The Mommy Mystery by Delores Fossen Page A

to disappear from Lucas’s life.
    That wasn’t going to happen.
    For him to be part of Lucas’s future, he would have to encroach on the future that Gabrielle had so carefully planned for herself.
    “I’m sorry,” Houston settled for saying.
    She blinked back more tears, and even though Houston knew this would be a massive mistake, he pulled her into his arms.
    Yeah, it was a mistake, all right.
    Gabrielle seemed to melt right into him.
    He felt a punch of a different kind, but still a familiar one. That damn attraction reared its head, and it didn’t take much of the embrace for his stupid body to start making all kinds of stupid suggestions.
    Like a kiss, for instance. What harm could it do?
    Houston was trying hard to talk himself out of doing just that, but then he felt his head lower anyway. Gabrielle looked up at him, probably to scold him for thinking such a thing.
    But Houston kissed her anyway.
    She smelled like strawberry shampoo and tasted like oranges, but that wasn’t the first thing about her that registered in Houston’s mind. The first thing he noticed was that the taste of her went straight through him, heating his entire body with just the touch of her mouth.
    Of course, he didn’t keep it a touch.
    When Gabrielle didn’t resist, Houston pulled her even closer to him, angled her head and deepened what he had started.
    So, what harm could it do?
    Plenty.
    Kissing Gabrielle was a mistake, but French kissing her pushed him into the dumb-as-dirt arena.
    He gathered his wherewithal so he could end this, but then Gabrielle played dirty. She made a sound of sweet feminine pleasure, and she lifted her arms. First one. Then, the other. And she eased them around his neck.
    Oh, man. This wasn’t stopping.
    Since the mistake was already out there, Houston decided to make it worth it. He slid his hand down her back, inching even closer, until they were pressed right against each other. It was a good fit, with her breasts against his chest. He could feel her hardened and puckered nipples, and her fingers, as they trailed lightly down his neck.
    The fire went white-hot.
    He wanted her. Not just for this kiss, either. Houston wanted all of her, and even though his brain was telling him why that couldn’t happen, the kiss was overriding anything left of his common sense.
    Gabrielle finally broke the mouth-to-mouth contact, and gasping for air, stared at him—for just a couple of seconds—before she dove back in for what was apparently about to be round two.
    This time, she kissed him.
    Not that Houston needed it, but that was confirmation that this attraction was far from one-sided. It also confirmed that it wasn’t cooling anytime soon.
    He slid his hand lower, just to the top of her butt, and he shifted his position so that he could bring them even closer. Yet another stupid idea. They were already too close, but with some maneuvering, he pulled her onto his lap.
    She gasped, and he caught the surprised sound in his own mouth, and looked between them. There was no space. They were pressed against each other as if they were mere seconds away from hot, sweaty sex.
    “I can’t,” she said.
    Yeah. He’d been expecting the red light. But then he considered that, maybe Gabrielle meant she couldn’t because it’d only been six weeks since she’d delivered Lucas. Great. He’d somehow managed to forget all about that.
    “I’m sorry,” Houston apologized. “Your body isn’t ready for this.”
    Still staring at him, she shook her head. “No. I mean I can’t because, well, because of you. Because of us, ” Gabrielle said. “Physically, I’m more than ready for you.” Wincing, she shook her head. “And I have no idea why I just told you that.”
    Houston was glad she had. Partly anyway. It didn’t make it any easier to move away from her, but it did give him hope that one day he’d have her in his bed. Or on this love seat. Location was unimportant.
    He didn’t want to think of the complication