MASON KNEW HE SHOULDprobably be embarrassed that he was in the hallway bouncing on his toes like a young school boy, but he couldn't help it. He was restless with the desire to have some time with Harper.
Harper came out of her spare bedroom, softly closing the door, then looking up at him with a wide smile. “She was pretty tuckered out.”
“So she’s asleep?”
Harper shrugged. “Close to it. She didn’t give me any trouble about laying down even though she isn’t used to the playpen.”
“Thank heavens.” Mason didn’t even bother to take Harper to the couch or somewhere more comfortable, he simply grabbed her and pulled her in, covering her mouth with his.
Apparently, she didn’t mind his lack of finesse, since her arms were around his neck immediately and she rose up on tiptoe in her eagerness.
“This is so much harder than I thought it would be,” he murmured against her skin, his lips moving across her face, kissing her cheeks, her cheekbones, her eyelids, her forehead...anything and everything. He wanted to feel her soft skin and he wanted to make it his.
His time with Harper felt so limited and yet, each and every moment had him falling deeper and deeper. Watching her bathe Layla had nearly brought him to his knees. The two year old was Mason’s top priority, and seeing Harper fit so well into that part of his life was like putting honey in front of a hungry bear.
“Then I guess we better make the most of what time we have,” Harper replied breathlessly.
Mason brought his mouth back to hers, then shifted his body so he could scoop her up, cradling her against his chest while he walked them to the sitting room and away from Layla’s door. He grinned at her squeak of surprise, but didn’t miss the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
Carefully, he sat down, keeping Harper in his lap. His hands came up to cup her face and rubbed his thumbs against her cheekbones. “So...soft,” he murmured, tilting his head for a better angle.
He nearly groaned when Harper’s hands found his hair. She ran her fingers through it and the sensations were overpowering.
“Do that again,” he whispered.
Harper laughed softly and followed his orders. “You like that?”
“Mmm...” Mason rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed in contentment while she continued to play with the locks. “Harper, I—”
A knock on the door had them both jumping to their feet. Harper pushed her hair out of her face. “Geez, that nearly sent my heart through the roof.”
Mason cleared his throat and tried to get himself back under control. “I, uh, guess you better answer it.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to be grateful for the interruption, since he’d been looking forward to this time with Harper, but he’d been about to confess his feelings for her and now that the moment had passed, he found himself a little reluctant to take that leap forward.
To declare his love would be moving much faster than he was ready for, especially when he wasn’t even sure how deep Harper’s feelings went yet.
“It’s probably just a package, or something,” Harper assured him before heading to go find out.
Mason waited next to the couch, fully planning to resume their interlude when she returned, until he heard, “Aspen! Maeve! Hi!”
Letting his chin hit his chest, Mason gave up. If the sisters had come for a chat, he knew there would be no more kissing or holding until somehow they managed another break. A heaviness settled within him. His fears were coming true. How was he supposed to win Harper’s heart if he couldn’t ever spend time with her?
“Mason!”
Mason jerked upright. “Oh, hey, Aspen. Hi, Maeve.” He swallowed hard, trying to bring moisture back to his dry mouth. His embarrassment at being caught on Harper’s couch brought heat up his neck, but Mason knew his beard would cover it. He stood, feeling incredibly awkward among so many women.
But Layla’s asleep. I can’t just leave.
He bit back a curse. He was stuck. With three women who probably wanted to gossip, and two of them didn’t even know he’d become a guardian in the last two weeks.
“What brings you here?” he asked, trying to break the silence. Aspen, for her part, didn’t look particularly surprised to find him there, but Maeve was grinning like a madman.
Aspen put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. “We came to visit. How about you?” She jerked when Harper whacked her arm. “Sorry,” Aspen said through her laughter. “We didn’t know you were entertaining.”
Harper rolled her eyes and walked over to Mason. She took his hand and rested her head against his arm. “Come on in, ladies. Grab a seat.”
Aspen held up the box in her hands. “Does it help that I brought treats?”
Harper smirked at Mason. “Considering he’s always hungry, I think you’re probably forgiven.”
Harper brought the box to Mason. “It’s strawberry lemon. See if you like it.”
“I’ll grab forks!” Maeve announced, walking toward the kitchen. It was evident the sisters had been there before. She came back and handed forks to Mason and Harper. “Dig in.”
Mason looked wide eyed at Harper. “Uh...” It felt weird to eat in front of the ladies, while they didn’t have anything.
Harper shook her head. “This is how it goes with Aspen. She brings food, but never eats it herself.” Harper shrugged. “Might as well get used to it.”
Aspen crossed her ankle over her knee. “I eat all day long at the shop. It’s someone else’s turn.”
Mason opened the box and took a large bit of the cake. As usual, it melted on his tongue and he groaned. “So good.”
All of the women laughed.
A thud brought the noise to a halt.
Every head jerked toward the hallway, where Layla slowly shuffled out of her room, her blanket clutched in her hands and her eyes half closed. She rubbed them with her free fist and yawned.
“What in the world are you doing up?” Harper scolded. She set her fork on the coffee table and went over to scoop the little girl up. When she came back to the couch, Layla began to crawl into Mason’s lap and he hurriedly set the cake aside.
Once the tiny head was resting against his chest, Layla’s fingers in her mouth, Mason turned to address the two wide eyed women on his right. “Aspen, Maeve. I’d like you to meet Layla. My...sort of daughter.”