‘We can’t let the kids know about us.’
He smiled. ‘I know that. I promise not to do anything untoward with you in front of our kids. I’ll keep my hands to myself.’
She raised an eyebrow at him. ‘What a disappointment.’
He grinned. ‘I can’t guarantee I won’t be thinking dirty thoughts, though.’
Leaning in, she pressed her lips against his ear. ‘I guarantee they’re not as dirty as mine.’ She let her breath linger on his skin, causing him to gasp.
‘Every time I think I’ve got you pegged, you surprise me,’ he told her. His expression was warm.
‘Is that a bad thing?’ she asked him.
Slowly, Ryan shook his head. ‘No, London, it isn’t. It’s a very good thing indeed.’
‘Momma, you’re cheating.’ Poppy frowned, craning her head to try to get a look at Juliet’s cards. Juliet pulled her hands close to her chest, obscuring her daughter’s view.
‘I am not.’ She felt her mouth twitch. After dinner, she and Ryan had cleared up while the kids played in the den. Then they’d all come together around the kitchen table for a game of Go Fish. So far Juliet had won all but one hand, with Ryan losing miserably.
‘Oh she’s definitely cheating,’ Ryan agreed, his eyes twinkling as they met hers. ‘Nobody’s that good at cards.’
‘I’ll have you know I spent my whole childhood playing cards. There wasn’t much else to do growing up. Don’t ever suggest a game of Rummy whenever my sisters are around, it always ends up in war.’
‘I’ll remember that.’ He was still smiling at her. How was it possible that each time he did, her heart missed a beat? Even in his kitchen, playing a stupid game of cards with their children, he still had this overwhelming effect on her.
‘Have you got any tens?’ Charlie asked Poppy.
‘Go Fish.’ Poppy narrowed her eyes, her knuckles white as she gripped her cards.
‘You’re lying, I can see you’ve got a ten in your hands.’ Charlie pointed at her hand.
‘Yeah, well you shouldn’t be looking. That’s cheating, isn’t it, Mom?’
Juliet shook her head. ‘Don’t ask me. I’m the queen of cheating, remember?’
‘Even if I’ve got a ten, I want it. I’m collecting them. So go and pick up another card.’ Poppy slammed her cards on the table, face down. The furious expression on her face made Juliet want to laugh.
‘I see she gets her feistiness from you,’ Ryan whispered, his breath tickling her ear.
Juliet looked at her daughter. ‘Poppy, the whole point of the game is that if the person next to you asks for a card, you have to give it to them. Otherwise it’s not a game.’
‘But he knew I had a ten. If he didn’t know he wouldn’t have asked for it,’ Poppy protested.
‘I did not know. And even if I did, you still need to give me the card. That’s the rules. You need to obey them.’ Charlie narrowed his eyes at her.
‘I see he gets his sense of wrong and right from you.’ Juliet raised her brows at Ryan.
‘I guess they’re both chips off the old blocks.’
‘Less of the old,’ she said, kicking him in the shin. He grabbed her leg, stopping her from doing it again, caressing her calf with his fingers. He drew small circles on her skin, sending a shiver straight through her.
‘That’s cheating, too,’ she whispered.
He winked at her, running his hand beneath her skirt, his hands warm against her upper thigh. Just as she thought she was going to have to hit him, he let go, leaving her skin cold where his touch had just been.
Damn, he knew exactly how to drive her crazy.
‘Shall we just call this a draw, do you think?’ Ryan asked. ‘Before we end up in a war, Shakespeare Sister style. I feel as though there’s going to be a plague on both our houses.’