Roger’s head spun. She kissed him. She actually fucking kissed him.

The second their lips touched he couldn’t stop himself from pulling her body flush against his. Little Roge sprung to life between them and he nearly burst when she rubbed herself against him.

She just might kill him.

Her lips were soft and eager against his. She kissed him tentatively at first, but it didn’t take long for her tongue to reach out to him. He was more than happy to let her in to taste and tease and tempt him. And herself, he hoped.

It was unusual for Roger to let a woman lead a kiss. With Nicole, he knew it needed to happen at her pace. He wanted to kiss her as much as he wanted to breathe, but he meant it when he said he needed her to want it too. That didn’t change just because she pressed her lips or her body to his. She was in control. They were in her house. It was her sick daughter on the couch in the other room.

Shit! Makayla!

Roger gently pulled back from Nicole, hating that he had to. She gazed up at him with heavy eyes full of lust and desire. Oh, how he wanted to dive right back into her and finish what she’d started. But he didn’t go there for that. He went to help her, not kiss her senseless.

“Makayla,” he ground out, unable to form any additional coherent thoughts, let alone words.

He watched as Nicole’s eyes cleared. She shook her head and slowly stepped back from him. Then dropped her head into her hands. “I’m the worst mother ever.”

Roger stepped forward and pulled her back into his arms. She resisted again, but he didn’t release her. He waited until she looked up at him. “Taking a minute for yourself does not make you a bad mother.”

“Forgetting about my child does,” she said angrily.

Roger shook his head. “Not even close. You didn’t forget about her. You know she’s safe. You know exactly where she is. I’m guessing you’ve been thinking of nothing but her since she was born, and even more since she got sick last night. You need to give yourself a break. You’re not doing anything wrong here.”

Nicole took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it out. Roger could see her features relax with that simple gesture. “You’re right. It doesn’t feel natural to not have her in the front of my mind, but my friends have been telling me for years that having a life is going to make me a better mother, not a worse one.”

“I think your friends are right. I also think we need to ask one of them to watch her one of these days so we can continue what we just started without having to worry about Makayla walking in.”

“I think that’s a great idea. But for now, we should probably feed her. And put away the ice cream.”