More Than a Mistress by Leanne Banks

five-thirty rolled around and Luke started getting a little cranky, Sara wondered if she should stall dinner or not. “Please don’t scratch.”
    â€œBut it itches,” Luke wailed.
    Her heart went out to him. The red marks now covered most of his trunk and neck. “I’m sorry. How about a bath?”
    Luke groaned. “Another one?”
    Sara thought for a minute. “I’ll make a deal with you. You take a bath.” She watched him frown and gently chucked his chin. “You eat dinner.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œAnd we’ll make chocolate-chip cookies afterward.”
    His eyes lit up. “Allll right! Let me at that tub.”
    Â 
    Daniel knocked a little more loudly the second time on Sara’s door. He’d gotten home an hour ago and listened to a half dozen increasingly frantic messages from Carly on the answering machine. The last one had asked him to pick Luke up from Sara’s.
    After Sara had firmly rejected him, Daniel had made a vow to get Sara Kingston out of sight and out of mind. Today, however, the luck of the draw wasn’t running with him.
    When no one answered the door, Daniel knocked once more, then tried the knob. It was unlocked, so he walked in. The smell of freshly baked cookies reminded him that he hadn’t had dinner, and the sight that greeted him pulled at his heart.
    Sara and Luke lay together on the sofa sleeping.
    Wrapped protectively in Sara’s arms, Luke gave a soft snore. A streak of flour dusted Sara’s cheek. Her hair was tousled, her shirt wrinkled. And Daniel felt a dart of insane jealousy toward his new nephew. Daniel swore under his breath and took a couple of steps closer. There was something intimate about catching her asleep. Rumpled and defenseless, she wore no shields. It made him feel…strange. He cleared his throat. “Sara,” he said in a whisper.
    She still didn’t budge, so he gently touched her shoulder. “Sara.”
    Her eyelids fluttered open, and he figured he’d better be ready to reassure her. While some women woke up soft and cuddly, others woke up looking and acting like shrews. A man couldn’t be sure. Sara probably wouldn’t be happy about him walking in without an invitation. If she felt startled, she might scream, and then Luke would wake up upset. It wouldn’t help Daniel’s nerves either.
    He crouched down beside the couch, making sure she saw him immediately.
    Her gaze met his, and she blinked a few times as if to focus. She smiled. “Hi, Daniel,” she murmured in a sleepy, husky voice.
    Soft and cuddly. Her smile was a knockout. He hadn’t expected that. Confused, he frowned. “Hi.”
    She covered a yawn and eased one of her arms out from under Luke. “Did Carly send you?”
    He nodded, watching the gentle way she handled Luke. She ran her hand over the little boy’s forehead. “Still warm.” A tiny frown knitted her eyebrows as she concentrated on getting up without waking Luke.
    She wobbled a little as she straightened, and Daniel shot out a hand to steady her.
    Her eyelids still droopy, she smiled again. “Sorry. I’m not too steady on my feet when I first wake up.”
    â€œIt’s okay.” He kept his hand on her arm and noticed that she didn’t try to move away. “Where do you want to go?”
    â€œKitchen. Coffee.”
    He led the way and nudged her into a chair. When she protested and tried to get up, he put his hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. He found the coffee, noticing it was a fancy blend, not the basic stuff he kept at home, and started the coffeemaker.
    Watching her from the corner of his eye, he saw her sigh a few times and push her hair behind her ears. He wondered if she always woke up this way, full of soft sighs and vague smiles. She looked as though she needed to be held. He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from doing just that.
    The aromatic brew dripped