I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about her today. After last night when I kissed her and she told me no, my brain is working overtime to figure out how to convince her I’m worth taking a shot on.
“Daddy!” Noah shoots up off the couch and runs to me, slamming into my legs as he wraps his arms around them.
I crouch and hug him. “Hey, little man. Are you being good for Zara?”
He nods. “Yes. We’re reading with Travis.”
“I can see that. What are you reading?”
“Bob the Builder!”
I chuckle. He fucking loves Bob. I’ve been trying forever to move him along to something new, but he’s a loyal kid. I eye Zara. Loyal like his father. I’ve tried to move myself along from Zara, but just like Noah’s sticking with Bob, I’m sticking with her.
“Hey,” she says, smiling at me. There’s something different about her today. I can’t quite pick what it is, though. She seems more relaxed maybe.
Standing, I say, “Your mum roped you into kid duty today?”
“I offered. Mum had to run some errands. She’s got Cade with her, and I’m looking after everyone else.”
“We made cake, Daddy!” Noah says, reaching for my hand. “Come see.”
I smile. At Zara, not my son, but then I glance down at him and say, “I bet it’s the best cake in the world.”
He leads me into the kitchen, hugely excited about having helped make a cake. His mother doesn’t allow him to help her when she’s baking, and I know that disappoints him. Not that I blame Lynette; Noah’s enthusiasm for things can become overwhelming sometimes, and I think Lynette struggles to contain him when he’s like that.
“See,” he says, pointing at the cake container.
They baked a chocolate cake and by the looks of it, the kids iced it.
“Noah is a born baker,” Zara says, joining us.
Travis runs in, too, and soon he and Noah are busy playing together, leaving Zara and me to talk.
“Thanks for letting him help,” I say, trying like fuck to keep my attention on the conversation, but failing. I can’t help it; I run my gaze over her body, appreciating the sight of her wearing jeans that hug her curves in the way I want to hug them, and a loose pink jumper that reveals her tanned shoulder. Even in winter, she’s tanned. It leads me to believe she spends a lot of time in the sun, which causes an image of her body in a bikini to fill my mind. Christ. Not what I need to be imagining right now.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, you need to stop.” The way she says this is not in the least bit serious, but rather playful. Fuck, she’s flirting with me.
“You think so?”
Her eyes sparkle. “Oh, I know so.”
Fuck. Me.
“No way in hell am I removing these thoughts from my mind, princess. Not when they feature you wearing a bikini.”
Surprise, heat, and approval flash across her face as she comes to me. “Maybe one day I’ll let you see if real life matches your imagination.”
I reach for her. “Is this what I think it is?”
She grips my shirt. “This is me testing the waters.” Fuck, her breathless tone stirs my dick.
“You wanna take me for a test drive?”
“You think you could handle that?”
My eyes drop to her lips. “I think you’ll find my performance far exceeds your expectation.”
“Jesus, Fury,” she says, her body pressing hard against mine. “I have no chance at resisting you.”