Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
The thing was, I missed Alex. Sure he was arrogant and too charming by half, and he knew his worth as a man, but he was also funny and kind. He smelled like a man should and yeah okay, maybe I also missed the way his body felt under my hands. Hard and sculpted, rippling and so hot that my hands tingled just thinking about touching him.
“Damn,” I whispered under my breath and forbid myself from having any more Alex related thoughts until the sun set hours from now.
So far so good. I hadn’t thought of him once while I dressed Dixie for the day, or when I ventured outside of her room and into the kitchen. Twenty minutes and then forty-five minutes passed and I hadn’t thought of him once.
And then there he was, appearing out of nowhere in a pair of shorts that hung low—mouthwateringly low—on his hips, and no shirt because the man had an aversion to wearing too many clothes. “Good morning, ladies.” He flashed a toothy grin and I turned away, kept my focus on feeding Dixie.
Henrietta turned and gave him a long, assessing look before she frowned at him. “Something wrong with your shirts?”
“It’s summer,” he reminded her as if that was a full answer or an answer period.
Henrietta pointed her wooden spoon at him and then the vents hidden on the walls. “There’s air conditioning in here.”
I laughed and continued feeding Dixie who was having a full blown baby conversation on her own.
Alex crossed the kitchen and stopped in front of me, his gaze focused on me while I staunchly avoided his gaze. He plucked Dixie from the high chair. “Mornin’ sweet girl.” My heart kicked up at the sight of father and daughter smiling at each other with adoration. He smacked a loud kiss to her cheek that made her face split with a sweet smile. “What do you think about hanging out with your Dad today?”
No, no, no. Going to the park would involve me and it was likely also involve the press and I wasn’t in the mood. “Don’t you have practice?” I stood purposefully and offered Dixie another spoonful of roasted summer squash.
“Nope. Some kind of management meeting so we have a free day and I was thinking we could go to the park together. All three of us.” His green eyes were so full of hope that I wanted to say yes immediately, but I couldn’t. Not yet.
Instantly my gaze was wary as it darted all around the kitchen, everywhere but at Alex and his hopeful expression. I had no good reason to say no and since the contract had already been sighed, I couldn’t technically say no. Instead I thought about a few tips to help me keep my emotional distance from a man like Alex. He was entirely too potent, took up to much space in every room he was in, and most of all, he was irresistible. There was no other answer I could give so I shrugged inwardly and agreed. “Yeah, sure. We can go to the park. It’ll be fun for Dixie.” My smile felt phony which was good because it was, things were too awkward now and I didn’t like it, knew I couldn’t deal with two years of that problem.
“Great. We can leave in an hour if that works for you?”
I nodded and finished feeding Dixie, knowing I had one hour of peace before I had to touch Alex, accept his affection and return it. All for show.
I had sixty minutes to get my head screwed on straight and ready to pretend for the cameras.
Only for the cameras.
Seventy-five minutes later Alex and I strolled through the park with our hands clasped, Dixie strapped to his chest as she smiled and babbled at everything in sight. Her eyes lit with excitement at the colors of the flowers, the dogs and kids. The sounds.
His hand squeezed mine and I looked up into those eyes, sparkling with joy. “You think she’s enjoying herself?”
I smiled softly at the concern in his question and nodded. “Hang on.” I held a hand up to stop him and rushed forward with my phone in my hand, snapping a few photos. “Okay, now walk.”
His brows knitted together at the command but a moment later he started walking again and Dixie’s face lit up even more. I let the video record for a few seconds and tapped the stop button. “What was that?”
I shrugged. “I wanted to put your mind at ease.” I returned to Alex’s side and showed him the photos and then the video. My goodness he was as gorgeous as they made men and when a soft smile touched his lips, my attraction only intensified.
“She’s smiling!”
“She likes being out here in the world, seeing the sights and sounds, don’t ya, Dix?”