Page 52 of The Stud Next Door (Frisky Business 3)
Connor laughs, a sound that reverberates straight through my core and down to my toes.
You’d think my immense attraction to this man would have, I don’t know, chilled out since we started living together full time six months ago. But these ovaries say, Chilled out? Chilled out, who? So, here I am, still getting hot and bothered when Connor so much as breathes in my direction.
“Well, Wolfie and Pen can decide if it’s worth fixing that when they arrive.” Connor checks his watch, and I just enjoy the sight of him, still amazed that he can make noting the time look sexy. “By the way, did she text you an ETA?”
“Yup,” I murmur, centering a hand on his chest as I lean into his broad frame to kiss him on the cheek. I can’t help myself anymore. Just a taste before date night really gets going. “They should be here any second.”
“Not soon enough.”
He growls, dipping his head down to kiss me hungrily on the neck. My giggles are embarrassingly explosive.
Connor catches my lips in a slow, easy kiss—the kind of kiss I could easily lose hours of my life to. And even though all of my nerve endings are lit up like Christmas lights, the clock is ticking and date night hasn’t even begun yet, so I pull back—but not before kissing him with everything I’ve got.
Without another word, he takes over baby supervision so I can scamper off to the bathroom and put some finishing touches on my makeup.
It’s kind of impressive how we can so easily pass the guardian baton between us now, sharing so many months of caretaking together. Marley isn’t my daughter, but that doesn’t matter. Connor makes sure of it. We’re a family now.
A favorite memory floats to the forefront of my mind. A glowing fireplace and several picture books strewn across my lap . . . Marley asleep in my arms and Connor dozing on my shoulder. It was that moment that I realized I don’t have to be Marley’s mom. I can just be Jessa, because Jessa belongs here.
It helps that Connor has this innate ability to sense when I need a moment to myself. And I certainly appreciate the few extra minutes in front of the mirror. We haven’t gone out on a date in . . . I don’t even want to count the months. Putting a number on it would force far too much pressure on this evening to be perfect. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make it the best night we’ve had in a while.
I’m not a stylist, by any means, but I know my way around some bronzer and a little eyeshadow. And let me tell you—this look? Smoky, warm, and all kinds of sexy. It’s too bad this velvet slip dress will spend most of the night hidden away under a winter jacket . . . but such is early spring in Chicago, I’m learning. It’s not not winter until it’s very suddenly summer.
I’m just about done perfecting my lip liner when a knock echoes down the hall.
“They’re here,” I call, peeking my head out the bathroom door.
“I’ve got it,” Connor calls back.
It occurs to me that we’ve still got all of our holiday decor up, even though we’ve long since entered Valentine’s Day territory. It would be easy to kick myself for not cleaning up before having friends over, but a little voice in my head reminds me that I’m juggling a full-time job with co-parenting a tiny human—who isn’t even a full year old yet, I might add.
I listen to the familiar voices of our friends at the door—Penelope’s excited chirp, Wolfie’s rumbling growl. Part of me wants to just cancel our plans and hang out with them, but we rarely get an opportunity like tonight for just the two of us. And I can’t pass that up.
When I emerge from the bathroom, Penelope has a very pleased Marley propped on her hip.
“Oof, Marley girl. You’re getting heavy.”
“Milk o’clock is her favorite time of the day,” I say with a shrug before pulling Penelope into a side hug and shooting a smile Wolfie’s way, who returns it with a silent nod.
“You look so hot.” Penelope gasps, making a show of looking me up and down before glaring at her brother with an adorable pout. “Hey, why do you always get to go on dates with Jessa? When’s my turn?”
“Always is a strong word.” Connor chuckles, but his voice is strained. Date night has historically come second to parenting, a pattern we’re both guilty of falling into over the winter.
“How’s work, Jessa?”
This earnest question comes from Wolfie, catching me a little off guard.
“Oh. It’s great. We just finished processing a ton of citizenship paperwork, and one of the students I’m tutoring learned how to spell his name and all of his siblings’ names this week. It’s a lot of work, but it’s very fulfilling.”
