Page 27 of I've Got You

I could have easily stumbled over my words with how he was looking at me. Pride. While it was an emotion I rarely felt, and even more rarely had sent my way, I recognized the look immediately. I quickly swallowed and kept my grin fixed, allowing Carter’s pride to sweep over me and settle on my shoulders. It felt light and uplifting. “Is Libby’s food ready?”

Carter nodded, and I was sure he was close to being teary-eyed. Hell, I couldn’t handle that. All I’d done was sweet-talk a kid and not freaked out when she’d been unceremoniously placed in my arms.

“Do you have wipes or something for her hands?”

“Yeah.” A smooth caress… every damn time he spoke. I turned in Davis’s direction, not quite sure what to expect. My eyes widened a little at the so damn hot and smoldering look that was being fired my way. “There’s some in her room. I’ll take you.”

He stepped toward me and indicated for me to follow. I did so immediately, my heart in my throat the whole time.

“What about your ba—Oomph.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Tanner rubbing his stomach and Carter staring daggers at him. Alrighty then. Curiouser and curiouser. As I followed Davis out, I asked, “Libby has her own room here?”

“Yeah.” He spared me a quick glance, his eyes holding mine for the barest of moments before he headed up the staircase.

I held on to the oak rail, using it to steady me as I carried Libby, my gaze drifting to Davis’s ass. It looked firm and the right size to grip and bite. I glanced away quickly. I had to stop with my wicked thoughts when holding his baby girl in my arms. It was so damn wrong, but still… yes, it did look definitely bitable.

“Carter insisted she had her own space.” He shook his head. “I only live a few minutes away.” I could imagine him rolling his eyes. “It’s hardly an epic distance to get her home to bed.”

“I imagine they’re trying to give you some downtime.”

He snorted. “Yeah, downtime to twiddle my damn thumbs and polish my dick.”

My eyes widened so much I was convinced they’d pop out of my sockets. I managed to keep myself from swallowing my tongue, though. Slamming my gaping mouth shut, I carried on in silence, with no idea how to respond to that.

“But yeah, they’re great, family, you know?” I didn’t really. I cringed when I thought once more of my sister. “They do so much for the two of us,” he continued, “and it’s good that she’ll have a place to escape to when she’s a teenager and PMSing.” He laughed. “Stroke of genius, really.”

My lips quirked. I could imagine these three men dashing around looking after a teenaged Libby. Fighting off asswipes trying to date her and throwing chocolate in her room once a month to keep her at bay. On the rare occasion as a teenager when I didn’t have a stick up my backside, I’d done the same for my sister. I shuddered. Not only did the thought of vaginas make me tremble in horror, but the whole menstrual thing absolutely terrified me.

“I’ll give her a quick change while we’re here too.” Davis stopped and opened a door. He waited in the doorway, his gaze flicking between Libby and me. “I usually change her on the bed.” He tilted his head and indicated the single bed in the room. At the end sat a cot, and on the other side of the room a wooden box. I brushed past him, my shoulder touching his chest, so very aware of the contact. Gaze fixed ahead, it didn’t stop me from feeling his on me the whole time.

Placing Libby on her feet on the floor beside the bed, I sat beside her. She held on to the mattress while I remained at her side, one hand on her back—lightly so she wouldn’t squirm away. She bounced on her feet, her knees bending up and down. She then garbled something and latched on to the comforter with her mouth, giving it a good munch. I grinned. “Taste good?” I asked. “Is she teething?” Angling my head, I looked at Davis. He remained in the doorway, an expression I couldn’t read on his face. My stomach tightened. Not being able to know what he was thinking was perplexing. Just as he was brutally honest, his reactions and expressions were usually an open book to his thoughts. Admittedly we didn’t know each other well, but still, right now I was getting nothing other than an intense stare that I had no idea what to do with.

Finding my voice, I asked, “You okay?” I couldn’t just leave it there. There was an uncomfortable need to rush on, figure out what was going on in his head. “Have I overstepped?” Had I? I racked my brain trying to think of what specifically I could have done wrong. “Is something the matter? Do you need me to leav—”

“No.” The smallest of head shakes joined his response. “Just give me a second.”

My brows dipped. “Okay.” I dragged out the word, my hand smoothing over Libby’s back as she continued to move her knees like she was in training for some sort of sport. And I waited. Alternating my gaze between a perturbed—which was now the look present—Davis and an oblivious Libby, I remained quiet.

The moments ticked by, each fraction of a second uncomfortable. I should really just run, do exactly what Tanner expected of me. This sitting here in awkward silence thing was too much; plus my ass was going numb from sitting on the wooden floor.

“I really want to kiss you.”

My heart stopped. A quiet ringing started in my ears. I needed to breathe.

“But I can’t.”

Thud. There it was. My heartbeat punched against my chest, brutally hard.

“But I will.”

Fuck. Me. Dead. That was going to be my mantra around Davis. I could just tell. “Erm, what?” I hoped my voice was strong. There was no way of telling with the blasted ringing still going on.

“You’re not ready yet.” His face was solemn, certainty coloring each word. And then he smiled. “And I don’t think we’re ready for you yet.”

“We” as in him and Libby? Me and him? Hell, I was so damn confused, and hot, and that ringing was still going on.

“No?” While the word wouldn’t clear anything up, monosyllabic was all I could manage.

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