For the Love of Ivy - Cindy Kirk Page 0,42

tossed it into the waste can. “You need your sleep.”

“What about you?” For a second concern replaced desire. “You’re still recovering from the—”

Without warning he stepped close and pressed a finger against her lips. “I’ll be fine.”

Her heart fluttered in her chest like a trapped butterfly. Though his hand dropped back to his side, his gaze remained focused on her.

Seth had long ago discarded his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Stubble covered his cheeks and signs of fatigue edged his eyes. In her mind he’d never looked sexier. The fact that he would stop and care for an injured animal with such compassion only added to his appeal.

Ignoring the red flags popping up in her head, Lauren took a step forward and placed the flat of her hand against his chest. She could feel the solid thud of his heartbeat beneath her palm, the heat of his skin through the fabric of his shirt. So she was playing with fire. Send her to hell. The desire that flared in Seth’s eyes told her louder than any words that she wouldn’t be heading there alone.

It was that realization that gave Lauren the confidence she needed to slide her hands up his back and twine them together behind his neck. He was now so close she could see the flecks of gold in his smoldering eyes. He smelled of soap and an infinitely warm male scent that made something tighten low in her abdomen.

Before she could make another move, a tinny version of “Auld Lang Syne” filled the air.

“What is that?” Seth’s gaze never strayed from hers.

“I set the alarm on my phone for midnight.” Her pulse seemed to stall, then thump like a bass drum. “Happy New Year, Seth.”

“Happy New Year, Lauren.” He didn’t smile, but simply stood there looking at her, his eyes shadowed and unreadable.

She wasn’t sure who broke the stalemate. She wasn’t sure it mattered. All she knew was that his lips were finally, blessedly, locked with hers.

Lauren couldn’t remember ever having been kissed quite like this before. It started out slowly but changed the moment Seth’s tongue swept across her lips. Her hands dropped from his neck and she curled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt. Everything faded except the need to feel more of him, taste more of him, touch more of him.

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,