Forty-five minutes later, I swallowed my own tongue. Rushing into the kitchen, I practically inhaled a bottle of water.
Sienna rushed into the kitchen to check on me. “Are you okay? That cough sounds serious.”
“Yeah, I’m cool,” I croaked.
She smelled better than she looked, unlocking another round of coughs. Out of all the dresses that were on the rack, she picked the one that clung to her body and perfectly matched her skin tone. She looked classy and naked at the same time. The chocolate brown, sparkly, party dress hit her just above her knees and fully exposed her shoulders. A stunning diamond necklace, bracelet, and diamond earrings were her jewelry of choice. All her hair was piled atop her head, and her makeup looked flawless.
Letting my eyes sink lower, they landed on her feet. Strappy chocolate brown heels covered her perfect feet. Her toes were painted a light shade of pink. I resisted the urge to lick my lips. Treading lightly around Sienna was going to be a chore.
Her almond-shaped brown eyes questioningly blinked up at me. I was openly staring and processing whether I would be able to hold up my end of the bargain. Truly, I wanted to say fuck needing a nanny and making a play for Sienna’s heart instead.
She had me locked in.
CHAPTER 6
SIENNA
Breathethroughyournose,girl.There was no pep talk inspirational enough to slow my heart down. If Synder’s hand touched me one more time, I was going to burst into flames. His touch wasn’t even sexual. Just a tap here, or a “this way”there. We sat at a dinner table with two prominent community leaders and all I could think about was the man sitting one seat over from me.
Whether it was his patience with his daughter, who sat between us, or the way he conducted business, I was starting to see that being around Synder wasn’t as easy as I hoped it would’ve been.
I had a minute of distraction when my phone chirped.
Daddy:How are you settling in?
Me:Everything’s great here. I’m at a dinner party.
Mommy:Ooh, what y’all eating?
Daddy:Yo’ greedy ass.
Mommy:*angry emoji*
Daddy:Yo’ mama putting her hands on me.
Me:*laughing emoji* Will you two stop it? I’m having steak, and yes, it was delicious.
“Are you okay?”
Glancing up from my phone, Synder’s eyes met mine. “Uh, yes. Sorry.” I placed my phone back inside my clutch and remembered where the hell I was.
“Nah, you didn’t have to put it away. Whoever it was made you frown, then blush.”
Grinning, I replied, “My parents can be a bit much sometimes.”
His eyes twinkled with satisfaction. “I thought it was ya man checkin’ on you.” He licked his lips and added, “If I were him, I would be worried.”
I wanted to respond, but thankfully, Whimsy had bigger fish to fry. Her teddy bear fell on the floor. Synder reached down to get it, then leaned down to kiss his daughter’s cheek.
“You gotta protect her, lil’ baby,” he said to her. “You don’t want some lil’ bum pickin’ her up and takin’ her from you, right?”
Whimsy looked at her daddy with the cutest grin on her face. She adored him, and it was evident.
“No, no!” Whimsy responded. The fact that Whimsy knew what a bum was tickled me.
“Exactly,” he stated. His eyes connected with mine. “We don’t like when people take what’s ours.”
Somehow, I didn’t associate his statement with the teddy bear. His smirk confirmed he’d ventured far away from the teddy bear. Clearing my throat, I broke eye contact.
