“The monsters came, but we scared them away.”

“Of course you did.”

“Coop said the thunder’s just fireworks. I like fireworks.”

“I know.” She laid him in his bed, smoothing the sheets, his hair, kissing his soft cheeks. “Go back to sleep now.”

But he already had. She watched him a moment longer in the faint glow of his night-light, then turned and went back downstairs to Coop.

He was sitting up now, his head in his hands, the heels rubbing against his eyes. She switched off the buzzing television set, then sat on the arm of the couch. Any man who could sleep so comfortably with a child, to her mind, had unlimited potential.

She wondered, just for an instant, what it would feel like to curl up beside him.

“The storm woke him?”

“Yeah.” His voice was rusty. He cleared it. “He was pretty spooked.”

“He said you chased the monsters away.”

“Seemed like the right thing to do.” He turned his head to look at her. Those big brown eyes were sleepy and smiling. The quick hitch in his heartbeat warned him to be on his way. But he lingered. “He’s okay now?”

“He’s fine. You’d make a good daddy.”

“Oh, well . . .” That had him moving. He stood, working out the kinks. “That’s not my line. But it was no big deal.”

“It was to me.” She’d embarrassed him, she noted, and she hadn’t meant to. “Why don’t I fix you breakfast tomorrow?”

“Huh?”

“Pay you back with pancakes. Mrs. Finkleman tells me you bring in a lot of pizza and Chinese, so I don’t imagine you cook. Do you like pancakes?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Then let me know when you’re up and around. I’ll flip some for you.” She lifted a hand, brushed the hair from his brow. “Thanks for helping me out.”

“No problem.” He took a step away, swore under his breath and turned back. “Listen, I’ve just got to do this, okay?”

Before she could respond, he took her face in his hands and closed his mouth over hers.

The kiss was quick, and it was light, and it sent sparks snapping down her nerve ends.

When she didn’t move a muscle, he lifted his head, looked at her. She was staring at him, her eyes heavy and dark. He thought he saw the same stunned reaction in them that was curling somewhere in his gut. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but he shook his head and kissed her again. Longer, deeper, until he felt her bones begin to melt. Until he heard the small whimper of pleasure purr in her throat.

Her hands slid up his arms, gripped, then moved up to tangle in his hair. They stood there, locked against each other.

One of them quivered, perhaps both. It didn’t seem to matter as the warm taste of her seeped into his mouth, into his blood. It was like a dream that he hadn’t yet shaken off, one that tempted him to sink back in, to forget reality.