Page 40 of Dangerous

He pulled me down towards him and gave me a kiss that partially covered my lips, shocking me. “See you then. I’ll save your seat for you.”

I nodded, but my brain was still stuck on the kiss. Had it meant it to land where it did? Or was it accidental? And why had he kissed me since I’d already kissed him? Ugh. This was supposed to be getting easier instead it was doing the opposite.

But like normal, seeing Liam—and getting to spend a few minutes with Peter without all the other students around—soothed all my confusion. When someone loves you unconditionally like a baby, it makes all your problems and irritations feel meaningless. To them, you are everything and they don’t care that you think you’re worthless, or a problem, or anything else negative because they only see the positive. And they show you how they feel in their smiles, in their laughs, in their kisses, and definitely in their cuddles.

I read him a book as I fed him his bottle. Luck was with me as his eyes closed on the last page and before the bell rang. I placed him in his crib, brushing a kiss over his cheek, before I left.

Before I knew it, I was home, getting ready for my evening when Peter walked into my house. “Katy, I know it’s last minute, but could you watch Liam for us tonight? We’d planned to meet up with the guys tonight, but the new babysitter I was trying called to say that they couldn’t come. And tonight was the first night that all three of us were going to get out together.”

I wanted to help, I really did, but I already had plans. At the same time, I knew they hadn’t gone out on a date in forever. Possibly their last time had been their weekend getaway when Liam had been left on their doorstep. Every other time, only two of them went out so that one of them was with Liam because they weren’t willing to leave him with just anybody.

I stepped out of my bathroom to face him. “I already had plans for tonight.”

“Fuck, I don’t want you to have to change your plans.” He bit his lower lip as he thought, something he’d been doing for as long as I could remember. “Would it be possible for you include Liam in your plans?”

I thought about it for a moment. It was going to be cold, but not too cold. Liam had a warm snowsuit, and we had a sled that was filled with warm blankets and a cover to keep him warm. We’d used is a few times already this winter and he loved it. Plus, we had the carrier so I could wear him on my chest. With a blanket wrapped around him, he’d be warm enough and he’d be able to see things. The only negative would be keeping him out a little later than his bedtime. But if I washed him up and dressed him in his sleeper before we left, I’d only have to strip him down and possibly change his diaper before putting him in his crib. That would all work. And I was sure that Ethan wouldn’t mind.

“I can do that. When are you leaving?”

“In five minutes. The babysitter called five minutes before she was scheduled to be here.”

“Why do people do that? I shook my head. “I’m just going to grab my stuff and then I’ll be right over.”

Peter pressed his lips against my forehead as his hands gripped my shoulders, It was like a partial hug where we didn’t really touch. But still I felt him against me. Our draw to each other had only grown stronger and each time we were together it was harder to keep things platonic. Even Jarrod and Jason had taken to doing the same thing although Jason still gave me full body hugs when I needed them.

Only minutes later, I walked into their house, having already texted Ethan about the change in plans. “I’m here. Go have fun. Liam will be fine.”

“Thanks for doing this, Kitty-Kat. We’ll owe you big for this.” Jarrod kissed my cheek as he headed out the door with Peter on his heels.

“What about Jason?”

“He’s meeting us there because his job ran late. He wanted to make sure that all of Mrs. Bishops’—old Mrs not the young one—Christmas decorations were set out since they’ve got company arriving early next week and despite recovering from surgery, she’s spending part of her days helping at the festival.”

I understood Jason’s need to pitch in because that was why I was helping at the festival tomorrow. I was going to take most of her shift, manning our fundraising table because I wanted her to be at home, resting.

“Well, have fun tonight. Don’t worry about the time because I’ll just crawl into my old bed in the nursery.” I wanted to say that I’d crawl into their bed, but if they were spending the evening out together then I doubted their bedroom activities would be PG-13. And while I really wanted to be with them, there was no way I was ready or experienced enough to handle allthree. The one experience where it had been Jarrod, Jason and I had been scary enough. And I hadn’t even done anything to them. Just one more inadequacy I could add to the list as to why I needed to stay away.

I didn’t know if Peter answered me or not because the door closed while I was lost in thought over things that I couldn’t resolve.

With nothing else to do and with only a limited time before Ethan showed, I walked over to the playpen where Liam was playing with a couple of toys. “Want to go outside for an adventure, Little Man?”

He giggled and started his talking as I picked him up.

“Glad you agree. But that means we have to get you ready.” And like the good little baby he was, he didn’t put up a single fuss over the change in plans.

“Look at these beautiful paintings.”I pointed at the different colours, naming them as Liam, who was strapped to my chest watched.

“They’re really nice. That one looks like mom’s favourite view of the lake. I think I’ll get it for her.”

“That sounds perfect. I’m sure your mom will love it, Ethan. While you’re paying for it, I’m going to look at the next table to keep this little guy occupied and happy.”

“He’s in your arms. Of course he’s happy. Any guy would be.” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows under the edge of his toque. It was cold enough to need gloves, hat, and scarf to keep us warm, but thankfully the wind barely blew, meaning it didn’t feel colder than the actual temperature.

As per normal when he made statements like that, I ignored them, not sure how to deal with them. And tonight, I didn’t want to spend time puzzling over possible hidden meanings.

The next table was filled with jewellery and shiny crystals that caught Liam’s eye. At seven months, he appeared to have a better eye than a few of the men who were shopping at the table at the same time.

“Here.” Ethan handed me a steaming mug. “I brought you a hot chocolate. How’s the Little Guy doing? Is he warm enough?”

---