Intimate Secrets (The Love and Danger Series) (10 page)

Walker lifted Lilly up so they were eye level.  “Not good,” he said and gave her tummy a nuzzle with his mouth and nose.  It caused her to giggle, delighted with her new friend.  “But we’re going to find him.”  He set Lilly down again.  “In the meantime, let me get some clothes and we’ll head back to your place.  I’ve put a new lock on both of your doors, done a few things to the windows to increase the security and added deadbolts.  It will be much harder for the guy to get into your house now.”

Amy felt enormously better. 
And grateful.  He was truly going above and beyond.  “How did you do all that in such a short amount of time?”

He shrugged one massive shoulder
.  “I’m motivated,” was all he said before he stood up and took Lilly with him, disappearing into the back of the house. 

Amy stared at his broad shoulders as they disappeared down the hallway, Lilly’s little head only slightly above his shoulders as she happily bounced right along in his arms.  She didn’t realize that she had a silly grin on her face until she turned and saw her reflection in the mirror. 
As soon as she saw the starry eyed look, she wiped the smile from her face.  Sighing, she packed up Lilly’s toys and blanket, re-stacked the cushions from the sofa and was just grabbing her purse when Walker and Lilly came back down the hallway.  Walker had a bag slung over his shoulder and Amy swallowed painfully with the implication. 

“I wish we could stay here.  I could sleep on your couch.  My place isn’t big enough for a full sized sofa.”

He winked at her.  “I don’t have a room to keep Lilly safe yet.  I’ll fix that.”

Amy blushed, not sure how to take his comment.  But he put a hand to her back and led her out to his truck again.  “Sam is coming by tomorrow to trade vehicles with me.  And then Brock will trade with me tomorrow night when I pick you up.”

“Is all that necessary?” she asked, watching as he strapped Lilly back into her car seat.

“This guy broke into your house and your classroom.  I have no idea what his motivation is, we don’t even have an identity on him and the license plate came back as a stolen vehicle. 
So yeah.  It’s necessary.  Until we understand what this guy is up to, why he’s doing this to you, then we’re taking all kinds of precautions, including me sleeping on your floor to keep you two safe.”

She knew he also had a gun strapped to his side.  Normally, she was oppos
ed to hand guns but knowing a crazy stalker guy was out there, she didn’t mind one little bit. 

They drove to her house while Walker asked her questions about her day, about the kids, about being a teacher…it was a nice drive although pretty short. 

“What do you want for dinner?” she asked, her hands shaking slightly as she pulled open the door to her fridge. 

Because of the silence, Amy turned to figure out what he was doing.  When she caught his look, she froze and she could in
stantly read his mind.  Her.  He wanted her for dinner! 

The look was so hot, so heavy with the
implication, she inhaled sharply and couldn’t release the breath.  They stood there, looking at each other, Lilly patting Walker’s cheeks and the refrigerator still open. 

When Lilly squeaked, the sound broke the moment and Amy released the breath and turned back to the fridge.  There were apples, bananas, yogurts and milk in the fridge.  She knew there were several frozen dinners in her freezer, but they probably weren’t enough to sustain a man like Walker.  “How about if I order something to be delivered?” she offered, not looking back at him as sh
e closed the fridge and opened the cabinet where she kept all of her delivery menus.  “Thai?  Chinese?  Pizza?” she offered, pretending that her fingers weren’t shaking as she sifted through the various menus. 

“I like them all.  Pick whichever tempts your palate.” 

Amy thought long and hard about what was tempting her but tried valiantly to ignore that temptation.  “Thai it is,” she decided, spur of the moment since it was the menu she was holding in her hand.  “Drunken noodles and Panang Gai?” she asked. 

“You remember,” he said, his voice deep with that sexy, husky edge to it that quickly sent
sensual shivers down her spine. 

She picked up the phone and dialed, putting in their order quickly.   When there wasn’t anything else to do, she finally turned around, facing Walker.  “I guess…”

“Doesn’t Lilly need a bath?”

Amy grabbed onto that task with both hands.  “Yes!” she gasped, relieved to have something to do while they waited for their dinner to arrive.  “Yes.”  And she walked over to Lilly, about to pick her up but then stopped herself.  “Would you like to do it?” she offered. 

Walker looked down at Lilly who was smiling at both of them, standing on the counter while holding onto Walker’s fingers with both of her pudgy hands.  Every few moments, her legs would give out on her and she’d drop them, but Walker would hold onto her, lifting her until she straightened her knees again. 

“Will you show me how?” he asked.

Amy cringed inwardly.  She’d thought it was such a good idea for him to give Lilly her evening bath.  He would be upstairs, she’d be down here and Amy could get her head back in order and her body under control.  But he had a point.  Bathing a baby wasn’t the easiest task, especially Lilly because her daughter loved to play in the water.  She splashed and laughed and played with her toys.  Unfortunately, the bathroom upstairs was tiny.  Walker might not even fit on the floor in front of the bathtub and now Amy had to help him?  Good grief, this was going to be….

“Sure,” she finally said. 
There wasn’t any decent way to get out of this, and if she showed him now, perhaps she could escape and…well, she wasn’t sure what she would do with the extra time.  Lilly’s bath usually lasted about fifteen to twenty minutes, sometimes longer if she was really having a good time in the water.  Except for this morning’s shower, Amy hadn’t had an extra few minutes in the evening since before Lilly was born.  And those last few months, she’d been so tired in the evenings, those spare moments didn’t even count. 

Goodness, extra time?  Maybe she could…paint her toenails?  What a crazy and delicious thought!

“Yes.  Definitely, I’ll show you how to give her a bath.”  Amy now rushed up the stairs, leaving Walker looking up at her curiously. 

Amy adjusted the water temperature, giving Walker tips about the process throughout.  She then took Lilly and showed him how to use the soap and wash her hair, keeping the water and suds out of her eyes.  “And after all that, she just plays in the water with her toys,” she explained and pulled the basket of toys out from under the sink where it was stored.  “All set?” she asked and stood up.

Walker bent down and took hold of Lilly, his eyes narrowing on Amy.  “What’s going on?” he asked suspiciously.

Amy smiled brightly and backed up several steps, leaving him alone in the bathroom.  “Going on?  Nothing is going on,” she came right back.  “Have fun!” she said and slipped into her bedroom, shutting the door
. 

Walker watched the closed door for a few moments, not sure if he should ask questions or if it was better not to know.  In the end, Lilly made the decision for him, too excited by the water.  She was already bending down over his arm trying to reach her favorite play
toy.  “Okay, I get it,” he said to his daughter. 

For the next thirty minutes, he and Lilly splashed and played in the water.  Every once in a while, Walker would glance at Amy’s closed door, wondering what she was doing but he didn’t want to
take his eyes off of Lilly for too long. 

When Lilly’s fingers were starting to wrinkle from being in the water too long, Walker lifted her up and dried her off.  He felt only slightly more adept at putting on the
diaper this time and knew that it didn’t look exactly like when Amy did it, but he hoped it would do the job. 

“Okay, pajamas,” he said to the tiny girl.  “Which do you want?” he asked, holding up a pink one with an elephant and a yellow one with a bumble bee.  When Lilly only smiled up at him, he nodded his head.  “Pink and elephants, it is,” he told her with a nod. 
With only a bit of trouble, Walker figured out how to get his daughter into the pajamas, looking pleased with himself when he stood her up and looked at her.  “You’re ready for your final meal, aren’t you pretty girl?”

He was just about to lift Lilly into his arms when Amy stepped out of her bedroom.  She looked much more relaxed but, other than that, he had no idea what was different about her except she was grinning from ear to ear.  “Goodness, even dressed for nighttime?” Amy exclaimed, lifting Lilly into her arms and laughing at her excited movements. 

She turned to Walker, still smiling and her shoulders seemed to be more relaxed.  “Thanks,” she told him shyly.  “That was really wonderful.” 

He nodded his head, his eyes narrowed as he still tried to figure out what she’d done for the past forty minutes in her bedroom.  His mind was reeling with the possibilities and they were all turning him on.

“Are you going to tell me?” he asked as Amy sat down in the rocking chair, picking up a book. 

“Nope,” Amy replied and smiled as she opened the book,
starting her nightly reading with Lilly.  This wasn’t her favorite and Amy only got halfway through it before Lilly decided it would be better as a chew toy and chomped on the corner. 

They finished one story and started another, with Walker behind them the whole time.  She could feel his brain trying to work through the possibilities and she almost laughed.  She had socks on her feet now so he couldn’t see what she’d done.  Well, he could if he looked at her fingers, but because her nails were short and her hands always active during the day, she’d only filed them and put a c
lear coat of nail polish, not wanting to have to worry about fixing chips on nail color each morning.

Her toes though!  Oh yes, her toes had received a great deal of attention!  Her feet had been pampered!  She’d filed, painted, buffed and polished her toes and feet.  They were now baby soft with sexy red polish on her toe nails.  She wanted to curl her legs up underneath her, afraid he might figure out what she’d done.  Amy knew that
pretty toe nails was a luxury and probably a vanity issue, but she couldn’t help it. She felt so much sexier when she had her toe nails painted.  It just made her feel…pulled together. 

“You’re not going to stand there and watch again tonight, are you?” she asked when Lilly started shifting, becoming anxious for her evening meal. 

Walker only crossed his arms over his massive chest and stared down at her.  “Tell me what you did while I was bathing Lilly and I might leave.”  He wouldn’t, but he wasn’t going to tell her that.  

Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head.  “Don’t you have some case to solve?  Some bad guy to chase down?” she demanded, shifting slightly for Lilly.

His eyes smiled at her and she sighed.  “You’re being obnoxious, Walker,” she told him with growing irritation even while her cheeks turned pink. There was no option but to unbutton the sweater and give Lilly what she was demanding. 

When Lilly latched on, Walker’s eyes changed.  Gone was the sexual intensity and he watched with fascination as Lilly’s cheeks moved, her tiny hand rested on Amy’s pale, upper breast.

“Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice deeper. 

She looked up at him and knew that this wasn’t a sexual question.  He was concerned for her!  The realization made her heart swell with emotion and she had to swallow painfully to keep the tears at bay. 

“No.  It hurt initially, but that was only because I was doing it wrong.  A nurse helped me and now it doesn’t hurt at all.  I can barely feel it, except when we’re running late on feedings.”

“What happens then?”

Amy shrugged, trying to pretend like this was just a normal conversation and not a discussion about her breasts.  “They start to ache.  My milk flows in anticipation of her nursing.  They fill up and, if I can’t feed her quickly, they hurt.”  She touched Lilly’s hair gently.  “But we’re pretty good about keeping to a schedule.  When it’s just the two of us, we don’t have a lot of deviation from our routine.”

She heard a grunt and then, “I’ve broken up that routine, haven’t I?”

She shrugged, careful not to disturb Lilly.  “Not nearly as much as that stupid stalker guy,” she assured him. 

There was a long silence as both of them watched Lilly’s eyes start to close.  “I’m going to find him, Amy.  We’re getting closer.”
             

She smiled up at him.  “I know.”  She looked down at her hands which were supporting Lilly’s bottom, curving around her little legs.  “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you first.   I know you are a great detective.”

He shrugged, dismissing the issue. 

She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say, but she didn’t want him standing th
ere, something going through his mind that she couldn’t decipher.  “What have you been doing over the past year?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Working, mostly,” he replied. 

“What do you do for hobbies?” she asked.

He thought about that, suddenly realizing that he didn’t really have any hobbies.  “I play ball with the guys you briefly met,” he told her.