“What about my thong?” she asked, turning around to face me. Her hair looked messed up while falling in gorgeous red curls around her face.
I arranged it back as well as I could. “I like the idea of you going back bare. Make sure you stay that way until I get back.” I picked her thong off the floor. “This belongs to me now. I’ll keep it in my drawer and sniff it whenever I miss you too much.”
“Ooo… I like the sound of that,” Ella purred.
On a whim, I turned to her. “How about dinner tomorrow night?”
She raised an eyebrow at me.
I knew what she was thinking. We weren’t about that. I knew it too, but this was different. I felt a need to thank her for everything she’d done for my daughter. She had gone beyond what had been expected of her and I felt grateful.
Is that the whole truth? A voice in my head asked. Of course, it was the truth. No one knew how to keep their feelings in check like I did. After Penelope, I’d locked away my feelings and thrown away the key. I was a man and wasn’t averse to the company of a beautiful woman. And Ella certainly was beautiful. “I want to thank you for taking care of Molly so well,” I finally spoke.
“You don’t have to and besides, who would watch over her?”
I liked that just-fucked look in her eyes. The look that no other man would feast his eyes on. I caught myself. What is the matter with me? Ella did not belong to me and even if she did, I wasn’t the clingy possessive type of man.
I wasn’t a Neanderthal. I was an educated, sophisticated man.
“You could ask your friend Ruby,” I suggested. “I also meant to tell you that you can have a friend over anytime. I know it can get lonely with just myself and Molly for company.”
Ella smiled suddenly, her whole face lighting up.
It felt like a ray of sunshine was shining directly into my heart.
“I’d love to go for dinner with you. I’ll ask Ruby.”
Ella
“I think it looks better up,” Ruby said, holding my hair at the top of my head. She turned to Molly. “What do you think Molly? Up or down.”
“Hmmmm,” Molly said thoughtfully.
Molly and Ruby had taken to each other almost instantly, but it wasn’t hard to like Ruby. She knew how to be silly and fun. A child’s dream babysitter. Her green hair helped too. She had recently dyed her hair with streaks of green.
Molly’s eyes had widened when she first saw her. “She has green hair. Is she a witch?” she had gasped when Ruby jumped out of her car.
“No, she just likes colors. Last week her hair was pink.”
“I like colors too. Can I have green hair too?”
“Um… let’s see what your father thinks about that first, okay?”
Molly smiled and hadn’t stopped smiling since.
“Molly thinks up, and that’s what we’ll do,” Ruby announced seriously.
“You can’t read Molly’s mind,” I pointed out.
“Am I right, Molly?” Ruby asked.
Molly nodded a huge grin on her face.
I stared at my reflection as Ruby heaped hair at the top of my head and pinned it into place. The end result was a sexy ruffled look that made me look quite hot.
“I love it! Thanks. What do you think Molly?”
“It’s nice,” she said approvingly, as she picked Bean off the floor and cuddled him in her arms.
I got up and smoothed down the turquoise off shoulder dress I had decided to wear. One of the few designs I owned that was long and flowing. Feeling suddenly nervous, I grabbed my clutch bag from the bed, and turned to face my audience of two. “I’m ready,” I told them.
Ruby turned to Molly. “Shall we take pictures of Ella and your dad?” When Molly nodded, Ruby turned to me. “You heard Molly, phone please?”
I let out an exaggerated sigh, clicked open my clutch bag, I handed her my phone. We left the bedroom and headed downstairs to the living room.
Luke stood at the French doors, his back to us when we entered. He turned around when he heard us.
My heart stopped.
He wore a black dinner jacket over a white casual shirt, made to fit over his very masculine physique. As my gaze hungrily raced down his body, he’d already stripped me with his eyes.
“You look beautiful,” he said, his voice thick and husky.
His voice told me what he would do to me if we were alone. My panties became damp as I imagine him closing the distance between us and taking me into his arms.
Ruby coughed, breaking the sexual tension in the room.
I laughed to cover up for my embarrassment. For a minute there, it had just been Luke and me, lost in our own bubble.
He came to me and offered his arm. “I wish we were alone,” Luke whispered into my ear. “I’d have you right here and now.”
His husky voice trembled through me, heating my blood, leaving me incapable of rational thought.
“Pictures, please,” Ruby said.
“Pictures?” Luke asked, looking at me.
I laughed. “Yes. Let’s pose.”
“All right,” Luke agreed. He arranged himself behind me and slipped his hands around my waist.
“I like that pose,” Ruby said and proceeded to take pictures. Then she gave my phone to Molly and showed her how to capture images. We took several more pictures with Molly standing between us then a few of her and her dad.
Then we were out of the door and we were alone again. The night air felt warm as we walked to the car. I felt a strange burst of excitement. We were officially on a date. Like a real date.
Luke opened the passenger door for me.
I thanked him and slid in.
He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
His aftershave filled my nostrils. I turned to him. His face was lit by the light coming from the dashboard. I felt my heart contract. Whoa! What the hell was this sensation?
