Page 3 of Bravely Yours

The baby coughed into her shoulder, and I cocked an eyebrow.

“Okay.” Her body deflated, and she let out a sigh. “Just to be sure Nora’s all right.” Pulling the baby closer and cradling her head, she shuffled out into the hallway in front of me.

Once I’d gotten the woman—Sarah—and the baby settled on the sofa in my living room, I stepped away to call Owen. AsI went, I snagged my T-shirt from the back of the chair, where I’d discarded it earlier. I’d been getting ready to jump in the shower when the smoke detector went off next door.

I tapped Owen’s name in my recent call log and slipped the T-shirt over my head. I had just brought the phone to my ear when the call connected. “Hey, need a favor.”

“What’s up?”

“There’s a woman here with a baby?—”

“Yours?”

I scrubbed a hand down my face and groaned. “No, asshole. It’s the one next door who cries all the time.”

He chuckled. “What do you need?”

“They need to be checked out for possible smoke inhalation.” I glanced over to where the two sat on my sofa. “The woman almost burned her apartment down with a pan on the stove. Can you come?”

“On my way.”

Five minutes later, Owen stepped through the door. Living in the same apartment complex came in handy sometimes, though tonight, his presence rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t figure out why it did until the third time Sarah lit up with a smile at something he said. That’s when it hit me that I wanted that gorgeous smile aimed at me.

Sarah

“Both mom and baby sound fine.”Owen leaned forward and tickled Nora’s belly, causing her to squeal in delight.

This guy was so good with her. He was going to make a good dad in a few months. As he’d looked us over, he’d gushed about his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant, and he’d gone on and on about how he couldn’t wait until their daughter was born.

“Just follow up with her pediatrician tomorrow morning.” With a smile, he stood.

Even as my lawyer’s words rang through my head, I nodded. One wrong move, and Drew could argue that I was an unfit mother. The court would never give Nora to a convicted violent offender, though, right?

“Of course,” I said, holding Nora a little tighter. “Thank you again.”

He nodded and then headed toward where Jay stood near the front door. The two guys were an unlikely pair. Owen had worn a smile since he walked in and had happily chatted throughout his exam. Jay, on the other hand, hadn’t stopped scowling. Almost like he was annoyed that we were here. He was the one who’d invited us over, so I didn’t get why he thought he had a right to be irritated.

But now that we’d been given the all-clear, we could head back to my apartment. The smoke should have cleared by now.

“Thanks, man.” Jay clasped hands with Owen and slapped his shoulder, promising to follow up if anything else came up.

After Owen left, I headed for the door, ready to get out of Jay’s way. As I approached, he shut the door behind Owen and spun, almost colliding with me. He threw his arms out and grasped my shoulders, steadying me. The warmth of his palmsheated my skin through the thin fabric of my top, and a fluttering moved through my stomach.

The scowl he’d sported for the last twenty minutes morphed into something sexier, though it didn’t even remotely resemble a smile. A vision of his muscular chest from earlier and the way his shorts hung low on his hips floated through my mind. Man, this guy was gorgeous.

“Thank you.” I smiled, dipping my head. “You know, for breaking in and checking on us.”

“Of course.”

The deep rumble of his voice was doing stupid things to my body.

Get a grip, Sarah.

His lips turned up slightly, and holy hell, he was even more sexy when he smirked. I’d probably need a cold shower if he donned a full-on smile.

He brushed his hands down my upper arms, and I had to fight the urge to sigh. How long had it been since I’d been touched like this? Was I that deprived of physical affection?

“Let’s go take a look at your door.” Lowering his hands, he stepped around me. A moment later, he returned with tools in hand. “If I can’t fix it tonight, I’ll at least make sure you can close it and secure the dead bolt.”

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