Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
They put the baby to bed, then Jaxon pulled Adalyn down the stairs. He needed her in his arms—right that second.
“Addy?” Her gaze lifted to his as he slipped one arm around her waist and eased her closer. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and she bit her lip before giving a single nod. He dipped his head low, brushing his lips across hers in a tantalizingly chaste kiss.
Her arms came up and twined around his neck, pulling him back to her as he started to break away. Happy to oblige her, he dropped another kiss on her plump lips. Her mouth parted, and he ran his hands down her back, brushing his nose along hers.
“We should stop, sweetheart.”
Biting her lip, Adalyn dropped her gaze to the ground, and her arms followed suit, slipping down his chest to rest at her sides. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I—"
“Adalyn.” He infused just enough forcefulness into his tone to demand her attention. Her eyes met his, a startling myriad of emotion in the pewter depths. He could see her need, her desire, and—beneath all that—her uncertainty. He wanted to wipe the slate clean, start fresh.
She beat him to the punch before he could say a word.
“This is just… new for me. And scary, you know? You’ve been such a huge help the last few days, like today, when you watched Jaclyn.
And I love that you’ve been spending all this time with us.
Not that you’re here because of me, I mean, but Jaclyn deserves to have a father in her life, especially someone like you, and it’s been really… great.”
She took a deep breath for the first time, and he pressed his lips together to contain his smile at her rambling. She looked so cute yet so heartbreakingly vulnerable at the same time it stabbed into him like a knife. He wisely kept silent as she bared her soul to him.
“I just don’t know what will happen, and… that worries me.”
He loved that she was concerned for Jaclyn’s welfare first and foremost, but he knew deep down what else she was asking. “I’m here, Adalyn—for both of you—as long as you’ll have me.”
“But—”
Her words abruptly cut off as he cupped her face in one hand. Using his thumb, he pressed up on the underside of her chin, forcing her gaze to his. They locked eyes for a long, heart-stopping moment. Then he kissed her.
Soft and gentle so as not to frighten her, he teased her lips with soft brushes of his skin against hers.
She swooned against him, and he shifted her closer, locking one arm tightly around her waist. Restraint nearly killing him, he tugged gently on her lower lip, waiting for them to part and allow him in.
With a soft sigh, she opened, and he swept his tongue inside, swallowing her shallow breaths.
When he finally lifted his head a minute later, her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed the sweetest pink he’d ever seen. Big gray eyes blinked open and met his. “Are you trying to distract me?”
A tiny smile quirked his mouth. “Maybe.”
Unable to stay away, needing to taste her again, his mouth captured hers once more.
This time, Adalyn threw herself into the kiss, matching him stroke for stroke, her hands curling into his neck as if she never wanted to let go.
She tasted of everything sweet and sexy and an innocence that was purely Adalyn.
Her chest rose on a ragged inhale. “Was that a distraction, too?”
“That”—he kissed her hard—“was a declaration.”
This close, he saw her swallow hard. “A declaration?”
He nodded solemnly. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to be here for you—for Jaclyn.”
Time stood suspended for several long moments as they both remained silent, breathless. Finally, she nodded, a tiny smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “That sounds… perfect.”
An answering grin tugged at his lips, and the hope he’d harbored deep in his heart flowed to the surface. “No. You”—he punctuated each word with a light kiss—“Are. Perfect.”
A pleased smile lit her face even as her cheeks flushed at his compliment. “I’m hardly perfect.”
He slid his thumb over the apple of her cheek. “I disagree. But then, you already know that. I’ve been crazy for you since the moment we met.” He watched her cheeks turn pink in the dim light, and he smiled. “I better get out of here before I do something I’ll regret.”
She peered up at him, her brows drawing slightly together. “Okay.”
Her voice wavered, whisper-soft, and he pulled her into his arms. “I meant what I said, sweetheart. This time I’m going to do it right. I’m going to make you fall for me, Adalyn Vale.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to call her by his name, but he stopped himself just in time. Adalyn Keller. Had a nice ring to it.
A tiny tremor ran through her body, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “We’ll see about that.”
He couldn’t tell if she was teasing or not. He decided it didn’t matter. She might not believe him yet—but she would. He was going to do everything in his power to make his wife fall for him again.
He captured her lips in one last soul-searing, knee-buckling kiss, holding her tight as she swayed into him. He lifted away and stared into lust-filled eyes. He wanted so badly to scoop her into his arms and carry her to bed, but he clamped down on the urge.
He set her away from him, making sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her. “Night, beautiful.”
He forced one foot in front of the other until he was safely outside and could finally breathe again. Adalyn did something to him that he didn’t understand. Whatever it was, he wanted more of it—maybe even a lifetime’s worth.