Temptation - Brenda Jackson [21]
“Why did you stop by?” she asked.
He glanced back at her. Her eyes looked tired, almost dead on her feet. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. But he thought she looked good. “To check on the two of you. And I figured you probably hadn’t had a chance to cook anything,” he said, deciding not to mention he’d noticed last night she hadn’t had anything to cook.
“So I decided I would be nice and stop and grab something for you,” he said, placing the pizza boxes on the table. He opened one of them.
“Oh, that smells so good. Thank you.”
He chuckled. “I’ve gotten pizza from this place before and it is good. And you’re welcome. Do you want to lay her down while you dig in?”
She looked down at Sunnie and then back at him. “Lay her down?”
“Yes, like in that crib I put together for her last night.”
“But…she’ll be all alone.”
He frowned. “Yes, but I hooked up that baby monitor last night so you could hear her. Haven’t you tried it out?”
“Yes, but I like watching her.”
He nodded slowly. “Why? I can imagine you being fascinated by her since you admitted yesterday that you’ve never kept a baby before, but why the obsession? You’re a nurse. Haven’t you worked in the nursery before?”
“Of course, but this is different. This is my home and Sunnie is in my care. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
He could tell by her tone that she was getting a little defensive, so he decided to back off a bit, table it for later. And there would definitely be a later, because she wouldn’t be much use to Sunnie or anybody if she wore herself out. “Fine, sit down and I’ll go get that extra car seat. You can place her in it while you eat.”
A short while later they were sitting at her kitchen table with Sunnie sitting in the car seat on the floor between them. She was moving her hands to and fro while making sounds. She seemed like such a happy baby. Totally different from the baby that had been screaming up a storm yesterday. Every once in a while she would raise her hazel eyes to stare at them. Mainly at him. It was as if she was trying to figure him out. Determine if he was safe.
Zeke glanced over at Sheila. She had eaten a couple slices of pizza along with the bag salad he’d bought. Every so often she would yawn, apologize and then yawn again. She needed to get some sleep; otherwise, she would fall on her face at any minute.
“Thanks for the pizza, Zeke. Not only are you nice, but you’re thoughtful.”
He leaned back in his chair. “You’re welcome.” He paused for a moment. “I got a folder with stuff out there in my car that I need to go over. I can do it here just as well as anywhere else.”
Her forehead furrowed as if confused. “But why would you want to?”
He smiled. “That way I can watch Sunnie.”
She still looked confused.
“Look, Sheila. It’s obvious that you’re tired. Probably ready to pass out. You can go upstairs and take a nap while I keep an eye on the baby.”
“But why would you want to do something like that?”
He chuckled. She asked a lot of questions. Unfortunately for him they were questions he truly couldn’t answer. Why had he made such an offer? He really wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he liked being around her and wasn’t ready to leave yet.
When he didn’t give her an answer quick enough, she narrowed her gaze. “You think I can’t handle things, don’t you? You think I’ve taken on more than I can chew by agreeing to be Sunnie’s temporary foster parent. You think—”
Before she could finish her next words, he was out of the chair, had eased around the baby and had pulled Sheila into his arms. “Right now I think you’re talking too damn much.” And then he kissed her.
For some reason he needed to do this, he thought as his mouth took possession of hers. And the instant their mouths touched, he felt energized in a way he’d never felt before. Sexually energized. His tongue slid between her parted lips and immediately began tangling with hers. What was there about kissing her that was so mind-blowing, so arousing, so threatening to his senses?