Not many relationships have ended well where there was any sort of intimacy involved for me, I remind myself. “Balls,” I say and my eyes widen. He looks at me, his sensual lips parting slightly before he presses them closed, trying to suppress a grin, but I don’t miss the slight shake of his shoulders. I shake my head. Fuck. “One of Tanner’s balls got hit over the fence into your yard and I was coming to retrieve it,” I say, after I can finally form words correctly.
“Ah,” he nods in understanding and takes a step back. “I’ll go get it, take a seat in the meantime,” he says, gesturing for us to come in.
Tanner, the child apparently never hearing of stranger danger, takes a step forward but I grab the back of his shirt pulling him to a stop. He looks up at me with questioning eyes. “Uh, no, we’ll stay out here,” I say, looking back at the man.
The amusement returns, “No need to be afraid of me, may I remind you that I’m a cop?”
“Which doesn’t mean that you’re not dangerous.” Especially not with the way he answers the door half-dressed and looking downright sinful.
He lets out a low laugh. “You have a point there, I’ll be right back.” With that, he turns, and I get a perfect view of the toned muscles in his back as he moves away. My gaze wanders down to his ass.
Yep, nice too.
He disappears and I let Lilly down when she starts to wiggle again. I keep an eye on her as she moves around.
“Aunt Ivy, why didn’t we go in?” Tanner asks and I turn my attention to him. His eyes are innocent, and he’s genuinely confused.
I let out a sigh. I have a feeling I’m going to be the one to ruin the innocence in those eyes. “It’s not safe to go into a stranger’s house,” I tell him, choosing my words carefully, “not everyone is a good person and you have to be careful.”
Tanner’s mouth parts into a small ‘o’ and his eyes look over my shoulder. “Oh, Aunt Ivy, that may be a problem.”
A crease forms between my brows. “Why?” I ask.
“Because Lilly just went into the house.”
My head snaps around and sure enough the little girl is no longer where she was just a moment before. How in the hell did she get away that quickly? “Shit.” I swear, looking at Tanner before looking back at the house. “Stay with me,” I order before crossing the threshold of the door.
My heart beats rapidly against my chest as I look for the slippery two year old. “Lilly,” I hiss, my eyes wandering around the house that is very much similar to ours. A thick aroma wafts through the house, sweet and spicy.
My eyes roam around as I move further through the house, looking around for Lilly. I pass through the living room, checking behind the leather couches to see if she possibly went behind one of them but I don’t see her. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”
“What are you doing here?”
I jump at the unexpected soft voice and turn to find the man that I got into an encounter withstanding in the door of the living room, watching me with half-lidded eyes. The chocolate dog sits at his feet.
I grab Tanner’s hand as I square my shoulders. “I’m looking for my… little girl,” I tell him.
He blinks. “Huh?”
I shake my head, recognizing the stoned look. “I don’t have time for this,” I say sharply as I continue to move forward, pulling Tanner along.
Where in the hell did Lilly get off to that quickly?
I listen and I faintly hear the sound of giggles. I follow the noise, pushing the door open and find myself in a kitchen. The aroma that I smelt is much thicker here and the temperature of the room is a lot hotter than the rest of the house.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen is Nathan. He has a white apron on and there’s a smile on his face as he holds a chocolate covered strawberry. In his other arm, he’s holding Lilly and she’s giggling as she munches down on a strawberry in her hands, the red liquid all over her lips.
Nathan’s eyes lift to mine and he smiles. “I think I found a stow-away,” he says gently as if my heart isn’t about to beat out of my chest.
Lilly looks at me, her eyes calm and not realizing how much danger she could have been in.
My legs feel weak and I grab the closest chair, sinking down into it. I drop my head into my hands as I take a deep breath.
I can’t fucking catch a break. Fuck, I can’t even keep a kid from running away.
“I’m sorry, are you okay?” Nathan’s voice is closer this time and I look up to find him standing just over me. His eyes are filled with concern and he leans close to me, still holding a happy Lilly in his arms. Just over his shoulder, Tanner has taken a seat and is also eating the sweet little treats.
Even a stranger can make the kids happier than I can.