Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117201 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
“Have to stick. Especially during the season.” Playfully, he flexed a bicep for Lissa. “One pancake or peanut butter smoothie and this deflates like a balloon.”
Lissa snorted, digging into the plate of pancakes Tallulah set down in front of her. “No, it wouldn’t.”
Tallulah poured another circle of batter onto the pan, very obviously pretending not to watch him flex. “You know, half the joy of pancakes is sharing them with someone else. No one wants to watch someone eat egg whites while they’re adding a second layer of syrup to their breakfast. You enjoy it more when you get to watch someone else enjoying it, too.”
“Maybe in the off season.”
Lissa and Tallulah traded an eye roll.
His daughter was halfway finished with her first pancake when the intercom buzzed, the doorman’s voice filling the apartment. “Mr. Abraham. Your guest is waiting downstairs.”
“That’s my mom,” Lissa said, jumping down off the stool while in the process of rolling her second pancake up like a taco. “Thanks for the pancakes, Tallulah.”
“Anytime, babe. See you Monday.”
Lissa started for the door, but stopped and circled back to the kitchen, giving Tallulah a hug where she stood at the stove. “Bye.”
Caught off guard, Tallulah recovered quickly and squeezed Lissa in return. “Bye.”
Burgess picked up Lissa’s bag and followed his daughter to the door, his chest tight as he shoved his feet into the slip-ons he kept by the coat rack. Before he could walk out after Lissa, Tallulah cleared her throat in the kitchen. In a way that implied she had something to say. “Um.” She waved the spatula at him. “Aren’t you going to put on a shirt?”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
She faced the stove again, her chin notched up. “Oh.”
“You want me to cover up?”
“It’s up to you.”
“Are you sure about that? Seems kind of important.”
Tallulah let out a high-pitched laugh that didn’t sound all that humorous. “I’m sure your ex-wife has seen you shirtless before.”
“Yeah.” Hiding his smile was growing more difficult by the second. “Honestly, it’s hard to remember anything that happened in my life before you moved in.”
She wouldn’t look at him.
He took a jacket off the coat rack and put it on, buttoning all the way to the top, smiling on the inside when her shoulders relaxed. “I’ll be right back. Stay where you are.”
She shrugged daintily. “Fine.”
A moment later, Burgess got into the elevator with Lissa, trying not to let it show how eager he was to get back up to the apartment, but Jesus, his pulse was slamming in his veins, his mind coming up with ideas on how to wipe that half-confused, half-miffed expression off Tallulah’s face. And then later today, he was going to bring her to a place he’d been dreaming of taking her since . . . fuck. Since they’d met in California.
God, he’d been gone for this woman so long.
He wanted rings on fingers. Commitment. Permanency.
All the things she’d told him she didn’t want. From the beginning.
The closer they got, the more he wanted to pretend she’d never said those words, but that would be unwise. Just like last night, he’d continue to keep their relationship unlabeled. Even if in his head, they were each wearing a label written in black Sharpie.
Tallulah’s read mine.
His read hers.
Burgess got Lissa safely into Ashleigh’s car, stowing her bag in the trunk, before practically jogging back to the elevator and impatiently stamping the button for his floor. Watching the numbers go up on the screen, he pushed five fingers through his hair, reminding himself to be patient. Not to rush her.
While also making it clear he was serious.
Easy.
On his way to the apartment, he was already unbuttoning the jacket and he dropped it to the ground as soon as he was over the threshold. And he kept walking right to the kitchen where Tallulah was standing at the counter, just about to take her first bite of pancake. She dropped the fork when he was five feet away and that was good, really good, because he went into the kiss hard, spinning her around and lifting her feet clear off the ground, her ass rattling the lower cabinets as he slanted their mouths together, growling in a way that he hoped said this is how I want to fucking wake up. After her initial surprise wore off, and it wore off fast, her fingers dove into his hair and pulled, her mewl tasting like heaven on his tongue, his lips twisting over the top of hers, pulses pounding in his temples.
“Tell me you want to be the only one who sees my bare chest, Tallulah, and it’s done.” He wound her hair around his fist and tugged her head back with just enough force to make her suck in a breath. “Matter of fact, it’s done either way. Feel free to add some nail marks to it.”