Old enough to hurt, too young to comprehend. Her heart broke for the little boy who’d lost his mother and to this day probably didn’t understand why. She doubted even an adult could understand that kind of desertion. Many people prayed for the gift of bearing a child. This woman had thrown that away. “What happened?”
“She wanted more of some things, fewer of others.”
Chelsie’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“More expensive trinkets. More money. More men.” His bitter, harsh laugh told her what he thought of that. “And fewer responsibilities. Fewer children, to be exact.”
If Griff was cynical, she now had an inkling why. “Why are you telling me this now?” Even as she asked, she feared she already knew.
Did he regret their change of status? Perhaps he’d decided the woman who’d sued him for custody at the behest of her wealthy parents was not to be trusted. Maybe he realized he’d had a lapse in judgment, but no more.
If so, she’d let him out gracefully, no matter how much it hurt. She’d had more than her own share of doubts about the partnership. In this case, grasping what little life offered might turn out to be a huge mistake. She braced herself for his excuses, promised herself she wouldn’t react, and mentally calculated whether she could get her office back from the tenant she had sublet it to.
“Today’s Jared’s birthday.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been prepared for the admission. Without thinking, she walked over and took his hand, hoping to convey her feelings and her strength. “I’m sorry. You should have told me. We could have done this another time.”
He shrugged. “It’ll keep my mind off things,” he said in a gruff voice.
He didn’t want her gone. Relief warred with hurt over his pain, but she’d give him the distraction he desired. “Okay, then. Let’s get started.”
She headed for the first box, but he didn’t release his grasp and she found herself pulled against him. His arms came around her waist and she sucked in a deep breath of air. She tilted her head backwards to look at him.
Raw emotion etched his features. In his eyes, she saw pain so deep only someone who had been there could comprehend. But she also saw something more, something his body wouldn’t let her mistake. He held her flush against him, his erection pressing intimately against her.
“Griff. We have to work together. This is a mistake.”
He loosened his hold on her waist. “Then walk away.”
She ought to. He didn’t need her. He needed someone, anyone to chase away the pain and help him get through this day. She could be here for him now and he’d still leave her when he discovered the truth. So, go. But her feet wouldn’t move.
Her hand raised, seemingly of its own free will, to trace the tiny scar at the corner of his left eye. Once she touched him, it became too late to turn back.
His lips brushed hers. Without warning, he groaned and deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her eager mouth. When he pulled her waist against him, she backed into the wall. The movement anchored her, enabling her pelvis to rock in synchronization with the expert movement of his tongue.
She thought she heard herself whimper under the assault. If he ground himself against her again, she might do just that. He pried her shirt loose from her jeans and ran his hands along her midriff. His thumbs brushed her ni**les, causing them to harden into tight peaks.
And then she heard it again. The small whimper that could have easily come from her, but hadn’t “Griff,” she murmured against his lips.
He groaned in protest. “Don’t stop now.” But he raised his head to gaze at her.
“Alix, I think,” she said, glancing in the direction of the sound.
The slight whimper turned into an angry cry.
“Oh, hell.” Griff ran his fingers through his hair, looking about as pleased with the interruption as she felt.
“Mrs. Baxter…”
“Has taken a week off to be with her son. I told her I could handle it.”
When her mind began to function, she might be grateful for the intrusion. Right now, all she noticed was a keen sense of frustration, a sensation as alien to her as desire.
“I’ll go,” she offered.
“No,” he said brusquely, taking two steps back. “You start working up here. I’ve got it.”
She nodded. Her tongue swiped over her lips. She still tasted Griff. Hugging herself, she watched as he bounded down the stairs two at a time. His reluctance to end the kiss had resulted in his eagerness to get away.
She turned to unpack, ignoring her still throbbing body. She reached for another book. Griff shouted so loud she would have heard him yell without the monitor. She vaulted down the stairs and dashed towards Alix’s bedroom.
“What is it?” Only grabbing onto the molding on the door frame slowed her run.
His eyes met hers. “She’s burning up. Should we give her aspirin?”
“No!”
Griff looked startled at her sharp tone.
“Never give a child aspirin,” she said in a calmer voice. Chelsie leaned over the crib where the little girl lay shaking and shivering, and pressed her hand against the child’s forehead. Her skin felt hot as an iron. Glancing over her shoulder, Chelsie saw Griff pacing behind her. “Call her doctor and ask him whether we should meet him at his office or the hospital.”
He bolted out of the room. Chelsie quickly stripped off the child’s clothes and lifted Alix into her arms. “It’ll be okay, sweety,” Chelsie crooned in her ear during the short walk down the hall to the bathroom. “I’m here, and Uncle Griff’s here. We’ll take good care of you, I promise.”
Alix whimpered and tried to thrash around, but Chelsie held her fast.
While waiting for Griff to return, she held Alix over one shoulder and reached for the still damp bath towel with the other. After laying the towel in the sink, she opened the medicine cabinet and hoped she’d find what she was looking for without having to search. Once she located the rubbing alcohol, she propped Alix up on the counter while saturating the towel in a combination of alcohol and cold water. She wrung out the rag and sat on the toilet, wiping the little girl down with the cool compress.
She would have liked to repeat the process but knew she had little time. Instead, she returned to Alix’s room and had her dressed by the time Griff returned.
“What did the doctor say?”
“He’ll meet us at the hospital.”