Free Just One Kiss by Carla Cassidy

to him?”
    â€œNana,” Nathaniel said, and nodded his head.
    Jack rummaged in the bag, finding not only bananas, but also hard candy, licorice, a bag of chips, a container of mints and several sausage sticks. “Did you pick this all up on the way to my place?” he asked as he grabbed one of the bananas and peeled it.
    She nodded. “A stakeout just isn’t a stakeout without a bunch of junk food.”
    Jack turned and handed Nathaniel the peeled banana. “Daddy.” Nathaniel grinned at him and took a bite of the fruit.
    â€œNot in this lifetime, kid,” Jack replied. He turned back around to face the front. “Okay…slow down. We’re approaching the house.”
    In the past six months Jack had been in this quiet, upper middle class neighborhood dozens of times, always hoping to find some sign of life in the Jacobson house.
    â€œIt’s the gray house just ahead. Pull to the curb there, next to that large tree,” he instructed. Although they were two houses away from the Jacobson place, this vantage point gave them a perfectview of the two-story house and the driveway. “You can go ahead and cut the engine,” he said.
    She did, then moved her seat back, allowing her more leg room. She had great legs…long, with tanned skin that looked soft as silk. His fingers itched as he imagined stroking that skin.
    Irritation whipped through him. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was this particular woman getting under his skin so effectively?
    She’d already told him he wasn’t her type, that he certainly wasn’t Mr. Right material. And he certainly didn’t believe in finding a Mrs. Right for himself.
    So why did he have the sudden desire to convince her that he could at least be her Mr. Right For One Night?

Chapter Five
    M arissa hadn’t considered how close the quarters would be in a car, but as the minutes—hours—passed, she found herself acutely conscious of Jack.
    His scent filled the confines of the car, a clean, masculine fragrance that was pleasant. As usual, his hair was in charming disarray, giving him a virile, outdoorsy look that Marissa couldn’t help but find attractive.
    He was clad in a pair of jogging shorts and gray T-shirt that exposed the tanned muscles of his arms. The cast that encased his leg did nothing to detract from the utter strength and masculinity he emitted.
    Restless energy radiated from him, making her feel edgy and tense.
    She wondered if Nathaniel sensed the energy, aswell. He was fussier than usual. He rubbed his eyes, threw his banana on the floor and emitted the sounds of a little boy who desperately needed a nap.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with him?” Jack asked as Marissa twisted in her seat for the third time in as many minutes to try to still the unhappy child.
    Marissa looked at her watch. “This is about the time he usually takes a morning nap. For some reason, he’s fighting it.” She gave Nathaniel one of his favorite toys, but he threw it on the floor and continued to whine.
    â€œMaybe if I hold him for a little while,” she said, not wanting the little boy’s crying to get on Jack’s nerves. She twisted around in her seat and with a huge effort managed to unbuckle Nathaniel and pull him over into the front seat and onto her lap.
    She pressed Nathaniel’s head down against her chest and patted his back, hoping to get him to fall asleep. But he stiffened against her, fighting any and all attempts she made to calm him.
    â€œHand him to me.”
    Marissa stared at Jack. “You don’t intend to throw him out the window, do you?” she asked dubiously.
    He grinned at her, that sexy smile that for some reason seemed to raise her internal temperature. “I promise if the urge to throw him out the window strikes me, I’ll let you know before I follow through on it. Just give him to me for a few minutes.”
    Nathaniel went willingly to Jack