Mitch rubbed tired, sleep-deprived eyes as he sat in his office, blue lined paper spread haphazardly across his drafting table. Alex hadn’t wanted to sleep, AT ALL, and he’d kept Mitch up into the wee hours of the morning before finally closing his eyes and allowing Mitch to put him down. That cycle had repeated itself both Friday and Saturday nights and Mitch had the bags under his eyes to prove it.

How do they do it? Mitch wondered, thinking about his Mom and Jamie. They never seemed tired or frustrated. The women had seemed to be able to lull his son to sleep in a matter of minutes instead of the song and dance that took Mitch hours. I’d rather have Jamie rubbing my back and falling asleep against her chest too, Mitch thought, a wry smile spreading across his face. In truth he couldn’t put all the blame for his sleepless nights on his little man. He’d been dreaming of smooth skin the color of coffee with just a touch of too much milk, running his fingertips along it, tasting it on his tongue. He couldn’t get her out of his head. His wood wasn’t just relegated to the mornings, it made its presence known noon, night, and any other time in between.

Like…now. 

Sure he loved being an architect, the clean lines of his modern designs, the sleek steel and reflective glass he’d planned for his newest project was pretty sexy, but it certainly wasn’t his job giving him the hard on currently tenting his boxers.  Mitch readjusted himself and stood up from his chair, dropping his pencils on the desk. Not much work was getting done anyway.

Later that morning, Mitch dressed Alex in a tiny t-shirt with the Jumpman logo on it, a matching pair of shorts and little Nike socks to match his similar running gear. He put the baby in his jogging stroller and headed out the front door figuring some physical exercise would help staunch some of the energy bottled up from his sexual frustration.

----

Jamie was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other towards the end of her run, most of the sounds around her blocked out by the ear buds in her ears, that she didn’t notice a familiar voice calling her name or the large figure waving frantically in her direction.

At first, Mitch spotted the bright pink sports bra from the side of his eye. It wasn’t until he watched the female jog by on the other side of the street that he realized who it was. It was the same light brown skin that had been taunting him in his dreams, skin that was now bare save that hot pink sports bra and a pair of barely there running shorts. He called her name and when she didn’t respond he waved his arms instead trying to draw her attention. Once he realized how much of an idiot he must have looked like, he quickly pushed Alex’s stroller across the road and called her name again.

Jamie turned her head to the sound and stumbled as she tried to stop. Once she caught her balance, she yanked on the string running across her chest effectively pulling her headphones out and bent over at the waist to catch her breath.

Mitch was having just as much trouble breathing from watching Jamie’s breasts rise and fall as her chest heaved.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to spook you. I didn’t know you were a runner.”

Jamie pulled her shirt out of her waistband and wiped her forehead with it.

“I’m not really…just to stay in shape or if I need to clear my head.”

Mitch could sense this wasn’t the usually pleasant and happy Jamie he’d gotten to know, a cloud of grey and melancholy surrounding her. He winced at the half smile that more closely resembled a grimace she forced on her otherwise beautiful face. 

He’d made up his mind, screw running, he’d rather torture himself in the presence of the object of his desires than have his muscles screaming at him. He rushed the thought swirling around in his head out of his mouth without taking a breath.

“Well Alex and I just came out for some air. We were gonna go home and make some breakfast. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

Jamie was hesitant at first, the sweat trickling down her back, reminding her of how much of a hot mess she must look. Her hand unconsciously went to her head, pulling out the elastic band holding her messy ponytail together, combing her fingers through the tangled locks, and putting it back up into a messy bun. 

She let out a nervous laugh.

 “I’m a complete mess, I should at least go home and shower first.”

Mitch’s eyes trailed over her bare flesh, tinted with a deep flush and was overcome by flashes of Jamie, head thrown back in ecstasy, long, toned legs wrapped around his waist, and his tongue tasting the beads of water dotting her skin as he took her against the shower wall.

He swallowed the groan threatening to bubble out of the back of his throat.

 “You look good to me.  Uhmm …yeah. I mean you could just take those clothes off…”

Mitch chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit Jamie had begun to notice. She couldn’t help the ego boost she felt knowing that she was capable of making a man like Mitch trip over his words.

 “What I meant was, Alex and I don’t care what you look like….that’s not to say I don’t find you attractive...cause I do….but I mean, you could be naked and we wouldn’t…care…I mean I’d care but….”

The neck rub came once again and the corners of Jamie’s mouth twitched as she fought not to laugh.

“Ok, ummm, I make a mean French Toast and Alex and I would really enjoy your company. You can even shower in one of the guest rooms. So, how 'bout it?”

Jamie didn’t hesitate, although the temptation was there, built up from years of harboring reservations and mistrust. She smiled, the first genuine smile to grace her features the whole weekend, and took off running back to the Kerr house.

“Come on. I’ll race ya!”

-----

By the time they reached the front door, sweat was pouring down Mitch’s face and his now shorter hair was sticking to his scalp.

“Wow, Mr. football star, you’re so out of shape!” Jamie gasped, hands on her head, sucking in big deep breaths.

Jogging behind her had given him a great view of Jamie’s firm, round ass bouncing with each stride and made it just that much harder to keep up.

“You cheated! And here my mom thought you were “such a sweet girl”.” He said mimicking the soprano of his mother’s voice. He dodged the fist Jamie threw towards his bicep and picked Alex up out of his stroller.

“I’ll just change the little guy and I can get you something to wear if you want to shower.”

Twenty minutes later after his own quick shower he set out the ingredients for their big breakfast. Eggs, milk, cinnamon, and thick cut bread for French toast, and best of all —bacon! He got started putting together the ingredients as he waited for Jamie to make an appearance.

Another twenty minutes later, Jamie made here way into the kitchen, feet bare, and dwarfed in one of Mitch’s t-shirts and a pair of his shorts. Standing in the doorway, she watched him work, turning abruptly and pulling brown sugar out of the pantry and adding some blindly to his mixture.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing cause I’m starved!”

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s breakfast! I could eat breakfast all day, everyday. Here…” he said pointing to the pan he’d placed on the stove to the left of him, “at least be helpful.”

Mitch and Jamie danced around the kitchen while Alex sat in his swing, content for the moment. 

 She set the bacon in the frying pan while Mitch went to work on his French Toast and very shortly the kitchen was filled with its delicious sent. Mitch couldn't help but groan, his mouth salivating. Jamie turned back to the stove and slid the cooked bacon into a plate, placing it off to the side. r32;He crept up beside her, intent on sneaking off with a strip from the plate and popping it into his mouth. He might have been successful too, if not for the sharp sting he felt from Jamie slapping his hand away with the spatula.

"Ow! Jeez, what was that for?" he asked, laughter in his voice as he faked a frown to hide his smile. He tickled her; his fingers searching out her sides, distracting her while he shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth.

Chewing quickly, he watched the playful scowl on Jamie’s face, and turned on a charming smile. Mitch knew what he was about to do, whether it was right or wrong, he didn't know. He closed what little space there was between them, feeling the heat radiating off her skin. He leaned down slowly, until his lips were inches above hers, giving her every opportunity to pull away. Mitch could feel her hot breath against his skin. He brushed his lips against hers softly as he brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek. r32;It was meant to be a brief meeting, solely to declare his intentions. But when a soft moan escaped past her parted lips, Mitch took it as a cue to take the kiss further, moving his mouth purposefully over hers. He parted the seam of her lips with his tongue and delved into it, teasing her, tasting her. She met his tongue with hers, the two dueling in each other's mouths. Jamie's hands brushed his chest, her fingers fisting around handfuls of his shirt.

She broke the kiss first, catching her breath while staring into Mitch's blue eyes. Her lips were swollen from his assault, her skin flaming. Mitch ran his fingers through her hair, waiting for her to say something, do something. Jamie dragged her bottom lip through her front teeth, nibbling on it nervously, the action only serving to make Mitch want to kiss her again.

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Alex saved them the awkward silence, his shrill cry, startling them out of the moment.

Mitch let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and chuckled. "I should ummm, I should go get him." Jamie nodded her head but she hadn't let go of his shirt yet, her hands still feeling the ripple of his muscles and the steady strumming of his quickened heartbeat. Mitch touched her arm softly. "Oh...sorry" she laughed shyly, releasing her hold on him.

Whoa…Jamie thought. She knew she was about to be in over her head but instead of fear, excitement sent a shiver down her spine.

Mitch picked up the baby, instantly quieting him, the little stinker.  Jamie plated the breakfast they’d made, joining Mitch and Alex at the table. He winked and smiled back at her, Alex perched comfortably on his lap. She smiled back before averting her gaze, sneaking peaks at Mitch out of the corner of her eye as he tried to feed Alex and shovel forkfuls of food into his mouth at the same time.

Mitch broke the silence by talking animatedly about the new project he was working on, a downtown office building with loft spaces on the higher floors. Once their meal was complete and there was a brief lull in the conversation, Jamie made to get up and clear the table.

"Uh uh, no you don't. You helped cook, so I'll clean. My mother would kick my rear end, if she knew I let you cook AND clean. Here, will you take him?" r32;Mitch said holding the baby out to her.

"Absolutely -- Come here little man!" She cooed at Alex.

Jamie held her arms outstretched waiting for Mitch to place him in them. She hugged the baby to her, burying her nose in his curls then kissing his chubby little cheeks.

“You know. Alex has a visit with the pediatrician on Tuesday for his shots. Maybe you could ask about trying him on some solid foods?....What do you think about that, mister? Maybe some rice cereal or avocado, or I know bananas! Sounds good?”

Alex’s toothless grin and happy gurgle was enough to send Jamie into a fit of giggles.

Mitch couldn’t help but stop and watch. He was most definitely getting ahead of himself but this is what he’d always envisioned when he’d bought this house, it was perfect for a family…his family.