Page 33 of Raw Deal

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat. Did he just say that her daughter would be living with him? Was it an accidental slip of the tongue?

He took Mia inside through the back door to show her the house. Neither of them looked back to see if Chloe was following them. For the moment, they seemed to have forgotten her. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and swore Nik wouldn’t get away with it. He couldn’t have Mia. She didn’t care how many lawyers he hired.

Nik stuck his head outside. “Are you coming?”

He held his hand out to her, and she slid her fingers over his palm. He grasped her hand with a tight hold. A warm sensation filled her to glowing. Their gazes locked, and she forgot they weren’t alone... until a certain someone reminded her.

“Mommy! Come see the house.”

Chloe jumped, startled.

Nik smiled knowingly and gave her hand a squeeze. He pulled her inside. They walked from room to room with Mia on their heels. He started with the spacious living room and pointed out the cozy fireplace. Then he took them upstairs to check out the three bedrooms.

“It’s three bedrooms, two and a half baths.” He suggested, “Mia can use one of the smaller bedrooms and put her toys in one of the other two.”

Chloe had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from demanding to know his plans for their daughter. She didn’t want to get into what could be a serious argument in front of Mia. Later. They would talk later after Mia was in bed.

Nik saved the kitchen for last. He ushered her into the room, almost as excited as Mia. Chloe’s breath caught in her throat. Magnificent! The kitchen was every baker’s dream.

Her breath caught in her throat. Fully stocked, it seemed to have everything she would need to make scrumptious goodies. Everywhere she glanced, she saw another appliance or tool she had wanted.

Reality slowly set in. She wasn’t the one who would be living in the storybook house. It was Nik’s house, and he didn’t cook. Why had he bothered to buy so many extra cooking tools? Or had the previous owner bought them? They looked brand new to her.

“Did you do all this?” she asked.

He nodded. “I wanted you to have your dream kitchen, so I hired a professional cook to fill it with everything you could ever possibly need.”

“I’m not going to be living here,” she said. “This is your house.” She threw her arms up. “You won’t even be living here. I don’t understand why you want to buy this place when you’ll just be flying in to see Mia once in a while.”

He grinned, flashing those gorgeous dimples at her. “You know me. I never liked hotel living.”

“But you actually live in a hotel, Nik. Your hotel.”

“I live in a penthouse suite. That isn’t the same as living in a hotel.”

“Can I play in the castle now?” Mia asked.

Chloe sighed. “For a little while, but don’t go anywhere else. I mean it. If you get tired of the castle, come inside.”

Mia tugged on Nik’s denim pant leg and motioned for him to come down to her level. He squatted, and she kissed his cheek. Her small arms wrapped around his neck for a quick hug, and Chloe got a suspicious glimpse of his damp eyes. Her little girl could melt the heart of a snowman.

The more Chloe saw of the kitchen, the angrier she got. As soon as Mia was out of earshot, Chloe turned on Nik. Furious, she demanded to know, “Are you trying to manipulate me?”

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“You heard me.” She gestured to the house. “You buy a huge place in a town where you aren’t even staying, a bigger house than one person needs. Then you put up a castle playhouse and offer to give Mia a tree swing. You are trying to manipulate her into wanting to live with you. That is underhanded even for an Andropolis.”

His mouth tightened. “What is that supposed to mean? Of course, I want Mia to feel at home here when she visits. She kept talking about castles, so I paid someone to set up a playhouse for her. Where is the harm in that?”

Chloe’s hands balled into fists. “You did a lot more than that and you know it!”

“Keep your voice down before she hears us fighting.”

“Don’t tell me to keep my voice down! You are unbelievable. This isn’t just about Mia. You had the perfect kitchen put together so that I would want to live here, too. Admit it.”

He threw his hands up. “So what if I did? It’s silly to leave this place empty when I’m in Vegas. You and Mia can move in here. It’s much nicer than that little place you call home.”

Chloe’s heart sank. “I love my house, thank you. It’s my childhood home.”

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