Page 14 of Double the Redemption

That included the pretty, blonde single mom who was the key to taking down a large branch of a criminal organization.

“Well, I’m telling you right now, if you do anything else, I’ll be here with a bib and my own cutlery to try it out,” he teased, giving her a warm smile. She was still stiff around him, but the walls were starting to crack. In a few more weeks, she’d be a lot less nervous and uptight.

At least, that’s what he was hoping.

She grinned. “I’ll keep that in mind. Are you all done, baby?”

Asher nodded, looking sleepy.

“Alright. Let me get you cleaned up, and then you can sit and watch your show for a little bit, okay?”

Asher nodded, eyes heavy.

Ink pushed back and got to his feet. He hated being idle. “You do that, and I’ll clean up,” he offered.

She blinked at him in surprise. “Oh, no, you don’t have to⁠—”

“Nope, that’s the next rule. You cooked, so you don’t clean. Besides, you fed me, so it’s the least I can do.”

She still hesitated. “That seems wrong, though. I always had to …” Her eyes shuttered, and he tried not to let her see the anger it made him feel, knowing what she went through.

“Things are different now, right? That means you get to set new rules. Well, other than this one time. I’m setting the rule so you don’t have to worry about it. The most I’m going to do is annoy you with where I put things, and you’ll have to put them back.”

She nodded, helped Asher from the chair, and headed down the hall and into the bathroom without another word.

He made quick work of cleaning up, half listening as she talked to her son in the bathroom. The little guy really didn’t like having his teeth brushed, but she was calm and patient with him. She used logic and simple statements to show him the benefits, and it seemed to work.

By the time she finally brought him back out, changed into a pair of pj’s that were a little too small for him, he was fresh-faced, but he was wearing a deep scowl. Ink hid his grin as he finished putting away the dishes, then sat back down at the cleared table. Asher gave him a blank stare before moving to the couch, pointing impatiently at the blank screen until his mother turned on a show on the TV.

“Is that Bill Nye the Science Guy?” Ink asked, grinning. “Damn, I haven’t seen that show since I was a kid. You got great taste, kid.”

Asher didn’t even acknowledge it; he just lay on the couch, pulled the blanket over himself, and watched TV.

Naomi moved back to the table, taking the seat across from him and giving him a shy smile. “He likes to learn, and I thought that even though it’s older, it would keep him entertained. He likes all the experiments.”

“Babe, he’s clearly a genius like you, so yeah, I’m not surprised.”

Her cheeks flushed again. Damn, she was adorable when she was flustered. He wanted to keep teasing her to see her reaction, but he wouldn’t. Not yet anyway. Gaining her trust first was important. It was a big deal that she’d invited him in in the first place.

“Um, well, how about you tell me about your paperwork issue, and I’ll start working on that? He’ll probably fall asleep soon anyway.”

“Yeah … I’m going to apologize now. I’m really terrible with paperwork. It’s going to be a giant mess.”

She opened the folder and looked at the pages. Within minutes, she had everything sorted in neat piles, and he watched as she lost herself in the work, asking absent questions here and there. When she started looking around for a pen and paper, he searched the kitchen drawers until he found a small notebook and pen.

It fascinated him to watch her work. She murmured to herself, tugged at her hair, and rubbed at her forehead when she found something that didn’t make sense to her. When she figured it out, her lips would curve into a smile and her eyes would brighten.

She wrote a series of numbers on the papers and used the Calculator app on her phone when she needed to, but mostly, she figured everything out in her head.

When did a woman using her brain become so hot to him? Usually, he didn’t give a damn, but he realized how shallow he’d been. Beauty was one thing, but smarts? Damn, that was a whole other level.

When she finally finished, her hair was out of its ponytail, hanging in soft strands down her back and over her shoulders, and her eyes were warm and bright, all hints of shyness gone.

“Alright, admit it, how terrible am I?” He grinned at her. The flush was back almost instantly, but she didn’t lose her smile.

“I’ve seen worse.”

“Worse than that?” He waved his hand. “Darlin’, there’s no way you’ve seen worse than that. Esme looked at it once, then turned around and walked out. And she loves that shit. Don’t spare my feelings. Lay it on me. Maybe you’ll scare me straight.”