over his. “It was our pleasure.” Her lips curved into a smile, and to his surprise, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you for seeing the real Jake.”
“I truly enjoyed the day. Thank you for your hospitality.”
She sighed. “God, I could listen to you all night.”
He chuckled, and they got in the car and drove away. The ride took almost an hour due to traffic and an accident, and it was after nine when they stopped in front of Jake’s building.
Sergie turned around. “Oh, sorry, Jake. I thought the gentleman was coming back to your place. Do you want me to keep going?”
Jake met Shea’s eyes over his daughter. “No, it’s okay.”
“You’re gonna need a hand, anyway. Lemme help you take everythin’ upstairs. You carry Stacey, and I’ll grab the dog and the bags.” Melissa had given Jake some of the leftover food, plus an extra peach cobbler she just “happened to bake.”
Already carrying Stacey over his shoulder, Jake stopped to allow the doorman to assist him, and Shea felt foolish. Of course Jake would live in a building with someone to help.
“I’d like it if you came upstairs with me. If you want to, of course.”
Shea’s heart galloped as if he were riding Rambo at top speed. “Okay, right behind you.”
They didn’t speak on the elevator ride, and Jake left him in the living room while he put Stacey to bed. Having foresight, Jake had brought Stacey’s pajamas with him, and Melissa had given her a bath. And being tired out as she was from the long day, she didn’t even wake during the ride home. The dog too, drank some water and followed Jake into Stacey’s room.
When Jake came out, his face was as bright as the morning sky. “She held me around the neck. As if she wanted to maybe hug or kiss me. She hasn’t done that in almost two years.”
Shea crossed the room in three long strides and grabbed Jake. “That’s like a miracle, then. The perfect ending to a perfect day.”
“Yeah.” Jake held his face. “Stay with me? We can make it a perfect night.”
Chapter Twelve
It had taken him so long to get to this point, to even contemplate bringing another man into his life, and even more importantly, into his daughter’s world. And now, in the span of two days, Jake not only brought Shea into his apartment, but wanted him to stay the night. Asking him to stay was an extension of the perfect days they’d spent together. Was it quick? Maybe, but there was something so natural about being together—the three of them—that Jake didn’t see asking Shea as a risk.
And from the expression on Shea’s face, he was as surprised as Jake by the sudden turn of events. He licked his lips, adorably nervous, and Jake, who’d wanted to kiss him all day but didn’t because either Stacey or his friends were around, swooped in for the kill.
“Please?”
He pressed his lips to Shea’s, tasting both the slight bitterness of the beer he’d drunk and the sweet flavor of Shea’s tongue. Shea dropped the two bags, and when he wrapped his arms around Jake, that strength gave him comfort that he’d made the right choice. He needed Shea tonight.
“Will you? Stay with me?”
Their cheeks rubbed together, creating a delicious friction that sent tingles through Jake. Hell, everything Shea did lit him up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
“Are we takin’ steps here?” Shea’s voice rumbled through him.
Jake traced his fingers along Shea’s jaw. “More like a leap of faith. If I sent you home, I’d regret it, and I’ve spent too long living under the shadow of all my regrets.”
Shea caught his fingers, the roughness of his skin sending shivers of longing through Jake. “As long as you’re sure.” He kissed Jake’s fingertips and almost swooned.
“I don’t say things I don’t mean, cowboy.” Jake brushed their lips together. “Right now, I’ve never been more sure of anything than getting you naked and in my bed.”
“Well far be it from me to keep a man waiting.”
Jake picked up the bag of food. “Let’s put this in the fridge, in case we get hungry in the middle of the night.” He left Shea waiting, only to turn around and be pinned against the countertop.
“Darlin’, the only thing I’m hungry for is you.” Shea nuzzled him and kissed under his chin, trailing hot, wet kisses down his neck. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you all day, and getting to spend the