The Child Comes First by Elizabeth Ashtree Page B

attempted to slip around him, laughing a little, but he nudged her away with a shoulder. “I won’t be able to sleep if they aren’t in there properly,” she declared.
    â€œYou’re kidding,” he said, but he could see she believed it. All the same, he slid the lower dish tray into the cavity of the machine before she could fuss with anything else. “Oh, wow, you’re not kidding. That’s worrisome. Maybe you just need practice at caring less about the small stuff. It’s for your own good.” He attempted to close the door.
    Playfully, she reached around his waist to stop the upward swing of the dishwasher door, practically wrapping her arms around him. That subtle buzz he’d been feeling before hummed loudly as she nearly hugged him from behind.
    â€œSorry,” she said. “My house. My rules. I get to load the dishwasher the way I want.” She pulled out the tray again.
    â€œYour house, your rules,” he agreed, and he turned his back to the edge of the counter and let her redo his work. He was powerfully aware of her lithe body and its proximity to his. As if a switch had been flipped in his brain, he was suddenly aware of how pretty she was. Sexy. Desirable. Necessary.
    When she straightened, she looked pleased and a little flushed. A shiny lock of her hair had fallen in front of one of her eyes and he reached to tuck it back behind an ear. The current coursing through him went hot as he looked at her mouth, and thought of kissing her.
    Her expression grew wary when she returned his gaze, but she didn’t step back. If she’d retreated he’d have been able to stop himself, as he knew he should. But she stayed frozen to the spot, and so he let his hand slip to the nape of her neck. And as he slowly urged her toward him, he also eased himself forward. The next thing he knew, his mouth was touching hers. In another instant, his tongue slipped delicately over her lips. And after that he was lost in the all-consuming experience of kissing Jayda.

CHAPTER SIX
    K ISSING IN THE kitchen. It felt so very good to Jayda. She could have gone on doing it for a long, long time. But there was a glimmer of concern inside her head that wouldn’t go away. She knew that they shouldn’t be doing this. And once that thought had surfaced, she couldn’t ignore it. Even though she wanted desperately to relax in Simon’s arms, reality forced her to ease back. Damn.
    He didn’t try to keep her close, and she found that extremely comforting. If he’d tried to hold on, there was no telling what suppressed nightmares might have been unleashed. Nothing like having a close relative force you to submit to frequent molestations—even if he never actually managed to rape you—to make you terrified of being held too tightly.
    Jayda found herself able to remain where she was and Simon kept his hands upon her, lightly stroking her upper arms.
    â€œThat shouldn’t have happened,” he murmured. He didn’t sound regretful, only bewildered.
    â€œLet’s agree it didn’t happen,” she suggested, sounding more in control than she felt. Inside, she thought she’d never be able to forget the moment. Kissing him might have been a professional mistake, but for Jayda it had been a personal triumph. She’d enjoyed it unreservedly, and there hadn’t been a single moment of fear or panic.
    â€œYes,” he said, nodding. But he still didn’t stop slowly sliding his warm hands up and down her arms. “It never happened,” he agreed again, as his gaze returned to her mouth.
    Reluctantly, she moved away and walked to the chair on which he’d neatly slung his suit jacket. She forced herself to smile and handed the jacket to him. His expression was pensive, unreadable. She’d noticed he did this whenever something weighed on his mind. Was he wondering if they would be able to go forward from here without