Claiming Caroline (Claimed 3)

A throat clearing behind us sends her reeling from my arms.

"Shit." I pull her back into me and glance over her head at Mary.

"Dinner is ready," Mary says, glancing at Caroline and then back at me. A delighted smile spreads across her wizened face, etching laugh lines around her mouth and eyes.

"Thank you."

She beams at me, but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she keeps her opinion to herself and disappears back the way she came. She'll go out the back door to her house, which is a block over.

"You didn't tell me anyone was here!" Caroline whisper-hisses at me, her eyes wide.

"That's because I took one look at you and forgot anything else existed, princess." I step back and start sliding her coat buttons free of their loops. "Mary is…Mary," I say when a suitable explanation doesn't appear. "I inherited her when I bought the house."

"You inherited her?" Caroline's nose wrinkles with confusion.

I chuckle at her. "Professor Eddings lived here before he took a teaching position in London. Mary and her husband took care of the place for him. Her husband died not long before I bought the property. She kept showing up to work, and I wasn't about to tell her no." I shrug, stripping Caroline's coat from her. "She cooks and cleans when she wants to. Mostly, I think I pay her to tell me what to do and give me shit when I don't listen."

Caroline's expression goes soft, her lips curving into another million-dollar smile that makes my stomach twist and my cock throb. "That's really sweet, Jared."

God, I can't wait until she trusts me enough to call me daddy again. I need it, more than I ever imagined I would.

"Let's go see what she made for us, hmm?" I suggest, tossing her coat over the bench beside the door and then taking her hand. "When I told her I was going to have company, she kicked me out of the kitchen and refused to let me back in again."

Caroline laughs softly. "She sounds like my mom. No one is allowed in her kitchen except for her. My dad has tried convincing her to hire a cook, but she refuses. She loves being in the kitchen. It's her happy place."

"Are you close with your family, sweet baby?" I ask as we head toward the living room.

"Yeah, I am. My parents have a house here, but they spend most of their time in Los Angeles now that Kennedy and I are grown. My brothers both live in California with their wives, too. I miss them."

She stops in the living room, taking it all in. The room is open and airy, with big windows to let light in. The furniture is gleaming wood and soft satin. My house is far bigger than it needs to be, but I like having space.

"Your house is beautiful," she murmurs.

"I'm glad you approve." I don't know much about her family, but I do know their worth outstrips mine by billions. Her father is in the oil business. If she chooses me, it won't be for what I can do for her financially. She's more than capable of providing for herself.

She draws to a stop in front of a picture of my family. "You have a sister?"

"Mmhmm," I hum, smiling. "Jocelyn is your age. She'll probably take over the family business when she's out of school."

"You don't want to take over?"

I quickly shake my head. "I have a stake in the company and sit on the Board but taking the reins has never been my dream. It's been Jocelyn's since she was a little girl. She's more suited to it than I am."

"How come?"

"I'm a writer, not a businessman." I grimace. "I was a writer. It's been a long time since I've written anything. Until yesterday."

Caroline spins to face me, her lips slightly parted. "You started writing again?"

"I told you that you were a muse, princess," I say, smiling at her delighted expression. "You inspire me. It's been a long time since anything did that."

There goes that breathtaking smile again, knocking me on my ass.

"What about you?" I ask, shaking my head slightly to clear it.

"What about me?"

"Do you want to take over your family's business?"

"God no," she says with a horrified laugh. "I want to be a climatologist."

"Why?" I ask, pulling her into the kitchen.

She stops right inside the door and looks around, smiling. The smell of freshly baked bread permeates the space. As expected, Mary is nowhere to be found. Hopefully, she took some food with her when she left. She's stubborn enough to try to cook twice when she should be resting. She's been having problems with her back lately.

"Because the world is changing whether we like it or not," Caroline says, growing more expressive as she talks. "We're all so focused on what's convenient that we forget that we aren't the only species who has to survive on this planet. It's time we start doing something about it before it's too late. I don't want my kids to grow up in a world hurtling toward destruction."

Fuck. The thought of her having my kids has my dick aching for relief.

"You want kids, princess?"

"Yes," she says, her chin coming up as if she expects me to gainsay her. "I want at least four."

"I'll give you as many as you want," I murmur, dropping a kiss on her head before I slip past her to prepare our plates. "Whenever you're ready for them, sweet baby."