Page 18 of Daddy's Lesson

But he wanted my honesty, and the honest truth was, if he wanted to, I’d have a hard time saying no. I wanted to. Kind of. Maybe. I wasn’t sure.

But even as I argued with myself in my head, I went down the list again and changed the majority of my answers to ‘yes’.

I was filling out a short answer section about my sexual history when I realized that Lennon was standing behind me, reading over my shoulder, holding a plate of food.

“Ahhh!” I jumped, and quickly shielded my answers with my hand, but it was too late. I could tell by the expression on his face.

“You’ve only had one partner?” he asked incredulously.

Out of everything on that page, of course that would be his take-away. Of course.

“Don’t read over my shoulder!” I hollered indignantly, jumping to my feet.

Lennon remained stoic, his expression barely changing. “I’m sorry, but… I mean, I’m going to read it, anyway. It’s kind of my job.”

Rats. Of course he had to talk sense and be logical. And why did I feel ashamed, anyway? I was loyal, and I’d been in a long-term relationship. A Marriage. My lack of experience was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Somehow, I still was. “Is that bad?” I asked, afraid that it would put him off, further diminishing whatever slim chance I had that he might be interested in something more.

“No.” Lennon hollered so loudly I jumped.

He quickly set the plate of food down on a nearby stool and put his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them gently. “No, it’s not bad. Not at all. I was just surprised. You’re a very beautiful woman.”

Okay, now he was just kissing up and attempting to smooth things over. “Sure,” I scoffed.

The next thing I knew, instead of being in his arms, I was face down over his knee, and he’d landed half a dozen stinging swats over the top of my skirt.

“Ow!” Rubbing furiously as he set me right on my feet, and with my hands still massaging my ass, I glared up at him. “What was that for?”

“You are beautiful,” he insisted. “And you need to be able to take a compliment.”

“Okay, sheesh!”

“No.” He frowned, his dimples disappearing in the hard line of his jaw. “You are beautiful. And negative self-talk, even in refusing to accept a compliment gracefully, will get you tossed over my knee every damn time. The words we speak to ourselves are important, Zoe. They shape us. They can lift us up or bring us down. The world will always be hard enough on us. We do not need to be hard on ourselves.”

“Geez,” I grumbled, impressed by his wisdom. “I thought you were an artist. I didn’t realize you’d minored in psychology.”

“Well…” Lennon shrugged. “I did.”

My jaw dropped open again. Every time I thought this man couldn’t surprise me anymore, somehow he did. “Holy shit. Really? I was making a joke!”

Lennon smirked. “Turns out you’re a woman of many talents, Zoe Kramer, but making jokes is not one of them.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips and his dimples popped into view as he picked up the discarded lunch plate and held it out to me. “Eat.”

Where I’d expected a simple sandwich, or even canned soup or frozen pizza, standard bachelor fare, what I got was a simple but fresh and delicious smelling pasta dish. Bright green spinach stood out against the creamy sauce and it looked as beautiful as I’d had in any five-star restaurant.

Pulling up a stool at the bar, because his small kitchen table was covered with shopping bags, I dug in, gasping as flavors exploded on my tongue with the first bite.

Swallowing the first mouthful I gaped at him. “You made this? You can cook… like this?”

“I had to learn to cook if I wanted to eat,” he explained, as if it were nothing.

“It’s delicious,” I gushed. “Truly amazing. Seriously. Maybe you should have minored in culinary arts instead of psychology. You could open a restaurant if you wanted to!”

“Stop,” he shook his head, his cheeks pinking. “It’s just noodles, a simple sauce, seasonings, and fresh toppings. It’s no big deal. A middle schooler could do it.”

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows at him finally. “What was that lecture you just gave me about taking a compliment? Seems like you need to learn to take your own advice.”

“Oof.” Lennon winced. “Touché. Point taken.” He moved around the kitchen and soon he was sitting beside me with a plate identical to mine.

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