Page 23 of Protected By the Single Dad Sheriff

"Shh, Sophie! You're gonna wake them up!"

I freeze. I’m naked beneath the sheets! Jake stirs behind me, his body tensing as he registers his daughters' presence in the doorway.

"Daddy slept with the princess!" Sophie announces delightedly.

My cheeks burn with mortification. I wait for Jake to panic, to usher the girls out with stern words about privacy and boundaries. Instead, to my surprise, he chuckles, his arm tightening briefly around me before he sits up, keeping the sheets carefully in place.

"Good morning, troublemakers," he says, voice rough with sleep but warm with affection. "What happened to knocking?"

"We did knock," Emma insists. "But you didn't answer, and we're hungry."

"And I wanted to show Miss Isabella my new drawing," Sophie adds.

Jake runs a hand through his disheveled hair, looking impossibly handsome in the morning light.

"Tell you what. You two go downstairs and get the cereal boxes out. I'll be down in five minutes to make breakfast."

"Can Miss Isabella have breakfast with us too?" Sophie asks hopefully.

Jake glances at me, eyebrows raised in silent question.

"I'd love to," I tell her, clutching the sheet to my chest.

The girls beam in unison, then turn to leave, Sophie's voice drifting back as they head down the hallway: "I told you they're in love like Princess Ella and Prince Charming!"

"They just met yesterday, dummy," Emma responds, though she sounds pleased by the prospect.

"So? Cinderella just met her prince too!"

Their bickering fades as they descend the stairs, leaving Jake and me in stunned silence.

"I am so sorry," he says finally, turning to face me. "They don't understand... I mean, they're just excited that—"

I silence him with a kiss, morning breath be damned.

"It's okay," I assure him when we part. "They're children. They see the world in simple terms."

"Still." He looks genuinely concerned. "I don't want them getting attached if..." He trails off, not completing the thought.

"If I'm going to leave?" I finish for him.

He nods, vulnerability plain on his face.

"I understand," I tell him. "And I would never want to hurt them. But Jake, I meant what I said last night. I'd like to stay in Cedar Falls."

"I'd like that too." He glances at the clock on the nightstand. "I should get downstairs before they decide to cook something themselves. Last time Sophie tried to make pancakes, we almost had to call the fire department."

I laugh, then squeal in surprise as he suddenly rolls on top of me, pinning me to the mattress. "But first," he murmurs, lips brushing mine, "good morning."

Morning responsibilities are momentarily forgotten as his hand slides beneath the sheets, finding me already wet and receptive. I arch into his touch, desire rekindling instantly.

"We don't have time," I protest weakly, even as my body responds to his touches.

"Five minutes," he counters, sliding down my body. "I can do a lot in five minutes."

He proves this assertion thoroughly, reducing me to a quivering mess in considerably less time than promised. When I reach for him afterward, eager to reciprocate, he catches my hand and brings it to his lips.

"Later," he promises, eyes dark with unfulfilled desire. "When we don't have an audience waiting downstairs."

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