Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Kiki shook her head, but she didn’t meet his gaze. “Of course not. That’s silly. I didn’t even know you.”
Terry set his hand on her forearm to keep her from taking another bite of fried rice. “I didn’t know you either, Bumblebee, but I was attracted to you anyway. If another Daddy had come up and claimed you, I would have been disappointed,” he admitted.
She gave him her wide eyes again. “You would have?”
He nodded. “Definitely.” And then he lifted her chin and gave her a kiss. “Finish your egg drop soup too, Bumblebee. You’ve hardly touched it. Do you not like it?”
She licked her lips. “It’s fine, but I didn’t want to dribble it down my chin on a first date.”
He smiled and kissed her again, loving the way she got off kilter each time. “If it drips down your chin, we’ll just wipe it with a napkin. Next time we get soup, we’ll take it back to my place where you can sit on a booster seat and use a bib. Then it won’t matter if you spill, and no one but Daddy will see.”
Her breath hitched, and he watched her reaction closely as she squirmed. “You have a booster seat and bibs?”
“Nope. But I will tomorrow.”
“Oh. I don’t think I need those things, Daddy. My Little is older than that.” Her physical response told him otherwise. She was fisting her fork like a toddler, and if she wiggled any more on the seat, she’d probably slip onto the floor. She was going to need to be belted into the booster seat too.
Terry couldn’t resist one more peck to her lips. “I know you like to spend time in an older headspace where you can exercise your sassy side. I’ve seen that Little girl. She likes to color intricate pictures with fine-tipped colored pencils and stay in the lines. She tosses out a hip and flicks her hair back. She thinks she’s old enough for beer.”
Kiki swallowed, not looking away.
Terry leaned in closer. “But sometimes Little girls enjoy being even littler for a while, Bumblebee. Trust me. It’s hard when you don’t have a Daddy, but now you do, and when you need to be super Little, I will help you.”
“I won’t need that sort of thing,” she said flippantly as she sat up straighter.
Terry closed the distance even more, setting his lips on her ear. “You’re very young right now, Bumblebee. Don’t you worry. Daddy will know what you need and when.” He tapped her soup bowl. “Can you manage the spoon on your own, Little one? Or would you like Daddy to help?”
“I can do it, Daddy.” She released the tight grip on her fork and picked up the deep spoon. When she leaned over to take a sip of the steaming soup, his heart nearly stopped. She had no idea how adorable she was. Apparently she had no idea how young she sometimes felt too.
He left her alone to eat, mostly because he knew she was hungry, and he didn’t want to interrupt her. He finished his food while keeping an eye on her and waited until she sighed contentedly to speak again.
When she reached for her root beer, he set a hand on her back. “Two hands, Bumblebee.”
She glanced at him, but she did as he told her, dragging the cup closer to her lips and then leaning over the straw.
“Good girl.” He rubbed her back. “What does your work schedule look like? Do you get off at six again tomorrow?”
“Yes. I don’t always work the same hours, but I’m usually off by six, and I start at nine or ten. Sometimes I work on Saturday mornings if a client needs me, but not often.”
“How about if you come to my house tomorrow when you get off?” he suggested, watching her closely to make sure the idea didn’t make her nervous.
She smiled at him. “Are you going to cook for me?” A bit of sass was back in her voice.
“Yep.”
She reached up and twirled a finger around a lock of her sleek dark hair. “Mmm. Depends on what you’re going to make.”
He chuckled. “Fried frog legs and goat’s milk sound good?”
She giggled as she curled up her nose. “No way. Gross. How about mac and cheese?”
“I might be able to swing that, but it won’t be from a box. You’ll have to learn to eat my homemade version with real cheese and healthy noodles. You need vegetables too. Tell me which ones you like.”
She narrowed her gaze. “You’re not going to put them in the mac and cheese and ruin it, are you?”
He chuckled. “No. I wouldn’t dream of such a thing. They’ll be on the side.”
She let out a relieved breath. “Okay, then I like most vegetables except cooked spinach.” She made a scrunched-up face that made him laugh.