Page 27 of Bonus Daddy
Tears filled my eyes. This woman had lifted me up and carried me through some of my darkest moments. “I could never forget.”
“Who wants ribs?” Max called, saving us before the moment could get any heavier.
After dinner, Max gave Marie a bath while Lana and I cleanedup. As usual, he’d made way too much food. He’d get no complaints from me. I’d gladly eat these incredible ribs for breakfast tomorrow.
“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about Brian,” Lana whispered.
I didn’t dare look up from the dish I was scrubbing.
“How does he look?” she asked.
I sighed, and a snapshot of him appeared in my mind. “Amazing.”
“Single?”
I hesitated, knowing exactly where her brain was going. Since falling for Max, Lana had transformed from one of those “men are unnecessary” types to a hopeless romantic.
“This is fate. Out of all the lawyers you could have been referred to, you end up in Brian’s office?”
“Yes. Fate that I’d finally get a good lawyer.”
“Sure.” She chuckled. “Because the universe is deeply concerned with the quality of your legal representation.” She whipped me gently with her dishtowel. “Obviously the universe knows you need to get some.”
“Can we not talk about this, please?” I said through gritted teeth. “He’s my lawyer.”
“He fucked with your ex-husband for sport, hitting him where it hurts the most—his social standing. For that alone, he deserves a blowjob.”
“Stop,” I hissed, peering over to where the girls were playing in the living room.
“All I’m saying is that you’ve been through hell, and you deserve a break. You deserve all the good things. And finding an amazing lawyer worthy of fantasizing about? Seems like a good thing to me.” She lifted a shoulder. “Are you attracted to him?”
I looked at her with wide eyes. “Brian? Of course I am. I’d have to be dead not to be. Between the rumbling deep voice and those golden eyes? Jesus.”
Her smile was almost diabolical.
“He was cute in college,” I said. “More than that. He was handsome.” I set the dish I’d been rinsing in the dish rack beside the sink. “But now? I can’t explain it.” My cheeks heated just thinking about him. “He’s older, more serious. And he’s grown into his whole protector role. He was like that when we were younger, but it mostly consisted of walking between me and the road and making sure I got into my apartment safely. Now? He’s fucking with Kenneth’s life to protect us. It’s impossible not to be attracted to him after all that.”
She fanned herself. “Halleluiah. I want this for you. I am going to manifest the shit out of this.”
My stomach twisted. “It’s not like that.” It couldn’t be. No matter how much I wanted to kiss him.
She grinned widely and clapped her hands. “No, seriously. I’ll be on Canva making the vision board tonight. This is such good news. I bet he’s amazing in bed. The serious, focused types always are.”
“It’s not. It’s confusing. And we have this…” I sighed, drying my hands. “This connection. Like what we had so long ago never went away. The chemistry, the intensity, every time I’m around him I can feel it crackling in the air.”
“Oh shit. He’s theone,” Lana said, clasping her hands together.
“But there’s no way he’s into me. He’s gorgeous and successful and I’m…” I trailed off. “Short and stumpy and?—”
“Nope.” Lana clutched my shoulders and gave me a little shake. “Don’t do that. Don’t talk negatively about your body. We’ve healed those generational wounds and we do better now, remember?”
My chest ached. I’d come so far, but… “I’m not doing it in front of my daughters.”
“Doesn’t matter,” she insisted. “They will know. I’m half convinced Kit has telepathy.”
I let out a breath of a laugh. “That would explain a lot.”
“Jessica Mosely, you are an absolute bombshell. A pocket Venus, if you will. Tiny but with plenty of curves.”
