Kiss the Stars (Falling Stars 1)

I reached out and pried the spoon from Greyson’s chubby hand. “No, Greyson. Bad. That’s very bad.”

He scrunched up his adorable nose, snorting his little laugh. “I got him, Momma! I got him. Kapow!”

I could hear Tamar trying to subdue her laughter, but Lyrik just let it go. Cracking up from the belly like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. “Warned ya, man. Welcome to the Wild, Wild West. Saddle up, baby doll.”

I glanced that way.

Leif had grabbed a napkin and was wiping the mess from his face.

Finally, I jumped into action, blazing out of the dining room to the powder room right across the hall. I grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the water, racing right back in while Leif was still trying to blot the glob from his face.

The only thing he was managing to do was drop little bits of it onto his lap.

“Here . . . let me help you.” I was at his side, carefully trying to dab the mess from his face without inhaling the intoxicating aura of him.

Trying to fight the rush of dizziness I felt the second I got into his space.

Clove and whiskey with an undercurrent of sex.

The sweet, seductive smell of temptation.

All bristling with that same suggestion of disgust I’d seen written in his features when he’d seen us earlier today.

Part of me wanted to cry.

The more prominent wanted to shout at him that Greyson was just a baby. That he didn’t know any better and I was doing my best as a mother to make sure he figured those things out.

But I didn’t have time to do any one of those things because he was ripping the washcloth from my hands. “I’ve got it. It’s fine.”

He rubbed at the spot, cutting me a glance with the intent to demolish.

“You don’t look fine,” I retorted, teeth gritted as my inner momma bear threatened to join us at the dinner table.

She wasn’t exactly friendly.

He glared. “I said I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“He got you good, Leif!” Brendon shouted from where he sat between Leif and his dad. “Came this close to me!” He held his fingers together in a pinch. “Too bad you don’t have mad reflexes like me. You woulda missed it.”

Brown sugar eyes narrowed, though they were doing that soft thing again that I’d noticed that night, subdued warmth that was trying to make a break for it.

Or maybe he was just trying to break me.

Knock me down before I even had the chance of getting back on my feet.

“Hell yeah. My son’s wicked fast.” Lyrik grinned. Nothing but arrogant. “Sorry you got in the line of fire, man. Good job for dodging it, Brendon. Killer reflexes.”

They fist-bumped like it’d been a challenge, Greyson the pitcher, Brendon sliding home, while Leif had been struck out.

Tamar chuckled under her breath. “Leave it to my men to throw our guest under the table.”

“All’s fair in love and war, Momma Blue. Don’t you know that?” Brendon asked her.

“And this is a war?” Tamar’s brow quirked in a show of disagreement.

“Uh . . . no. It’s love. And I love my face. Have you seen me?” My nephew made a circle around his face. “Wasn’t about to stand still and let it get mucked up. No thank you.”

Penny giggled a shy sound, partially embarrassed and like maybe she wanted to hide under the table, too, but she wasn’t about to miss out on the entertainment.

“I really am sorry,” I said, a little harder, taking the cloth from him when he’d finally cleaned off his face. “He’s two.”

It was all a defense.

That strong brow twisted, the man so pretty I was having a hard time standing on solid ground. “Yeah. I know.”

“Then don’t be a jerk,” I gritted, words low and barely heard as they ground from my tongue.

He laughed a low, menacing sound, angling up to look at me. “You think my sitting here and saying nothin’ is being a jerk? You haven’t been around much, have you, princess?”

I wanted to scream.

I couldn’t help it, I inclined his direction, outrage taking hold of my senses as I spat the words, “I’ve been around plenty. Like I said, you don’t know me at all.”

Shit.

I was revealing my cards, not that I came close to having a good hand. I’d do best to fold.

Because with the tension that filled the room, there was no question it was becoming plenty clear that he and I weren’t exactly strangers.

Tamar and the kids watched us.

Lyrik watched us harder.

Leif had the audacity to smirk, rocking back in his chair far too casually. “And like I said, you’re easy to read.”

I tossed the washcloth down onto the table, wondering why the hell I’d been attracted to this asshole in the first place. “Well, I’d suggest you find yourself another book.”