Her lips twitched despite the tension.
Hope exhaled shakily. “This was not how I envisioned this morning going, but I have to say, I’m not mad at it.” She shrugged her pretty shoulders. “So how do you guys know each other?”
Chapter Fourteen
Hope
I don’t know how I let them convince me to go on a date with all three of them at the same time, but here I was, in the summer sun, on a large, checkered blanket, with a picnic basket between us and an overprotective Daddy spending an awful lot of time putting sunscreen on me.
“Hold still, button,” Master Tyrell murmured, like I was a skittish animal instead of a grown woman who had willingly shown up to be fussed over. Though, to be fair, I was squirming a bit because this wasn’t the kind of attention I was used to. His fingers were warm and careful as he smoothed the lotion along my shoulder, down my arm, pausing at my wrist like he needed a second just to hold me there.
“Iamholding still,” I protested, even though we all knew I was talking nonsense.
Perry snorted from where he was arranging strawberries into what looked suspiciously like a heart shape. “You keep squirming. Daddy has to start over every time.”
“I do not squirm.” I pushed out my bottom lip in a pout. “I’m the picture of sweet and still,” When Perry giggled again I stuckout my tongue at him. And when he blew a kiss my way, I felt the butterflies take flight in my stomach.
“You absolutely squirm,” Master Lee said mildly.
I tried to glare at him and failed miserably when he smiled at me, warm and slow, like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“This is ridiculous,” I said, but my voice came out breathy instead of stern. “It’s just a picnic, we won’t be out here long enough for me to catch too much sun.”
“Sunburn is not ridiculous,” Master Tyrell replied. He tilted my chin gently with two fingers so he could dab a careful line across my cheekbones. “And you,” he added softly, “are too important to us for us to let you get hurt on our watch. Even if it is just a bit of sunburn.”
My heart did a stupid little somersault.
Obviously, I couldn’t let that show, so I snarked back. “I don’t see you giving Perry the same kind of treatment.”
He sent a blindingly beautiful, yet somehow cocky smile my way. “That’s because Perry got histreatmentthis morning before we left the room.”
The way he said it made my entire body go warm.
Not to mention the naughty thoughts that were absolutely not meant for open air, juice boxes, and strawberries arranged into hearts.
Perry giggled again at the expression on my face. “Daddy is the best at giving me special treatments.”
Tyrell didn’t even look embarrassed. He just pressed a soft, deliberate kiss to my temple and murmured, “Careful, button.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I protested weakly.
“You didn’t have to,” Master Lee replied. “Your face said it all. And even though none of us would blink twice at giving you that kind of special treatment, this really isn’t the place.”
Oh.
Oh, they were enjoying this. Teasing me. Torturing me. Embarrassing me.
I crossed my arms, trying to gather whatever dignity I had left. “You three are ganging up on me.”
Master Lee shifted closer, the fabric of his sleeve brushing mine. “We prefer the termcoordinating.”
“That sounds worse.” I pouted.
Perry abandoned the strawberries long enough to crawl a little closer across the blanket, eyes bright and completely unashamed. “We just like you,” he said simply. “A lot.”
The teasing tone dropped out of his voice just enough to make it real, and that did something dangerous to my chest.
Master Tyrell finished with the sunscreen and sat back on his heels, studying me like I was something precious he’d been entrusted with. “You can tell us to slow down,” he said quietly. “Any time.”
