Page 73 of Unwrapping Romance

“It was good. Did you clean all this up?” I asked.

“Yeah. I did it after I put Ellie to bed. I can’t stand messes.”

“You built her kitchen?” Sierra asked.

“She wanted to play with it. I had one like it when I was little. We had a lot of fun, and she was really good.”

Pulling out my wallet, I handed her some cash, with some extra for cleaning up.

“Thank you, Mr. Atlas. This is too much,” she said.

“We appreciate you babysitting for us, Gretchen. Go buy yourself some new clothes, makeup, or whatever you teenagers buy nowadays.”

She laughed. “Thank you. If you need me again, call me. I really like spending time with Ellie. Would you mind if I came over and hung out with her?”

“That would be great,” Sierra said.

Gretchen grabbed her coat and put it on. “You two make a really cute couple. It’s nice to see you found someone, Mr. Atlas.”

“Uh, I think you misunderstand. We’re not a couple. Sierra is my assistant. She’s helping me with Ellie until I can find a nanny.”

“Oh. Could have fooled me.” She smiled. “Thanks again.” She walked out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sierra

As he thrust in and out of me, I couldn’t stop thinking about how he told Gretchen we weren’t a couple. In the back of my mind, I knew that, but a part of me felt like we were a couple. I wasn’t looking for anything when he interviewed me for the job as his assistant. But here I was, in his home, in his bed, helping him care for his kid. I liked it and our situation. He wasn’t the bad guy everyone made him out to be. He hid himself from the world because of his pain, just like I did.

“God, you feel so good.” He rolled me on top of him.

My hands clutched his chest as I rode him, and our eyes stayed fixated on each other. My body reeled from the orgasm that took over me, causing him to explode inside me.

“Don’t move.” His hands gripped my hips tightly.

I could still feel his hardness inside me.

“Bring those beautiful lips down here.”

Leaning over, my lips meshed with his. His hands moved away from my hips and wrapped around my back as my hands were placed on each side of his face. Something changed. I felt it.

The following morning, I opened my eyes and found him staring at me.

“How long have you been awake?” I smiled.

“Just a few minutes.”

The bedroom door opened, and Ellie ran in, jumping on the bed and cuddling between us. Thank God we both slipped on pajamas last night.

“Morning, sweetheart.” He brushed her hair from her face.

“We have to find the Elf.” She beamed with excitement.

Shit. I forgot about that damn Elf.

“I’ll be right back.” I threw back the covers. “You two stay here.”

“I want to find the Elf,” Ellie said.

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