He hadn’t so much as put on a shirt. She’d have all that skin lying inches away. Close enough to touch. How would he react if she stripped her own clothing off so she could feel his heat?
Too risky.
Instead of following that instinct, she kicked off her shoes and laid down on her back next to him. His arm went around her waist, and he dragged her close until she had no choice but to shift onto her side and fit like the perfect little spoon to his big one.
“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. His warm breath tickled her skin and caused an eruption of goosebumps. He sounded tired but relaxed, whereas her body felt like a guitar string strung so taut it would snap at one pluck. How could he lie there exchanging pleasantries like he wasn’t one step away from being naked?
Unless he didn’t want her the way she wanted him.
How humiliating.
“You’re, uh, you’re welcome.”
“Sleep. Forget everything else for one night and sleep.”
He was warm and comforting, all curled around her. Under normal circumstances, that kind of cozy cocoon would lull her to sleep, but there was no way in hell she’d get a wink tonight. Too many thoughts ran through her head.
What did this mean?
What would happen in the morning?
Would Kayla be okay?
What would his siblings say if they found her in his bed?
How would she feel if he woke up unhappy to see her?
The only thing that would have made the moment more perfect was if they were skin to skin.
A rogue, dangerous thought.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JP WOKE WITH a start at the first crackle from the baby monitor. Curled up against his front, Hannah stirred but didn’t wake up. Quick as he could, he silenced the monitor, then slipped out of bed. A clock on his nightstand read five in the morning. Pretty typical wake-up time for his early bird, but who knew if today would be normal or if Kayla would still be feeling miserable.
Man, he’d love to soak up a few moments of enjoyment next to Hannah’s soft, warm body, but with the drama of last night, he was too worried about his daughter to let her cry more than a few seconds.
He tip-toed upstairs and toward Kayla’s room. As he entered the kitchen, he froze at the sight of Jagger sitting at the table with a bagel and an oversized mug of black coffee.
“Well, well, well,” Jagger said with a smirk. “Looks like you had a fun night.”
“You’re kidding, right?” JP snarled as he stomped past his nosey brother.
Of course, Jagger didn’t take the hint and followed him to Kayla’s room. “What? Do you think I’m blind? Or stupid? Hannah’s car is in my parking spot, for God’s sake. You made up, then got down.”
JP turned in the hallway. “Made up and got down? How long did it take you to come up with that one?”
“’Bout two seconds. I’m quick like that.”
With a grunt, JP continued into his daughter’s room. He found Kayla sitting up in her bed, nose runny, face not nearly as flushed as the night before. “Hello, my pretty girl. Are you feeling better?”
“Feeling better? What do you mean?” Jagger nearly crashed into JP’s back as he peeked into the crib.
“Mm-hmm.” JP scooped Kayla up and hugged her to his chest. Thank God, she simply felt warm from sleep. Not feverish as she had the previous night. “I woke up around midnight, and she had a fever.”
All teasing fled Jagger’s face as he reached for his niece. “Shit. Give her to me. Should we take her to the hospital?”
After handing her over, JP fetched the thermometer from Kayla’s changing table. She felt cooler, but better to know for sure. “I almost did. Shit, Jag, I totally panicked.” He ran the thermometer across her head. Ninety-eight point eight. His shoulders unknotted, and a lightness entered his chest for the first time in hours.
Thank Christ.
“I would have too.” Jag pointed to the medicine bottle sitting on the changing table. “How did you know what to do?”
“I called Hannah.”
As though a light switch flicked on, Jagger nodded. “Ahh. That was a good call, brother.”
“Yeah, she stopped at the drugstore and bought all this shit on her way over. We called the doctor, and she advised us on what to do. I’ll take her in to get checked out today, but the pediatrician said it sounded like a cold.”
“Fu—fudge, I’d have been scared out of my mind.” Jag kissed the top of Kayla’s head, and of course, she went right for his beard.
“Believe me, I was.” More scared than he could ever remember being. “I lost my mind.”
Jag squeezed his shoulder. “You and Hannah work things out?”
With a sigh, JP scratched his face. It itched when he didn’t shave for a few days, even though he liked the way it looked. He’d also liked the way Hannah had shivered when he rubbed his stubble across her neck a few nights ago.