Stephen held out his hands to Abby to assist with the switch. “Come here, big boy.” But instead of passing Cole to his brother, he took the baby against his chest. They’d both done a fair amount of baby holding since the twins were born.
He relaxed back against the railing, long legs stretched out in front of him. She knew every inch of that body. Intimately. The man was spectacular on his own, but holding a baby? He was devastating.
Stephen’s big hand rubbed circles around the baby’s back. “We’ll be catching up to you soon, brother.”
The comment might have passed without anyone making much of it, but she’d been so lost in sexy thoughts, she didn’t think. Her mouth dropped and her eyes bugged. “Stephen!”
He shrugged, smiled. “Oops.”
The shock passed and she rolled her eyes, shook her head. “You just couldn’t stand it, could you?”
He pulled her close with his free arm. “Nope.”
She let him plant a quick kiss on her lips, then turned. Luke had left months ago for who knows where and Zach hours ago for his shift. Her eyes went immediately to Nick’s and she smiled sweetly at her brother. “Surprise.”
The McKinneys erupted in congratulations, hugs, and kisses. Especially Stephen’s mother, who’d quickly filled in for her own.
Nick slowly unfolded himself from his chair at the base of the stairs and made his way up. “So I guess I have to shake your hand and say congratulations again, McKinney.”
“I guess you do, Walker.” Stephen took Nick’s offered hand. Both men smiled, though the look that passed between them was serious.
A look also passed between Mia and Nick from where her friend stood on the other end of the porch. Just a flash and then it was gone.
Stephen’s mom took Cole, and with his arms free he hugged her back against his chest. The men toasted him with a beer, even Nick, and the ladies got the due date details. There were more hugs and questions until Gracie flipped out of her swing and Matt bounded down the steps to console her. A dog barked, the boys ran from the woods claiming they’d seen Bigfoot, which made the girls on the swing set scream. General chaos ensued.
Another perfect moment.
For Karen, who gave me that first push I needed and never stopped believing.
A huge thank-you goes out to my critter crew, my editor, and my agent. It takes a village.
BY CLAUDIA CONNOR
The McKinney Brothers
Worth the Fall
Worth the Risk
PHOTO: ASHTON DRAKE
CLAUDIA CONNOR attended Auburn University, where she received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in early childhood education, and she completed her studies in Sawbridgeworth, England. Always a lover of happy endings, she enjoys movies, reading, and spending her days pouring out the stories in her head. She lives near Memphis, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters.
claudiaconnor.com
Facebook.com/ClaudiaConnor
@Claudia_Connor
Goodreads.com/claudiaconnor
The Editor’s Corner
February is the month for romance, especially at Loveswept…because this month we have a little something for everyone.
Sure to please fans of erotic romance, Lea Griffith’s All or Nothing series returns to the deepest places of longing and obsession—don’t miss More. In Sidney Halston’s latest sizzling MMA romance, Below the Belt, a former title contender turns the tables on his knockout trainer with a lesson in seduction. New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff is back with another Ethan Frost novel, featuring the irresistible leading man from the New York Times bestsellers Ruined and Addicted in Exposed. USA Today bestselling author Sawyer Bennett hits the ice with the story of a playboy athlete whose winning ways lead him to a beautiful woman with a lot to lose. You don’t have to love hockey to enjoy Garrett, the next book in Sawyer’s Cold Fury Hockey series. Another of our Loveswept USA Today bestsellers, Mira Lyn Kelly, cranks up the heat for two lifelong friends whose most secret longings come true in every delectable way in Touch & Go. And later in the month, in Lavinia Kent’s luscious, erotic historical romance, a free spirit learns her true desires from a master of the heart, of the body—and of the sweetest discipline. Check out Bound by Bliss. Ashlyn Macnamara finishes up this month of romance with a blazing hot novel, What a Lady Requires, the story of mismatched newlyweds who discover a simmering connection.
Be our Valentine this month and every month—read Loveswept.
~Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for an excerpt from
Too Hot to Handle
by Katie Rose
Available from Loveswept
Chapter 1