Page 40

Forty

RHODES

There’s a dusting of snow covering the road, but that doesn’t keep me from heading home. Practice was long and grueling, despite the fact that we have a game tomorrow. Coach doesn’t believe in going easy on us the night before. He says it builds stamina, and I don’t disagree.

I back off the brake as I travel down the snowy street. I’m driving a little faster than usual, despite the snow, and that has nothing to do with the fact that Ellie and Sunny are at home waiting for me.

Okay, fine.

They’re probably not waiting for me.

But I’m waiting to be home with them.

My hands tighten on the wheel.

I mean, Ellie is at home waiting for me. Not Ellie and Sunny.

I exhale.

I’m fucked.

I should have never gone back to the kitchen last night, and I most definitely shouldn’t have touched her again. I broke my rule. A rule that’s been engraved in my bones since the first nanny crept into my bed.

As soon as I get home, I’m redrawing the line.

The same line that I drew the moment she started working for me.

It was my fault. I’m the one who crossed it—not once but twice.

No more, though.

We have to go back to our normal, platonic relationship. Friendly, casual, but for the love of God, I cannot keep picturing her wet pussy with my fingers inside her. I can’t crave her taste either.

“Fucking shit,” I mutter.

I turn onto the quiet street without a single tire marking against the layer of snow. A sense of ease backs my movements when I park and climb out onto the sidewalk. Home has never felt more welcoming.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to come home after a practice and not immediately tense with what’s waiting for me. It’s less taxing to have someone I trust around to help me with Ellie, even if I do have to mentally hold myself back from touching her.

I walk inside, and Sunny’s classic scent hits me. If I were a blind man, I’d assume we were at a beach resort instead of a home in Chicago with snow covering the streets. Sunshine and coconut fill the air, and I’m pretty sure she has made dinner, because there is a hint of spice too.

“Hello?”

The house is too quiet.

Where are they?

I walk toward the kitchen, spotting a big pot on the stove. My stomach rumbles with hunger. I’ve told Sunny countless times that she wasn’t required to clean or cook me meals, and for a little while, she listened.

But over the last week, she’s made sure to make extra of whatever she’s eating so I can have some too.

A squeal of excitement catches my attention. I glance out the back door, and something unfamiliar burrows inside my chest.

My breath catches.

Jesus.

Look at them.

Sunny, with nothing but a thin coat on, has snowflakes trapped in her brown hair with a smile on her face that’s so warm I’m surprised it hasn’t melted the snow-covered deck. Ellie, who I can’t help but notice is fully bundled up in her snow gear, runs around her with snowballs corralled in her gloved hands.

She throws one at Sunny, who acts like she can’t dodge them. She’s hit in the chest, and her smile grows wider as she looks at my daughter. When she bends down, she swoops up a pile of fluffy snow and flings it toward Ellie.

They laugh, and I somehow find myself outside with both of them, holding my coat for Sunny to take.

“Daddy!” Ellie, with her bright-pink cheeks, rushes toward me.

Sunny and I have the same thought.

She’s going to slip.

I reach forward, but Sunny is there before me, sweeping Ellie up into her arms and landing with a loud thud on the hard deck.

“Oof.”

A noise leaves her chest, and I stare down at their tangled mess. Ellie is lying on top of her with wide eyes.

“Whoa,” she says.

I pull Ellie off Sunny quickly and place her on steady feet.

Instead of holding my hand out for Sunny to take so I can haul her to her feet too, I slip my arm underneath her and place it on the small of her back, slowly pulling her upright.

“You good, Superwoman?” I ask, keeping her steady.

She inhales shakily and bounces her pretty eyes back and forth between mine. She nods gingerly.

I drop my gaze to her mouth mistakenly, giving away all my intrusive thoughts.

Fucking hell.

Her slow swallow is loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear, and I know it’s not meant to be sensual or a tease, but my body doesn’t agree.

We’re frozen.

I’m bent at the knee with the coat I snagged for her resting over my leg, with my arm around her waist. Her bare hands are buried in the snow, likely red from the bitter cold.

Ellie, unaware of the moment we’re sharing, is busy making snowballs.

Are we having a moment?

My mouth runs dry when I see more snowflakes land in her hair.

She’s so damn beautiful.

I’ve never felt a sense of warmth while beneath falling snowflakes, but leave it to her warm, honey-colored eyes to do just that.

“Here.” I break our eye contact and drape my jacket over her shoulders.

I catch sight of the tiny smile against her mouth, and for a second, I think it’s because she likes that I brought her a coat, but then, something cold smacks me upside the head, and I realize that she and my daughter just silently plotted together with me no more than a foot away.

Ellie’s childish giggle pulls me to turn. I slowly inch my head in her direction.

Her eyes grow into saucers, and I raise an eyebrow.

Sunny scurries away from me, while wearing my jacket, and leaps forward to grab onto Ellie’s hand.

“Hide!” she shouts.

Ellie laughs the entire time Sunny drags her away.

I smile and rise to my feet. “You two think you can take me in a snowball fight?”

They’re awful at staying quiet.

Not only can I see the tops of their heads behind the covered grill, but I hear Ellie’s quiet laughter mixing with Sunny’s.

Before long, I have six snowballs clustered in my hands. Three in each. I’m certain they have an arsenal too, but they’re no match to me.

Slowly, I head to the back door and open it, only to close it a moment later. I put one leg over the ledge of the deck, and with my long legs, I’m able to silently land in the snowy yard. I have to force myself to keep my own laugh under control when I hear the two of them whispering, wondering if I’ve gone inside.

Ellie is arguing that I left, but Sunny knows better.

This is fun.

When was the last time I had fun like this?

It’s like I’m a kid again. My lungs expand with energy, but it’s different from when I climb onto the rink for a game. I have a zest for life, and it’s been a very long time since I felt this way.

“On the count of three, we’ll take a peek, okay?”

I stare at the two of them between two wooden slats. Ellie nods, and Sunny reaches up to adjust her beanie. She pushes the few strands away from her face and bops her on the nose.

Something swells in my chest.

How will Ellie and I ever survive without her?

How did we survive before?

“One,” Sunny whispers.

I grin and stand straight.

“Two.”

The snowballs shift back and forth in my palms.

“Three,” I say.

They both turn toward me. Ellie squeals, and Sunny’s eyes fill with something that I can't help but want to chase.

I toss one snowball at Ellie, but the other goes right for Sunny. She gasps when it splatters against her chest, and yes, that was purposefully placed.

Her gaze narrows, like she’s ready for a challenge.

I run through the snow and climb the slippery steps, allowing Ellie’s snowballs to hit me in various spots.

Like some type of monster, I growl, and she screams playfully. She scurries to the back door, swings it open, and slams it shut. Sunny and I both laugh, but neither of us move to end the fight.

I’m holding four snowballs.

She’s holding two.

I raise an eyebrow, and she does the same.

My dick twitches at the thought of her running away only for me to chase her.

I silently beg her.

Run, malyshka.

There I go again, calling her a name in Russian. Baby.

She takes one step backward and tosses the snowballs back and forth in her red hands.

“You better run, Sunshine,” I warn her.

Her pretty lips split, and I’m blinded by the smile.

A snowball smacks me right in the face.

I’m frozen with shock.

“Oh, you’re in for it.” I dart forward and throw every last snowball at her backside as she runs toward the door.

She shouts Ellie’s name in between her girly laughter.

Ellie stands by the door with her hand covering her wide smile. It’s obvious she’s laughing at us, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her so child-like.

I dive forward, wrap my arms around Sunny’s waist, and fling her around in my arms. Her laughter fills the air, and we fall to the cold powder.

She’s on top of me, and suddenly, our laughing comes to a halt. It doesn’t take me very long to imagine every inch of her underneath our thick layers. Our body heat mingles, and I’ve long forgotten that we’re lying beneath a snow-fallen sky.

That hot tongue of hers slips out and wets her plump bottom lip. I stare at it, fighting the urge to kiss her senseless. My blood fills with need, and when I flex my hips, her playful eyes turn dark.

Last night opened up the gates of hell.

What the hell am I doing? And why can’t I stop?

The door opens, and Ellie stands there.

Sunny and I freeze, but Ellie, as innocent as she is, has no idea that I’m completely twisted with need from her nanny lying on top of me.

“Dad, you’re supposed to go easy on us!” Ellie scolds me, and it forces a chuckle out of me.

Sunny tries to climb off me, but my hands tighten against her waist.

Fuck, let go of her. I’m unhinged. I’ve lost my fucking mind.

She stops wiggling and glances at me out of the corner of her eye.

I wait until Ellie turns away, continuously stripping her snow gear and dropping it to the kitchen floor.

My abs flex as I inch forward.

Sunny and I are flush against one another, and the arousal is enough to send me to an early grave.

With my lips brushing against the cold strands of her hair, I whisper, “I win, Sunshine.”

Except, as soon as she climbs off me and swings that smile elsewhere, I feel like I’ve lost.