Master in Shining Armor (Masters Unleashed 4)

“Sorry about that. For some strange reason, I completely forgot she was coming by.”

“Are you saying I’m distracting?”

“Very.” He walked over to her and pulled her closer, kissing her more innocently than he would have if he wasn’t holding Beau. “How did you sleep?”

“You’re better than NyQuil.”

He snorted. “And hopefully more fun.”

“NyQuil, as good as it is, has never given me orgasms.” She offered Beau her finger and the baby grabbed it and stared at it, gaze rapt.

“Yeah, if that were a side effect, they’d probably mention it in their commercials.”

“One would assume.”

Beau’s gaze had landed on Juliet’s face, and she seemed fascinated. Juliet started to sing a song about a little green frog, her voice and over-the-top expressions making him chuckle almost as much as the way Beau’s little brows moved as she drank in what was Juliet was doing. He didn’t know any baby songs past the few nursery rhymes he wasn’t sure he remembered all the words to.

Juliet’s eyes were shining as much as Beau’s. She kissed Beau’s forehead but then stepped back from them.

“She’s so sweet.” She smiled at Beau, then regretfully at him. “I should go.” She picked up her small pile of clothes, along with her shoes. “When I woke up, I realized all of my clothes were down here. Good thing I raided your clean laundry before traipsing naked through your house, or that would have been far more awkward.”

“I was sort of hoping you’d hang out for a bit. You haven’t even had breakfast.”

“I need to get home and get ready for work. I’m going to be late as it is.”

“If you wait until Beau’s nap, I could make you really late for work.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, then headed back for the stairs. He followed her.

“Shot down again.” He sighed melodramatically, but contemplated how easy it would be to tug the shorts she was wearing down to her ankles. “Woman, you’re hard on my ego.”

He snagged Beau’s bouncer out of her room and followed Juliet into his bedroom, where she was already getting naked. When he’d strapped Beau into the bouncer, he sat on the bed and watched in fascination as Juliet stripped off the T-shirt. Hell yeah.

“Come here.”

Her gaze darted to him, then to Beau. “I’m not doing anything with you while she’s in the room. That’s just rude.”

He growled under his breath. He wasn’t used to having to wait for anything he wanted, and apparently he was very out of practice.

She dressed while he watched. Damn, she was hot, and this was probably the end of whatever they could have had.

Fuck.

He glanced at Beau, knowing she was worth the sacrifice, even as he regretted losing the chance to get Juliet into a more permanent collar.

There would be other women, right?

Juliet was only interesting because she was new.

Or not.

Whatever. He’d never get the chance to find out.

The baby had caught one of her little hands in the other, and was examining her fingers in wonder. Like Varushka had said—baby TV.

“We need to finalize plans so we can move forward,” Juliet said. She went to slip on a shoe, then stopped, looking at her shoe, then back at him.

“Good girl,” he said quietly, then drank in the way her cheeks flushed and her nipples hardened against the thin fabric of her blouse. He went to the dresser and picked up her collar, then strolled back to her. She was breathing fast, her breasts heaving as he approached.