Bare Skin (Skin Deep 5)

I complied, and he made short work of pulling the blankets back and then settling us in the bed, cradling me in his arms with my head on his chest. I was nodding off when he spoke again. “You’re staying with me, too. We’ll go tomorrow and get the rest of your stuff, including your car. Yeah?”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I nodded again.

“I want to hear you say it out loud, Dani.”

“Okay. Fine, Calland. I’ll stay.”

He chuckled. “Fine, again. Gotta come up with a better word, babe.”

I smiled against his skin as my eyes closed and I let sleep claim me.

***

I woke up in the morning, still naked, tucked into Calland’s bed.

But he wasn’t in it with me.

I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and sat up when I saw that it was almost seven in the morning. I threw back the covers and got up, searching the floor for my clothes. I found Calland’s t-shirt first, so I threw that on and sped down the hallway to check on Kaden. He was usually up by now and I hadn’t heard him once.

I peeked into the guest room to see if he was still sleeping, but the playpen was empty, so I moved into the living room, figuring that Calland must have Kaden, though that thought did little to calm the panic building in my chest.

Thankfully, my assumption was right. Calland was leaning over a smiling Kaden, talking to him as he changed his diaper on the couch.

He must have heard me coming, though, because he spoke to me without looking away from the baby. “Sleep well?”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah. Yes, thanks. You?”

“Yep. But you snore.”

“I do not snore!” I cried indignantly, but then embarrassment flooded my cheeks. Did I snore?

He chuckled as he finished snapping Kaden back into his pajamas, lifting him against his chest and kissing his cheek before holding him up for me to take.

I smiled down into his little face. “Good morning, little man!” I said brightly. “Did you sleep good, buddy?”

I brought him to my chest and cuddled him as he babbled to me, then winced as his fingers caught a lock of my hair and yanked gleefully.

“I didn’t hear him cry,” I told Calland as I tried to free my hair from the baby’s fist.

“He didn’t,” he replied, walking by me to throw away the dirty diaper. “I checked on him when I got up and he was still sleeping. But when I peeked in on him after I got out of the shower, he was just lying there, playing with his toes. So, we hung out for a minute, ate some cereal. You know, guy stuff.”

I glanced down at Calland’s body, just noticing the fact that he was freshly showered and fully dressed for work, boots included.

“Wait. You fed Kade, too?”

Calland nodded.

“What did you feed him?” I asked suspiciously.

He sighed, giving me an are-you-serious look. “Cereal. I just told you that. He had cereal with applesauce and a bottle. And by the way, that cereal shit is nasty. You know, just in case you ever get curious and want to try it.”

I snorted, trying to cover my laughter. “You ate some of his cereal?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Learned my lesson on that one. Tried it once when I was watching my niece. Now, banana baby food…that’s the shit.”

I laughed out loud that time. “So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you fed and changed the baby, then? But you could have gotten me up. I don’t want you to be late. What time do you have to be at work?” I asked.

He looked at the clock on the wall. “Gotta leave here in about ten minutes, so if you want me to drop you off at the hotel to get your stuff, then you better get dressed.” He looked back at me, his eyes roving over my body, lingering on my bare legs and feet. “Or not. I like the look of you in my shirt.”

His voice had dropped and his eyes had darkened. My body responded immediately, and he did not miss the way my nipples hardened beneath the thin fabric covering them. He hummed appreciatively and stepped toward me, but I backed away.

“No, you have to go to work. And yes, if you don’t mind, just let me change real quick and bundle him into his car seat so you can take us back to the hotel. I’ll meet you here when you get off work, if you just tell me what time.”

His head was moving, negating my words before I even finished speaking. “I’ll drop you off, you load up, and then just come on back. I’ll give you my key.”

I looked up at him. “Calland, are you sure you want us to stay here?” I asked, hesitantly.

“Dani,” he growled, warningly, his eyes narrowing on me.

“Okay, okay,” I muttered, stepping towards him and handing Kaden to him. “Here. Put him in his car seat, will you? I’ll be right back.”

A short while later, the baby and I were back at the hotel, and I was packing everything up while Kaden played on the floor.

Calland hadn’t let me out of his truck until I kissed him, and then had made me blush when he’d murmured to me, “You think I fucked you ten ways to Sunday last night. I’ll make it twenty ways to Tuesday tonight, okay?”

I was looking forward to it.

But I didn’t tell him that.