Free Midnight Caller by Diane Burke

picture. After a moment, she sighed deeply. “Personal eye candy. I like that.”
    They looked at each other and laughed.
     
    “Don’t touch my cookie dough,” Erin warned.
    You’d think the scent of cookie dough and vanilla wouldhave triggered matronly images in his mind, but Erin could tell from the glint in his eyes that the last thought on Tony’s mind was his mother. She felt his gaze trace her features. Suddenly, she felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
    But a hooded look darkened his eyes and she could sense a slight withdrawal. That happened a lot lately. He’d seem on the verge of saying or doing something intimate and then he’d pull back. What was that all about? Did he have secrets of his own? The push-pull of his emotions intrigued her.
    Tony scooped a dollop of dough from the bowl on his index finger and held it out. “Want to try?”
    “Ewww!” She swatted in the air at his hand. “Are you crazy?”
    Tony kept a straight face, but the occasional twist to his lips made her think he was roaring with laughter on the inside. He seemed to love to tease her and didn’t stop until he had succeeded in causing a rush of color to her cheeks. Pointedly trying to ignore him, she asked, “Did your mom bake a lot when you were a kid?”
    “Mom baked every Christmas,” Tony replied, “and let me lick the leftover batter.”
    Erin glanced at the hand inching her way and snatched the bowl protectively to her chest. “Don’t even think about it.”
    He grinned.
    “What’s the matter?” Erin asked. “She only bakes for holidays so you’re coming over here to harass me? Have her give me a call. I’ll gladly share my chocolate chip recipe.”
    “Mom’s on an extended vacation with her new husband.”
    Erin digested the information. “You haven’t mentioned your family before.”
    Tony shrugged. “Just Mom, me and my older sister. My dad was a cop, killed in the line of duty when I was three. Idon’t remember much about him. But—” he locked his eyes with hers “—I remember how much I missed having a dad around. I guess that’s why I have a soft spot for Jack.”
    She pictured Tony as a little boy wishing for a dad, just like Jack, and her heart melted. Erin sighed. “I wish I could do more for Jack.”
    “You’re a great mom,” Tony said. “I have total respect for single moms. They have to pull double duty even knowing it’s an impossible task.”
    “Is that how you feel about your mom?”
    “Absolutely. Love her to pieces and owe her the world.”
    “And your sister? Are you close?” Erin shocked herself at her boldness, but couldn’t seem to stop.
    “We’re super close…or as close as a person can be to someone who lives thousands of miles away. Janet’s husband is a Colorado ski instructor. They have three kids, one girl and two boys.”
    “Wow, Colorado. That is far. Do you ski?”
    Tony laughed. “I can handle the intermediate slopes with my nephews. Those two rascals love to boast that they taught me everything I know.”
    “You seem to really like kids. Do you mind if I ask why you haven’t started a family of your own?”
    “Boy, this cookie dough is coming at a steep price,” Tony teased.
    A warmth rushed into Erin’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so nosy.”
    Tony chuckled. “Chill out. I was only teasing. How else are you going to get to know me?” His voice deepened and his eyes darkened. “And that’s what we’re doing, right? Getting to know one another.”
    The heat in her cheeks intensified.
    “In answer to your question,” Tony said, “I haven’t started a family of my own for a multitude of reasons. My job for one. Sometimes cops don’t come home. I know what that feels like. I never want to chance that happening to one of my own.”
    Erin nodded her understanding.
    “Not to mention that my Christian beliefs require marriage before parenthood. I haven’t been actively looking for a candidate for that