“Last night.” When thoughts of her were keeping him awake.
“Sonia called today,” Sue said after a moment’s silence. “She told me about your visitations. Starting Monday.”
He nodded. Bit back all the things he wanted to say. About being a father again, about the fact that his mother would be visiting, too. About keeping the woman away from Christy’s daughter.
Sue probably knew what he was thinking. But she didn’t say anything more, either.
Rick helped with dinner. And baths. Danny and Donnie—he couldn’t tell which was which yet, but Sue didn’t seem to have that problem—took turns regurgitating their dinner. That was after Sue had finally been able to get the twins to pay enough attention to their bottles to suck from them. They hadn’t done much better with the mashed green beans and potatoes. They’d open their tiny mouths, but didn’t have much interest in taking the food off the spoon. Or swallowing it once it was dumped on their tongues.
And when all four babies were finally asleep, he followed their foster mother to her kitchen.
“Why don’t you go shower and I’ll find something to fix you for dinner,” he said.
“No way, Kraynick,” she retorted, though not with as much vigor as he would normally have expected. “I will not have you waiting on me, spoiling me. And besides, you’re the guest and I owe you hugely for tonight and—”
“I’m not waiting on you. I’m concerned about my niece getting proper care when her foster mother is so wiped out she can hardly stand up straight.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close, kissing her softly.
“It’s been a long day,” Sue said, after returning his kiss with a hunger that had his blood boiling again. “I’ve had addicted babies before,” she said after a couple of seconds of staring at him. “But never in multiples. It’ll be fine, though. I’ll adjust. I always do.”
“I’m not doubting you,” he assured her. And he wasn’t. “However, you’re human. And babies don’t understand a long day. I do.”
She frowned, but didn’t pull out of his arms. “The twins might wake up. As you said, they don’t sleep well and—”
“I’ll listen for them. And tend to them if they so much as make a peep.”
“I don’t—”
“Sue,” he interrupted, turning her and swatting her bottom. “You could have had your shower and had dinner before you by now, if you’d just go.”
“I don’t like to be told what to do,” she said over her shoulder.
“I figured that out a long time ago.”
She stuck out her tongue at him, but without another word headed off down the hall.
Rick spent the next ten minutes scrambling eggs and making toast and trying not to picture his truculent hostess in her shower, naked, with water running down over those luscious breasts.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SHE WAS SAFE. She hadn’t told him all her secrets. She’d only had sex with him.
Twice.
Great sex.
Fabulous sex.
Sex like she hadn’t known sex could be.
But she still had her heart. Control.
And that was the only reason Sue invited Rick back into her bed on Saturday night.
And Sunday night, too. Both times having him arrive after the babies were in bed, and leave before morning.
Rick Kraynick did things to her body she loved. She did not love him. There were no words of commitment between them. No expectation of tomorrow.