After setting the phone down, she folded her arms on the table and dropped her head onto them. Kayla giggled.
“You think that’s funny?” She picked her head up, then let it fall again, this time with a little more flourish.
Kayla giggled again, so Hannah repeated the action. By the time she’d done it at least seven times, Kayla’s laugh had become so loud and infectious, Hannah laughed right along with her.
And that’s how JP found them. Giggling in the kitchen like a pair of loons.
He cleared his throat, making Hannah jolt so hard, she nearly toppled off her chair. Kayla squealed and held out her arms to him.
It filled her heart to capacity to see how much Kayla had taken to her daddy, yet at the same time, an equal amount of sadness crushed her because she wasn’t an actual part of their life here. This was all a fantasy. A wonderful reprieve from her empty life. Something she now wanted but could never have. She couldn’t help but wonder if things would be different had she come to Vermont in a different manner. Would she be here enjoying JP and Kayla if she’d been honest from the start? Or would he have sent her back to Colorado without the opportunity to get to know him or her niece?
And which fate would have been worse?
JP walked straight to Kayla, picked her up, and blew a loud raspberry on her cheek. Of course, Kayla started giggling all over again.
Her heart squeezed.
He settled the baby on his hip and turned to face Hannah.
With a wince, she asked, “How mad are you?” She held her breath.
Laughing, he shook his head. “Not mad at all. I laughed so hard I think I gave myself a hernia.”
Air rushed out of her lungs. “Really? I figured you’d be furious.”
“Why? It’s pasta, and Kayla has no idea what the hell shapes are.”
Well, when he put it like that…
“You may have a point.”
“Of course, I do.” He winked. “Now, let’s get this cheesy monster cleaned up and ready for bed.”
Together they gave Kayla a quick bath, got her in her jammies, then JP fed her a bottle. It was a simple, routine kind of night, but Hannah had more fun than she would have had on a fancy date with any other man. Not that this was a date.
Kayla passed out before finishing her bottle, making bedtime a snap. Hannah watched from a spot on the floor as JP laid the baby in on her back in her crib. After she was settled, he straightened and turned toward Hannah.
“Done with dad duty for the day. Now it’s time for fun. Come here,” he said as he crooked a finger at her. His voice dropped lower, almost gravelly, and his eyes smoldered, making his intentions perfectly clear.
If she went to him, he’d kiss her again.
So she was staying right where she was. No matter how much she wanted it.
Muscles acting of their own accord made her rise to her feet. Then they took control of her legs and walked her straight to him.
When she reached him, he gave her a half grin that shouldn’t have been as sexy as it was. With his tattoos and that smirk, he looked like every guy her mother warned her off her entire life.
“I didn’t ask if I could kiss you last night. Today, I’m trying to be a gentleman.” The pitter-patter of her runaway heart nearly drowned out his voice. Still smirking, he bent down until only a millimeter separated them.
“May I kiss you, Hannah?” he whispered just a breath away from her lips.
No, no! Say no!
Now was the perfect time to set boundaries. Establish this was only friendship. Take a step back.
But, no, her head moved up and down in a nod her brain hadn’t approved. She didn’t try to stop him, though. Despite all the logical, smart reasons allowing anything physical between them was a terrible idea, she wanted it. She wanted it more than she wanted to appease her family, more than she wanted to make a wise choice, and more than she wanted to keep being the responsible sibling.
So, she looked him in those heated, mesmerizing eyes and let herself be wild for once, “Please,” she whispered.
And then he was kissing her, and she couldn’t have drummed up a single intelligent reason to resist if she tried.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THIS WASN’T HANNAH’S first kiss. Not by a long shot. Sure, she hadn’t had dozens of boyfriends and no random hookups or one-night stands, but she’d been kissed. Or at least she’d thought she had. Friendly kisses, exploratory kisses, even some passionate, frenzied kisses. But never had she experienced this scorching heat suffusing her from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. As though her entire body erupted in flames the moment their mouths met. And only one thing could extinguish the burn.