Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50753 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 254(@200wpm)___ 203(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
He studiously kept his gaze from roving over her. He’d already surveyed her sweet form. Her brilliant blue eyes were spectacular, but Blade considered her plump lips to be his favorite feature. How would they feel under his?
“Ahem. I’ll take Kinsley now.” The woman took a step closer and reached out her hands to the child.
“No.” The toddler’s answer was definite.
“How about if I hold her while we do some business? By then, she’ll be tired of me and ready to go back to Mom. Right, Kinsley?”
“Mom go work. An Saffire.”
“That’s right. Aunt Sapphire,” the woman said to Kinsley before looking at him. “She’s my niece. Her mom’s babysitter is having a baby today. Kinsley gets to come to the shop with me for a few days.”
“Ah.” A few puzzle pieces in his brain clicked together. He liked kids, just hadn’t considered having any of his own yet. Definitely his interest in Sapphire wasn’t dampened by the thought that she was a mom, but he wouldn’t choose to pursue someone with a child unless he was serious. That wasn’t fair to the young one.
Blade supported Kinsley with one arm and held out the other. “I’m Blade.”
“Really?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips as she looked over his body, lingering on the weapons he had secured to his form. “None of those can come loose for the baby, right?”
“Not baby.” Kinsley corrected her before leaning forward to gnaw on his jacket’s lapel.
“Kinsley, don’t chew on the nice biker’s coat. How about a cookie?” she asked, rounding the counter to pull a box of children’s animal crackers from underneath.
Kinsley held her hand out eagerly.
“She can’t pull any of my weaponry,” Blade assured her as she got close once more. “What’s your name?”
“Weaponry, hmm.” She abandoned that line of questioning. “I’m Sapphire Jones. The Blue Door is my store.”
“Did you create this?” Blade asked, pulling the photo of the bolo up on his phone with one hand as the little girl laid her head on his shoulder once again as she munched on the hard cookie.
“I made it,” Sapphire said with a nod. She paused to consider the imposing biker in front of her.
“No offense, but a bolo would look weird with the biker thing you have going,” Sapphire suggested, waving a hand toward him.
The corners of his lips curved upward. He’d smiled more in the last ten minutes than he had in months. He shook his head slightly. “I like the artwork. I’m looking for an artist to add stones to some of my knives. Would you be interested?”
She stared at him for a minute before answering. “Tell me more.”
By the time Blade showed her the hilt of a knife he was working on and described what he had in mind, she was intrigued. He could tell from her questions and the sketches she started making on a pad of paper. It was obvious she enjoyed challenges.
“Last question. Are you a jerk?”
“Nope. Pure Daddy.”
“Oh. You have kids. That’s why you’re so good with Kinsley,” Sapphire said, focusing on the now-sleeping toddler.
“No, I don’t have any children.” Blade controlled his expression as her gaze returned to mesh with his. He watched her expression, hoping to see a spark of interest.
“A Daddy with no children?” Lines formed across her forehead before her stunning eyes lit up. The look of shock told him a lot. Her mouth rounded in an O as her cheeks turned a faint pink. “A Daddy Dom?”
“Through and through. Do you want to put Kinsley down for a nap? I don’t think she’ll wake up if you take her now,” Blade suggested.
Sapphire drew closer and gently plucked Kinsley from his arms. Blade enjoyed the innocent brush of her hands against his chest and exposed skin. The contact felt electric. Her gaze met his. Her blush was endearing.
“They exist?” she blurted out.
“Daddy Doms?” he guessed. “They do.”
“Oh!” With a peek over her shoulder, she escaped into the back.
An idea popped into his mind. Blade hurried outside and grabbed the teddy bear he’d driven around with for a while. Returning to the shop, he left the bear and his name and number on a slip of paper by the cash register.
Sapphire hurried back into the main shop. She’d heard the bells on the door jingle and knew there were more customers waiting for her. To her surprise, she discovered the shop was empty. He’d left?
Her heart sank in her chest. He’d just disappeared? Sapphire shook her head. She should have known better than to hope someone special had waltzed into her life.
The familiar jingle drew her attention back to the door. An older woman Sapphire quickly assessed to be a tourist walked in and looked around. “Welcome to The Blue Door. Let me know if I can help you.”
“I’m searching for something special for my grandniece’s birthday. Earrings maybe?”