Rex cringed, his lips pursing and that throat that kept making me lose my train of thought bobbing heavily. An edge of defensiveness threaded into his words. “We were at the lake all day...she didn’t get her bath before she fell asleep.”
“I not tired anymore, Daddy,” she said, shaking her head as if she were shaking off even the idea of going back to bed.
“It’s late, Frankie Leigh.”
She totally ignored her dad, her smile so wide when she shot forward and wrapped her tiny arms around his thigh before gazing up at me. “What do you gots? Is that a Pepper Pie? Oh, yummy.” She jumped in place and tugged at her dad’s shirt. “Daddy, she gots a Pepper Pie! Is that for me?”
At least someone appreciated my efforts.
I smiled down at her. “It is for you. But it’s super hot right now, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to have a piece so you don’t burn yourself. That’s if your daddy says it’s okay. And be sure to save a piece for him in case he wants one. Deal?”
“Deal!” She blinked at me. “I want a puppy!”
I subtly shifted the brunt of the weight of the pie from one hand to the other, the scalding temperature making its way into the mitts. “You do?”
“Uh-huh. But Daddy said it’s not a good idea rights now. Do you gots any good ideas?”
“Um...I’m not sure.” Light laughter slipped free, her sweetness tugging at my chest. Maybe there was such a thing as too adorable. Because right then, I’d probably give her anything she asked me for.
I shifted the mitts again, and Rex sighed.
“Is that hot?” His teeth gritted when he asked it. As if he were dreading my answer. As if he didn’t want to be concerned but couldn’t stop himself.
I shifted it again. “A little bit.”
He looked to the ground, issuing a soft curse beneath his breath, the word only ringing in my ear because I was able to read it on the movement of his soft, full lips. On a resigned sigh, he stepped back and widened the door the rest of the way. “Come in...set it on the kitchen counter.”
With the way he cringed, I’d have thought the invitation caused him physical pain.
I whispered, “Thank you,” and slipped inside, my body grazing his when I passed.
A tiny gasped breached my lips. The heat on my hands was nothing compared to the heat that scorched my skin.
Attraction swept me head to toe.
It was possibly the most foolish emotion I’d ever felt.
Because it was unfathomable.
Overwhelming.
Too much.
Sucking in a breath, I forced myself to step the rest of the way inside.
My jaw dropped in awe. “Wow.”
The interior of their house was totally not what I’d expected. I’d expected something closer to my grandmother’s house. A quaint, comfortable home that could use a fresh coat of paint among a million other things.
Shabby and totally missing the chic.
Rex’s place had been entirely renovated. The floors were a gorgeous, shiny wood, and the white crown molding lining the ceilings matched the mantel and hearth of the fireplace, which was the focal point of the living room. A big television hung on the wall above, and a brown leather sectional sat in the middle of the room.
And the kitchen.
Good God.
The kitchen.
