“I’ll call someone to pick up the toys after the customers are gone and arrange for everything to be taken to the drop-off location,” he said.
Yeah, there was nothing wrong with that part of his memory—he had no trouble recalling how to be large and in charge. And she hated that she found that shockingly attractive, too. As much as his generosity and his warrior-like persona and the way he was with the babies.
Who was she kidding? All of him was attractive.
When they got home, she spent an hour with the babies feeding them, which was time with her children that she treasured. They wouldn’t breast-feed forever and while it had its challenges, such as having to use a breast pump after she’d had wine with Antonio the other night, she would be sad when this special bonding period was over.
Brigitte took over when Caitlyn was finished and they chatted for a few minutes. Leon was teething and making his displeasure known. Brigitte made a few suggestions and they agreed to try a different approach.
Should they include Antonio in discussions about the children’s care? Caitlyn hadn’t even thought to ask him but she really should. That was what being co-parents was all about.
She went in search of him and found him in his gym. Shirtless. And putting his hard body through a punishing round of inverted push-ups. Muscles bunched as he lowered himself to the ground and back up. His torso rippled and his skin glistened with his effort.
Dear Lord. A more exquisitely built man did not exist anywhere in the world.
Her mouth dried up. She couldn’t peel her eyes from his body. Watching him put a burn in her core that ached with unfulfilled need. Somehow, the fact that he didn’t know she was there heightened the experience, heating her further.
What was she doing?
She backed away, horrified to be gawking like a teenager. Horrified that she’d allowed herself to have a carnal reaction to Antonio.
“Caitlyn.”
She glanced up. He’d climbed to his feet and stood watching her with a slightly amused expression. His torso heaved with exertion, and the falcon on his pectoral seemed poised to fly off his chest with each breath.
“Did you want something?” he asked, eyebrows raised.
So many things... “Uh—”
Wide-eyed, she watched him approach and speaking wasn’t much of an option. His masculinity wrapped around her in a sensual cloak that settled heavily along her skin, warming it.
“Maybe you wanted to work out with me?” he asked, his head cocked in contemplation.
He was too close. Her body woke up in thrumming anticipation.
“I...um...do Pilates.” What did that have to do with anything, dummy? She could still lift weights or something in Antonio’s company, couldn’t she? She shook her head. What was she thinking? That wasn’t even why she’d tracked him down.
He reached out and toyed with a lock of her hair, smoothing it from her cheek, letting his fingers trail across her throat as he tucked the strand behind her back.
“Maybe you’re here to deliver that argument we talked about earlier?” he murmured.
“Argument?”
Her mind went blank as Antonio’s hand slipped from her shoulder to her waist. His naked chest was right there, within her reach. Her fingertips strained to trace the ink that bled into his skin, branding him as Falco. A fierce bird of prey.
“Against me kissing you. If you’ve got one, now would be the time to say your piece.”
She glanced up into his eyes and the typhoon of desire swirling in their dark depths slammed through her. That sensual flare—it was desire for her.
She was his prey. She should be frightened. She was...and yet perversely curious what would happen next if she let things roll.
“We’re, uh... That is...” She yelped as his arm slid around her waist, tugging her closer.
Her breasts brushed his bare torso, and even through her clothes, the contact ignited her already tingling core, flooding her with damp warmth.
“Caitlyn,” he murmured. “Don’t deny this. Hush now, and let me kiss you.”
And before she could blink, he cupped her chin and lifted her head, bringing her mouth to his in one expert shot. The touch of his lips sang through her and she fell into Antonio, into the dark need, into her own pleasure.
Hot and hungry, he kissed her, hefting her deeper in his arms so their bodies snugged tight. She couldn’t stop herself from spreading a palm on his heated flesh, right across his heart. Where the falcon lived.
His tongue coupled with hers, sliding against hers with rough insistence, and the sparks it generated ripped a moan from her throat.