They’re conspiring against me, and I can’t even find it in myself to care as I narrow my eyes at the three of them. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll order some fried rice, and you can each have one cookie before it gets here, then more after you eat your dinner.”
Millie leans in toward Avery and Eloise, and they whisper behind their hands. I fight a battle with my eyes, willing them not to wander over her mouthwatering curves.
But I lose.
The girls nod and make a few sounds of approval before Millie turns with a serious expression, acting as the ambassador for their trio.
“Deal.” She offers her hand, and I shake it, a few grains of sugar gritty on her fingertips. The girls giggle behind her. “Thanks for doing business with us.” She nods and then winks at me conspiratorially.
***
“This is a great house. It seems perfect for you guys,” Millie says, sitting on the counter by the oven as she waits on the timer for the first batch of cookies.
The girls have distracted themselves with coloring books and crayons in the living room while we wait for dinner to arrive. I finish wiping down the counter and rinse the rag in the sink, trying to keep my hands occupied with cleanup. The busier I stay, the less likely I am to give in and touch Millie. Lust has been running rampant through my veins since my fingers grazed her collarbone, and I don’t know how much longer I can avoid doing it again.
“Has it always been just the three of you here?” she asks.
“Yes. I’d recently broken up with my girlfriend when I bought it. We’d been dating for a few months, and we were starting to talk about buying a house together, but she didn’t like the direction my life was going. She didn’t want to sign on to live with two little girls.” I turn to lean against the counter and take a deep breath, realizing it still makes me angry to think about that conversation. “Blessing in disguise. I found this house a few days after she left. It all worked out the way it was supposed to.”
She twists her lips before asking, “Have you dated anyone since then?”
“No.”
“Why? I mean, if you feel comfortable telling me.” A blush stains her cheeks, like she’s embarrassed to ask, and it’s so fucking cute.
I rub my jaw and let my eyes trace her delicate freckles, emerald eyes, and those beautiful, full lips. “I haven’t wanted to.”
Until you.
“Oh.” She dips her fingers into the bowl of cookie dough, bringing a clump to her mouth, and her tongue darts out to catch it. I’m completely riveted as her pink lips wrap around her fingertip before she glides it back out.
I clear my throat. “How’s the dough?”
She takes another chunk from the bowl andmoansat the taste this time, and I go light-headed.
Fuck.
“It’s so good,” she says, completely oblivious to what she’s putting me through.
It’s torture, yet I can’t pull my gaze away from her mouth.
She picks up another chunk of dough, and all my restraint dissolves in an instant.
Fuck it.
I take two steps toward her, my hips bumping into her knees. My hand shoots out to grab her wrist, and her eyes dart to mine.
Holding her gaze, I pull her cookie-dough-covered thumb to my mouth and wrap my lips around it. Her eyes flare and her jaw falls open. I slide my tongue down her finger, catching the sweet dough and letting it melt in my mouth.
“Mmm.” The sound is raspy, scraping out of my chest.
Millie stutters a breath, and I let my tongue swipe over her sweet skin one more time. Her pupils are blown wide, a thin ring of forest green around them as I slip her finger out of my mouth with apop. A scarlet blush floods her cheeks, and when I follow the color down her neck, I find her chest rising and falling quickly.
My focus narrows to her lips, and I drift closer, desperate to taste her—
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Chapter 18
