Feisty Firefighters Bundle

different? He got the same feeling of responsibility for their health and happiness, the same fierce desire to protect them. Even the disreputable canine currently sprawled over his feet elicited an echo of that feeling. They had all become a family and Jason was learning the hard way that a family was a valuable asset rather than the liability he’d always feared.

A squeak from Megan interrupted the spiral of thoughts Jason had spent the night revisiting.

‘You do need breakfast, don’t you?’ Jason eased his foot out from under Oscar’s rump. ‘And clean pants.’ Pins and needles assaulted his foot as it made contact with the floor. ‘Come on, then, guys.’

It was still dark but the dawn chorus of birdsong could be heard starting up. Jason flicked on a lamp and moved quietly in the dim light as he prepared a bottle, the weight of the baby on one arm a now familiar and easy burden to cope with. It was a little harder to test the temperature of the milk one-handed so Jason waited until he was settled onto one end of the couch.

‘Sh…sh…sh,’ he soothed Megan, whose cries rose demandingly when she caught sight of the bottle as he sprinkled milk on his wrist. ‘OK, it’s just right. Here you go, sweetheart.’

Megan sucked hungrily, making a contented grunting sound at the same time. Jason watched, letting himself relax for the first time in hours and simply enjoying the moment instead of agonising over the complications his life now contained. Things would sort themselves out somehow.

They had to.

Oscar raised his head from Jason’s foot a minute or two later, floppy black ears pricked forward and the faint rumble of a growl coming from deep within the shaggy chest. Glancing up, Jason felt a rush of adrenalin tightening his muscles and wiping out any sense of relaxation.

‘Hi.’ Shelley was wearing a tiny singlet top with shoestring straps that left her belly and half her breasts exposed. The silk boxer shorts that sat low on her hips did nothing to conceal long, tanned legs. ‘Can I help?’

‘We’re fine, thanks.’ Jason had to clear his throat. There was no denying that Shelley was an extremely attractive young woman. It was all too easy to remember exactly what had led to their fateful night together. It had probably been all too easy for Laura to understand as well, Jason realised. He could only hope that Laura didn’t think he was still attracted, at least on anything more than an ‘enjoying the eye candy’ basis.

‘It’s very early.’ Jason turned his gaze back to the infant he was holding. ‘Why don’t you go back to bed for a while?’

Shelley said nothing and Jason felt the air in the room stir as she moved towards him. With fluid grace, she sat down and then curled her legs up beneath her on the other side of the couch. He looked up to see her head tilted provocatively to one side.

‘I will if you come with me.’

Jason swallowed hard. He could think of a great many men who would kill to be in his position right now, but it was totally wasted on him. He shouldn’t have offered Shelley a place to stay, but then he’d thought at the time that Laura would be here as well. He’d only offered because he hadn’t wanted to antagonise Shelley. They had things to sort out and Jason wanted that sorting out to be to his advantage. Their advantage. His and Laura’s.

Thanks to Laura’s defection, he was now going to have to avoid antagonising Shelley on a much more delicate issue. What was to stop her taking Megan and simply disappearing? Jason could imagine with how little urgency any authorities would view tracking down a child he hadn’t known even existed until a month ago and who was now back with its birth mother. Jason’s hold on Megan tightened imperceptibly. He was going to have to make sure that he kept both Megan and Shelley in sight at all times, so it probably was a good thing that she’d wanted to stay.

‘Well?’ Shelley ran the tip of her tongue across her upper lip. ‘What do you say, Jason? For old times’ sake, maybe?’

‘I don’t think that would be a good idea, Shelley.’ It was hard to believe he was looking at the same woman who had been overwhelmed by grief for her twin sister only hours ago. There was no hint of any lingering distress now.

‘I do.’ Shelley uncurled her legs and suddenly she was kneeling beside him on the couch. She pushed her fingers into his tousled hair and her lips tickled his ear as she spoke very softly. ‘I think it would be a lovely idea.’

The touch of her tongue in his ear was too much. Jason stood up. ‘Megan’s finished her milk,’ he said hurriedly. ‘She needs burping.’

Shelley sprawled on the couch, gazing up at him. The faint narrowing of her eyes faded and she smiled. ‘You want me, Jason. You know you do.’

Jason shook his head. ‘I’m in a relationship now,’ he told her. ‘One that means a lot. I’m not going to cheat on Laura.’

The snort from Shelley was contemptuous. ‘What’s she got that I couldn’t give you, Jason?’ She sat up. ‘More importantly, what have I got to give you that she hasn’t?’

Jason said nothing. He rubbed Megan’s back and felt like he was soothing himself as well as the baby. The burp she produced would have made Stick proud, and Jason smiled lopsidedly as he saw Shelley roll her lovely blue eyes with disgust. So much for all her protestations in front of Laura about how much she loved and had missed Megan.

‘You’re not really into babies, are you, Shelley?’

‘She was an unexpected little gift,’ Shelley said smoothly. ‘But I love her far too much to part with her now.’

‘Why did you decide to go through with the pregnancy?’ Jason asked bluntly.

Shelley licked her lips but it was a far from sensual action. It looked more like nervousness. ‘I…um…I didn’t realise until it was too late.’

‘So you didn’t want a baby, then.’

‘Of course not. I’m only twenty, Jason. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me.’

‘Of course you have.’ Jason was quite happy to sound sympathetic again. ‘It’s far too young to be tied into parenthood.’

Shelley nodded. ‘It’s not that I don’t love Megan,’ she added.

‘She’s a lovable baby all right,’ Jason agreed.

‘So you want to keep her?’

‘Yes.’ A simple word. Why did it have the effect of making Jason’s heart skip and a prickle of perspiration break out down the length of his spine?

‘You can keep her,’ Shelley said softly. ‘She can be yours, Jason.’

‘In return for?’

‘Marrying me.’

‘What?’ Jason stared at Shelley. ‘Are you crazy?’

‘No.’ Shelley shook her hair back from her face and her expression hardened. ‘Look, you don’t have to sleep with me if you don’t want to. Though I’m sure that’s only a matter of time.’ Her gaze flicked up and down the length of Jason’s body. ‘I’ve no objections.’

Jason wished he was wearing more than his pyjama bottoms. He also vowed never to look at a woman again in a way that could be construed as sizing up their potential performance in bed. It didn’t feel like he was being appreciated. It was downright degrading, but he managed to keep the ‘in your dreams’ comment silent.

‘You’ll have to live with me, though,’ Shelley said calmly. ‘And make it look like more than a marriage in name only. And it’ll have to last long enough for me to get my permanent resident’s status. That will take a year or so after you agree to sponsor me and make an application to the immigration department.’

‘You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you?’

‘I know what I want.’ Shelley stood up and walked towards the door. ‘And I intend to get it. I’m sure that fat girlfriend of yours will understand. She can live with us too, if she wants. We could use a nanny.’

She turned as she reached the door. ‘The alternative is that I take Megan back to England and you never see either of us ever again. I might have her adopted, and it will probably be at least twenty years before you manage to track her down. Your choice, Jason. Have a think about it. I’m going back to bed.’

‘I don’t know what to do.’