Caitlyn and the Alien Protector (Intergalactic Brides 7) (7 page)

“That makes sense. I’m sure there are hundreds of women out there who would love the opportunity to be part of your life and a part of Katy’s.”

Yes, he supposed that was possible, but the one who interested him the most was sitting across from him. Her eyes held humor and an honesty he hadn’t seen in many humans’ gazes. And her gentle touch and patience with Katy made him believe that she would be a good mother. Not that today had been a test by any means. When he’d offered to take her shopping, it had never crossed his mind to offer her a place to live in exchange for watching Katy. The way his heart pounded when she was near was a little confusing, a feeling he’d never felt before. And he couldn’t look at her for very long without his gaze dropping to her delectable lips and wondering when he might share another kiss with her. With any luck, the more time she spent with Katy and him, the easier it would be to convince her it should be a permanent arrangement.

“There isn’t a boyfriend who will be upset that you’re moving in with me?” he asked, quite curious about her love life. More specifically, if she had one.

“No boyfriend. I had a fiancé until a year ago.”

“Things didn’t work out?” he asked.

“He died.”

Cosmir reached for her hand. “I’m sorry. If I had known, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

“It doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I knew when I agreed to marry him that I ran the risk of losing him to his job. It didn’t make things any easier when it happened, but I’ve moved on now. I’ve started dating again, and maybe one day I’ll be ready for a long-term relationship.”

In other words, she was off limits. It figured the one woman who had truly captured his attention didn’t want anything permanent. And just what kind of job had the man had that it risked his life?
Oh hell. Please don’t say fireman
.

“What did he do for a living?”

She smiled sadly. “He fought fires, like you.”

Fuck
. Well, there went his shot at convincing her to give him a chance. If she’d lost one fireman in the line of duty, how likely was it that she’d risk being with another one?

Caitlyn folded her arms over her chest and stared her brother down. “I’m moving out and that’s final. Cosmir has offered me a position as his live-in nanny. He said I didn’t even have to be the nanny but could just be a friend helping out.”

“You mean he wants you to spend more time with him.”

“Aren’t you the one always telling me I should date more?” she asked.

“Date, yes. Move in? I just think you’re going a little too fast. Cosmir is a great guy, and I have no problem with the two of you dating, but I think you need to slow down a little. Today is the first day you’ve spent any time with him and suddenly you’re moving in? That’s insane, Caitlyn.”

“I’m not shacking up with him as his girlfriend. He’s giving me a place to stay rent free and in exchange I’m watching Caitlyn on the days he’s at work. It’s mutually beneficial.”

Jake looked skeptical.

“I mean it. Besides, you know I don’t want to date another fireman.” Caitlyn huffed. “Does it matter anyway? I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

Jake held up his hands. “You’re right. And like I said, Cosmir is a great guy. I guess if you’re going to move in with someone, it’s better that it’s him than any of those losers you’ve been dating.”

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, picked up her bag of clothes, and gave her brother a little salute before heading out the front door. Cosmir stood beside his SUV waiting for her and took her bag then stowed it away in the back with her purchases from earlier in the day. As she watched him, she had to admit her brother wasn’t far off the mark. Cosmir really was rather spectacular. She could do, and had done, worse. She’d taken the room as a place to stay, but it didn’t hurt that her roommate was rather yummy looking. And the way he treated his daughter just made him even more attractive. She would imagine most guys in his situation would have panicked, but Cosmir seemed to have taken things in stride and was doing the best he could.

When they reached his house, she admired the charming structure. It was in an older neighborhood with modest sized homes, but his seemed to outshine the others. The trim was freshly painted, bushes in the garden were neatly trimmed, and the fence around the backyard looked brand new. If she had to guess, she’d say he had upgraded his fence when Katy came into his life. The six-foot privacy fence would definitely keep the toddler confined.

“Your home is beautiful,” she said as they approached the front door.

“Thank you.” He handed Katy to her as he unlocked the door and turned off the alarm. Cosmir held the door wide as he motioned for her to step inside.

Once the lights were on, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. A leather sofa and loveseat looked rather comfortable in the living room, and in typical bachelor fashion, he had a large flat screen TV mounted on the wall with a game system and Blu-ray hooked up to it. Men and their toys. It didn’t seem to matter what race they were, they were all attracted to shiny electronics.

Cosmir gave her a brief tour, pointing out a built-in desk in the corner of the kitchen with a shelf above it that would be perfect for storing books, and two drawers underneath perfect for storing office supplies and files.

“I never use that space so if you want to set up your computer and printer over there, you’re more than welcome to. I know it isn’t exactly a quiet part of the house, but maybe you can get some work done while Katy is napping.”

“If you’ll give me a minute to put my bag in my room, I’ll help give Katy a bath and get her ready for bed. What time do you usually put her down?”

Cosmir looked at his watch. “She missed her nap today so she should probably lie down soon. I don’t know if she’ll sleep until morning or not, but you don’t have to get up with her.”

Caitlyn smiled, knowing she’d probably get up with her anyway. Hopefully Katy was as pleasant first thing in the morning as she’d been all day. Despite the fact she hadn’t had a nap, the little girl hadn’t fussed once. Caitlyn set Katy down to roam her home while Caitlyn carried her clothes to the bedroom Cosmir had pointed out. It wasn’t a large room, but it was spacious enough. The double bed was plenty big for one person, the dresser was adequate, and the closet was fairly large. There was a TV mounted over the dresser so at least she’d be able to watch TV in bed when she couldn’t sleep.

After putting her things away, she went back to the living room to find Cosmir and Katy. The little girl was playing with a shape-sorting toy and Cosmir had put cartoons on for her. Every time a shape fit through a hole, she clapped her hands and giggled before reaching for another.

Caitlyn watched as Cosmir observed his small daughter. There was pride shining in his eyes and she could tell he loved her very much, despite the fact that Katy was so new to his life. Caitlyn had dated men before who were single fathers, or had their kids on weekends, and none them showed the same amount of tenderness that Cosmir did. Not that she’d met many of the kids, but the few she’d seen had seemed distant with them. It just proved that being a sperm donor didn’t make you a father. Cosmir might be a tough warrior, and a bit of a daredevil since he chose to fight fires, but when it came to his daughter, Caitlyn saw a gentler side to him.

He’d worn a black F.F.D. tee and jeans today, and she had to admit he looked damn good. The shirt hugged his broad chest and biceps, the dark color making his skin a brighter hue of lavender. She’d seen pictures of Terrans on the news and in the paper and they always had long hair, but Cosmir had his cropped short on the sides and spiked on top. Had he worn it long before becoming a fireman? She knew the haircut was regulation for working at the station as long hair would be a fire hazard.

She fingered her own long, black hair and wondered if he found her the least bit attractive. Caitlyn had taken care with her appearance earlier, but had he even noticed? He’d been attentive enough, but was it from sexual attraction? She was on the short side, but she’d always been told she had nice legs, yet she hadn’t seen him take a peek at them once. Living in close quarters with him she knew her attraction for him would only grow. Even if the man left wet towels on the bathroom floor, she’d still want him in her bed.

He laughed at something Katy babbled to him and tugged on one of her ringlets. His smile lit up his face, and if possible, made him even more handsome. How was it possible some woman hadn’t nabbed him already? He was a great father, he’d been an excellent listener all afternoon and evening, and he was very easy going. Any woman would be lucky to call him hers, but Caitlyn wasn’t sure if she wanted to go down that path again. She wanted him, she wouldn’t deny that, but for how long? Could she handle another long-term relationship with a fireman? What if he went into a burning building one day and didn’t come out? And even worse, what would happen with Katy? It chilled her to think of the little girl growing up without her father and possibly going into the foster system. Did they even have something like that on his world?

Cosmir stood and walked toward her. “What’s that pensive look for?”

“Just thinking.”

“Must have been some deep thoughts.”

She shrugged. “Is Katy ready for her bath or should we give her more time to play?”

He smiled softly. “We. I like that. It’s been just Katy and me the last few weeks. It’s nice to know there’s someone else here to make sure I don’t screw it all up.”

Katy needs a mother
. She didn’t dare voice that out loud. What if he thought she was offering to do the job?
Then again
… Caitlyn gave herself a mental slap. The last thing she needed to do was even think of becoming that little girl’s mother. She couldn’t even take care of herself right now, much less become a mother.

But wasn’t that, in a sense, what she was doing? She was offering to take care of Katy twenty-four hours a day when Cosmir was working, taking complete responsibility for her. Would it really be so horrible to share that responsibility with him on the days he was home too? Have more days like today where they went out as a family?

“I had fun today,” she said. “It was nice spending time with Katy and you.”

Cosmir reached out and smoothed her hair back behind her ear. “We had a nice time too. Katy seems rather taken with you.”

And her father? Is he taken with me too
?

“I’ll go get Katy’s pajamas if you don’t mind starting her bath. She likes it just a little warm, otherwise it’s too hot for her sensitive skin. The females of my race have very tender skin, especially when they are young.”

Caitlyn nodded. “I can do that, but should we leave her alone in here?”

“She’ll watch TV for a few minutes, but I’ll be quick gathering her things.”

Caitlyn went into the hall bathroom and put the stopper in the tub before turning on the water. She made sure it wasn’t too hot and dug through the cabinet looking for some bubble bath or baby wash. She found a bottle of lavender scented baby soap that doubled as shampoo and added a capful to the water. There were a few rubber toys in a net attached to the side of the tub and she added them to the water. Cosmir stepped into the room with Katy in his arms.

Caitlyn took her from the handsome alien and quickly undressed her, tossing the pull-up in the trash. As Katy went into the water, she giggled and splashed, sending bubbles over the edge of the tub and onto the floor. Cosmir chuckled behind her, but Caitlyn focused on the little girl in the tub. She thought she was rather successful at ignoring the hunk of male, until he went down on his knees behind her and leaned forward, his chest pressing against her back as he reached for his daughter.

“She likes the bubbles. I never thought to do that for her,” he said. “You’d make a good mother.”

“Because I added bubbles?” she asked breathlessly.

“Because you’re patient with her and seem to hold genuine affection for her, even though the two of you only met today.”

Well, I only got to know her daddy today too and I’m already falling for him pretty fast
.

“Katy’s a sweet girl,” she said. “It’s easy to fall in love with her. I’m not sure that qualifies me to be a mother though.”

“The fact you care makes you better than her real mother,” Cosmir said, his voice turning hard. “When I think of what that woman did, of how she would have thrown Katy away if it hadn’t been for her heritage, it infuriates me.”

“But she’s safe here with you now,” Caitlyn said, placing a hand over the one he’d braced on the side of the tub.

Was it her imagination or did he lean into her a little more? The heat of his body pressed against her and had it not been for Katy playing in the tub, she might have turned and plastered her mouth to his. Caitlyn couldn’t remember the last time she wanted a kiss as badly as she wanted Cosmir to kiss her. Obviously, now was not the right time -- if there ever would be a right time. Just because she desired him didn’t mean she should act on it. All right, so she’d technically already acted on it the day they met, but that had been an impulsive decision. And one that had haunted her every night since.

When Katy was finished with her bath, Caitlyn dried her off while Cosmir made himself scarce. She wasn’t sure if he’d felt the same connection and needed some space or if he was just leaving her to tend to his daughter. Caitlyn towel dried Katy’s hair.

“Do you need to potty?” she asked the little girl.

Katy sucked on her bottom lip and hesitantly nodded.

“It’s okay if you need to go. Do you want some help?” Caitlyn asked.

Katy held her arms up.

With a smile, Caitlyn picked her up and sat her on the toilet. She didn’t know much about children, but she thought by now Katy should be potty trained. Then again, if her mother hadn’t had much to do with her, it was doubtful she’d been potty trained at all. As smart as the little girl was, Caitlyn figured it wouldn’t take long before she could wear regular panties and go potty by herself.

Katy held up her hands when she was finished and Caitlyn showed her how to wipe before helping her into a pull-up and her pajamas. Katy beamed at her, so proud of herself, and Caitlyn fought back tears. It had taken so little to make her happy. Had the girl’s mother not paid her any attention at all, never praised her?