sleep. “I guess we can just consider Ernie a birthday present, then, huh?”
I shake my head on a soft laugh. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Leah’s birthday is this Friday too, Daddy. Same as me. We should get her a present.”
I look up and meet Leah’s eyes. “Really?”
She shrugs and nods. “Oddly enough, yes. And I’ll be the ripe old age of twenty-one.”
Bullshit, I mouth, and she grins.
“Fine. Thirty-three. But no presents needed.”
“What do you normally do on your birthday?”
“Well, normally, I grab dinner and eat cake with my girlfriends, but it’s no big deal. I mean, the older you get, the less exciting birthdays are, you know?”
I do know that the older I get, the less I want to celebrate my birthday.
But this conversation isn’t about me. It’s about her. And right then, I decide that this Friday, I’m going to make damn sure that both Joey and Leah have a good birthday.
I have no idea what that will entail, but I have a week to figure it out.
After everything she’s done for me, for my dad, for my whole family, I’ll be damned if a woman like Leah Levee doesn’t deserve to be celebrated.
Joey’s breaths grow soft and even, and when it’s apparent she’s fallen asleep, Leah carefully checks her temperature one more time with a digital thermometer. She gently presses the device to her forehead and waits for the beep.
She glances down at the number and smiles up at me. “She’s officially broken her fever.”
“Glad to hear it,” I say and stand up, motioning for Leah to follow.
Once we’re both in the living room, she says, “I think it’s best if she stays here for the night.”
“I agree.”
“And, you know, you can stay here, too…if you want…of course…only if you want…”
I smirk and step toward her, closing off the distance between us. “I definitely want, but what do you want?”
“I want you to stay,” she whispers, her eyes looking up into mine.
“And if I stay, where do you want me to sleep?”
Without another word, Leah takes my hand and quietly leads me back into the hallway and into her bedroom. “Would you sleep in my bed tonight?” she asks and quickly adds, “But not for anything other than just…lying with each other.” Her eyes flit down to her bare feet like she’s too nervous to wait for my answer.
I lift up her chin so her gaze locks with mine again. “You askin’ me to hold you tonight, darlin’?”
“Maybe?”
“Well then, maybe I’d love nothin’ more than to do just that.”
My words urge an amused smile to her lips, and I tilt my head to the side in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
“Well…I think you and I both know that we’d maybe…much rather do other things than just lie in bed together tonight, but the current circumstances of a sick little girl make that impossible.”
“Darlin’, you and I both know there’s no maybe about that,” I answer and proceed to take off my T-shirt. “It’s a fuckin’ fact.”
She watches me with wide eyes, but once I take off my boots and slide beneath her covers, she finds the nerve to follow my lead.
With her body turned away from me, Leah removes her shirt, then her jeans, and my eyes take in every inch of the bare skin of her legs and her back and her elongated neck. Damn. She’s beautiful. Too soon for my liking, she lifts a nightdress over her head, and the material falls down her body, covering all the parts I’d much prefer to keep bare.
When she turns around, I realize the damn thing is flimsy as hell, showing the curves of her breasts and hips in a way that threatens to make my head spin.
And when she gets under the covers and presses her body against mine, she feels so good, so soft, so fucking tempting, that I realize just lying together in bed might be far more challenging than I originally thought.
Fuck me.
I grip her hips and pull her back firmly against my chest, and I don’t hesitate to skate my hands down her arms and across her belly. “Darlin’, just so we’re clear, you’re drivin’ me fucking crazy right now.”
She lets out a harsh breath. “Ditto, cowboy.”
I groan and reach up to grip both of her full breasts in my hands. “Fuck. You feel so good.”
A soft moan escapes her lips, and it only urges me on further. My thumbs flick at her nipples and my cock grows hard against her ass, and those soft moans keep falling from her lips.
“It’s takin’ everything inside me not to slide this nightdress up your thighs and y
ank my cock out of my pants.”
She lets out a whimper, and I groan.
Both of us know tonight is not the night, but that doesn’t make it any less tempting.
Any less painful not to give in to the temptation.
“Fuckin’ hell, Leah,” I mutter and let my head fall back against the pillows. “This is startin’ to feel a lot like torture.”
A half giggle, half whimper emerges from her lungs. “Tell me about it.”
Fuck.
I shut my eyes and try to keep control, but my willpower feels like it’s hanging by a damn thread. And when I attempt to inhale a deep, cleansing breath in through my nose, the floral scent of her hair does nothing to dampen how turned on I am by her.
Everything about this woman has become a temptation. Her smile. Her laugh. Her smart mouth. Her feisty humor. Her fucking gorgeous body and mind-blowing curves. And all of it is right here, in this bed, with me.
This is going to be a long fucking night.
“Yeah. This is…I don’t know…Shit…” She pauses, glances over her shoulder at me, and then climbs back out of bed and to her feet.
I sit up, resting my body on my elbows. “Where ya goin’?”
“I think you and I both know nothing good is going to happen if we keep lying in that bed together.”
“Yeah.” I chuckle.
“So, how about we meet in the kitchen for some pancakes?”
“You’re gonna make pancakes?” I question. “At nearly three in the morning?”
“Don’t tell me you’re too good for pancakes, cowboy.”
“Fuck no, I’m not. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t expecting me to do the cooking.”
“Smartass.” She giggles and picks up a pillow to toss at my head. “Now, c’mon, get your lazy ass out of my bed and get in the kitchen so I can distract us with food.”
As she walks out of the bedroom and down the hallway, her perfect ass sashaying with each step, I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
Damn, Leah Levee. What are you fucking doing to me?
July 13th, Tuesday
Leah
“Mornin’, darlin’,” Rhett greets as I walk out my front door.
It’s another morning on the ranch and another morning that I’ll spend riding around with Rhett, trying to help him with all sorts of tasks while tossing in some important medical care and instructions.
