Page 85 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“He’s not a bad kid. He’s just got a lot of energy which can get him into trouble.”

“I bet you were the same as a kid. Full of trouble.” She poked a finger into my side.

She wasn’t far off the mark. I’d often acted out as a child, usually to get the attention of my parents. At one point I had stopped caring when being good or bad equaled the same result—nothing.

Lily stretched. “I should probably get up.”

“It’s not even 7:00 a.m.”

“I know, but I should get dressed. Janice, Dad’s caregiver, is going to reach out to me today. I might even get the chance to talk to Dad.” Her finger traced lazy circles on my chest.

“You miss him.”

“Yeah, and I worry about him. I know he’s getting the best care, but to have him so far away it’s tough.”

I’d been thinking about this for the past few days, each time Lily spoke about her dad. I wasn’t sure I was ready for her to leave when the job was done. “What would you think about bringing him here?”

She shot up. “What?”

The sheet slipped down to her waist, exposing her perfectly rounded breasts. Not able to help myself, I leaned forward to draw a nipple into my mouth. Her hands trembled as she threaded her fingers through my hair, tugging and pulling on the strands as I feasted on one breast and then the other.

“Mm, Jaxon, if you keep that up, I won’t ever get up.”

“Isn’t that the idea?” I growled playfully.

She laughed. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I need to get up and you need to explain what you meant about bringing my dad here.”

I stopped and placed a light kiss on her lips. “You’ll be here a little while longer for work. I know you’re about done with the restoration, but you still have the translation to do. This way, he’ll be close and you can keep an eye on him. Bring a few of the home health aides that you have on staff, and I’ll take care of the expenses.” I couldn’t believe my own ears. I hated having strangers in my house, and I'd just invited Lily's dad and health care providers in. That was how much she meant to me. I'd do just about anything to see her smile.

She pulled the sheet up, wrapping it around her body like a sarong. It felt like she was pulling away from me in more ways than one. I ran my hand down her arm only to have her shimmy out of reach. “Don’t distract me.”

“You didn’t mind me distracting you last night,” I quipped. She’d been trying to finish the ending to a book she chose from the romance shelf in the library last week. It amazed me how quickly she could read and finish the stack of replacement books she took with her every few days.

She swatted my hand away when I reached for her. “That was different. This is huge, Jaxon. I don’t feel comfortable allowing you to do that.”

“Why?” I’d thought we’d grown close over the last few weeks. Why wouldn’t she let me do this for her?

“It’ll be expensive.” She worried at her lip. I hated to see the apprehension on her face.

I raised my eyebrow. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I can afford it.”

She shook her head, a wary look entering her eyes, before she turned her head away from me.

“What’s really going on here?” I asked softly, and took Lily’s chin in my hand, gently guiding her head back to face me.

She was keeping something from me, and I didn’t like it. And yes, I could admit the double standard even as my insides roared at the thought of her keeping a secret from me. I had my secrets, too.

“Lily,” I snapped out her name.

She jumped, her fingers digging into the sheet, twisting it into knots.

“Hey,” I forced myself to lower my voice. I cared for Lily. Yelling at her wouldn’t help, and I wanted her to share the information with me freely. “You can tell me.”

“Jaxon,” she whispered. “This thing between us is so new. I don’t want to destroy it with doubts and uncertainties. And I don’t want to get used to something I can’t keep–especially where Dad is concerned.”

I stayed silent. If I’d learned anything about Lily over the past three weeks, she didn’t like silence, and I was using it to my advantage.

She heaved a sigh. “I don’t want you lumping me in with the other women you’ve been with.”