Page 12 of Teach Me Daddy

He grins and swats at my hip with the back of his hand. “Just get in the water.”

I take a step back and quickly undress, loving the way his eyes linger on my body. I know that I’m a bigger girl, and it often makes me insecure, especially when my mother reminds me that the media doesn’t like plus-sized women. But his heated stare tells me I’m desirable, and regardless of my size, this man wants me and every one of my curves. With a single glance, he makes me feel beautiful and sexy. And that’s a powerful, heady feeling.

He’s at my side in an instant and helps me into the steaming water. I hold on to his hand while I sink down below the surface until my head rests on the edge of the tub. There are bubbles everywhere, and I’m surrounded by the calming scents of lavender and vanilla. Blake grabs a small teak stool and sets it next to the tub.

“This isn’t really your bubble bath, is it?” I ask, looking at the brightly colored pink bottle with a cartoon character on the front.

“I have a sister, Amelia. She and her five-year-old daughter stay with me sometimes. Her name is Clara, and she loves bubble baths in ‘Uncle B’s baby pool.’”

I smile at what she calls his tub and the cute nickname she’s given him.

“So, you’re an uncle, huh? Any other family?” I cup my hand and begin to pour the hot water over my arms and shoulders.

There’s a pregnant pause, and I look up at Blake, whose smile seems to dim a little. “Just my father. My mother passed a long time ago.”

I reach out, not caring that my hand is dripping as I lay my palm against his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He rests his hand over mine. “I’ve long since made my peace with it.”

“Then, what’s wrong?”

Blake sighs and reaches over to shut off the water before turning on the massage jets. “I was engaged once.Shewas going to be my family.”

My heart drops at the thought of another woman. “She? What happened?” I’m intrigued; at the same time, I’m not sure I want to hear about it.

His gaze focuses on the bubbles, but I don’t think he’s really seeing them. His mind is somewhere else. “Sarah. Her name wasSarah.” He pauses, and I patiently wait him out. “We met in college about twelve years ago when I was studying to be a teacher. I always knew it was what I wanted to do with my life, but Sarah… I guess she thought I’d change my mind. Or maybe she thought I wasn’t that serious about it.”

His voice trails off, and I wrinkle my brow. “I don’t understand.” I shift in the tub, so I can face him.

He gives me a watery smile. “My father is a very successful hedge fund manager. He’s brilliant and has amassed his own wealth, but we also come from money—my grandfather built his own telecommunications company. Sarah knew I was well-off from my inheritance alone, but I’d always told her that I hated that world. It was nothing but pretentious parties, ass-kissing politics, and bullshit expectations.”

I can’t control my sympathetic huff. “Sounds familiar,” I agree, referencing my own situation with my parents.

“She and I were planning a future together. I guess we just had different ideas of what that future was going to look like. I thought I explained myself pretty clearly, but like I said, I think she thought she could change my mind. Or that perhaps it was just a phase and maybe I was rebelling in some sort of way.

“Eventually, she realized I was serious about teaching and that money held no significance for me. I wasn’t into the lavish lifestyle and far preferred to spend my time quietly at home or doing things just the two of us.”

“So, she broke things off?” I hate hearing about him in a serious relationship with someone else, but I’m glad he feels comfortable sharing something so private with me. I’m guessing this is why he holds himself back from me emotionally. He’s had his heart broken, and who in their right mind would want to experience that again?

“Actually, I ended things. After I found out she’d been fucking my best friend.”

I gasp with wide eyes. “No!”

“I’m afraid so. And while I wanted nothing to do with that overindulgent lifestyle, Adam loved it. Our fathers were colleagues, and he followed in their footsteps. He’s an investment banker now, so I guess she got what she wanted in the end. She’s living the life of a trophy wife, and I’m a college professor who talks about math all day.” His chuckle is self-deprecating and I don’t like it.

“Looks like you did pretty good for yourself, if you ask me.” My chin rests on my overlapped hands and he brushes the hair off my face with a smile.

“Is that so?”

“You’re sexy and intelligent and insanely good with a whip in your hand.”

“Thanks for the confidence boost, little one.” A deep sigh escapes from his lips. “It happened a long time ago, and I’mcertainly over it. But I have to admit that she and Adam pop into my mind whenever I think about family because at one time, they were both family to me. And it’s still a kick in the gut when I remember their betrayal.”

He doesn’t have to tell me that he’s never let a woman get that close to him again. Judging by the pained look on his face, I’m sure of it. And he’s holding himself back from me for this very reason.

But I’m not her. And I’ll never be anything like her.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. No one deserves that.”

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