Landon
The minute Tina is out of the room, I start to worry. What am I going to do if the baby cries? What am I going to do if he needs something? I’m a shifter. I know how to take care of cubs, yeah, but human babies? Those are different.
This whole situation is different.
I should have thought about it before I just came over and bothered her. I really messed up just showing up and asking for an impromptu date. I just didn’t want to call and ask over the phone. I’m not sure why, but it feels impersonal. Texting would be even worse. Part of me is glad I came and asked Tina, but part of me feels bad. I didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable for having a little one around.
Blake makes a noise and instantly, I look at him. He’s just watching me. His hands move and he touches me. I hold him up and he coos at me.
I coo back.
Then I start making silly faces.
Then I start singing him a song.
It’s a song my mother used to sing to me, long ago when I was a little cub. I don’t think I’m even getting half of the words right, but somehow, it seems appropriate to sing to this little guy.
Soon I’m standing, walking around the living room, bouncing him softly as he falls back to sleep. Holding this little miracle is incredible to me. No, he hasn’t had the easiest life so far, and if the drama with his father continues, he’ll have problems as he gets older, but Tina loves him more than anything else in the world. He’s so incredibly lucky to have her as a mom. He couldn’t ask for a better parent.
And then he’s asleep.
I carry him to the bassinet that’s beside the couch. I’m guessing Tina sleeps in the living room with him. Maybe it makes nursing easier at night or maybe she just doesn’t want to sleep upstairs. I’m not sure. It’s a two-story house, so surely, there must be bedrooms upstairs.
Then, as Blake sleeps, I start tidying up the house. It’s probably really weird. I know this. It’s not normal to come over to someone’s house and then clean, but I’m filled with this urge to help Tina as much as I can.
Her house isn’t dirty. It’s just messy. She’s a busy mother, after all. She doesn’t have time to do all of this herself, and you know what? She shouldn’t have to. Tidying up is a really simple thing, and I walk around, cleaning up boxes of baby wipes and putting away glasses and dishes.
By the time Tina comes down from her shower, the pizza has arrived and is sitting on the coffee table, along with a bottle of wine I found in her fridge.
“Landon,” she whispers, looking around the spotless living room. “You cleaned my house.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, but she just comes over and wraps her arms around me.
“Thank you,” she says. “That was really, really nice of you.”
I hug Tina back, happy to have the contact with her. Touching her feels nice, normal. It feels comfortable. I usually avoid touching my clients at all costs. During an emotional, stressful time, it’s easy to make poor decisions and later regret those choices. I do not need a sexual harassment case of my own to deal with, so I keep to myself.
I’m breaking every rule in the book when it comes to Tina, but I can’t bring myself to stop. She’s different, and I wonder if she really is my mate. I wonder if something between us could actually work. I wonder if there’s any chance we could be together.
Before I have a chance to get ahead of myself, she pulls away and sits down on the couch.
“Pizza?” She asks, opening a box, and I grin.
“Of course. It’s why I came here.”
“I thought you came here for my sweet booty,” she wiggles her eyebrows at me.
“I’m not going to lie, Tina,” I look at her seriously because this is a serious moment. “You’re fucking gorgeous. I would love to spend a night making love to you, but that’s not why I asked you out. I want to get to know you, too, on a deeper level than just sex.”
“That sounds like a line.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
“Because I like lines.”
I sit down next to her on the couch and scoot close. She smells amazing. She’s wearing a light pink sundress that brings out her eyes and makes her skin practically glow. Running my hand down her cheek, I bring my lips to hers. Softly, gently, I kiss Tina on the couch.
Then I pull away.
“I just wanted to get that out of the way,” I whisper. “I couldn’t stand waiting another moment to kiss you.”
“Don’t stop,” she says, and kisses me again. She wraps her arms around my neck and brings her mouth to mine. She’s tender, but passionate, and she makes me feel like she wants me, like she needs me.
Mate, my heart screams, but I try to ignore it so I can enjoy the moment. Every time she touches me, I feel like I’m going to explode. Each touch seems more electric than the next. Each touch seems to last an eternity.
And then she pulls away and smiles.
“You’re really something, Mr. Fee,” she whispers.
“Landon.”
“Landon. You’re not really what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Well, most lawyers are stiff and proper, aren’t they?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“And most lawyers don’t make out with their clients.”
“I guess I missed the memo.”
“And most lawyers don’t make me feel like I can fly.”
Her words hang in the air for a long second. I’m just about to kiss her again when a cry from the bassinet breaks into the moment.
“Oh, Blakey,” she whispers, and quickly hops up to get him.
“What can I do to help?” I ask, looking around.
“He’s fine. Just needs a change,” Tina seems to have everything under control. She spreads a blanket on the floor and sits down with Blake to change his diaper. Then she settles onto the couch with him in her arms and looks longingly at the pizza.
“So,” she says. “Pizza?”