Page 74 of Until I Find You

After, he climbs onto the bed and spoons me, drawing me tight into his arms. “How do you feel?”

Always putting me first. Always making me the priority.

Except…there are things I want to know. Parts of his mind and his life he keeps from me under the guise of not troubling me. If we are ever to go any further than this, he’ll need to open up to me. Let me see what he’s keeping hidden.

“So good,” I breathe out. “Thank you, Daddy.”

Jack takes his time bestowing a line of kisses across my shoulders. Up my neck and jaw. To my temple. His hand runs up and down my waist, enjoying the feeling of the fabric.

“My beautiful baby girl,” he murmurs.

Always, I think. But I do not say it aloud for fear that is a promise one of us might break.

16

JACK

The air isthick with the sweet scent of freshly sawn wood, yet the shop is silent.

“So, here’s the progress we’ve made so far,” our contractor, Kirk, says from inside. “It might not look like it, but we’re ahead of schedule.”

Camilla steps up beside me. “It’s looking great.”

And she’s right.

We chose this spot in DUMBO for our coffee shop a few weeks ago, and construction has been going on since my father signed the deed over to me. It was a transaction through our lawyers, didn’t require us meeting in person, thank goodness.

We haven’t spoken since our meeting at the club. Not for lack of him trying. It’s on me. I’ve been giving my energy to Keiki and everything that goes into running a business. When I’m not working, all my energy goes to Camilla. Hell, it goes to her even when Iamworking.

Camilla steps into the shop first, bathed in the soft natural light filtering through the skylights. It’s a big space with high ceilings and wooden rafters. A mix of industrial and classic architecture.

We’re stripping it back, keeping the color palette simple so as not to take any focus away from what we want the shop to be. A space for gathering and sharing a cup of coffee.

We’re still working on the tagline, though.

While the space is beautiful, there is plenty of work to be done. There are stacks of reclaimed wooden planks leaned up haphazardly against the walls, and the counter and bar is still a vague idea.

Camilla sighs, and the sound echoes off the walls. “We’re going to have to work on the acoustics in here.” She places her hands on her hips.

Kirk nods. “The echo does get to be a bit much. Not sure you want to give a complimentary pair of ear plugs to all your customers.”

I know I should be focusing on the job, but from behind, Camilla is a goddess. Her tight jeans accentuate the curves of her ass and thighs and while her blouse is loose, I’m still in awe of the elegance of her shoulders.

Not to mention those curls, loose and free. Not held back by a clip or ponytail holder. All because I remarked once how much I liked seeing her hair down.

I never want her to do anything just to please me, but I can’t help but notice it.

Makes her all the more tempting. Distracting. Because what I’d like to do is go up behind her and press my hips against her assso she can feel my growing erection, grab a handful of her hair, and kiss her sweet lips until she begs me for more.

Instead, I go to stand next to her, sticking my hands in the pockets of my slacks to make sure I keep myself from acting on my fantasy. “We should get a sound expert in here, then.”

Camilla whips out her phone and starts typing that on her ever-growing list of to dos. “Sparing no expense, as always.”

“Why should I?” I shrug.

She smirks, then slides her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. I can’t believe I’m jealous of her phone, but I am. I could slide my hand into her pocket, grab a handful of her.

My baby girl.

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