“That’s not funny, either,” he said into her shoulder.
“Imagine how much worse it would be if we were already upstairs.”
“I can lock the door upstairs.” He eased back and looked down at her. But he wasn’t mad or upset or frustrated like the last time they’d been interrupted. Laughter glinted in his eyes. Laughter that made her chest constrict. “What was I thinking? I should have locked the front door.”
She laughed again, brushed her fingers through the silky hair at his nape. Was this the same man who’d ranted and raged at her only a few days ago? The one who’d looked at her like she was destroying his world? She couldn’t believe the changes in him. She’d done that, she realized. It was because of her the lines around his eyes looked softer now. Because of her, he looked…almost happy.
The realization sent warning signals running through her mind. But before she could overanalyze them, Reed burst into the kitchen. “Mama!”
She eased quickly out of Ryan’s arms, dropped to her knees, and gathered her son in a bear hug.
Ryan moved behind the counter to hide, she knew, what was still a rather large erection. She’d done that too, she thought with a wicked flare of heat in her belly. She glanced over Reed’s head and saw Ryan watching them. And that heart that had only just started to warm to him took one long, hard tumble when she recognized the emotion flooding his mesmerizing blue eyes.
Love. For a son he hadn’t known. For a wife that wasn’t her.
Her stomach pitched. And fear brewed inside at the realization that the fire between them was only physical. She’d never be the woman he remembered. With how fast she was falling for him, she didn’t think she could take it when he realized that for himself.
Julia emerged from the hall, her face full of smiles. When she saw Kate in the kitchen her expression dropped.
Tension seeped into the room, a tension Kate didn’t know how to break. No matter what happened between her and Ryan, she had to be here for her daughter.
Kate slowly pushed to her feet and lifted Reed to sit on her hip. “Good morning, Julia.”
“What is she doing here?” Julia asked, glaring at Ryan.
“She,” Ryan said firmly, “is about to have breakfast. And so are you. Go wash up.”
Julia’s eyes narrowed, and she glanced from her dad to Kate. “I’m not hungry.”
Kate knew what the girl was thinking, and she wasn’t far off base. One look and it was obvious what had been going on. Kate’s hair was likely disheveled, her lipstick smeared. Julia was a smart kid. She’d obviously seen her father with other women before. Unease and guilt and fear tumbled together in Kate’s chest all over again to make drawing air downright painful.
“I don’t really care if you’re hungry or not, missy,” Ryan snapped. “We’re about to eat, so go wash up.”
Kate looked to him, saw the anger in his eyes. And felt the need to defend Julia. But before she could, tears filled the girl’s eyes, and she darted for the stairs.
“Ryan,” Kate said in the quiet that remained. “Don’t be mad at her.”
“I won’t put up with her treating you like—”
“Hi, dear.” Kate’s mother rounded the corner and shot her a beaming smile, oblivious to the tension in the kitchen. Kate’s father followed closely on her heels. “We didn’t expect to see you so early.”
Oh, crap. Her parents. Panic swamped Kate, and she tried to smooth her unruly hair with the arm not holding Reed. “Well, uh…”
She looked to Ryan for help, but he only tipped his head and grinned, as if to say, busted.
Some help he was. Kate scowled his way, then looked back at her mother. Dammit, what was she going to say?
“We have some errands to run this morning,” Ryan said to her parents, rescuing her when she’d thought he’d let her flail in the wind alone. “Any chance you two can watch the kids for us today?”
Roger settled onto a stool at the bar. He reached for a grape from the bowl. “Sure thing. Giants are playing this afternoon. Kids’d love it. You two want to go?”
“I don’t think we’re going to have time,” Ryan said, “but thanks.”
A door slammed upstairs before Kate could wonder too much about what he had planned. She watched as Ryan’s eyes shot to the ceiling and frustration settled over his handsome features.