Page 83 of Driven Daddy

“I am a carnivore to the core.”

“Nice. Me too.” I flashed her a smile, then I moved down to her. “At least you can get a meal out of it. Then if you want to go home…or the city, all good. We’ll figure the workshop out through email, and we’ll just come back here and take care of it.”

She blew out a breath. “I forgot about the workshop.”

“Good thing I didn’t.” I took her hand and laced our fingers. “Don’t go.”

She frowned down at our linked hands. “Penn…”

“No excuses and we’re going to throw up the white flag.” I lifted our hands and held them against my chest. The urge to keep her close was as elemental as when we were naked. The hurt that had been so alive in her eyes arrowed deep inside me. “Besides, my mother has been reading self-help books by the dozen since she retired. Unless you want a mediation session with JoAnn Masterson, we’ll be on our best behavior.”

“I should really?—”

“I don’t think you should be alone.”

“What makes you think you know what I need?”

“I have a sister and an incredibly involved mother. I know when a woman needs some pampering.”

“I notice you didn’t mention a girlfriend.”

I shrugged. “I’ve had a relationship or three in my time alive. I get what it means when a woman says ‘I’m fine’, Rita. It means you’re anything but fine.”

I lowered our hands and swung them lightly. “I also will employ the Masterson stubborn streak here. I will harass you until you say yes.”

“Why would your parents want me to crash dinner?”

“My mom lives for such things. Believe me. She cooks like her five kids still live at home, anyway.” I started walking backwards, taking her with me. “A few hours won’t make a difference if you really want to go back to…what part of the city? Brooklyn?”

“Manhattan.”

I whistled. “Look at you, Big Time.”

“Shut up. My apartment is the size of the kitchen and living room at the cottage.”

“For Manhattan, that’s definitely big. My first place was a room with two bunkbeds and three roommates. We had to share a communal bathroom down the hall. It was heinous.”

She blinked. “Really?”

I nodded. “I was determined to live in the city when I got out of college. Even if that meant I bartended for tips at night while drawing all day.”

She opened her mouth as if she was going to share something but closed it again as she hitched her bag up higher on her shoulder.

I wanted her to share whatever was going on in that beautiful head of hers.

We stopped at the doorway to the hotel suite. Rita craned her neck and then her cheeks went bright pink. I kept dragging her along and her gaze swung to mine. “You weren’t kidding.”

“Nope. Not sure Travis got the brief for what they were supposed to do for that shoot.” He grinned. “I know how it feels to get carried away.”

She tried to twist her hand free, but I held on tight.

She wasn’t getting away from me this time. I was truly tired of her slipping away from me, especially when I wanted to know so much more about her.

I led her down the stairs and into the lobby. She caught up, until we were walking side by side through the ornate doors of the hotel. It was late afternoon, and the sun was glinting off the lake in the distance.

“Why were you here at the shoot anyway?”

I urged her along to my car, parked in the street. I’d managed a great spot when I arrived.

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