Free Autumn Wish by Stacey Joy Netzel

didn’t know what was.
    He leaned against the porch railing behind him, closed his eyes, and banged his head back against the vertical support post. He’d never stooped this low for a woman before, so what the hell was his problem now?
    The sound of the door made him pull his head forward. He straightened, meeting Nikki’s concerned gaze as she asked, “Everything okay?”
    “Yeah.”
    “You don’t look okay. What’d Eric say?”
    “Nothing. I’m just tired.”
    She clearly didn’t buy the excuse, but didn’t press further as he strode forward to go inside. When he passed her, he caught a hint of her scent, that combination of almond and vanilla that had nearly driven him crazy in the kitchen.
    Heaven help him, she smelled good enough to take a bite, but in all fairness, he couldn’t continue down that road. Making her ex jealous was one thing—and a stupid-ass plan at that—but ‘practicing’ kissing her in private was a colossal mistake.
    He’d had one moment of sanity where he’d managed to keep from exploring all that warm, soft skin under her sweater, but when she’d started pulling at his shirt, rational thought flew out the window. Forget the baby. Forget that they’d only known each other a day. If she’d have let him, he’d have walked her right up the stairs to his bed. Then he’d have ended up wondering if she’d wanted him, or if he was just a stand-in after an emotionally tough evening.
    For the first time ever, that thought turned his stomach, and he fought to keep his hands from becoming fists again. He’d never cared about something like that before. As long as there was mutual satisfaction...
    Ella’s bottle sat on the coffee table, and he seized the excuse to keep busy.
    “I already changed her diaper,” Nikki advised when he stooped to lift the baby from the playpen.
    “Thanks.”
    See? Right there was another problem. Yes, she was beautiful and sexy, but with her constant assistance making his life easier, he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure the real reason he wanted her around. He wasn’t that hard up for sex, and using her to help him manage with Ella wasn’t right, either. Not after what both she and Eric had said about her wanting a family of her own.
    He sat on the couch, upended the bottle to drip a few drops of formula on his wrist like she’d taught him, and then sat back to feed his niece. When Nikki would’ve sat next to him, he said, “I appreciate all your help tonight, but you must be tired, too. You should head home while you’ve still got the chance to have a little time to yourself.”
    She stood there for a long moment, completely silent. He avoided looking up at her because her sky-blue sweater not only accented her enticing curves, it also deepened the color of her eyes. Eyes that had drawn him in at every turn, all evening.
    “Yeah, good idea.” A step sideways allowed her to swipe her coat off the back of his recliner, but then she paused at the door. “So...I’ll see you tomorrow?”
    “Maybe,” he glanced up with a shrug. “I’ve got a lot to get done so I can get back to work on Thursday. I can’t afford that much time off without pay.”
    “All right then.” She opened the door. “I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”
    He nodded. “Goodnight. And thank you.”
    “Yeah, sure,” she muttered, her tone identical to his when Eric had driven off. He cringed as the door slammed, then gently shushed Ella when she started in his arms. A wiggle of the bottle got her attention back to sucking down her bedtime meal and gave him plenty of time to think.
    A couple minutes later, he almost wished the baby would give him a distraction again.
    ***
    Oh, hell, be careful what you wish for .
    Sam resolutely picked up the crying baby and did yet another weary turn around the living room. Hell would’ve been a welcome relief right about now. She stopped crying in his arms, and he allowed himself to pause and peer at the numbers on the kitchen