Standing here in the cocoon of his embrace, I don’t even want to think about anyone else. “I like the way we are now. It’s like our own little bubble.” I look up to gauge his reaction. “Is it okay if we wait for a while?”
His eyes are soft and understanding. “Of course. I know your family may be concerned about our age gap.”
I snort. “My brothers will definitely beconcerned.” Returning my head to his chest, I clarify, “Well, not Xander. His sexual tastes vary, so he would never judge. But Reno and Bubba are probably going to flip their lids.”
“Reno’s your brother-in-law, right?”
Nodding, I nestle closer. “Yes. He was an only child, so he’s taken on the role of big brother to the max. I adore the big goon though.” I crane my neck up to look at him. “What about Reecie?”
“Things are about a million times more complicated with a kid.” Phoenix smiles and kisses my nose. “The good thing is she already adores you.”
“Liking me because I play football and liking me dating her dad are two different things. How have you handled that with women in the past?”
He releases me and laces his fingers between mine as he leads me from the closet and through the bedroom with both of us clad in our robes.
As we descend the stairs, he says, “She doesn’t just like you because you play football, Jordie. She likes you because you’re kind and patient with her.” We enter the kitchen, and he rummages around in the fridge. “And I’ve never introduced Reece to any other women.”
“What are you looking for, and what do you mean you’ve never introduced Reece to another woman? She’s almost five.”
“I’m looking for food because I’m starving. All I’ve had to eat since lunch was a bag of pretzels on the plane. And just what I said. I haven’t really dated much.”
“How much is not much?” I ask because I’m curious as hell.
“Since my daughter was born, I’ve been on exactly two dates.”
I blink in shock as he begins pulling things from the refrigerator. “Two dates? That’s it?”
“I’ve been busy with raising a kiddo. And with my burgeoning dance career.” He flashes a cheeky grin over his shoulder. “I need to get to know someone well before introducing them to Reece. I don’t want women coming in and out of her life. Both dates pretty much went nowhere, so they never met her.”
He turns and begins preparing veggies on a cutting board.
“Why didn’t the dates go anywhere?” I ask.
“One told me she hates children. That was right after I mentioned I had a daughter so that one didn’t even make it to dessert. The other, Jewel, was pretty nice, but she had the most annoying voice. I took her home with a kiss on the cheek and a polite goodbye. She called a few times afterward, and I finally fibbed and told her I’d recently reconnected with an old flame to get her off my back.” His lips twist in a chagrined smile. “I hated to lie, but I thought it was kinder than telling her she sounds like a screech owl.”
I laugh. “Yeah, probably a good call.”
Phoenix grabs a pot from the rack over the butcher block, and I take over cutting vegetables while he starts cooking rice. “I had a couple hookups I found on dating apps, but no one that held my interest for more than a night. And certainly no one I’d ever want in my home and around my daughter.” His blue eyes meet mine in a pointed stare. “Until now.”
I pause my chopping so I don’t lose a finger. What he just said leaves me stunned, not to mention the fact that he’s barely dated in five years. He seems like such an innately sexual being.
When he goes back to his task, I process for a minute. “So do you want me to not come around for a while? I want to do what’s best for Reece.”
He puts a lid on the pot and strolls over to where I am, taking the knife from my hand and setting it down before cupping my face. “Actually, I think the opposite would be better. I’d like you to come over more often. Maybe for dinner sometime? That will get her accustomedto seeing us together.” He grabs my ass with both hands and hauls me close to his body. “Of course, we can’t do things like this in front of her.”
Then he kisses me breathless.
Over a middle-of-the-night meal of veggie stir fry, we formulate a plan to ease Reece into the idea of us. I’ll come over to their house twice a week to discuss “business,” and Phoenix will invite me to stay for dinner. We’ll keep everything completely platonic, and hopefully by the time we get ready to announce that we’re involved, Reece won’t be shocked.
When we’re done eating and have the bowls in the dishwasher, we go back upstairs. “I got the mockup for your latest commercial,” Phoenix says. “Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to,” I say excitedly.
The first commercial was the one where I ripped off the dress to reveal my uniform beneath, and it debuted at the beginning of the WNFL football season. The second is set to air soon, just in time for the holidays, and it’s the one with Kennedy and me. We had so much fun filming it, and Phoenix showed us the edited version last week. As part of this joint campaign, we each got to choose a signature lipstick and eyeshadow color and come up with a name for them.
I chose a pretty gold for the eyeshadow and named it “Goddess.” My lipstick is a muted red color that I call “Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream,” which cracked Phoenix up. And later that night, he’d turned me into his own personal ice cream cone.
My final commercial will run at the NFL Super Bowl in February, but Phoenix has been tight-lipped about it. Guess I’m about to get a sneak peek.
