To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,72
the floor and jerking them on commando. He jogged out to his truck and grabbed a bag of kitten food. Stepping into the camper, he noted the kittens were already exploring while Frodo lay on the floor, allowing them to clamber over him.
Samantha took the food from him and placed some in a saucer. “I love them so much. It’s the hardest thing about being a vet—I want to keep all the animals!” Looking up, she asked, “What did you name them?”
He hesitated, a slight grin hitting his face. Scrubbing his hand over his hair, pulling it away from his forehead, he held her gaze. “The girl is Merry, and the boy is Pip.”
She gasped, eyes wide. “You named them from The Lord of the Rings?” He nodded, hoping she didn’t mind. She jumped up, startling the kittens as she launched at him, throwing her arms around him. “Oh, I love it!”
Samantha woke slowly. Her mind was still sleep-groggy, but she was instantly struck with the heavy warmth that surrounded her. It only took a second to realize a very masculine and muscular thigh was between hers and arms curved around her torso. Twisting her head slightly, she watched Joseph sleep. He’d wrapped her up in his body and the sheets when they’d fallen asleep. He looked younger, his face relaxed in slumber. Her fingers itched to smooth over the tiny lines emanating from his eyes, but she didn’t want to wake him.
When he’d arrived the previous evening, she’d been shocked to see him climb down from a new SUV. She’d been equally shocked to see him with the kittens. Pip and Merry. Her lips curved as she remembered the blush tinge his face when she realized the significance of their names.
They’d made love again before drifting off to sleep. Now, the early morning light interrupted the dreams of the night before, and she wondered about everything he’d told her. The desire to make Baytown his home. Putting down roots. No longer roaming. But can I trust him with my heart? She winced at the thought. I do trust him. But if the urge to roam hits him again, will I become as temporary as everything else in his past? She knew life held no guarantees but hated the doubts that crowded in. The sounds of mewling cut into her thoughts and she shifted to slide out of the bed.
Joseph’s arms tightened around her as his eyes blinked open. His lips curved as he pulled her closer. “Been dreaming of this.”
“Dreaming of what?”
“Dreaming of waking up with you, tangled in the sheets.” He kissed her and she melted into him.
The desire to stay in bed was strong, letting the warmth between them spark into a flame, but the sounds of tiny meows increased, mixed with Frodo’s snuffling. “As much as I would love to keep doing exactly what we’re doing now, the animals are calling.” Since she was closest to the edge of the bed, she slipped out first. She grabbed her clothes and hurried into the bathroom. By the time she stepped into the main room of the camper, Joseph was already placing food down for the kittens. The sight caused her feet to stutter to a halt, seeing him standing shirtless, the top button of his jeans undone, and his hair tousled from sleep. And my hands running through it.
Forcing her attention away so she wouldn’t want to drag him back to bed, she glanced to see the front door was open, and Frodo had disappeared.
“I told him not to go far. I’ll go check on him in a minute,” Joseph said.
Grinning, she shook her head. “I’ll do that.” She stepped out into the fresh air, spying Frodo as he bounded around, taking care of his business, and with nose to the ground, checking out the critters who’d passed by during the night. She started to put him in his pen, but he headed back into the camper, immediately going over to the kittens. She stepped into the camper behind him and laughed. “I think he’s decided that babysitting Pip and Merry is his favorite job.”
They soon sat down to coffee and bowls of cereal. She held up the bowl and slurped the milk. Setting it back on the table, she noticed his eyes on her. Ducking her head, she blushed. “Sorry… I guess my table manners are lacking considering I share my space with Frodo.”
He stood and leaned over the table, barely giving her a chance to