Worth the Risk (Carolina Rebels 5)

He frowns. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

The waitress finally arrives with our food, which smells as good as it looks. Elias doesn’t probe me with any more questions. He still seems pretty bothered by my last question. There’s a (hopefully) temporary frown on his face as he cuts into his steak. I didn’t mean to upset him, or insinuate that he should quit his job to be home more with his daughter. I was simply curious if he had thought about that possibility.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, unable to stand the silence between us any longer.

Elias glances up at me. “For what?”

“You’re still thinking about what I asked, aren’t you?”

“Oh. Yeah, but don’t be sorry for that. I’m just wondering if it was something I should’ve considered before or not. And whether it’s something I should consider now. I love my job, but definitely not more than I love my daughter, but my job also provides a very good life for the both of us right now and will in the future, even though it requires me to travel so much.” Elias pauses and shakes his head. “I just can’t imagine switching careers yet. I feel like what I’m doing works.”

“It does; that was also why I was apologizing. I didn’t mean to make you think you were doing something wrong. I—”

“You meant well, Raelynn, I know,” he interrupts.

Conversation flows easily after that. Elias has always been easy to talk to, though I don’t always talk to him about everything. Too soon, Elias’s phone vibrates repeatedly. He grins.

“Alarm to remind me when we have to leave, so we’ll be home in time to tuck Jackson in.” He waves down our waitress, pays, and holds out his hand once he stands. Butterflies flutter in my stomach as my hand slips into his. “How did I do for your first real date since Jackson was born?” he asks as he pulls out of the parking garage.

“I don’t know yet,” I tease. “The date isn’t officially over until I’m home. Plus, I’m curious if you kiss on the first date.”

Elias laughs. “With you, absolutely.”

“That’ll earn you some points then as long as it’s a good one.”

He laughs a little harder and glances at me real quick. “You think I could ever kiss badly?”

“Everything is possible, Elias.”

“Not that,” he mutters.

A smile rests easily on my lips for the rest of the way home. He parks in the garage like usual, but grabs my hand and pulls me flush against him before I can step inside.

“We step through that door and the date is over, right?” I nod, but my brain stopped functioning properly the moment my chest touched his and his mouth was two inches from mine. “You want a kiss at the end of the date, don’t you, Raelynn?”

“Yes,” I breathe.

His grin is quick, leaving me breathless from the sight of it a second before he kisses me. A deep, tongue twisting, soul searching, let’s-get-naked kiss. I don’t know whose hands touch whose body first, but it sends us into a crazy frenzy. Goosebumps prickle over my chilled skin as Elias’s fingers curl and bunch to lift the fabric of my dress. My leg wants to lift up and wrap around his waist so badly, but my back bumps into the door behind me.

We break apart.

Elias drops his head to my shoulder, which must be uncomfortable for him until I realize he lifted me off the floor at some point, so I’m a little higher up. He takes three deep breaths, kisses me hard one more time, and then sets me back on my feet. He even readjusts my dress. Do we really have to go inside? Unfortunately, yes. Elias is the one who reaches around me to open the door.

A small sigh manages to escape me, causing him to chuckle.

“Momma?” Jackson shouts from the living room.

“Yep, it’s us, baby. We’re back,” I answer as he comes running into the kitchen. He throws his arms around my waist. He’s already in his pjs, ready for bed. “Are you ready to be tucked in?”

“Yeah. Will you read to me?”

“Yep.” I kiss the top of his head. “You have to let me go so I can walk, though.” He releases me after a second and Elias and I walk into the living room.

“Everything go well?” Elias asks.

“Are they alive, EJ?” Brayden replies, earning a glare from Elias.

Deanna rolls her eyes and bounces a still-awake Bree. I go over to take her, thank them, and lead Jackson upstairs. I’ll read to them and get them both asleep. Elias can usher our babysitters out. The only problem is deciding where to do this. Bree falls asleep best in the recliner, but I obviously can’t carry Jackson to his room. I haven’t tried starting out in Jackson’s room either. With Bree on my hip, I enter Jackson’s room after changing her diaper, where he’s waiting with a book for me to read to him. I always read the bedtime stories.