When he pulled her close and his erection pressed against her belly, a dizzying myriad of sensual images of the two of them together flashed before her.
As he continued to scatter kisses along her jawline, a shivering, sliding sensation ran down her spine. Her breasts strained against the sweater and she heard herself groan, a low sound of want and need that astonished her with its intensity.
Without warning, Seth released his hold and stepped back. For a second Lauren thought he might kiss her again. Until she lifted her eyes to his face and saw the regret.
Seth took a couple of deep breaths and fought to gain control of his rioting emotions. Lauren’s groan had been a wake-up call. He’d let things get out of control.
Unexpectedly her arms looped around his neck and she inclined her head, resting her forehead against his.
“No regrets, bub,” she said in a soft, low voice that told him she’d managed to read his mind. “I don’t have any and you shouldn’t, either.”
“This shouldn’t have happened.” Seth lifted his head and stared into her emerald eyes. He never lost control. Never.
“It was a kiss.” Lauren smiled softly. “The tension that had been building between us needed an outlet. End of story. Nothing to beat yourself up over.”
She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. “I should go inside. Relieve the babysitter.”
Lauren lifted her coat from the hook by the door. He moved to her side and helped her into it, but he pulled his hands away when they wanted to linger.
“Where do we go from here?” he heard himself asking.
“Back to me being the nanny and you being Ivy’s dad.” Lauren lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “It was simply a kiss. No big deal.”
Seth woke the next morning feeling as if he had a two-thousand-pound bull sitting on his chest. He rolled over and grabbed the inhaler from the bedside stand. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he inhaled two puffs of the medicine.
He ignored the panicky feeling and waited for the medicine to work its magic. After a minute, his lungs opened up and his breath came easily, allowing him to relax and enjoy the sunlight streaming through the window.
It was amazing how much light there was for so early in the day. Seth glanced at the clock. He blinked once. Then blinked again. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept until eleven. It had to have been back in college. Before he had responsibility for the ranch and a child, and now an injured dog.
A dog that was probably wide-awake and ready to be let out of his crate.
Seth pulled on his clothes in record time, but when he reached the stairs, he slowed his pace. He’d learned it didn’t take much exertion to bring on the coughing. By the time he cleared the bottom step, his breath was coming in shallow puffs. He rested with one hand on the banister until he heard voices coming from the back of the house, and he followed the sounds to the kitchen.
He found his daughter seated at the table, a premade pizza crust in front of her, along with bowls heaped with cheese, pepperoni, green peppers and chopped-up mushrooms.
Lauren stood at the counter, studying a jar of pizza sauce. With the sunlight streaming through the window caressing her silvery-blond hair, she looked as close to an angel as he’d ever seen.
“You’re awake,” Ivy called out. “Hooray!”
Seth shifted his focus to his daughter. Was there anything sweeter than a child’s welcoming smile?
“Happy New Year, Seth.” Lauren set aside the sauce and moved to the coffeepot. “One cup of your favorite Colombian blend coming right up.”
“You don’t have to wait on me,” Seth protested.
“You’re still recovering,” Lauren’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You were up late. You deserve a little pampering.”
“The coffee smells wonderful.” Seth inhaled the rich aroma. “Before I do anything, I need to check on the collie.”
“He’s right there, Daddy.” Ivy pointed to the large kennel in a far corner of the kitchen. “Miss Lauren and Mr. Swenson brought him inside.”
“I hope you don’t mind.” Lauren poured the steaming brew into a cup and brought it to him. “It was snowing hard this morning. I thought having him in the house would make it easier for you to monitor him.”
“Thank you, Lauren.” Seth wrapped his hands around the mug and took a sip. He glanced down at the cup. “I bet I’m not the only one who’s thirsty. I need to get him water.”
“We gave him some already.” Ivy grinned. “He drank and drank and drank. He was a thirsty boy. Then we, well, Miss Lauren took him outside so he could do his business.”
Seth smiled at her enthusiasm. The love of animals was something he and Ivy shared.
“Sounds like you took good care of him.” He shifted his gaze to include Lauren. “Thank you.”
Her cheeks pinked in a charming blush, just as they had when he’d kissed her.
“I read to him,” Ivy advised. “He likes Junie B. Jones as much as I do.”
“Ivy is a good little reader,” Lauren told Seth, shooting Ivy a wink. “She’s also a great help. She read to our injured pup while I got the ingredients together for the pizza.”
“We make a good team.” From the way Ivy made the pronouncement, Seth had the feeling she was repeating what Lauren had said to her.
Ivy looked so proud and content that his heart swelled with emotion. It was amazing how much happier his daughter had been since Lauren had come to live with them.
“I told Bailey you’d make sure he healed up real good,” Ivy added.
Seth took
