she found herself idly wonderingâ¦âSanctuary? I wondered about that myselfâ¦â
Tess, her cheeks a little flushed, brought her own line of wondering to an abrupt halt.
âWouldnât it be something if I headed for your bed every time I needed a bit of TLC?â he mused, lifting his dark eyes to her face thoughtfully.
The thud of her heart sounded odd and echoey in her ears. âVery funny!â she responded hoarsely.
âYeah, hilarious,â he confirmed without a trace of humour.
Â
When Rafe emerged from his shower Tess was in the kitchen having produced breakfast for Ben, who as usual was in no hurry to finish it. There was as much porridge on the floor as was in his stomach. She had stopped trying to tempt the baby to another mouthful and had returned to her frenzied task of refilling the cupboards when Rafe strolled in.
âMorning, mate.â Rafe, who could deal with the wiliest of politicians, felt distinctly unsure of how you were meant to speak to a one-year-old. He winked at the solemn-faced youngster.
Ben responded with a grin that suggested he wasnât quite as angelic as he looked. âSeed man!â he cried, poking his chubby finger in Rafeâs direction.
âSaw, Ben,â Tess responded automatically. At least Benâs limited vocabulary meant she was spared any embarrassing elaboration on this theme.
âSeed,â the toddler responded immediately. Eyes bright, he waited expectantly for Tess to praise him.
âWell done, darling.â When she looked away she saw Rafe was watching her with a curiously intense expression on his lean hungry features, which faded as he turned to the baby.
âI donât expect you remember me, but my nameâs Rafe. Or should that be Uncle Rafe?â he enquired, turning his attention once more to Tess. âCan he talk?â
âAfter a fashion, but you might need the aid of an interpreter,â she admitted. âYou and Ben can decide between you what he calls you. My moneyâs on complete nuisanceâ¦â she added softly.
âI heard that.â
âYou were meant to.â She reached up on tiptoe to replace a casserole dish in a high cupboard.
Rafe found himself unexpectedly noticing the way stretching pulled her already neat, high behind extremely taut. Despite the fact that her clothes could have been designed specifically to conceal the fact, it was hard to miss the fact she had a goodâno, better than good body. Dark brows almost meeting above the bridge of his masterful nose, Rafe reached over her head and took the item from her extended hand.
âDo you know that most accidents occur in the home?â
âDonât take that hectoring, lecturing tone with me!â Angrily Tess spun around to find he was almost close enough to fall over. Not content with wondering whether heâd catch her if she did fall, her wayward brain began to theorise about how it might feel.
A tiny sound of denial slipped past her frozen vocal chords. She was close to tipping over into outright panic as, arms extended protectively in front of her, she backed hastily up until the small of her back made contact with the wooden worktop.
The atmosphere was suddenly so charged with sexual tension that she could hardly breathe. He feels it too, she thought, staring in a bemused fashion into his dark, dilated eyes.
âBrekkie!â a small voice piped up severely.
The adults, both recalling with a guilty start that they werenât alone, looked in the direction of the small speaker. Simultaneously they both decided to ignore what had just happened.
âGood idea, Ben. Is this seat taken?â Rafe asked, noisily dragging out a kitchen chair with a stagey flourish and, straddling it, he rested his hands lightly on the back.
âIs Tess always so grumpy in the morning?â Now wouldnât you like to know? a sly voice in his head drawled knowingly.
With a confused
Tess, her cheeks a little flushed, brought her own line of wondering to an abrupt halt.
âWouldnât it be something if I headed for your bed every time I needed a bit of TLC?â he mused, lifting his dark eyes to her face thoughtfully.
The thud of her heart sounded odd and echoey in her ears. âVery funny!â she responded hoarsely.
âYeah, hilarious,â he confirmed without a trace of humour.
Â
When Rafe emerged from his shower Tess was in the kitchen having produced breakfast for Ben, who as usual was in no hurry to finish it. There was as much porridge on the floor as was in his stomach. She had stopped trying to tempt the baby to another mouthful and had returned to her frenzied task of refilling the cupboards when Rafe strolled in.
âMorning, mate.â Rafe, who could deal with the wiliest of politicians, felt distinctly unsure of how you were meant to speak to a one-year-old. He winked at the solemn-faced youngster.
Ben responded with a grin that suggested he wasnât quite as angelic as he looked. âSeed man!â he cried, poking his chubby finger in Rafeâs direction.
âSaw, Ben,â Tess responded automatically. At least Benâs limited vocabulary meant she was spared any embarrassing elaboration on this theme.
âSeed,â the toddler responded immediately. Eyes bright, he waited expectantly for Tess to praise him.
âWell done, darling.â When she looked away she saw Rafe was watching her with a curiously intense expression on his lean hungry features, which faded as he turned to the baby.
âI donât expect you remember me, but my nameâs Rafe. Or should that be Uncle Rafe?â he enquired, turning his attention once more to Tess. âCan he talk?â
âAfter a fashion, but you might need the aid of an interpreter,â she admitted. âYou and Ben can decide between you what he calls you. My moneyâs on complete nuisanceâ¦â she added softly.
âI heard that.â
âYou were meant to.â She reached up on tiptoe to replace a casserole dish in a high cupboard.
Rafe found himself unexpectedly noticing the way stretching pulled her already neat, high behind extremely taut. Despite the fact that her clothes could have been designed specifically to conceal the fact, it was hard to miss the fact she had a goodâno, better than good body. Dark brows almost meeting above the bridge of his masterful nose, Rafe reached over her head and took the item from her extended hand.
âDo you know that most accidents occur in the home?â
âDonât take that hectoring, lecturing tone with me!â Angrily Tess spun around to find he was almost close enough to fall over. Not content with wondering whether heâd catch her if she did fall, her wayward brain began to theorise about how it might feel.
A tiny sound of denial slipped past her frozen vocal chords. She was close to tipping over into outright panic as, arms extended protectively in front of her, she backed hastily up until the small of her back made contact with the wooden worktop.
The atmosphere was suddenly so charged with sexual tension that she could hardly breathe. He feels it too, she thought, staring in a bemused fashion into his dark, dilated eyes.
âBrekkie!â a small voice piped up severely.
The adults, both recalling with a guilty start that they werenât alone, looked in the direction of the small speaker. Simultaneously they both decided to ignore what had just happened.
âGood idea, Ben. Is this seat taken?â Rafe asked, noisily dragging out a kitchen chair with a stagey flourish and, straddling it, he rested his hands lightly on the back.
âIs Tess always so grumpy in the morning?â Now wouldnât you like to know? a sly voice in his head drawled knowingly.
With a confused
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