Page 74 of Driven Daddy

She gave me one of her rare, wide smiles. It crinkled the corners of her eyes and made her mouth instantly irresistible.

I actually leaned her way and almost kissed her.

Shaking that off, I reached for some popcorn instead. “I kept the action figure and left at the end of my contract. Thankfully, I had enough capital to do things myself. Much easier to do it with one project twice a year than to try and juggle four or five of them.”

“Why didn’t you go to one of the other companies? I’m not sure how graphic novels work.”

“Once I was labeled as difficult to work with, it was hard to get a better deal. Voldemort thought I’d come crawling back to them if they bad-talked me enough.”

She chuckled at the reference. “And that made you dig your heels in.”

“Correct. What about you?”

She waved that away. “So, what made you go for more artists?”

“There are a whole lot of artists that are in shitty contracts. Or not shitty per se, but better for the publisher than the artist. Ones that would do so much better with a little capital and a publisher who actually cares about them. Unfortunately, I’m bleeding through capital these days, not the talent. I’m starting small, with a few independent comic book artists who are working on new projects. Those are investments and will take awhile to get moving. Which is good because I’m finding that the actual printing aspect of it is the real problem. Especially since I’m a small press.”

I didn’t want to say that I could be closing shit down before I even got started. I refused to believe it and that had been the fire inside me that got my first contract.

I would use it to get this done too.

“And you don’t want investors,” she said it matter-of-factly as if she already knew the answer.

Was I that transparent?

“Then I’d be right back to where I was. I want to keep the money funneling to the artists.”

“You mean to you?” Her eyebrow arched.

“I’m a businessman too. But the artists who work with me get to share in the real profits, not the twenty percent or less that they usually get with the crap contracts out there.”

She tipped her head and looked at me so hard that I was afraid she was tunneling into my actual brain. “I believe you.”

“Imagine that? I’m not the asshole you thought I was.”

She unfolded herself and stood. “Oh, you’re definitely still an asshole,” she said as she sauntered back to the kitchen.

Bruce, guessing the snacks were gone, wandered back to his sunbeam to continue his nap.

I did not mind watching her walk away, even with an insult in her wake. I closed the notebook and set it on the coffee table before following her into the kitchen. “I really am sorry, Duchess.” I pressed my lips together and blew out my cheeks. “Rita.”

“Look at that, he does learn.” She leaned her elbows on the island, crossing her legs at the ankle, and gave me that smirky smile that made me want to kiss it off her mouth.

I stepped closer, stranding with one leg on either side of hers, then I caged her in with a hand on each side of her. “I’m a quick student.” I licked my lips as I glanced down at her mouth. “Attentive, as well.”

She bit her lower lip and that was all the invitation I needed this time. I lowered my mouth to hers, not touching her anywhere else. She didn’t close her eyes at first. Suspicion and wariness were on full display.

Showing her that I didn’t need to get her naked every time, I kept the kiss light and easy. I learned what she liked and was rewarded with a sigh as she straightened and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

Catching her close, I hooked my arm around her waist and pulled her flush to my chest. Since she was just about on her toes, I lifted her and set her on the island so she was above me.

She linked her fingers behind my neck and opened her legs to let me in close. When they lifted to grip my sides, I groaned into her mouth.

“Who knew that I’d find my dream girl in a bookstore?” I muttered against her mouth.

Her arms slid away and into her lap. “I’m not your dream girl. I’m not even your girl.”

I straightened up and leaned back. “I mean, it’s not ideal of course, but you can’t deny this is good.”

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