Before I can scold her, the little old lady pats me on my bicep with a shaky hand. “That was impressive, sonny,” she declares, a blush coming alive on her wrinkly cheeks. She winks at Jenny. “It must be so nice being married to a strong, handsome man like this.”
My eyes lock with the nanny’s as I place her firmly back on her feet. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m sinking into quicksand. We speak at the same time, our words rushed and defensive. “We’re not married.”
Behind us, safely seated in the cart, Callie giggles.
Seriously, though—what the hell have I gotten myself into?
13 Jessa
As I’m taking the last bite of my mac and cheese, I watch Callie scrape her plate clean. “Jessa, d’you know my daddy was almost like a charming prince today?” she says as she chews.
Across from me, Eli’s head lifts from his own plate and his attention settles on his daughter.
“Really?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.
She rises onto her knees and leans across the dinner table. Her pretty eyes beam at me. “Yeah, he was. Because when you fell out of the tower, he was there to catch you.”
When I briefly make eye contact with Eli, I find the slightest smile on his face. I bite down my own smile. “Is that what a charming prince does?”
Callie nods with enthusiasm.“Yep. He was almost like a charming prince.”
Eli is full-on smirking now. “How come ‘almost’?”
Callie grins, showing off all her white, little teeth. “Well, you have a hairy beard,” she declares matter-of-factly.
Her father strokes his beard protectively. “Sometimes the prince has a beard,” he defends playfully.
Callie gives a vigorous headshake. “No, the prince doesn’t have a beard. The big bad wolf has a beard.”
Eli huffs, pretending to be shocked and offended. “I’m the big bad wolf?!”
His daughter grins and nods again.
One glance at the twisted-up expression on Eli’s handsome face and I can’t help it—I start giggling, too.
The man’s head swings my way. The heat in his eyes hits me like a scorching frying pan to the gut. “You probably shouldn’t laugh at the big bad wolf,” he warns darkly.
In a heartbeat, I’m tingling and fluttery under his gaze. “Why’s that?” I barely manage to croak out.
“‘Cause it’s been a long time since I got my paws on a pretty girl.” One corner of his mouth curves up. “You never know—I might just eat you up.”
The air between us is sweltering with tension. Since that moment we shared at the grocery store, I’ve been burning up. The panic of slipping from the shelf. The relief of falling into strong, waiting arms. The comfort of being safely cradled against a broad, throbbing chest under the bright fluorescent lights of the cleaning supplies aisle.
I blink away from Eli’s intense gaze, my heart hammering. I need to shift the energy in the room. I speak to Callie who’s still bouncing restlessly in her seat. “Wow—you sure have a lot of energy tonight.”
Eli scoffs and mutters under his breath. “Probably all that sugar you gave her.”
I roll my eyes. He might not be wrong. But I know my Callie, and that girl can handle her sweets almost as good as I can.
She’s been in a much better mood since we got back from the grocery store. There’ve been no more suspicious looks aimed at her father. No more apprehension in her words. She sat next to him at the ice cream shop, she helped him set the dinner table once we got home and she giggled in his face when he side-eyed the plate of straight-from-the-box neon-orange macaroni and cheese with hot dogs I placed in front of him. She’s thawing for him.
Eli seems to be thawing, too. Can I just say that I caught him with his eyes on my boobs over dinner? Twice.
And I know that he’s my boss. And I know that he’s Callie’s father. And I know that he’s angry and jaded and aloof.
My crush is silly as hell.
But when he looks at me, it feels good. I feel sexy, desirable, wanted. When his gaze lingers on my body and his pupils flare with greedy fire, when he checks me out like a man who knows better but just can’t help himself, it feels good.
Eli tosses his napkin onto the table and scrubs a hand down his face, like he’s trying to wipe his lust away. “I—I should probably go for a run,” he mutters to himself. “I need to blow off some steam.” He stands from the table and collects the dinner plates. “I’ll do the dishes first.”
“Thank you. I’m going to get her to bed,” I say, wobbling to my feet, dizzy from all the sex hanging like water vapor in the air. “It’s late, and it’s been a long day for her.”
Adorably oblivious to everything that’s going on, Callie cheerily takes my hand as I help her down from her chair.
She and Eli make eye contact across the room. She gifts him with another sweet smile. “Good night, Daddy,” she says, her voice so soft and tentative.
The big man goes to mush, right before my eyes. “Good night, Cal.” Then his attention moves to me. “Good night.”
The butterflies leave my stomach to swarm my whole body, invading me entirely, from the soles of my feet all the way to my fingertips. “Good night,” I breathe out.
Hand in hand, Callie and I make our way down the hall to her room. Eli is on my mind as I get the little girl changed for bed, help brush her teeth, and tuck her in.
I can’t stop thinking about him. I just want another moment with him, another shared smile. But it won’t happen tonight. As I’m guiding Callie through her bedtime routine, I hear doors opening and closing, dishes clinking softly, a little bit of banging and shuffling about. I imagine Eli tidying the kitchen, changing into workout gear. When
