down the wrong path somewhere and if she should turn back and see where she'd lost her way.
"Mr. Pig would miss you." She used her best no-nonsense voice as she tucked him in. "And you wouldn't get to play Duck, Duck, Goose with Peggy and Billy," naming his two favorite friends of the moment. "Now off to sleep." She pressed a kiss to his forehead and slipped out the door.
Matty had stayed in his room several nights in a row this past week. Maya had the distinct feeling tonight would not be one of those nights.
Oh, well. She checked on Constance and got a rundown on the evening's events. Poor Dorothy had apparently put up a valiant front, but she'd been called away on a family emergency, reassured by the so-called adults in the house that everything was under control. Maya couldn't really blame the woman. Cleo and Stephen looked old enough to handle three little kids and a few cats.
"Well, learn from example, love," she warned Constance. "Never swing Alexa in the air after she's had her bottle."
Constance giggled and snuggled beneath the covers. "Aunt Cleo yelled at Mr. James for saying those words. What does 'bugger it all' mean?"
With the whole scene vividly clear in her mind, Maya chuckled. "It means Alexa's daddy was very, very angry. Now go to sleep. I'll take care of the carpet."
By the time she'd checked on Alexa and made certain the other two were settled, Axell had apparently returned from town and rescued the kitten from the drapery rod in the family room.
"I'm thinking tile and throw-away rugs in here," he said in disgruntlement as he surveyed the interestingly stained carpet.
"Don't you mean 'throw' rugs?"
"No, in this case, I mean exactly what I said." He didn't explain but looked down at her instead.
She was still wearing her evening gown, and Maya shivered at the focus of his gaze. Making love in total darkness the first time seemed somehow symbolic. She didn't know if she could do it again, in the light, in a bed. Commitment was not something she understood, but bed and husband seemed irretrievably linked with commitment, and it scared the hell out of her. A condemned building just seemed more her style. She bit back a grin remembering just how completely her dignified husband had lost his cool.
"My bed, or yours?" he asked when she didn't answer his rather pointed silence.
"Matty will come looking for me," she murmured, fretting at a loose thread. "And Alexa wakes in the night. And Constance has nightmares."
"Fine, your room, then," he said confidently, steering her in the right direction. "Matty will have to learn to knock."
Maya gulped. She didn't know why this was so difficult for her. She was a grown woman. Men had slept in her bed before. Not many, admittedly. And none of them had erased all thought of sleep. She didn't know why Axell should be different. He was just a man. An arrogant Virgo. With a strong streak of passionate Scorpio.
The labels didn't help. Her heart still fluttered and her breath did a little raspy number as Axell loomed large and strong beside her bedroom door, waiting for her to enter. Labels didn't make the man.
"We've done this before," he said gravely as she hesitated, but Maya could see the twinkle behind his placid expression. Add impossible to her list of labels.
She swept past his imposing frame. "I want to shower first."
Axell closed the door and propped a chair beneath the knob. "You showered before we left. You can shower later. Right now, everything is quiet. We might not have another chance."
He didn't even look at the chaos that was her bedroom. With his gaze focused totally on her, Axell began unfastening the buttons of his shirt. He'd discarded the fancy jacket and tie before climbing after the kitten.
Maya bit her bottom lip as Axell's spectacular chest emerged from his starched shirt. Tanned, muscled flesh rippled temptingly as he flung the shirt over a chair. Golden brown hair formed an inverted triangle between flat brown nipples. Stephen didn't have chest hair. Heck, compared to this, Stephen didn't have a chest.
"Need help?" he taunted, moving closer.
The muscles of his shoulders bulged. His biceps flexed as he reached for her. Underneath those expensive business suits, he was all animal muscle. Her gaze dropped to below his buckle. All muscle.
"Your turn," he whispered challengingly.
Wits fled, she didn't slip away in time as he closed the distance between them. For the second time