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She squeals, “Again! Again!”
He obliges once more.
“Again! Papa. Again!” she says breathlessly.
“Don’t want to make you sick, sweetheart.” He cuddles her close and kisses her cheek. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yes, Papa.” She nods vigorously.
His smile grows tender. “You looked like you were having fun dancing.”
“I love it.” Overcome with excitement she throws her arms around his neck. “I played with Donny the Dinosaur and had a tea party with Mama.”
“Honey, I told you to call me Cilla,” I correct her gently.
She thrusts out her lower lip. “Mama.” She scowls at me. “Mama. Mama. Mama.”
Tyler and I exchange a look. I have corrected Serene many times, but that only seems to make her more adamant on calling me Mama. I open my mouth to correct Serene again, but he shakes his head. Without saying a single word, I know he’s telling me that if I do, it’s only going to make her more insistent. I raise my hands in a helpless gesture.
He smiles back, his expression reassuring. I love that we can communicate without speaking. We’re on the same wavelength. It’s special. Unique.Something I have only with him. I push the thought from my head.
“What else did you do today?” Tyler turns to Serene.
Her forehead smooths out. “We played ball. Went for a walk. And made paper planes.”
“Wow! Sounds like you’ve been busy.” He looks past her face and winks at me.
My heart swoons. My belly trembles. A treacherous melting sensation seems to have taken up permanent residence in my pussy.Get a grip, woman. You can’t be so attracted to him. You can’t keep wanting to jump his bones. You need to be a responsible adult.I slap away the treacherous sensations in my body and ignore the butterflies which have taken flight in my chest. I paste my patented Mary Poppins' expression on my face, the one I’ve used in the past with great effect with parents, and nod.
“She’s had a full day. We sketched, worked on puzzles, worked our way through name and object recognition activities, finger painted, and read picture books to build vocabulary. Then, she helped sort her toys and even counted with me up to ten. She’s been so good, haven’t you, Poppet?”
Serene nods and snuggles into her father’s chest. Aww, the contrast of her tiny body curled up into Tyler never fails to excite my ovaries. It’s the only time I wonder about the eggs I donated. I did it because I needed the money, but it was such an intrusive experience, I decided it wasn’t worth repeating again, regardless of how broke I was.
Looking at Serene now, I wonder if my gesture helped someone else. I hope so. Especially if it helped create a child as adorable as this little girl.
“All that crammed into one day?” Tyler blows out a breath. “That’s impressive.”
I chuckle. “She’s an energetic little girl. Like her father.”
“Oh?” His gaze sharpens. That flare of interest in his eyes leaves me in no doubt what he’s thinking about.
Heat sears my cheeks. Damn. “I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
He cants his head. The wolfish expression on his face causes electricity to shoot through my veins. Our gazes meet. Hold. That electricity crackles and turns into a stream of magma. My toes curl. My hair follicles tighten. The air between us spikes with something kinetic. Something which sends goosebumps spiraling under my skin. I take a step forward. So does he. It seems to wake Serene up from the dreamlike state she’d fallen into. She grabs his chin and tugs.
His Adam’s apple bobs. With reluctance, and a last blistering look that I pretend I didn’t catch, he glances down. “Yes, Poppet?”
“Papa. Bath time?” She looks at him with big eyes.
His expression softens. Just like that, the lethal alpha male is replaced by a teddy bear. This combination of tenderness and protectiveness he wears like the most natural shield over that big, brawny body is my catnip. No… It’s Tyler who’s my catnip. And my vulnerability. And my undoing. Suddenly, my skin feels too tight for my body. I glance away, draw in a breath, and compose myself.
“I think she wants to spend time with her papa,” I murmur.
“Do you, honey?”
Serene nods.
“Okay then, I’ll give you a bath and put you to bed, eh?” He tucks her hair behind her ear in a gesture that speaks volumes of his love for her. Again, my throat closes.Ridiculous.