Page 70 of Smitten with the Single Dad

The euphoria seemed to go on forever. And she wished it would have.

But all good things need to end eventually, and when they opened their eyes, more early morning light poured in from all the windows.

He kissed her sweetly and they both smiled, their bodies coated in a thin layerof sweat. A gust of cool air from somewhere swept across her misty skin, causing gooseflesh to break out and make her shiver. His hands rubbed up and down her back to warm her. She rested her cheek to his shoulder for just a moment, not quite ready to leave their little cocoon of perfection.

Slowly, she lifted up and he slipped free. Then she zipped to the bathroom to pee and clean herself up. By the time she returned to the kitchen, Wyatt was partially dressed in his boxers again. He handed her her pajamas, and she quickly redressed.

That’s when she noticed how much of a mess they made. Apparently, when he set her on the counter, he’d plunked her butt in a big pile of flour, which then transferred to the floor and all over his thighs. It was probably all over her butt too, but she hadn’t noticed in the bathroom.

“We made a mess,” she said, unable to keep the giddy grin from her lips.

“We did.” His gaze met hers and his blue-hazel eyes twinkled with amusement.

Then her eyes went wide. “The raviolis! I still need to make them.”

He pressed his finger over his mouth “Shhh,” he whispered. “I’ll sweep up the floor, you get to filling the pasta.”

She nodded. “Sorry. Right.” They’d been so careful being quiet as they gave into their urges earlier, and now she was about to ruin all their effort and wake up the kids because she forgot about the raviolis. A silly bubble of laughter tickled her throat. “A team effort,” she said, the powdery feel of flour under her feet making her only cringe a little.

“You’re a McEvoy now,” he said, retrieving the broom from the pantry. “And we’re all about teamwork here.”

“Teamwork makes for no bad dreams, right?”

The smile on his face made her want to jump his bones all over again. “You mean teamwork makes the dreamwork?”

She shrugged. “Sure.” She was too happy to worry about mixing up her idioms. The idea of belonging to a big, nosy family warmed her to her core.

Now that she and Wyatt had taken things to the next level, were things going to be as temporary as they originally planned? Or was she really part of this wonderful family permanently?

She knew better than to get her hopes up about such things, but the idea of belonging was just too good not to imagine.

And maybe it could happen … if the world didn’t come crashing down around her first.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The post-sex euphoria wore off sooner than he had hoped and reality came brutally crashing into his consciousness before he’d even finished sweeping up the mess of flour on the floor.

He emptied the dustpan into the garbage under the sink and turned to Vica. “I need to you know that I didn’t expect that. I wasn’t looking for sex from you.”

The mushrooms had cooled completely, so she was busy portioning mushrooms and ricotta onto the squares for the stuffed ravioli. “I know that.”

He stopped her hands and turned her to face him. “There were never any strings attached to me helping you. Not from day one, or now. I need you to tell me you understand that. That you know you didn’toweme anything.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Wyatt, I know that.”

“It wasn’t why I offered to marry you. And if you’re having second thoughts or regrets, and never want to do that—”

Her hand pressed against his mouth to shut him up and she smiled. “I know. It does take two to dance you know.”

“To tango.”

She shrugged. “Okay, fine. To tango.” Her nose scrunched in a very cute way. “True, yes, because you can dance on your own. Anyway, what I’m saying is that I want you too. I am attracted to you. I feel safe with you and your family.” Hercheeks turned pink and she broke eye contact. “And if it is all the same, Idowant to do that again.”

That made him grin. “Me too.”

“Help me and we can be done faster so we can do it again.” Her smile was coy and playful now and made his cock twitch in his boxers. It was only five thirty in the morning and judging by the night they had last night, his kids would probably sleep in. At least he hoped they would.

Working as a team, they were done with the ravioli in no time. He’d made them before, but definitely enjoyed having a tutorial from a real Italian. After they did a quick boil of the fresh pasta, they sautéed them in a pan with butter, more mushrooms, and herbs. Then they took their aromatic, homemade deliciousness up to his room, where they sat in his bed and shared a meal together.

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