Page 125 of Daddy's Naughty List

Amazingly, forty-five minutes later, Bliss left the shop with the perfect outfit, not only for herself, but for Sadie, Sophie, and Nori as well.

When she tried to pay, Rory wouldn’t take a dime. “It’s the, um, the Musketiara discount. You get everything for free the first time you shop here.”

Bliss couldn’t do that. “I’m not a Musketiara.”

Rory just grinned and winked. “Matter of time, babe.”

She wasn’t sure what it took to become a Musketiara, but she hoped Rory was right. She could use more girlfriends. She needed to talk to friends who could listen and give her advice on how to handle everything. Bliss smiled at her new friend. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were a Christmas elf. I guess I was right. I can’t thank you enough.”

“I get that a lot, especially this time of year. And no thanks are necessary. We women have to have each other’s backs. If you ever need a sitter, just give me a call. I love babies.”

Bliss filed that away for future use. That way she wouldn’t have to call Winnie all the time. Right now, she needed to get home and put everyone down for a nap. She rolled her eyes at the idea of being able to sleep when there were dishes to wash, vacuuming to do, and a hundred other things to make the house perfect for the next visit from the Seagull.

She grinned at the private joke. She’d started calling Mrs. Talon the Seagull because, just when everyone was having a great time, she swooped in, squawked a lot, and pooped all over everything.

The drive home took just long enough for all the girls to fall asleep. She couldn’t carry in more than one at a time. It would be just her luck that the Seagull would swoop in and find two babies in the car. That would get scribbled onto the clipboard for sure. If she weren’t so tired herself, she’d drive around while they slept, but she’d missed too much sleep to risk it.

Her problem was solved when she drove up to her house to find Connor’s shiny black Hellcat parked in the yard. A jolt of excitement shot through her. She didn’t need to be excited. She needed to remember this was all the result of his guilty conscience and wouldn’t last. At least, that’s what her brain said. Unfortunately, neither her heart nor her lady bits cared at all.

When he came out on the porch, she caught her breath. Why did he have to look so sexy, with his scruffy beard and tousled hair? He looked like he’d just gotten out of bed, but in the way that made a girl wish he’d been in bed with her. He jogged down the steps to her car and opened her door. It was barely after lunch. What was he doing at her house?

A scowl replaced his smile as soon as he saw her. “Why aren’t you wearing your seatbelt, trouble?”

She shifted in her seat, trying to stop the pulsing in her core that happened every time he used that nickname. That was just so wrong. “I can’t wear my seatbelt when I’m driving with the girls in the car. They might need something.”

She thought for a moment his eyes might bug out of his head. His brows almost touched in the middle. “Are you telling me you haven’t been wearing your seatbelt for almost a year?”

“Well, sort of, but for a good reason.”

“That is not a good reason, trouble. There is no good reason. Were you wearing your seatbelt when your tire blew last week? Because no one was in the car with you then.”

She stared up at him, trying to think of a way to answer his question without landing herself in even more trouble. “Did you know you have a vein that jumps half the time? Do you have high blood pressure?”

“Only since I met you. Now answer my question.”

Pulse racing, she licked her lips and tried to come up with an explanation, but she drew a total blank. Oh, this was not going to end well.

Chapter Twelve

Connor

Bliss blinked her eyes, stalling for time, which only served to aggravate him more. Clenching his jaw, he leaned in and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her car. “I don’t think blinking will give you long enough to come up with an excuse for not wearing your seatbelt. We’ll discuss this inside, but you should note for the future I treat stalling the same as lying.”

Holding her hand, he led her to the opposite side of the car. “I’ll get Sadie and Sophie. You take Nori.”

Once the girls were in their cribs and sleeping, Connor pulled Bliss back into the great room. He led her to the corner next to the front door. “You know the drill. I want your nose in this corner until I tell you to do something else.”

After grabbing a wooden spoon from the kitchen and sticking it in his back pocket, he propped against the back of the couch with his ankles crossed and sucked in a breath through his nose. It did nothing to change the blaze in his chest. The idea of her driving around, of her having another blowout or wreck, and not having on her seatbelt made him physically ill.

It was time to let her know the plan, and if she kicked him out—well, if she kicked him out, that would suck. But he’d go. If he didn’t do something, she was going to wind up dead.

“I’m going to share the plan that I have come up with to set everything, and everyone, straight. You will keep your nose in that corner and listen without interrupting. When I’m finished, you may turn to face me, and we will discuss any reservations you have. Am I clear? Yes or no.”

She nodded.

He barked out, “Words!”

She jumped but answered. “I understand, but?—”

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