A Mom for Callie by Laura Bradford Page A

“Ooh, I have mint chocolate chip, too.”
    â€œMmm, sounds good, real good. But it’s still not exactly what I had in mind.”
    As they reached the steps that led to her sunporch, she looked up, her breath catching at the blatant hunger in his eyes. “I don’t think there’s anything else.”
    â€œOh, yes, there is.” Following her up the steps and into the house, he waited as she shut the door, his handsgently pushing her against the wall. “There’s you, Betsy.”
    She gasped as his mouth came down on hers, the longing she’d seen in his eyes paling against the heated passion that ripped through her body as his hand sought the skin beneath her camisole, his fingers twirling her nipples into hard buds and intensifying her longing into moans that echoed against the walls of the room. “Me?” she whispered as her knees began to buckle.
    â€œYes, you.”
    Pulling her still closer, she felt his body straining toward hers, knew without a doubt she wanted him just as much as he obviously wanted her. “Kyle…”
    He stopped her words with his mouth before lowering his lips to her chin, her neck, her shoulders. When his mouth reached the top of her breasts she knotted her hands in his hair and repeated his name in a whispered moan of ecstasy. “Kyle…I want you.”

Chapter Nine
    At the time, Callie’s good-night call had been the epitome of bad timing, her grandmother’s name on Kyle’s caller ID bringing an end to their passion-filled night. But now, in the light of day, Betsy couldn’t help but see it as a good thing.
    It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sleep with Kyle, because she did. Her body came to life with every stroke of his hand, every nibble of his teeth. But a relationship of that nature, with her next-door neighbor no less, needed to be dictated by more than just their raging hormones.
    What had surprised her, though, was the way Kyle had tensed when he realized who was calling, his hurried greeting one of worry rather than a simple hello. And although the call had proved to be nothing more than an opportunity for Callie to say good-night, Kyle’s mood was irrevocably altered. Suddenly, where there’d been gentleness there was an edge, where there’d been playfulness there was rigidity, and where there’d been excitement there was restraint.
    When she’d asked him about it, he’d been evasive, saying only that there were some things at work that had him on edge—an explanation she could understand ifhis change in behavior had come on the heels of a phone call from the station. But it hadn’t.
    A soft knock broke through her woolgathering. Scooping her coffee mug up off the counter, Betsy headed toward the back door, a smile lifting her lips at the sight of Kyle standing on her back step.
    â€œGood morning, beautiful.”
    She felt her face warm at the compliment, her smile growing still wider. “This is a nice surprise…but aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
    He shook his head. “Today’s my RDO.”
    â€œRDO?” she asked.
    â€œRegular day off. I work four, then I’m off two.” Kyle stepped inside as Betsy opened the screen door to admit him. “It works out perfect because Callie has a program at school today. Her creative-writing teacher is hosting a reading of the kids’ works and Callie, of course, is reading her poetry.”
    Betsy clapped her hands. “Really? How special!”
    â€œI know. And I can’t wait to see her on that stage looking at me the way she does, but…”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWell, we have a little problem.”
    She reached out, ran her hand through his hair. “What is it?”
    He toed the floor, shrugging. “She says she has to look extra pretty to do her reading. I’d thought my mom was going to help her before she dropped her off this morning but she