Claim My Baby (Crescent Cove 2)

Until…

Slipping my hand into my pocket over the origami swan, I slid out of the booth. I didn’t have time for useless pondering. I had to find Sage.

After I checked the break room, I headed for the storage room. Bingo. She flew out of the back room, her arms full of paper products and condiments. She noticed me coming down the hall and fumbled the box, sending napkins and coffee stirrers and tiny packets of jam flying. I caught what I could and clamped my hand around her upper arm, keeping her upright.

She quickly shook me off and crouched to grab the few bundles of napkins that had escaped our scrambling. “You’re not supposed to be back here,” she huffed, blowing her bangs out of her face. They were a change to her hairstyle, cut long and low across her brow. I wasn’t one to notice such things, but I seemed to notice far too much about Sage Evans.

“I wrote you a note.”

That stopped her short. “A note?” She peered up at me. “Like in grade school?”

I shoved the jam and coffee stirrers I’d rescued into the box and slipped my hands into the pockets of my trousers. I cupped the swan protectively, already questioning the impulse to give it to her.

She wants a torrid affair, and today you’re trying to give her playground antics?

Rather than respond, I drew it out and offered it to her, wholly unprepared to see her chin quiver as if I’d presented her with a diamond. She dropped the napkins into the box and held up her hand with the swan, eyeing it from all sides.

“Origami,” she breathed.

Not just a diamond, I decided, but the priceless Hope diamond.

“A crude representation in any case.” My chest swelled and I fought to take a deep breath as I rocked back on my heels. Casual. I could do casual. Hell, I was the king of it.

Or I had been before her.

“It’s not crude. I can’t believe you can do this. It’s beautiful.” I helped her to her feet when she started to stand, but she was focused on the note, not me. “I don’t want to unfold it.”

“You have to. It says ‘open me’.”

She grinned. “I see that.”

“You know what I see?”

“Hmm?”

I twisted my hand into her ponytail, probably wrecking it as I drew her closer. She didn’t fight the move, instead going up on her toes to meet my mouth. The kiss was all hunger and slashing tongues and clashing lips, and she moaned as she fisted one hand in my suit jacket. Her other hand was held carefully out to the side, my origami swan precisely balanced in the center of her palm.

Glimpsing that, I laughed. Right into her mouth until she joined me, and we laughed together like idiots.

“I didn’t want to crush it,” she mumbled between teasing little kisses.

“I can make you more, you know. It’s just paper.”

“But this is the first one. Firsts are special.” She eased back enough for our gazes to lock and Christ, my balls tightened like knots from that knowing look in her eye.

“They are.” Lightly, I gripped her throat and rubbed my thumb in circles over her soft skin. “I like giving you all your firsts.”

“Not all. There’s still so many things yet to do and try.” She licked my chin. “But you’ve definitely set me down an interesting path.”

“Interesting, hmm?” I cupped the hand balancing the swan and pushed it toward her. “Open it so I can give you more.”

“Now you’ve intrigued me.” She caught the tip of her tongue between he

r teeth as she studied the piece of origami. She pulled at the beak, nudged her nail against the folds of paper in search of the proper spot to begin.

Then she shook her head and offered it to me. “You do it. I don’t want to wreck it.”

“Watch. It’s easy to open.” I demonstrated, showing her the scattered words on the inside panels. Each one made my heart pound harder in my head.