Page 25 of Hidden Truths

I laugh as I position the headphones over Cora’s ears. She seems confused and grabs at them, but I distract her with a teething cracker. I kiss the top of her head and watch Cal start singing.

I don’t know what I was expecting. I’ve heard their songs, his voice. Of course, I have. They’re the kids from our small hometown that got out and made it big. I also worked in radio and wouldn’t have been able to escape them even if I wanted to.

Cal’s voice travels throughout the room and straight to my vagina. Has his voice always been this sexy? It’s deep and smooth, like a set of warm, strong arms surrounding you. It’s not just his voice, though. It’s his whole presence. The confidence he exudes as he stands there and belts out the upbeat song. The way he sways behind the mic, his eyes pinched shut as he feels the lyrics and the music.

A finger under my chin snaps my mouth shut from where it was apparently hanging open. I peel my gaze away from Cal long enough to find Jo standing next to me, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“They’re pretty good, right?” Jo asks, laughter in her voice. I know she’s making fun of me right now, but I’m too shocked to care.

I knew I was attracted to Cal. You’d have to be blind not to be. Probably deaf too, because his voice is sexy by itself.

But this is a whole new level of attraction. And I live with the man.

Fuck.

The music fades as my brain wars with my heart. Or vagina. Both, probably.

“I think that man just sang your panties off,” Jo jokes. I give her a halfhearted glare and turn to Jon.

“How are you doing anything without a producer?” I ask him, trying to distract myself, but actually curious.

“Oh, I’m not. I mean, I know enough that I could probably be of some help, but the space is already rented. So I’m just going to make them practice until lunch,” Jon says, shrugging.

“Can I say something to them?” I ask, trying to smile innocently, but Jon shakes his head and sighs.

“Today is a bust anyway, so have at it.” He shows me which button to press.

“You were kind of pitchy, VD,” I say into the mic. I watch Cal’s eyes go wide and then narrow in annoyance.

“VD? What does that stand for?” Mav asks him. Cal’s eyes go wide again, and I’m laughing so hard that Cora is bouncing in front of me. She’s laughing along with me.

“That’s my girl,” I tell her as I continue to laugh at her dad’s attempts at dodging the question.

“Ew, Cal. Do you have a venereal disease?” Belle asks, looking horrified, which just makes me laugh harder.

“Harlow!” Cal yells, stomping towards the door that will bring him into this room.

“Oh, shit!” I yelp as I try to duck behind Jo. Cora is squealing and giggling. She’s loving every moment of this. I’m glad because it’s probably the last she’s going to get with me as her nanny, judging by the murderous expression on her dad’s face.

Willa runs past him and slips into the room first. “Youhaveto tell us what VD stands for!”

“She does not!” Cal yells. His expression softens significantly when he sees how funny both Cora and I are finding this. Probably more so Cora than me. “Are you having fun, baby girl?” he asks Cora, cupping her cheek gently. He takes her from the carrier and hands her to Belle. Then his gaze turns to me and where I expected to find fury, there’s something else entirely. Something a lot closer to lust.

“Oops,” I whisper.

“Yeah, oops,” Cal says, pushing a stray hair behind my ear. He leans closer, his cheek against mine and his palm on my lower back. “You’re asking for me to take you over my knee.”

My breath hitches in my throat. My cheeks are on fire.

“Tell me, Firecracker. Do you enjoy making me angry? I can hear the way your breathing changed when you thought about my palm on your sweet ass. Is that what you want? You want me to spank you?” His breath tickles my ear, his hand hot against my back. Every nerve in my body is acutely aware of this man.

“N-no,” I say, but it sounds like a question.

Cal chuckles and it’s low and full of sex. “I bet if I slid my hand in your panties right now, I would find evidence that says otherwise.” He backs up then and turns to his friends like he just didn’t melt my brain.

I touch my face and feel how warm my cheeks are. I look up to see Cal’s dark brown eyes locked on me, a victorious smirk on his face.

Fine.

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