Melting Into You

Chapter One (Scene 3)

Ben sat. Jade sat.

He stared. She looked at her hands.

He coughed. She startled and flinched away.

Angling his head, he glared at the ceiling. How could Marci just spring this kid on him and walk away? This wide-eyed, terrified kid? This little girl swamped by his armchair, her black boots dangling off the cush-ion at least five inches above the floor. So small.

His daughter.

What was he supposed to do now? A bead of sweat trickled down his ribs, and he pulled his tee shirt away from his throat.

Marci had left fifteen minutes ago, and, so far, his entire conversation with his daughter consisted of him asking awkward questions and her shaking or nodding her head.

Ben hunched in his chair and tried to appear small and unthreatening. A near-impossible task for a guy who’s six-foot-two and built like an armored tank. “Sure you don’t want some juice?”

Pigtails flicked from side to side.

Time to pull out the big guns. “There’s Coke in the fridge. You could have that instead.”

“Mum says Coke rots your teeth.” Her voice was half a pitch above a whisper.

But still, longest sentence since she’d arrived. Pro-gress.

“Yeah, she’s probably right about that.” He wracked his brains. Bingo. “It’s Easter next weekend, so the Easter Bunny will bring you chocolate eggs.”

Wait, did eight-year-old girls believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny still? Jade raised her chin and stared at him incredulously. Guess that was a no.

“I’m not allowed too much chocolate, or I’ll get fat.”

Ben recoiled. Fat? Where did a kid get an idea like that?

“Listen, kiddo—” The knock on his front door saved him from attempting to tackle that mine-loaded topic with his daughter.

Jesus Christ on a souped-up moped. He still couldn’t get his head around the idea.

Ben leaped out of his chair and bolted for the door.

Please let it be Marci. PleaseletitbeMarci!

He wrenched open the door to Kezia with her knuckles poised to knock again. For a moment he forgot all about unexpected hook-ups from his past and the unexpected progeny of said hook-up.

Not a pencil skirt in sight but the brunette bombshell in front of him still blew brain-cell after brain-cell. Leggings clung to her lower curves, and the orange car-digan thingy she wore acted as a beacon, directing his attention to her amazing rack. His gaze jerked up to the mass of curls spiraling over her shoulder and her lush, wide mouth. A mouth made for the kind of sin he’d dreamed of this morning before his rude awakening.

“Ben?” Dark chocolate eyes snapped with amuse-ment and something else he may’ve been able to identi-fy. If he could herd his remaining brain cells together.

Who was he kidding? When it came to this woman he couldn’t identify crap. Every time he ran into her she rendered him half mute with baffled lust. He hadn’t a frickin’ clue what went on behind her smile.

But right now, Kezia Murphy was his savior—because Kezia knew kids. Beside her stood Zoe, a se-cond, shorter version of his redeemer. While his usual modus operandi involved avoiding any person under the age of ten, he’d never been so glad to see this mini-chatterbox in his entire life.

Ben didn’t question what they were doing on his doorstep, he just jabbered, “Come in, come in.”

Zoe stepped out of her polka-dot gumboots and walked inside. She shoved a basket into his arms. “We brought muffins. Where’s Jade?”

He started and flicked a gaze to Kezia, who shrugged.

“In the family room.”

“I’m gonna go say hi.” Zoe streaked toward the doorway, her socks skidding on the wooden floor.

Zoe had been in his place a couple of times while Shaye babysat. They’d stopped by with some leftovers for Shaye’s poor, domestically challenged bachelor brother. Handy having a sister who was a sous chef—her leftovers beat micro-nuked baked beans any day.

Kezia, however, had never been in his home.

“Muffins.” Ben looked down at the basket and took a whiff. Sugar and spice, but not as delicious as Kezia’s perfume. Her exotic scent wafted around him as she moved closer. “Thanks.”

From his family room drifted Zoe’s excited greeting and the softer murmur of his daughter. Kezia laid a hand on his forearm and he froze.

“A bit of a shocking morning for you, hmm?”

“Yeah.”

She squeezed his arm and dropped her hand away. “Have you eaten? Had your three cups of breakfast cof-fee?”

He mustered a faint grin. “Heard about that, did you?”

“Shaye’s mentioned your caffeine addiction.”

His stomach growled and she laughed, a smoky chuckle that rolled over his frazzled nerves like silk.

“Point me to your kitchen, and I’ll make you some coffee to go with the muffins.”

She partially turned away from him, and before he could stop himself he grabbed her wrist.

“Kezia,” he blurted. Her gaze locked with his. “I can’t do this.”