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.“A unicorn.”“Unicorn,” she said, clearly pleased as she set the creature on the flat of her palm.“But your eggcorn is perfect.” On tiptoes, she kissed his cheek.Reed slipped his hand to the small of her back and turned his head so that lips caught lips.Beneath his palm, her body tensed, but he allowed himself another moment to appreciate her clean, flowery scent and the tender softness of her mouth.When he let her go, she stared up at him as if she’d been dazzled.He grinned, and slipped out the small package from the back pocket of his jeans.“Where are your boys? I brought them a special deck of cards…for magic tricks.”Her head tilted.“Unicorns.Magic cards.Magic potions.You’re kind of charming, do you know that?”Antisocial was more like it, but who was he to argue with a beautiful woman? She wore a full, red skirt that skimmed her knees and was scattered with yellow and blue flowers.A simple blue T-shirt clung to her torso.Tonight, she’d done something different to her hair.The longest of her blonde locks had been twisted into tousled curls.“I love these earrings,” he said, setting one swinging with the touch of his forefinger.It was her macaroni pair.“I…I wear them for good luck,” she admitted.“Then you’re covered, honey, and there’s no reason for your pulse to be pounding so hard,” Reed said, circling her throat with his hand.He stroked the pad of his thumb over the thrumming beat in her neck.“Unless I make you anxious.”“Of course not,” she said, clearly lying.Once more, he stroked his thumb over her soft flesh.Instead of calming her like he’d intended, he couldn’t miss the way her nipples peaked beneath her shirt in reaction.Shit.His cock, half-hard after that nearly chaste kiss, came to instant, full attention.This was dangerous.Dropping his arm, he stepped away.“Obie and Eli?”She’d turned to head toward the kitchen.Now she threw him a quick glance over her shoulder.“Um…they have an overnight.”It took him a minute to process that.They have an overnight.“They’re not here?”Shaking her head, she put the unicorn on a shelf over the kitchen sink.“I hope that’s okay.”“Sure.” Then he had to make sure his hearing was working properly.“They have an overnight you said?”She smiled at him, then crossed to the small TV sitting in an open cabinet on the other side of the room.Local news played on the screen and she muted the volume.“Alexa’s cousin, Jeanette? She invited them to have dinner and stay the night with her boys.”Reed forced himself to keep a distance away from her.Hell.Without the chaperonage of her kids, this could go wrong.With his dick already up and ready to ride, he might scare the hell out of Cleo if he didn’t find a way to keep his cool.“Would you like a beer? Wine?”“Beer would be great,” he said, hoping a frosty bottle in his hand would act as a reminder.She brought it to him, setting it on the small island where he’d taken one of the two stools.As she moved back toward the refrigerator, her hand trailed casually, lightly over his shoulders.His muscles tightened.Then he deliberately forced himself to relax.Think of something to talk about, he ordered himself.Something innocuous and safe.“So…the boys are going to be gone all evening.” Instantly, he wanted to kick himself.Way to find an innocent topic.Way to show her you’re not a maniac obsessing about getting her into bed.She glanced over her shoulder.“If Obie can make it through the night.This will be his very first sleep-away.” Then her gaze shifted from his face to somewhere over his shoulder.Pink color infused her cheeks and her mouth fell open.Reed turned his head to see what had caught her attention.A commercial was playing on her TV, a man and woman floating in the ocean, holding each other close.It could be advertising an online dating service, a tourist destination, or even toothpaste.Now the camera panned close for their kiss and Cleo continued to appear riveted.“What’s caught your interest?” he asked.She started, blinking, then hurried to the refrigerator.“Online courses,” she said, reaching in to bring out a salad.“I’m thinking about going back to school.”Huh.He glanced again at the TV, then returned his attention to her.“To study what?”“I’m not sure.I didn’t go to college.”“Me neither.”Her surprise was evident in her wide eyes that she turned his way.“Really?”“I was never much of a student.”“Ironic, that your stories take place at a school, then.”“Mmm.” Now wasn’t the time to discuss his literary influences.He sucked down some beer so that memories of Oceanview Army-Navy wouldn’t intrude on their evening.“You said you worked at a construction company?”“I did, and enjoyed it.” She set a platter in front of him.Stuffed mushrooms, celery ribs filled with some cheesy goodness, crackers topped with what appeared to be minced olives.He popped one in his mouth.Oh, yeah, minced olives and another ingredient—artichoke hearts?—both delicious and savory.“Good,” he said.“You’re very accomplished, you know.Great cook and baker.Not to mention wrangler of young males.”She slipped something in the oven.Chicken breasts, he guessed.“I learned everything I know about that from the guys in hard hats.”This sounded interesting.“Do tell.”“There are three rules to remember when it comes to managing men.“ Coming closer, she ticked them off with her fingers.“Have plenty of food on hand.Insist they never skip soap and water.Go deaf when the conversation turns to dirty talk.”He frowned.“What kind of things did the hard hats say to you?”“Not to me.” She waved a hand.“In front of me, sometimes.They’d forget I was there, you know? They didn’t see me as a woman.”“Cleo—”“Because I’m a mom.” She had poured herself a glass of wine and she sipped from it now.“You know.”“I certainly don’t.” Was this why she was so nervous when he got close? She’d been fooling herself for so long that men overlooked her that she went jumpy when he made it more than clear he saw her very well indeed.“Cleo…”Six strides and he took her wine glass from her hand to set it aside and then towed her toward the antique armoire sitting in the alcove between the kitchen and the short hall leading to the bedrooms.Stopping in front of the oval mirror, he pulled her back to his chest.“What do you see?” he asked.She met his gaze in the mirror and shrugged.“Uh…me?”A mom, he thought, shaking his head.He slid one arm around her waist and lifted his other hand to her face, where he could trace the arch of her golden, downy brows, then follow the straight line of her nose with a fingertip.“You’ve forgotten how beautiful you are,” he murmured.Her arm closed over the one of his that circled her waist.Not in protest, he decided, but for support.Watching in the mirror, he followed the line of her lips.“How desirable,” he added, his voice low.Her nipples poked at the fabric of her T-shirt again.With the back of his knuckles, Reed followed the side of one swelling breast.She jerked, her ass pushing into his groin.That made her still, because his cock was straining behind his jeans.He ducked his head so his cheek was against hers [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]