“
Great.
”
“
Oh, and Mike?
”
I looked around the disaster area that was my formerly pristine kitchen and wondered how the hell I'd been able to get flour on the ceiling fan.
“
Yeah?
”
“
What
’
s something easy to make for breakfast?
”
Anne
Showered and dressed in a buttery yellow fitted tee shirt and faded blue jeans, I was ready to face the day by seven thirty on a Saturday morning—not that I had been able to get much sleep. I was finishing combing out my wet hair when Zoey woke up, so I gave her a bath and got her ready for the day.
I was talking to Zoey as I put on her socks. She was babbling back happily when I heard a knock at the door and my stomach clenched.
Thankfully, the moment I opened it and saw him standing at the door with a big, cocky smile on his gorgeous face, holding two boxes of cereal in one big hand and a gallon of milk in the other, my stomach untied itself and I laughed. I hadn
’
t laughed like that in a very long time and it felt really good.
Anne
“
When you asked me for help, I thought you meant to cook food.
”
“
No. It
’
s Saturday, Anne. We don
’
t work Saturdays,
”
he told me right before he scooped a spoonful of Cocoa Puffs into his smiling mouth.
John Davenport was sexy as sin when he was surly and irritable, but when he smiled and was playful? He was too much. I felt like I was about to melt into a puddle of what would look like Zoey
’
s baby food on the floor.
He’d made a huge show about making us breakfast, pouring each of us a bowl of cereal. We even laughed when he talked about the complexity of serving the perfect bowl, then cereal spilled all over the floor because he wasn
’
t paying attention. He was sweet and funny in a way I’d never expected
any man
to be, least of all him.
His usually solemn and rugged face was soft and smiling; it did things to me. It made me want to believe in things I had stopped hoping for long ago. He was a level of sexy that I hadn’t known existed. He was sweet as we talked over our bowls of Cocoa Puffs while he tried to convince me to help him host a BBQ.
“
Get to know everyone, simply hang out.
”
“
But
…”
I started then bit my lip, not knowing what to say.
“
No but. You
’
ve been working like crazy these last two months. The garden looks beautiful. You should be able to relax and enjoy it. Have others enjoy it. Please?
”
Sitting across the small dining table from him, his dark eyes soft on mine as he grabbed my hand, I felt a sensation that was contrary to anything I had ever experienced. A shiver ran through my entire body and my nipples strained against the satin of my bra.
“
Okay,
”
I agreed all too easily and wondered what else I would agree to if my reward was that easy smile of his; the one he hardly ever shared with anyone.
“
Everyone should be here around one,
”
he shared, and I nodded as I finished my cereal.
“
Sounds good, I can make some
…”
“
No,
”
he chuckled.
“
Are you always this stubborn?” He asked, his eyes and tone of voice showing his amusement.
“
Umm
…
I can be,
”
I started to say but he cut me off.
“
I like it, don
’
t get me wrong. It
’
s a great quality. I should know, I have it in spades.
”
My heart fluttered when he winked at me and gave me a sexy grin.
“
But today, I want you to have fun. Okay?
”
“
Okay,
”
I whispered, and I saw something flash in his eyes that I couldn’t read. He gave me a smile as he stood up, taking our now empty bowls to the sink.
Turning around, he leaned against the counter while I watched him. He was tall, six-two, maybe even six-three. His dark hair was cut short, but was messy in a way that made it appear like he
’
d been running his hands through it this morning after his shower and it just set that way, instead of the perfectly styled hair he usually preferred during the week. His black tee stretched wondrous lengths across the broadest shoulders I
’
ve ever seen and revealed muscles that surprised me, because they were on display rather than hidden in his usual dress shirts and suit jackets. His tan, wrinkled cargo shorts with a relaxed brown leather belt did nothing to hide his muscular thighs and legs. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed he was wearing tan leather flip flops.
“
What?
”
He asked, and my eyes moved up his body to his amused stare.
“
Nothing.
”
I smiled shyly as I stood and my feet took me in his direction until I was standing right in front of him.
“
Are you laughing at me?
”
He playfully asked, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“
I didn
’
t think you owned anything other than a suit,
”
I told him accidentally. His bark of laughter was contagious, but the way it made him look was mesmerizing. I soaked in the vision of this usually intense and surly man looking carefree and relaxed. It was breathtaking.
I never thought a laughing man could be sexy. I
’
d read romance authors describe it a million different ways, but I never thought it was possible. I
’
d been wrong. It definitely was. His laughter died down slowly as our eyes connected and something fell over us.
Something silent. Electric. Sizzling.
He stepped forward and, taking my hand in his, he gently pulled me closer to him. I couldn’t help it; my eyes widened when our bodies touched and my heart beat hard against my chest. His hands left mine and travelled up my bare arms. The pads of his fingers barely touched me, yet left a trail of fire in their wake. He reached the edge of my neck and chin. My skin was covered in goose bumps and my breathing was off as I looked into the dark depths of his eyes. Miraculously, I held in a gasp of surprise.
John
’
s smoldering gaze etched over his serious face, his chest slightly heaving, and I realized that his breathing was broken just like mine. Without thinking, I licked my lower lip and heard a sexy groan that made me want to squirm. His dark eyes stayed fixed to my mouth as his hands shifted slightly and his thumb caressed my bottom lip, making my heart beat furiously in my chest. The way he was looking at me, somehow hotter than just a moment before, made liquid heat pool between my thighs.
I wasn’t sure who moved in first, wasn’t sure who closed the small space between us. It could have been me, it could have been him, but I thought it was both of us. It didn
’
t really matter, because when his mouth touched mine, his free hand gently cupped the back of my head and the bushfire he
’
d created erupted, turning brighter and hotter. He tasted like chocolate and something else. It was oddly familiar and yet completely new. His scent enveloped me, and my hands had a mind of their own as they tangled in his hair and we lost ourselves in an amazing first kiss.
John
Time and space disappeared the moment her luscious lips were below mine. I couldn’t help nipping them, nibbling, sucking. I knew I should stop. I should apologize. But the hell of it was, sorry was the last thing I felt.
Kissing her was as necessary as breathing at this moment, and I was going to have my fucking fill. Ripping my lips from hers, I kissed her chin, her jaw, and I was fucking overjoyed when she arched her neck, allowing me access to explore its flawlessness. My blood was on fire, need rushing through me like I had never felt. Hearing her soft purrs and moans made my cock twitch painfully, but it was fucking worth it; worth every single nerve that ached to hear her, to taste her, to breathe in her scent.
God, she smelled fucking beautiful, soft and slightly sweet.
Both of her hands were in my hair, nails at my scalp. My little Kitten was catching fire, making me want to pound my chest. I wondered if she was as wet as I was hard. I picked her up and she wrapped her long legs around my waist. Her center grinding against my hardness, I almost came when I felt her mouth on my neck.
“
Fuck, Kitten,
”
I whispered against her neck, then turned her and sat her on the countertop. I placed my body between the V of her legs, and felt her roll her hips.
“
More. Please,
”
she whimpered and I pressed hard against her, her soft mewling in my ear fueled my own need until I heard a bowl crash onto the floor and we both froze and looked behind me. Zoey
’
s bowl was on the floor, the little princess giggling. Feeling like a pail of ice water had been emptied over my head, I took a deep breath, my nose at her neck, her scent soothing me.
“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I told the skin at her neck.
“
I wasn
’
t complaining.
”
Her body now stiff, I immediately missed the soft way she had molded herself to me only seconds before.
“
I shouldn
’
t have
…”
“
I liked it,
”
she admitted, her voice soft, and I looked at her.
Her hazel eyes were teetering on green, her milky skin was flushed pink, and her lips! Fuck me, her lips were even puffier than normal from my kisses. I couldn’t help but kiss those lips tenderly before nipping her lower one as I tried not to think about them on other parts of my body and what that would feel like.
“
I did, too.
”
My voice was husky. Before I could say anything else, a knock came on the door and I backed away as I silently helped her jump down from the counter.
She looked at me, catching her breath. I looked down at her heaving chest, her nipples straining against her shirt making my mouth water. My eyes moved back up to her beautiful face. She opened her mouth to say something when the knock came again. Shaking her head, she walked to the door. I looked towards the table to see Zoey sitting in her high chair, sticking out her tongue, then blowing a raspberry. She fell into a fit of giggles, and I laughed at the situation I
’
d literally put myself in.
Anne
The caterers hadn
’
t found anyone in the main house so they had come knocking on my door, unknowingly interrupting a moment between John and me, and as much as I enjoyed kissing him, I was grateful. I needed space to get my head back together and to remind myself of how things were. I couldn
’
t just lose control and kiss my boss, no matter how sexy he was.
And even knowing this, I still let him kiss me again. After he told the caterers he would be with them in a second, he closed the door, walked over to me, and kissed me. Kissed me with a familiarity that would make you think we
’
d been kissing for years instead of for the second time. He kissed me so sweetly, so softly that everything around me slowly disappeared right alongside with my good sense. He made everything in me come alive from just a kiss. Thankfully, before things burned bright again, he stepped away, kissed the top of my head, then told me to be ready by one before he left to deal with the caterers. I stared at the closed door, my fingers at my lips, smiling. I looked over at Zoey and laughed.
I knew it was crazy. I was on the run, hiding my child from the monster that had helped create her. Becoming involved with my boss was the last thing I needed to add to an already complicated situation. I just couldn
’
t make myself regret it, though. Nope. Not one bit.
With that thought, I picked Zoey up, turned on the radio, and did what I hoped one day she would always remember us doing when things were crazy and out control.
We danced.
Anne
It was still early, an hour to go until we had to walk to John
’
s for his BBQ, and I was a nervous wreck. Zoey was down for a nap, her cute little denim dress hanging by the closet off the bedroom door ready to go for when she woke up. I, unfortunately, had no idea what to wear. His friends were coming over. His very well-off friends. In the life I had run away from, I
’
d been around people like that, and it had never been very pleasant. The way they looked down on me for what I was wearing.
Mike and Sabrina were nothing like that, but I had no idea what to expect from anyone else. A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
Opening the door, I couldn’t contain my smile.
“
Birdie!
”
I exclaimed at her standing in front of me with bags in her hand and a huge smile on her face.
Birdie and I
’
d become friends in the couple months I
’
d been here. Both of us being new employees and her working at the house for the first month until John had found an office, we had quickly bonded. Plus, it didn
’
t hurt that she was so down to earth and sweet you couldn’t seem to help gravitate towards her.
“
Hey! Is my sweet girl asleep?
”
“
Yeah. Come in, need help?
”
“
Nope. Here,
”
she said, her pretty face smiling as she handed me a pink oversized canvas bag.