Page 99 of Just a Heartbeat Away

He kissed her right there, where he could feel her wild little pulse under his lips. And he did it again. She tried to turn her head but he nudged her back with his nose, exposing that long, gorgeous neck. He trailed a hot line with his tongue up to her ear and allowed himself the distinct pleasure of finally laying lips to those little gold studs that had driven him nuts for months.

Then, one finger on the bottom of her chin, he guided her mouth to his. Maybe it was the time limit looming over them, or every little brush and touch in the kitchen and on the couch, or maybe they were just still that heated from last night. But they both immediately melted into the kiss. It was all tongues and stuttered breath. She was a hot slide against him, and he couldn’t help but press his teeth into that pouty bottom lip.

They heard Matty’s footsteps slapping down the hall, and he gave Via one more kiss, straightening them up. Seb rose and quickly rearranged himself in his underwear, not wanting to give his son an eyeful. When he looked down, though, he’d apparently given Via an eyeful. She stared at his pants, her eyes wide and unfocused, one hand over her mouth like she was trying to keep the kiss trapped inside.

Seb chuckled, because his son was home and there was nothing to do besides laugh. He touched her bun, high and a little crooked now. “I’m gonna put some jeans on.”

He heard Via and Matty packing snacks for the outing and attempting to track down Crabby’s leash. When Seb came back out, he blinked. Kid, dog and woman were all completely ready andsmilingat him. He couldn’t remember if that had ever happened before. When Muriel helped get things ready, she was efficient, but Matty always ended up in a foul mood.

Right now, though, he was holding Via’s hand and grinning ear-to-ear.

Right. Okay. Wow.

The walk to the park only took about fifteen minutes. The sidewalks were dyed a dark gray from the rain, and the sodden trees drooped against the steely sky. Seb was just getting ready to warn Matty that Joy might not be there today because it was still drizzling, but sure enough, Joy was building some sort of fairy house on one side of the structure, and her parents sat side by side on the bench as always, matching ponchos covering both of their heads.

“Are those Joy’s parents?”

Seb nodded, waving at them. Via walked over and sat right next to them. “Hello.”

They nodded at her, smiling politely. Seb had been through this same thing with them before. They were always friendly, but it was like they really, really didn’t want to speak out loud. Via reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She typed something into it and held it out.

“Vee-yah,” Mrs. Choi attempted and had Seb’s chin dropping down. He’d literally never heard the woman speak before.

Via handed the phone to Mrs. Choi, and Seb watched while the women typed things into Google Translate, trying things out in one another’s languages. Matty and Joy played for an hour and a half before the Chois decided to head home.

Matty held both their hands on the walk through the park, Crabby sniffing along beside them.

“How did you know to do that?” Seb asked. “With the phone translator thing?”

She shrugged. “My dad was fluent in English when they came over from Italy, but it took my mom years and years. When I was a kid, she was really embarrassed of her thick accent. She always kept a pen and paper with her so she could write things out instead of speaking out loud. I thought it might be the same for them. Sometimes having it written takes the pressure off.”

“I want you to come back to the house with us,” Seb said, overwhelmed by her and starting to feel anxious at the thought of her going home.

“All right,” Via said quietly, her eyes on Matty.

They cooked again, an early dinner. After dinner, Seb knew that she was preparing to leave. “You could stay, you know,” he whispered against her lips while he kissed her in the kitchen. Matty was playing with Crabby in the other room.

“I know, but Matty will need some time alone with you. Today was a lot of new stuff for him to process. He needs some normal bedtime with his dad.”

“I always forget that you went to college for this. Child psychology stuff.”

“I went to graduate school for this, too,” she reminded him, one eyebrow raised.

Seb growled a little, pulling her a touch closer. “Your master’s turns me on.”

She laughed. “If you say so.”

Via slipped out of his arms and went to say goodbye to Matty. Seb followed after her.

“We’re coming with you,” Seb told her.

“What?” She knelt next to Matty and Crabby.

“We’re gonna walk you home,” Matty replied, already well aware of the drill. Seb felt a swell of pride in his son. Look at him, being all gentlemanly.

“You guys don’t have to walk me home. It’s only 6:00 and a ten-minute walk, if that.”

“Violetta, don’t argue. Dorners walk people home.”

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