Sarah

It’s almost ten o’clock in the morning by the time Millie and I get home from the hospital. Her fever’s gone, but she’s sound asleep, not even waking as I took her from the taxi to the bed. After tucking her in, I slide into the shower, making it quick in case she wakes up.

A cold—that was the official diagnosis. As I’d suspected, the doctor had told me that the cold was a common virus. He’d said that unless her fever lasted more than a consecutive two days, or she seemed delirious with her fever, it was just her body’s way of fighting off the bug.

As the hot water splashes over me, I find my mind desperate for a distraction. I allow my mind to wander back to last night when I ran into Bosco. Who was that girl with him? Does he have a girlfriend I don’t know about?

For the first time, it dawns on me that we’ve never really talked about him. These last few years, Bosco comes and goes from this house, always keeping a finger on the pulse of what’s going on with me and Millie, but I’ve never done the same with him. I know where he lives and how to get in touch with him, but beyond that, our conversations have always revolved around us girls.

I don’t know about his family, or if he even has one. I know nothing about his past or his dreams for the future. Since losing Mouse, Bosco has always just kind of been there in the wings, waiting to swoop in and save us from anything and everything he can.

As I step out of the shower and dry myself off, I think of the girl and the way her fingers had dug into his arm. The familiarity she’d seemed to have with him ate at me. My reaction to seeing them had thrown me for a loop too. I’d wanted to rip that bitch’s hair out. Since when did I feel possessive over him?

Since you saw him with another woman glued to his arm.

Huffing out a breath, I flip my head forward and wrap a towel around my hair, turban style. Bosco’s love life is none of my damn business. Marching out of the bathroom, I ignore the burning jealousy in my chest at the thought of Bosco having a love life at all.

I’m walking back to my bedroom wearing nothing but a towel when the doorbell rings. A quick peek in the bed shows me that Millie’s still sound asleep. Snatching up my robe from the hook in my closet, I rush down the stairs to get the door before whoever it is wakes her up.

Shoving my arms into my robe, I struggle to tie up the silky sash as I run down the stairs. At the bottom, I fumble with the deadbolt and yank the door open. Bosco stands on the other side, a tray with two cups of coffee and a smoothie in his hand.

His eyes land on my towel-turban hair and his lips tip up on one side. Thrusting the tray toward me, he says, “Mornin’, sunshine.”

A man after my own heart. The smell of hot coffee wafts around me in a beautiful caffeine cloud as I take the drinks from him and step aside. “Not that I’m complaining, but how did you know I was even here?”

Bosco chuckles as he follows me inside. “I’m fine, thank you for asking.”

I flip the tab open on one of the coffees and place the steaming cup to my lips. Heaven. Lifting my gaze to Bosco’s smiling face, my belly does a little dip. I’ve always thought Bosco was hot; there’s no denying that.

His dark hair is always effortlessly messy, giving off the vibe that he doesn’t give a shit how he looks one way or the other, but I know it’s because he runs his fingers through it when he’s thinking. His brown eyes are deep and caring, and his lips...God, his lips. His lips are masculine and full, and perfect.

At just over six feet tall, his body is long and lean. His chest and shoulders are broad, and his arms are thick with corded muscle. He works out often and it shows. My eyes drop to his narrow waist, and for the first time, I wonder what he looks like under that shirt.

“Did you just check me out?”

Gasping, I lift my gaze to his amused grin, feeling the heat of my embarrassment in my ears as they turn to what I’m sure is a very deep red. “W-What?” I stutter, my voice barely more than a squeak. “No. I was just...”

“Checking me out,” he says with a laugh. I swallow hard, my chest feeling like it’s about to cave in on itself. But Bosco, always the one to look out for me, changes the subject. “I went to the shoe store. They said Millie was sick.”

I sigh, my heartbeat slowing. “Yeah, um...” Jesus. “She had another high fever last night, and she’s still sleeping.”

Bosco’s brows come together in a worried frown, all traces of his innocent teasing gone. “Is she okay?”

“So they say,” I mumble, my own worry bubbling back up to the surface. “We just got back from the hospital a little while ago. They said it was a cold virus that needed time to run its course.”

Just then, Millie’s voice drifts down the stairs. “Momma?”

I turn and look toward the sound and smile. “Speak of the devil.”

As I start toward her, Bosco places his hand on my arm. “Let me. I miss the little squirt.”

Bosco

Scooping Millie up into my arms, I press a kiss against her soft cheek. “Hey there, sleepyhead. Momma says you’re sick. You feeling any better?”

Millie’s only response is to poke her thumb into her mouth and lay her head against my shoulder. As much as I could get used to her being so affectionate, worry fills me as I walk down the stairs toward the kitchen. Millie has always been a busy kid. She was only nine months old when she started walking, and she’s been stringing sentences together since she was just over a year. She keeps her mother busy, and I’ve spent many days chasing her around the park down the street.

In the kitchen, I pick up the small smoothie I’d bought at the coffee shop and hold it up to her mouth. “Thirsty, kiddo? I got you a treat.”

As Millie lifts her head and takes the cup from my hand, I look to Sarah. “She’s not herself.”

Sarah’s arms wind around herself as she watches her daughter slurp down her frozen drink. “I know. Part of me thinks I’m overreacting, but the other part thinks something’s not right.”

“If your gut’s telling you something, babe, listen to it.”

Millie squirms in my arms. “Can I play?”

Her innocent question is like magic, washing away the cloud of tension in the room. “Yeah, Tink,” I say with a smile, pressing her tiny hand to my heart. “But drink your smoothie, okay? It’s got some good stuff in it that’ll make you feel better.”

“Otay,” she concedes, and then she’s gone, off to the living room and her giant collection of toys.

I watch her go, and then turn to Sarah, the smile still on my face. “Well, I guess she’s not feeling so bad she can’t play.”

Sarah grins back, and I can’t stop myself from looking down any longer. Since the second she opened that door, I’d been fighting the urge to check her out in that tiny silk robe. It falls just below her ass, and if the hair in the towel thing is anything to go by, I know she’s butt ass naked under there.

I drag my eyes away from her slender legs and freeze. The front of the robe is gaping open, and the swell of her breasts are there in front of me, begging me to touch them. “Babe,” I say softly. “I’m gonna need ya to go put some clothes on.”

Sarah’s eyes go round and her cheeks flame as she gasps and looks down at what she’s displaying. “Oh, God.” Her hands come up and she grasps the material together. As she rushes by me, I reach out and take her arm, stopping her as she passes.

Every ounce of oxygen leaves my lungs as her eyes come up to meet mine from beneath her long dark lashes. My gaze drops to her parted lips, and the urge to lean down and press my mouth against hers almost consumes me.

Slowly, I lower my head, her warm breath mingling with my own. I can’t breathe. For so long, I’ve wanted to taste this woman, and for the first time, I can see a similar need for me in her own eyes. Just as my lips graze hers, a tiny voice comes from just behind us.

“Momma,” Millie says, and we both freeze. “Why you smooching Osco?”

In a flash, Sarah has pulled from my grasp and is across the room, her hand once again scrunching the front of her robe together. “I’m not, baby,” she says, a nervous laugh accompanying her white lie. “Would you like a snack?”

Millie marches right past me, her stuffed elephant dragging on the floor. “Crackers. EllieBoo wants crackers.”

I stand, still frozen, and watch as Sarah turns and digs through the cupboard until she finds what she’s looking for. As if she’s pulled the fabled sword from the stone, she holds the box over her head and gives Millie an exaggerated smile. “Well, EllieBoo’s in luck!” She reaches into the cupboard again and I swallow as the hem of her robe climbs dangerously high, the barest hint of the curve of her ass starting to show. She pulls out a small bowl and dumps the crackers into it, then hands them to Millie.

“Okay, Momma’s gonna go get dressed now. You take care of Bosco for me.”

She scurries out of the room, her eyes not meeting mine, and then she’s gone. I look down at Millie and she’s smiling. “Come on, Osco. Let’s play zoo!”

With one last glance up the stairs, where her mother had made a fast getaway, I chuckle at the little girl. Then I follow her into the living room and play zoo.