“I’m fine,” she insisted, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather sneak over and spend the night in your bed, but Sam and I are good. Mia and Joey are coming down. Figure between us, we can get the battery changed in the truck, too. Turns out all that opening and closing of doors wears that sucker down if you don’t crank the engine.”

“I can do it if you want,” I offered, already knowing the answer.

“I’ve got it. Once we get that done, we’re headed to the fireworks, and we’re meeting up with Christina, too.”

“Out on the town with Mia, huh?” My eyebrows rose. “Does that mean I can expect a call from Sam to come use my stellar rescue moves?”

She crinkled her nose. “That was one time.”

“Hmm.” Her lips looked so damn kissable. They always did, but it had been a good hour since I’d kissed her, and I was already going into withdrawals. I’d had her in my bed for the last three weeks—whenever we managed alone time—and I could never get enough. I always wanted one more touch, one more kiss, one more…everything.

“Jackson Montgomery, I know you’re not looking at me like that with your daughter in the next room,” she whispered with a little grin.

“Looking at you how?” I teased, sliding my hand down the small of her back. This sundress was going to be the death of me. It was the same one she’d been wearing the day I met her, and I was dying to know what underwear she had on under it.

“Like you’re not thinking wholesome thoughts.” She arched an eyebrow but lifted her hands to twine behind my neck.

I lowered my head so I could whisper in her ear. “Wholesome? I’m thinking of a whole lot of ways to get you out of that dress, if that counts.” I ran my teeth along the shell of her ear, and she shivered.

“Jackson,” she warned in that breathless way that wasn’t a warning at all.

“Morgan.” I pulled her hips against me and kissed the spot just beneath her ear.

“Mmmm.” She tilted her head so I took the spot just beneath that one, which happened to be ultrasensitive on her neck. Her breath hitched, and her pulse picked up beneath my lips.

“You smell incredible. What is that? Vanilla?” I took another nibble.

She gasped, then pushed out of my arms and made a fuss over her dress as her cheeks tinged pink. “Cookie dough.”

“No wonder you taste extra sweet today.” I smirked, knowing she wasn’t as unaffected as she tried to look. “Get over here and let me kiss you.”

Her eyes widened as her gaze darted to the living room. “Finley is going to be back down here any second.”