Page 47 of Raging Inferno

“Wasn’t that funny, Daddy?”

He blinked, breaking the spell. “What was that, honey?”

“Didn’t you hear Presley’s joke?”

“No.”

“Tell him,” Gia urged.

“You can do it, Gia.”

“Okay! Daddy, why was the fastest cat kicked out of school?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

Gia was giggling, and she looked so adorable. Dom had to blink back the moisture in his eyes.

“Because he was a cheetah!”

Dom chuckled and glanced at Presley. “That’s cute.”

“I can’t take credit for it. Kai Costa, the son of one of my coworkers, is a walking joke book. He’s got one for every occasion.”

“Kai sounds hilarious,” Gia said.

“He is, but he’s also a hero.”

Presley told them how the boy had rescued his stepsister from an escaped felon and saved the President of the United States’s granddaughter.

“I remember that story,” Dom said. “It was major news for weeks.”

The waiter arrived with their nachos, and they dug in. Dom couldn’t get over Gia’s transformation. The best word he would use to describe her would be happy. A lump of emotion, in the form of a taco chip, caught in his throat, and he had to gulp water to dislodge it. It had been too long since he’d seen her like this.

His daughter was happy.

He’d give up his life to keep her that way.

#

Presley watched Gia play a dance video game and smiled at the girl’s enthusiasm. She’d morphed entirely from a sulky, sullen kid when Presley first met her to an exuberant, enthusiastic one. This is how she should always be.

Presley stole a glance at Dominic to see him watching his daughter with pride and joy. He turned, and their gazes collided.She sucked in a breath at the look in his eyes. It had to be mirrored in hers: Desire. Hunger. Need.

If she were smart, Presley would leave the restaurant and find a hotel room pronto. Get away from the tempting man across from her and his adorable daughter. The more time she spent with them, the more they sucked her into their family. It felt comfortable and right, two things she couldn’t afford when she was leaving as soon as she attended Nancy Baker Babcock’s funeral and found out why the women quit being friends.

“Presley, you have to try this.”

Gia tugged on her arm, breaking the eye contact that had gone on for who knows how long with Dominic. When she stared into his amber depths, time stood still. It could’ve been seconds or hours. She had no idea.

Gia was persistent, and Presley stood and allowed her to tug her to the dance machine. Soon, she was caught up in the moves, following along with the instructor on the screen.

“You’re really good!” Gia praised.

The music picked up, and the steps grew frantic until they gyrated like monkeys, laughed hysterically, and gave up. They stumbled back to the table as the waiter delivered the check. Presley was surprised that she wasn’t ready to leave yet. This was more fun than she’d had in a long time. Part of it was the playful atmosphere and the good food. The most significant factors were the handsome man and the sweet girl smiling at her.

“It’s getting late, and I should find a hotel,” Presley tried again as they stood to leave. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“I’ve told you that you aren’t,” Dominic insisted. “There’s no reason for you to move out. Your things are already there.”

---