Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25463 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 102(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
But I can’t put things off forever. Right now, at this very moment, I need to deal with the big bad wolf that’s Tatum’s dad and taking another deep breath, I straighten my shoulders before making my way downstairs. The light in the kitchen greets me and even though my heart’s racing like a fire engine, I paste a smile on my face and enter with a bounce to my step.
“Hey Mr. Landry,” is my bubbly greeting. “Tatum’s tucked in snug as a bug and already asleep. She’s just the sweetest thing.”
The handsome man looks up from his phone and nods before tucking it in his pocket.
“Good, good,” he says in a low tone. “I know my daughter can be a handful around bedtime sometimes. But thanks for coming over on such short notice, Paisley. Oh, and where are my manners?” he asks. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m okay,” I say before scooting onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. “But you go ahead.”
He nods and helps himself to some wine, the burgundy liquid pouring into a crystal goblet.
“So … are you going out tonight?” I ask as he sips at his glass. “No pressure of course,” I say in a rushed tone, my cheeks flaring pink. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just thought since you asked for a babysitter …”
Mr. Landry is still for a moment, his dark head bent as he savors his wine. But then he looks up, and those blue eyes flash.
“So yeah, I don’t exactly need babysitting tonight, as you’ve probably intuited,” Brad begins in a low tone. “But we do need to talk because I’m sorry for what happened last time you were here. It never should have happened.”
All oxygen leaves the room as I begin babbling aimlessly.
“Oh that!” I say in an airy voice while flapping my hand at him. “No, it’s fine, Mr. Landry. I shouldn’t have been in your bedroom—”
He cuts me off then with a measured look.
“But why were you in there, Paisley? Were you looking for something? Or just stretching your legs?”
My heart’s racing double-time now and my cheeks flush as I thank the Lord above that the camera was so small that it must have been invisible to him. After all, I had it clasped in my palm the entire time I was in the master suite, and never got it set up.
“Oh, I was just looking for something,” I say. “Tatum misplaced one of her toys and I thought maybe it was in your room. She wanted me to look for it for her.”
He nods judiciously.
“Well, it’s unlikely, but then again, anything’s possible since my daughter has full run of this place. Which toy was it?” he asks.
“The doll with the red hair,” I fib quickly. “But no worries! I think I know where it is. It’s in the toy chest in her room. In fact, I’m positive I saw it there just now.”
Mr. Landry’s eyes sparkle a little as if he knows I’m telling a lie, but thankfully, he doesn’t call me out on it. “So you were in my room,” he continues in a low voice. “And you saw what I was doing.”
I nod, my cheeks flaming scarlet.
“I had no idea you were there,” I whisper. “I swear, Mr. Landry. I thought you’d already gone out for the night.”
“I had,” he intones in a low voice. “But I forgot my phone, so I came back to get it. You didn’t hear me let myself in.”
I swallow thickly, unable to tear my gaze from that crystal blue one.
“I didn’t, and I’m sorry,” is my whisper. “I shouldn’t have gone into your room, lost toy or not.”
Mr. Landry smiles then, flashing even white teeth, and suddenly, I have the feeling that he knows exactly what he’s doing, reeling me in like this. After all, Brad’s an alpha male with decades on me, and not only that, but decades of experience romancing women. The billionaire knows exactly how to stalk his prey, and the helpless feeling coursing through my veins is unsettling, but also thrilling at once.
The handsome man shoots me another look, his blue eyes playful this time.
“No, it’s fine, Paisley, because I wanted you to see. That should be obvious by now.”
Oh my God, what do I say? I swallow hard again, but then nod shyly.
“I wanted to see as well, Mr. Landry,” is my soft acknowledgment. “I won’t lie.”
“So you liked it?” he asks.
I have no idea what to answer because what if he thinks I’m a slut? But then again, maybe I am a slut. Maybe I have a naughty side that’s just waiting to show itself under the right circumstances. I nod, cheeks flaming while my thighs squeeze together at the wetness pooling there.
“I did like it,” I confirm. “It was hot.”