Page 60 of Nothing to This

Lowering to nuzzle her hair, he hummed.She smiled, thank God he couldn’t see her face.She should put up a bigger fight to him holding her.He wasn’t just giving her a hug of comfort, she could feel his mouth in her hair, moving closer to her ear.

“Being part of your team,” he murmured.“That turns me on.”

“I’m the mother of your children,” she said, pressuring his chest with her bent arms trapped between them.“Where’s your show of respect?”His hands glided lower until he cupped her ass to give her a squeeze.“Dawes!”

“Oh, that’s hot.”

She squawked when he squeezed again, but the exclamation was masked in a laugh.

The elevator doors opened.She slithered a hand between his and her ass to link their fingers and guided him from the elevator, through the gaping people in the lobby waiting to use it.

“Excuse us,” she said and dragged him toward the daycare.

Entering the large doors to the childcare reception, the windows behind previewed the daycare kids.None of the dozen or so kids there were hers.Oh, God, was this bad?

Reception was unmanned.Marie, supervising the kids on the other side of the glass, noticed them.The patient woman gestured them through and went to the door at the end of reception where the kids were usually waved through.

“This place isn’t secure,” JD said, glancing around.

The setup had always impressed her.People had to go through a coded door from the reception to the kids.Hence why Marie was currently on her way to meet them on the other side of the window.

“Be polite,” she whispered, then changed her mind.“In fact, no, be an arrogant asshole, then they’ll know where Kye got it from.”

“Thanks,” he muttered.

She patted his ass.“Have you got your wallet?”

“No, it’s upstairs.Why?Do I need it?Think they’ll ask for ID.”

Hilarious.“We might have to pay for their silence,” she said from the corner of her mouth just before Marie opened the door.She pasted on contrition.“Marie, I am so sorry about this.”

Grabbing JD’s hand, she stepped back to put him front and center.

“Mr.Dawes,” Marie stuttered and looked from father to mother.

“Yes, uh…” Introductions.Her job.Formal ones anyway.No one in that building was ignorant of his identity these days.“Jamison Dawes meet Marie.”

“I don’t understand what…”

The daycare provider was at something of a loss.This was it, the moment that would change everything.

Sighing, she surrendered to it.“He’s my children’s father.”

Marie’s mouth opened slowly in sync with the widening of her eyes.Shock.Yep, she recognized it, wouldn’t get used to it though.

“Oh, I…”

“Yeah,” she said.“That’s how I feel about it most days too.”

“I understand there’s been a problem,” JD said.“Are the children okay?”

“Yes,” Marie said, trying her damndest to cast off her surprise while crossing to go into the cubbies room where the kids hung their jackets and changed their shoes each day.

Sky and Kye were seated at the side of the room with a teacher who passed to join Marie.

“Excuse me,” she said, making quick eye contact with JD, signaling him to stay with the teachers while she went to hunker down in front of the kids.“You two are in serious trouble.”

“Daddy owns everything,” Sky said, swinging her legs.