“I’m not hungry anymore.” She turns away starting for the trash.
I stop her with a hand to her abdomen. “You should eat more. You only had a tiny salad for lunch.”
She’s so soft, I dig my fingertips into her belly.
Gigi is not heavy, she’s curvy in all the right places. I don’t like a woman that feels like a man, all muscle and sinew.
She sighs. “Trust me, no one will think I’m underweight.”
“Eat, Gigi, it’s been a long day.” And I gently push her back toward her chair.
“I don’t need you to take care of me,” she huffs, but turns back toward her chair, sliding into it.
“Yes, you do.” And I am going to take care of her. First, I’m going to make sure she eats every bite of that beef.
And then I’m going to give her the kind of orgasm that makes her sleep for a week.
Or, at least, solidly for a night. Because Erika was right. One week working for me and that bruise under her eye is being replaced by dark circles.
Gigi is talented and intelligent, but she’s also so accommodating, she works herself into a frazzle to please.
She needs someone drawing the lines she doesn’t.
Not that I’m volunteering for a full-time gig. In all honesty, I’m still not sure I can trust her.
But the more time I spend with her, the more…authentic she feels.
She picks up the burger and takes another bite before she sets it back in the takeout box. My eyes narrow.
She lets out this little sigh and then takes another bite.
My hand comes to her knee under the table. Whatever the truth, I’m going to dig it out of her.
First, by filling her life with my presence. She’s had no space or room to breathe, put her face back on. Hide her real self from me.
And second, I’m worming my way into her innermost circle by taking care of both her and her daughter.
Not that’s it’s hard to care for either. I’ve never been a relationship guy, but with them…
I run my hand up her leg, over the cotton of her leggings. She stiffens under my touch, her eyes growing wide.
“Eat, sweetheart,” I murmur, squeezing her thigh.
She shakes her head. “Talking about the past, about all my mistakes…” Her chin dips.
She’s mentioned her mistakes more than once. What I’m doing is a strategy to gain Gigi’s trust.
But that isn’t why I lift her chin with my other hand, my thumb brushing her velvet cheek. Jesus, she’s my brand of woman. All soft and feminine and so fucking vulnerable. “We all make mistakes. All we can do is do better the next time.”
I can see the tears in her eyes. I lean forward, brushing my lips over her other cheek. She shivers underneath my lips, her skin pebbling.
I can worry about Gigi’s motives, but her reactions to my touch are completely honest. This woman wants me.
Which is why I can afford to take my time. “Eat.”
She smiles as she picks up her burger, taking another small bite. She chews slowly, thoughtfully as she looks back at Emma. “If you knew some of the mistakes I made, I’m not sure you’d be so magnanimous.”
Energy courses through my body. Is she about to confess who she is? Does her list of mistakes include deceiving me? “You can tell me, you know.”
