“But I want to have a sleepover with Ana.” In an instant his daughter—the master of manipulation—wiped the excitement from her features. Tears welled in her eyes, and everything inside him surrendered.
Benning relaxed his chin toward his chest, pulling on the bullet wound in his shoulder. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Uh, yeah. We could do that. It’ll be fun,” Ana said.
He snapped his head up. “What?”
Ana’s attention bounced between him and Olivia as she motioned to his daughter’s unicorn pajamas. “It’s just... I don’t have anything to wear.”
“I have something! It was my mom’s! I’ll go get it.” Olivia raced through the kitchen toward the other side of her house to her room, the tears gone in an instant.
“It’s a sleepshirt I kept of Lilly’s after she died. I thought Olivia might want to wear it when she was big enough. You know, just something she could have of her mom’s.” Benning straightened. What was happening? He was the one who was supposed to be sleeping over with Ana. Not the three of them in the same bed. “But you don’t have to wear it, and you don’t have to let her guilt you into a sleepover. She denies it flat out, but she kicks in the middle of the night. Hard.”
Hesitation tensed her shoulders.
“Benning, I don’t want to insert myself somewhere I shouldn’t. I’m not her mom, and we’re... We’re not together anymore. So if you think this is a bad idea, I can take her twin-size bed or find a hotel room for the night.” Ana swiped her tongue between her lips, homing his attention to her mouth, and every nerve ending he owned fired in response. “But I’m not going to lie, that girl is hard to say no to.”
“I should’ve warned you, she’s a professional manipulator.” He slid his hand into hers. “Lilly and I had an arrangement after we found out she was pregnant with the twins. We would raise our kids together to give them a stable home, love them, provide for them, but that was where our marriage ended. We were open to the possibility that, maybe, down the line there would be more between us, but it didn’t work out that way, and Owen and Olivia have never known their mother. I can’t say I didn’t care for her at all. I did. Without her, I wouldn’t have the two best humans I could’ve asked for, but I need to make one thing clear with you, Ana.” He traced the tendons along her inner wrist, locking his gaze with hers. “I never stopped loving you.”
Her mouth parted, her kiss-stung lips begging for his attention again.
Olivia raced into the room. “I found it!”
What was with this girl having the worst timing imaginable? Did she wait around corners for the chance to ambush him and Ana at every turn? Hell. His body wasn’t going to be able to take this much longer.
“Great.” Pulling her hand from his, Ana took the sleepshirt from his daughter and smiled. Her hand found its way into Olivia’s as they all headed down the hallway toward his bedroom. Ana cast a glance over her shoulder toward him. “Looks like we’re ready for that sleepover.”
Chapter Ten
The sound of utensils scraping against glass plates pulled her back into reality.
Warm blankets had been piled around her, hints of pine and soap tickling her nose, but the rest of Benning’s queen-size bed was empty. She’d fallen asleep at the edge, pressed right against the snoring six-year-old who’d worked past her defenses and straight into her heart. And the man on the other side? She could still feel the warmth of his hand sliding across hers against the headboard as Olivia slept between them. Minutes had gone by, maybe hours, as they’d drifted off to sleep, their gazes connected with one another in the dark, and she couldn’t remember a time when she’d slept so well.
Her entire body ached, muscles she hadn’t even known existed protesting as she slowly eased her legs over the side of the bed. The wound from the pane of glass in her thigh dulled to a low throb as she settled her toes into the plush rug perfectly centered around the bed. The space—Benning’s room—was simple. Wooden nightstands on either side of the bed, with lamps that looked like they’d come straight from the pile of firewood she could see out the window now. Framed pictures of the twins had been strategically placed so he had to see them first thing in the morning, no matter which side of the bed he rolled out of.
Ana couldn’t help but pick up the one nearest her. Of Owen. He must’ve been two—maybe three—when the photo had been taken. He’d lifted his arms straight up in the air as though he’d made a touchdown from his position in the middle of the kitchen. Then she noticed the full-size carrots set on top of each of the cabinet drawer pulls, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Pain rolled across her chest from the second bullet she’d taken, and she set her hand over the bandage. Blood soaked through the gauze, staining the sleepshirt Olivia had let her borrow. She carefully replaced the frame on the nightstand and used her uninjured leg for balance to stand. “Maldicion.”
“One of these days you’re going to have to translate all the swear words you say when you think nobody is listening.” His voice coiled through her, reaching past the aches and pains, deep into the self-doubt and fear that’d plagued her since she’d taken on this case.
“I got blood on Lilly’s shirt.” She faced him, nearly knocked back by the primal attraction heating her veins as she looked at him. He leaned against the door frame, muscled arms crossed over his chest, and for a split
