“Daddy pretty!”
“Can we make stars for the party?” Lara asked. “We can put them on the tree.” Their Christmas tree took up one corner of the third floor open area. They’d decided to place it near the railing so that it was visible from the first floor, which had especially delighted the girls.
“I don’t see why not,” Nikki said. “Every Christmas Eve party should have stars.”
“And since we’re hosting it,” Damien told Lara, “I think we can have as many stars as you want to make.”
“Yay!” Lara bounced and grabbed Anne’s hands and his two daughters morphed into little girl-shaped containers of pure energy.
Nikki moved to his side and they stood there, watching the insanity that was their kids until he heard the soft clearing of a throat behind them and turned to see Gregory.
“Good morning, sir.”
Damien bit back a sigh. He’d long ago given up on trying to convince Gregory to lose the formal touch. “Good morning, Gregory. Did you need me?”
“Actually, I was going to offer to fix the young ladies a snack before you go.”
“That would be fabulous,” Nikki said, indicating her robe with her hand. “I still need to shower and dress. You two behave,” she added, pointing to the girls. She met Damien’s eyes. “You, too.”
“Careful, wife,” he said, making her laugh as she hurried out of the room.
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Damien told Gregory. “But it is your day off.” When Bree, their previous nanny, had left for college in New York over the summer, Gregory had stepped in to fill the nanny gap. Though originally intended as a temporary arrangement, he’d asked to keep the position in addition to his other duties. His own daughter had never had children, and he doted on the girls. But the extra work meant that the poor man surely needed his free days more than ever.
“It’s only for an hour or so while you and Mrs. Stark get ready. And how better to spend my down time than with my two favorite girls?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Damien admitted as Lara clapped her hands and Anne mumbled something around her thumb that sounded like miss her gee, which Damien interpreted as Mr. G.
“I guess that settles it,” Damien continued, glancing quickly at his watch. “We need to be out the door in an hour if we want to get there on time.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Daddy! Daddy, stay. Wanna make fairy wings for Mr. G.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I need to check in on something at the office. But I’ll be done soon and we’ll go see your cousins, okay?”
“Yay!” Lara started to jump up and down, and after a quick look from Damien to Gregory to Lara, Anne joined in, apparently deciding the craziness was okay.
“And this is where I leave you,” Damien said, then smiled at Gregory’s faux look of horror.
The last thing he heard as he rounded the corner into the hall was Gregory’s suggestion that they go to the kitchen for a snack of apple slices and cheese. A suggestion that was met by applause and giggles.
He’d spoken the truth. He did need to check in at the office. But the person he needed to check in with, Ryan Hunter, was joining them for brunch at his brother’s house.
Which meant that Damien had only one thing on his mind that needed his attention right then. And that thing was Nikki.
As he’d hoped, she was still in the shower. He could hear the water running as he entered the bedroom and turned toward the massive, contemporary-style master bath.
He’d designed it himself, with some input from his architect. Those were the days before he knew his brother Jackson even existed, which was a pity, as Jackson was one of the most skilled architects on the planet. Even so, Damien had to pat himself on the back. This bathroom was a showpiece, designed for decadent comfort.
But the best thing about it right then was the naked woman standing in the slate-tiled shower, the details of her body hidden by the fog on the floor-to-ceiling glass doors.
“Are you just going to stand there looking at me?”
He was already on edge, and her voice, low and sensual, roused him as much as is she were touching him. He stepped the rest of the way inside, then shut the bathroom door and leaned against it.
“Unfortunately, I waited too long. There’s far too much steam to look at you properly.”
“I guess you’ll have to open the door and come in if you want a better view.”
“I guess so.”
She wiped away a tiny bit of fog, then peered at him. “I’m surprised you didn’t think of that yourself. I thought you had a reputation as a problem solver.”
“I do,” he said, pushing away from the door and walking slowly toward her. “Tell me your problems.”