Page 74 of Under My Skin

I looked up at her and smiled. “Morning, Lina.”

She looked over at Dani with a slightly raised eyebrow, and Dani blushed crimson, which made me smile. I loved that Dani had found not only someone to share the load caring forIsaac, but someone she genuinely connected with. While Lina was technically an employee, I could tell already that their relationship went way beyond that now. They were true friends. And that was what I’d been hoping for all along, even before I really got to know Dani.

“Shut up,” Dani mumbled. “Yes, he spent the night.”

Lina laughed. “I didn’t say anything. This just means I have an easy morning.”

“An easy day, actually,” I said, then looked at my girlfriend.Fuck,that felt good to finally be able to say. “Unless you have plans, beautiful?”

“Nope,” Dani said with a yawn. “Other than drinking lots of coffee. Someone whose name isnotIsaac wore me out last night.”

I snorted as I took the now-finished bottle out of Isaac’s mouth. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”

“I’m not either,” she said with a shy smile. “So, I’ve been kind of obsessed with overnight oats recently. I’ve been experimenting with a bunch of different recipes. Is that okay for breakfast?”

“Absolutely, it is,” I assured her. “I’ve been wanting to see what all the hype is about.”

“Lina, are you hungry?”

“No, I’m okay. But if you have an extra cup of coffee in the pot, I’ll take it.”

“I was actually making café cubano, but I’ll start a pot of regular coffee too,” Dani told her, then headed back to the kitchen.

Suddenly remembering that there was something I’d meant to talk to Dani about last night before the evening took an extremely pleasant detour, I turned to Lina.

“Do you mind burping him? I need to talk to Dani for a minute.”

“Not at all. That’s what I’m here for,” she assured me as she took Isaac from my arms with a huge smile. “Hola, nene. ¿Cómo estás hoy?”

As I caught sight of my phone on the coffee table, I grabbed it, groaning quietly when I discovered it was dead. Hopefully Dani had something I could charge it with. Even though I needed to spend the day here and get some quality time in with my girl and my son, I did need to check in with Bobbi and the detectives handling my case at some point too.

I headed into the kitchen, wrapping my arms around Dani’s waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. She let out a contented sigh as she leaned back into my embrace, and I tightened my arms around her and kissed her neck, then lightly grazed my teeth over her earlobe, smiling when I felt a shudder go through her.

“Behave, B. This apartment is too small,” she chuckled quietly.

“I know,” I assured her, turning her head for a kiss. “I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to have you in my arms again. Can I do anything to help you?”

“Coffee and filters are in the pantry if you don’t mind starting a pot. I usually make it with an extra scoop of grounds since Lina and I both like it strong, but we can deal if you’re a wimp,” she teased.

“Sweetheart, there isnothingwimpy about me,” I snickered as I let go of her. “Do you happen to have a spare charging cord? My phone’s dead.”

“Yeah, you can use my computer charger. It’s a C-type cord and it’ll charge your phone in like forty-five minutes.”

She walked out to the small dining area and grabbed her laptop bag, retrieving the cord and adapter and plugging it into the wall.

“Thanks, beautiful.” I quickly plugged my phone in, then headed to start the coffee. “So, there’s something I meant to talk to you about last night. Ian, Ky, and Melissa are coming down here a few days before the premiere, and they really want to meet you and Isaac. I thought maybe we could do dinner at my place, and if you have a travel bassinet for Isaac, you can spend the night if you want. Are you up for that?”

Dani slid a small ceramic mug in front of me that was about half-full ofverystrong-smelling coffee. “I’d love to meet them, and I’ve got a pack and play for Isaac. I’m sure Morgan and Mal will want to come too since Melissa’s going to be there.”

“I was already planning on asking them.” I picked up the cup. “What’s this?”

“It’s called a café cubano. Cuban espresso infused with sugar. We usually drink it like a shot, but I don’t have shot glasses.”

I picked up the mug and downed its contents…and for a solid few seconds, I could hear colors and see sounds. But goddamn, was it worth it. The absolute strongest coffee I’d ever tasted, but the sweetness of the sugar offset it so it wasn’t bitter. I was going to have to learn how to make this myself for mornings when I needed a little extra push.

“Holy shit,” I chuckled. “I think I can actuallyseethis Taylor Swift music now.”

She laughed. “Yeah, it packs a punch. Want another one? Or a café con leche? It’s that same espresso, but with steamed milk.”

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