Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Kate
Iwas so upset, I left work early and didn’t even tell Tristan I was leaving. Who the hell did he think he was? And throwing that comment in my face about doing anything to keep Millie?
Ugh. I wanted to strangle him.
Even if everything he’d said had made sense.
Having two adults in the house with Millie was better than one, especially if one of those adults was a billionaire with unlimited ways to care for her needs. But I also knew my girl was so enamored with Tristan, it’d break her heart when we went our separate ways.
Which, in hindsight, was inevitable considering I’d already brought him into our lives.
“Great, just freaking great,” I muttered into the pot of boiling water. No surprise that Millie wanted noodles for dinner. If that kid wasn’t asking for pizza, she wanted every flavor of Korean noodles we could get our hands on.
I was in the middle of opening the packet when a loud knock filtered through our apartment. Should’ve known Izzy wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily when I canceled our dinner plans.
“Hey, Bug,” I called. “Will you open the door for Auntie Izzy?”
“’Kaaay.”
The music in the living room quieted enough for me to hear the slap of Millie’s bare feet as she hurried to the foyer. The creaking sound of the door was next, followed by her happy squeal.
I smiled.
It didn’t matter that I didn’t have a special someone to help with Millie. I had many someones. I just had to have faith that it’d be enough to convince a judge this little girl was exactly where she was supposed to be.
“In the kitchen,” I shouted to Izzy. “Hope you brought wine.”
“I didn’t, but I could go get a bottle if you’d like.”
The packet I’d been struggling with tore right through the middle, and noodles flew through the air. I whirled.
It wasn’t Izzy standing in the entrance of my kitchen.
“Look, Kate.” Millie happily bounced into the room. “Tristan’s here.”
He sure was. Dressed in the same powder-blue dress shirt, dark tie, and equally dark slacks he’d had on when I stomped out of his office this morning. Did he come over straight after work?
Why did that thought make my traitorous heart skip a beat?
“And he brought pizza.” Millie’s happy voice broke through the fogginess in my brain.
On cue, he lifted the box higher. “Peace offering.”
“What’s a peace offering?” Millie asked before I could even think about opening my mouth.
His gaze stayed glued on me for a few beats then Millie was the sole focus of his attention. “Well, princess, I kinda did something to upset Kate at work so the pizza is my way of saying sorry and, hopefully, making things right.”
That explanation was enough for her. With another “’kay” and a shrug, she bounded to the living room. Loud music filtered through the house not even a minute later.
“You need to leave,” I said through gritted teeth. “Now.”
Dropping to my haunches, I started scraping together as much of the scattered noodles as I could reach. The tips of his shoes filled my vision right before those big hands of his covered mine.
“Kate.” The way he said my name sent goosebumps skittering over my skin. “I’m sorry.”
Despite my better judgment, I met his gaze. Even if he hadn’t voiced the apology, I would’ve needed to be blind not to see it in those dark irises.
I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.
Slipping my hand from under his, I got to my feet and grabbed the broom to clean up the mess. Again, he was right there.
“Let me help.”
Without giving me a chance to say no, he took the handle out of my hands and started sweeping. Once everything was in a neat pile, I lowered onto my knees and held the dustpan for him to sweep the noodles on.
He didn’t move. I looked up to see what the hell was going on then realized my face was in front of his crotch. He was right freaking there. If I moved forward a couple of inches, I’d probably bop him with my nose.
Shit, I could see the faint outline of his dick.
My mouth turned into a desert while the lower half of my body had the opposite result. It was embarrassing. A faint outline of anything shouldn’t be enough to turn me on.
And yet, I couldn’t deny the rush of fire bursting through my veins or the dull ache between my legs.
“Get up.”
The low gravel of his voice stoked the flames hotter and higher. Instead of doing what he demanded, my gaze shot to his. And holy shit, I could’ve sworn I saw the same heat in those eyes I felt coursing through my body.
“Fuck.”
With a growl, he dropped the broom and hooked his fingers under my arms. One hard tug and I was on my feet. He didn’t let go. Instead, he moved us backward until I had the counter at my back and his big body at my front.
I didn’t speak, didn’t even move. His Adam’s apple bobbed then slowly lifted my gaze to see his tongue snake along his bottom lip. As if caught in a trance, I mimicked the movement.
The sound that came from that man’s throat should have been illegal.
Goosebumps popped up everywhere, and that dull ache turned into a persistent throb. I had to squeeze my thighs together to get some sort of relief.
He wasn’t touching me anymore. He’d planted his hands on the counter behind me, and since we were standing so close, the heat of his body enveloped me.
“You know those rules you have?” he growled. “I’m about to break every single one of them.”
My breath hitched, and the most embarrassing squeak left my lips.
The rational part of my brain warned me, no, yelled at me, to tell him no. But when I opened my mouth, that wasn’t the word that came out. “Okay.”
In one quick move, he wound my ponytail around his fist and yanked my head back. I almost moaned again.
He licked his lips, his face inching closer to mine. My heart picked up, the heat in my veins burned hotter. I could almost taste his lips.
“Kaaaate.” Millie’s voice followed by her pattering feet had Tristan and I jumping apart like two kids caught doing something they weren’t supposed to. When she finally appeared in the entryway, we were at opposite ends of the kitchen.
“What’s up, Bug?” The question came out high-pitched and breathy. I cursed under my breath. Freaking Tristan and his…
“I’m hungry,” she complained. “Can we eat pizza now?”
“Of course we can.”
I waited until she left the room before I blew out a long breath. What I really should’ve done was thank her for stopping me from making a huge mistake. Because kissing Tristan would’ve undoubtedly been the worst mistake of my life.
Right?
Then why was I filled with disappointment rather than relief. And why the hell was he still looking at me like that? Like he was three seconds away from losing control.
Swiping a thumb over his lip, he headed toward me.
I shook my head. “We can’t.”
And not only because Millie could come barging in any second. Crossing that line would confuse matters even more. We had a script and needed to stick to it.
That was why I grabbed the pizza box and plates and marched my ass to the dining table without another word. He followed. I didn’t see him as much as feel his intense stare boring into me from behind.
It’d take a while and a few rounds with my trusty battery-operated friend to get rid of the throbbing ache this man and those dark eyes had caused.
“Did you have fun at school today, princess?” He thankfully turned his attention to Millie.
She was all too happy to tell him about her day and everything she’d done. The guilt from before came back tenfold. And I had to wonder if I was doing the right thing.
The thought barely formed when another knock sounded. This time I was certain it was Izzy. Excusing myself from the table, I hurried to open the door for her.
For the second time that night, it wasn’t my sister.
“Mrs. Humphreys. Wh-what are you doing here?”
She gave me a sheepish smile. “Checking in on Millie. Can I come in?”
“Yeah. Sure.” Nerves had me nodding and shaking my head at the same time. We’d never had this many visits from her. Not even when Millie had just been placed in my care.
“We were just having dinner.” Moving aside, I motioned for her to come in. That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach grew bigger and bigger as we moved through the apartment toward the dining room.
My heart never stopped hammering. Not when she greeted Millie or gave Tristan a wide smile. Especially not when she asked to speak to Millie alone.
It was silly. I’d been through this process before.
“Shit,” I cursed, pacing the kitchen.
Mrs. Humphreys was with Millie in her bedroom, probably asking her about school and home life and Tristan.
“Shit,” I muttered again.
“Hey.”
He appeared in front of me. Sliding his palms up my arms, he curled those long fingers over my shoulders. I didn’t understand why, but that small move calmed the craziness inside me.
My feet stopped. My gaze found his. “I’m scared,” I admitted in a quiet whisper.
He didn’t tell me everything was going to be all right, didn’t try to convince me I had nothing to be afraid of. He simply banded his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.
I went without hesitation, shamelessly taking the comfort he offered. Even though I knew I shouldn’t.
“All do… Oh.”
Unlike when Millie had interrupted us earlier, Tristan and I didn’t jump apart when Mrs. Humphreys strolled in. The disappointment at the intrusion was still the same though.
Ignoring the unwelcome feeling, I slipped out of Tristan’s embrace. He didn’t let me go very far. That arm of his snaked around my waist, tethering me to his side.
“I can see you’re worried, Kate,” Mrs. Humphreys said, coming over to us.
“You really shouldn’t be.” With a wink, she patted the side of my arm then turned her attention to the towering giant next to me.
“Lovely to see you again. You’ve made quite the impression on our little Millie. ” Another wink. “I can see myself out.”
I didn’t let her walk out alone. Although I probably should have since she wouldn’t stop talking about how great it was that I finally was in a stable relationship. By the time I shut the door behind her, I was ready to collapse into a heap.
“Doing better?”
Like before, Tristan was right behind me. I sucked in a deep fortifying breath then spun to face him.
“You were right,” I said. “We should definitely get married.”