frown, Tess watched his smile fade.
âPowige,â the child announced mournfully, dipping his hand into the goo left in his dish.
âHe likes to feed himself.â
âHe looks as if he likes to bathe in the stuff. Nasty porridge. Mush⦠ugh !â Rafeâs theatrical shudder drew a giggle from the child.
Tess could see the beginnings of male conspiracy here. âLast week it was his favourite.â
âMush, mush, mush, mush !â Ben, his grubby face animated, shrieked loudly.
âAll right, I get the message.â Tess sighed. She knew from experience that was going to be the favourite word for the foreseeable future. It could be worse, she reflected philosophically, and it had been when Ben had overheard the colourful expletives employed by the electrician who had fixed their security light. The entire mother and baby group now thought she swore like a trooper at home.
Mind you, that notoriety would be nothing compared with what was heading her way once the true identity of Benâs mother was public knowledge! Some people already knew, of course: their GP, the kindergarten head at the school sheâd already put Benâs name down for.
âI like bacon and eggs.â
âNoâ¦no!â Ben bounced in his seat as he enthusiastically concurred.
âNo means yes,â she felt obliged to explain. âActually, no means a lot of other things too. Mostly finding out what he wants is a matter of elimination.â
âIn this case I feel sure that it means he wants bacon and eggs.â
âHe wonât eat it,â she predicted.
âI will.â
âYou,â she announced in exasperation, âare nothing but a troublemaker! Anyhow, I havenât got any,â she lied.
âAhâ¦shopping day.â
As if he knew about such things!
âAnd Iâm sure youâre a whiz with the supermarket trolley.â She permitted herself a loud snort packed with scornful scepticism.
âI was merely about to mention that you might like to add razor blades to that shopping list,â Rafe announced, ignoring her sarcastic interjection. âDo you know that dinky little razor of yours is blunt?â
Bubbling with indignation, Tess watched him rub a hand over the intact dark stubble that adorned his square chin.
âIt wasnâtâ¦and the reason itâs dinky is because it wasnât designed to remove a dirty great beard.â
Ignoring the fact the dark growth gave him a dangerous, dissipated but not unattractive airâin fact some women might actually go for that moody menace look in a big way. Some womenâthe ones lost to all sense of decencyâmight even wonder what that dark growth would feel like when applied to sensitive areasâ¦a breast, for exampleâ¦evenâ¦?
Two bright spots of guilty colour apeared on the smooth curve of her cheeks. She glared with exaggerated distaste at the shadow on his jawline.
âI could have told you that if you had bothered to ask before you went poking around in my private things.â
âYou want to watch this possessive streakâ¦itâs not attractive. I mention this only to be helpful.â
âIn this mood,â she told him frankly, âyouâre about as helpful as a hole in the head!â
âYouâre cranky because youâre busy, stressed and ever so slightly hung-over.â
âAnd whose fault is that? I donât drink aloneâ¦â Which meant, as she rarely had adult company, she didnât drink full stop, which no doubt explained her rapid descent into her inconveniently garrulous state of the previous nightâ¦
âAdmirable, Iâm sure. There are some things I never do alone either.â
Nothing , she decided, could be more deceptive than the open, innocent look on his face. She thought it wise to rise above responding to the wicked earthy innuendo.
âBut drinking,â he confessed cheerfully,
âPowige,â the child announced mournfully, dipping his hand into the goo left in his dish.
âHe likes to feed himself.â
âHe looks as if he likes to bathe in the stuff. Nasty porridge. Mush⦠ugh !â Rafeâs theatrical shudder drew a giggle from the child.
Tess could see the beginnings of male conspiracy here. âLast week it was his favourite.â
âMush, mush, mush, mush !â Ben, his grubby face animated, shrieked loudly.
âAll right, I get the message.â Tess sighed. She knew from experience that was going to be the favourite word for the foreseeable future. It could be worse, she reflected philosophically, and it had been when Ben had overheard the colourful expletives employed by the electrician who had fixed their security light. The entire mother and baby group now thought she swore like a trooper at home.
Mind you, that notoriety would be nothing compared with what was heading her way once the true identity of Benâs mother was public knowledge! Some people already knew, of course: their GP, the kindergarten head at the school sheâd already put Benâs name down for.
âI like bacon and eggs.â
âNoâ¦no!â Ben bounced in his seat as he enthusiastically concurred.
âNo means yes,â she felt obliged to explain. âActually, no means a lot of other things too. Mostly finding out what he wants is a matter of elimination.â
âIn this case I feel sure that it means he wants bacon and eggs.â
âHe wonât eat it,â she predicted.
âI will.â
âYou,â she announced in exasperation, âare nothing but a troublemaker! Anyhow, I havenât got any,â she lied.
âAhâ¦shopping day.â
As if he knew about such things!
âAnd Iâm sure youâre a whiz with the supermarket trolley.â She permitted herself a loud snort packed with scornful scepticism.
âI was merely about to mention that you might like to add razor blades to that shopping list,â Rafe announced, ignoring her sarcastic interjection. âDo you know that dinky little razor of yours is blunt?â
Bubbling with indignation, Tess watched him rub a hand over the intact dark stubble that adorned his square chin.
âIt wasnâtâ¦and the reason itâs dinky is because it wasnât designed to remove a dirty great beard.â
Ignoring the fact the dark growth gave him a dangerous, dissipated but not unattractive airâin fact some women might actually go for that moody menace look in a big way. Some womenâthe ones lost to all sense of decencyâmight even wonder what that dark growth would feel like when applied to sensitive areasâ¦a breast, for exampleâ¦evenâ¦?
Two bright spots of guilty colour apeared on the smooth curve of her cheeks. She glared with exaggerated distaste at the shadow on his jawline.
âI could have told you that if you had bothered to ask before you went poking around in my private things.â
âYou want to watch this possessive streakâ¦itâs not attractive. I mention this only to be helpful.â
âIn this mood,â she told him frankly, âyouâre about as helpful as a hole in the head!â
âYouâre cranky because youâre busy, stressed and ever so slightly hung-over.â
âAnd whose fault is that? I donât drink aloneâ¦â Which meant, as she rarely had adult company, she didnât drink full stop, which no doubt explained her rapid descent into her inconveniently garrulous state of the previous nightâ¦
âAdmirable, Iâm sure. There are some things I never do alone either.â
Nothing , she decided, could be more deceptive than the open, innocent look on his face. She thought it wise to rise above responding to the wicked earthy innuendo.
âBut drinking,â he confessed cheerfully,
Similar Books
