Chapter Fifteen
Ria
Holy shit. How can a man look that hot first thing in the morning? He”s only wearing his suit pants and Lexi is hanging on to his neck for dear life. Can”t say I blame the girl. I”d like to hang off his neck like that too. Elle is in his arms, resting on his hip, and sweet baby Jesus, if it”s not the hottest thing I have ever seen. There is something about a man with a baby and it”s got my ovaries twitching.
“Ri, the spatula” Ali mutters under her breath, snapping me from my pervy daydream.
“Who wants pancakes?” I say slightly flustered, bending down to retrieve it.
“I”d love some pancakes, Ri” I glance up, and he gives the biggest pantie-melting smile there ever was. Fucker. He knows I was staring, just like I was staring last night. I really need to get it together.
Ali places her coffee mug down on the counter. “Not for me, babe. I need to get going. My boss needs me to go find a Birkin bag for today”s shoot. I”ll call you later.”
“Thank you for last night.” I squeeze her before she walks over to Lexi and Elle, and kisses them both on the nose, reminding them to be good for me.
“Have fun everyone, especially you two.” She points between me and Jack before she backs out of the room. Both Jack and I awkwardly laugh, my belly doing a weird flutter at the idea of having fun with him.
“What about you girls? Do you want pancakes?” Jack asks in an animated voice, spinning them around. The sound of their giggles fills the kitchen and warms my heart.
“Me, me,” Lexi demands as Jack sits her down on a stool and places Elle in her highchair.
Watching him, looking like a Greek god helping the girls with their sippy cups and making them giggle as he pulls silly faces, I”m starting to wonder why I am pushing this ‘let”s be friends’ narrative. I know he wants me, or at least I think he does, and I know I want him, so why am I depriving us both?
The little looks, the way he massaged me last night, the way he kissed my forehead, and the undeniable bulge in his briefs when I walked in last night to hand him the blankets. He surely feels the same, right?
But why would he want me? He could have any woman he wanted. I’m covered in scars, both physically from having my girls and mentally from my childhood and my marriage. My life is chaos. But I”ve never felt like this before and I feel like I am stuck at a crossroads. Do I deny myself what I want? Take the road that is safe and has no risk of me getting hurt again? Or do I take a chance and lean into these feelings I have for Jack and explore that road with him and hope he feels the same way?
Where”s the creepy old lady from the carnival with her crystal ball when you need her to tell you your future?
“Okay, pancakes for everyone,” I declare, trying to distract myself from my thoughts.
Once the pancakes are plated up and the coffee poured, we all sit eat together and it”s the most normal and relaxed I have felt in ages. This is what I always wanted. Mundane chat around the breakfast table, the girls giggling and making a mess with their pancakes, sharing the day’s plans.
I look at my girls smiling as Jack shows Lexi how to make a pancake sandwich with three pancakes, Nutella, and strawberries. The fact he”s got her to eat strawberries in any form has me shocked. He”s a natural round kids, and watching him with them makes my heart happy and body warm in that way that lets you know that you are safe and that maybe, everything will be okay.
After breakfast, Jack and I clean up the kitchen together, which is a novelty in itself; not only having a man present at breakfast, but one who also helps wash the dishes. Seriously, Jack Lawson is ticking all the goddamn boxes, and he probably doesn”t even realize it.
“Thanks for cleaning up. You didn”t need to do that.”
“Don”t be silly, Ri. I ate so I can help. Besides, I like helping you.”
Okay, why is he so perfect?
I watch his shirtless body as he dries the remainder of the plates. “Well, I appreciate it. I need to repay the favor for the ride last night and for helping this morning.”
“Repay the favor you say?” He reaches past me to put the pile of plates away, his chest brushing dangerously close to me. When he leans back, he braces his hands on both sides of the kitchen counter, caging me in with a glint in his eye.
“Yep.” I try to sound normal, but his proximity makes speaking feel impossible. “Name it. What do you want?”
I am treading on thin ice here and I know it, but I don”t care.
His mouth grazes my ear, sending a shiver through me.
“Now that is an open-ended question, Ria, with so many possibilities.”
“Anything you want. Just name it,” I whisper.
He leans back slightly, and we lock eyes. Without blinking, he says, “You.”
“W-w-what?” I stammer, not sure I believe he really wants me.
“I want you.”
Heat races through my body, my chest rising and falling in quick succession. Holy shit, breathe, Ria, breathe.
His eyes are full of so much want and longing. He tilts his face down and I rise on my toes to try and meet his lips, desperate to feel them against mine. Just as I think he’s about to kiss me, the moment is interrupted by a loud crash from the front room, and Lexi wails, “Mommy, something fell down.”
I fall into his chest and we both let out a sigh. He leans his chin on top of my head and wraps his arms around me.
I clear my throat and pull away from his embrace. “Duty calls.”
Jack stayed for the rest of the day. We walked to the park with the girls and got ice cream, played Barbies, and Lexi put on a show with her microphone. When Elle went down for her afternoon nap, we watched Tangled and when Lexi fell asleep on Jack”s lap, we took a much needed nap next to her.
When I wake, I find Lexi still curled up, cuddling Jack next to me. I smile, seeing her little hand in his hand as she lays against his chest, his hand protectively placed on her back. But I can”t help the pain in my chest when I realize I don”t think I ever saw Alex cuddle Lexi like this, or sit down and play with her like Jack did earlier.
Jack is proving to me, day by day, that good men do exist, and I think I”d be a fool to not act on whatever this is between us.
If we explore whatever this thing is, I need to take it slow. I can”t risk getting my heart broken again, but most importantly, I have to protect my girls.
Thankfully, Alex”s parents picked the girls up this afternoon for me, since I didn”t have my car. The stars aligned because Jack had gone out to pick up takeout when they turned up. I know I’m not doing anything wrong, and I know Anne and Steve wouldn”t judge me, but I don”t even know what we are, so until I have a clear idea, I need to keep that separate.
I get myself ready for work while I have the chance, washing and styling my hair in loose waves, before I apply my makeup and a ton of setting spray, because I sweat my ass off working in that club.
I slip on my uniform and pair it with some black heeled pumps, which thankfully are comfy. I grab my purse and throw in my gloss and powder to touch up later and spray my go-to vanilla-scented perfume and head downstairs to find Jack in the kitchen, leaning against the breakfast bar on a call and, holy shit, does he look good.
He’s changed into the spare clothes he keeps in his car and knowing he was naked in my shower was the biggest test of my restraint to date. He turns round and his dark navy suit pants showcase his perfectly perked ass, making me want to walk over there and squeeze it.
Calm down, Ria, you horny bitch.
Jack clears his throat and I know I”ve been caught. The smirk on his face is entirely satisfied and smug. My face blazes with heat as I smooth my hands down my dress, trying desperately to ignore the fact that he saw me ogling him... again. ”Ready to go?” I ask, praying my cheeks cool down soon.
“Absolutely,” he says with that smile. The smile that makes me go weak at the knees. Honestly, I have never been so turned on by someone without them touching me, or even speaking. Jack Lawson only has to glance in my direction and I am a puddle who would do absolutely anything he wanted, and that both excites and terrifies me in equal measure.