Page 21 of Twins for the Silver Foxes

“Good point.” I lowered her back to the bed and retreated to the pool house. Within seconds, I had fluffy robes for all of us. Arthur and Scott took theirs, wrapping themselves up with a muttered thanks.

“Are you going inside?” Hannah asked them. Both men shook their heads.

“Not yet,” Scott answered. I understood what they didn’t say. They wanted to stay and bask in the afterglow. I would too, but getting Hannah to bed was more important. If Liddy woke and her mom was missing, she’d be terrified. I couldn’t stand thethought of it. No child should feel that sharp prick of hopeless fear.

I helped her into her robe, threw mine on, and steadied her when she almost tripped over her own feet.

“I’ve never been so loose-limbed after sex.” She giggled and snugged the robe tight over her body. “What did you all do to me?”

“Gave you everything you asked for.” I scooped her back into my arms and made my way through the house. I didn’t bother with the lights when I knew my way around in the dark.

Hannah sighed into the side of my neck. She dozed off as I carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom. When I lowered her to the bed, she woke up enough to kiss my cheek before grabbing the covers and snuggling in.

“G’night.”

“Goodnight.” I brushed hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. Words I dared not say rested on the tip of my tongue. Words that would link us together and make it difficult to step back when the summer ended. I’d never been in love, and I doubted this was more than a passing infatuation, but I felt a tug of protective energy flood my body.

I backed away while I still could and crossed to the adjoining room where Liddy slept.

The little girl had worked her way into our lives, and our hearts. It was not an ideal situation by any means, but Liddy didn’t need to know any of that.

She lay curled on her side, her hands fisted in the blanket and tucked beneath her chin, just like her mother.

They were both at home here. My heart ached knowing they were only here for the summer. They seemed to have found happiness in our home. Could we be happy together? Was this what I’d been missing out on with my constant wandering from country to country? The thought drove me out of the room.

“I’ve never needed a home or a family,” I pushed the words out through tight lips. I’d never settled down because no woman would put up with me being gone three hundred days out of the year. Hannah and Liddy made me want to reconsider my lifestyle, and that was a dangerous discovery after all these years.

I backtracked from their rooms down to the pool. The walls blurred around me, my feet moving so fast I barely felt the carpet as I ran from my feelings. My emotions and thoughts crashed into each other, a whirlwind spiraling through my body. One minute I longed for stability and the thought of coming home to Hannah every night. The next, I resented the idea that I’d have to give up my lifestyle.

Hannah was more dangerous than I anticipated. I’d expected to fuck her and walk away like always. How did this woman and her daughter so quickly take up residence in my heart against my will?

11

ARTHUR

Iwaited for Hannah in the kitchen, hands tight around a cup of tea, my heart residing in my throat. Had we pushed things too far last night? Memories of her ecstasy argued with my sense of propriety. She was drunk. We’d taken advantage. I had to make things right.

The kitchen door opened.Footsteps drifted my way, then stopped. “Arthur?” She spoke with a husky, sleep-ridden voice. “Planning another food fight?”

I grinneddespite the tension riding my shoulders and threatening to pull my face into a scowl. “Not today.” I forced a sip of tea down my throat. “Did you sleep well?”

Hannah roundedthe counter and stopped in front of the coffee pot. “How do you work this thing? I need caffeine. A lot of caffeine. And aspirin.” She rubbed her temples with the heels of her hands.

“What kindof coffee would you like?” I slid off the stool.

“Coffee. The regular kind. Nothing fancy.”

I chuckledand made her a plain black coffee.

Mug in hand, she shuffled over to the kitchen island and sat. “I slept fine. You?” Eyes closed, she blew on the hot liquid before taking a slow sip. “Now that's good coffee.”

“We getit from a special company in California. They slow roast their own beans.” I was getting sidetracked. Hannah acted pleasant enough, but the hangover symptoms worried me. Had she been more inebriated than I thought? If so, we’d well and truly screwed up. “I’m sorry about last night.”

She sat up straight,her eyes flying open. “What do you mean?” Cold anger deepened her blue gaze, followed by a flush that crawled up her neck. “Never mind. Of course you’d be sorry and regret what happened. Look at me,” she pointed at herself, then flipped her fingers in my direction, “and look at you. We’re not even in the same ballpark. It’s like a bad version of Pretty Woman.”

“No.”I held up both hands in a stop motion. “Wait a minute.” I delved deep into my core and dredged up the words I knew I needed to say but found disconcerting to admit out loud. “I donotregret last night.”

“You don’t?”Surprise took over her expression. “Then why the apology?”

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