Page 71 of Break Me
I’d be damned if the little cherub didn’t roll her eyes at me just like her mother had done. Her sigh was heavy, her shoulders rising and falling dramatically. “Not in person, silly. Dumbo doesn’t exist. He’s in a movie. But don’t worry. If you’re scared, I’ll protect you.”
I adored my second cousin. Nina was a special little girl, but I’d never truly bonded with her. Not like my brothers had done. Maybe I hadn’t considered myself worthy of her or possibly I’d felt like having a child in the mix was a burden. But the way Emily reacted to me, her adorable smile and her ability to still see the world through innocent eyes threw me.
Another ache formed deep in my gut. Maybe I craved having a family of my own.
“Of course. And I’ll feel much safer with you protecting me.”
She stuck her little arm out for a handshake. “Then it’s a deal.” The moment I shook her hand I heard a slight gasp coming from Halle.
“A deal.”
“Mommy. He can stay.”
Halle couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Come on, big boy. Let’s get started. Drink your juice, baby girl. Dinner won’t take long.”
And just like that, another layer of ice had been broken.
There was something very special about being invited into their lives. If only for one night. If only because I’d forced my way in.
But I refused to take it for granted.
Yet in the back of my mind, I knew this was just the beginning. If for no other reason than that my gut told me she was in danger.
CHAPTER 17
Halle
Once upon a time before I’d gotten married, I’d been in a tight group of women, girls I’d gone to college with. We used to meet every other Wednesday at a popular bar of our choosing for drinks and to commiserate over failed relationships while savoring delectable eye candy.
We’d finally come to the conclusion that you could tell a lot about the morality of a man by how he interacted with animals and children.
Neither tiny species hid from the truth. They could sense a bad person from a mile away.
That’s why seeing Emily with the brooding and far too sexy Russian continued to surprise me. He was a natural with her. Well, after a few moments of being unprepared for the onslaught of her need for male attention.
So far in the hour he’d been inside my house she’d spilled her juice on his very expensive linen shirt. She’d jumped all over himacting as if he was a trampoline. She’d dragged him to her room to show off her doll collection. She’d insisted he hold her wad of gum in his palm so the taste wouldn’t interfere with her grape juice.
And right now was the best part of all and in truth was making me second guess the anger and determination I had about not allowing him into my life.
At least more than he’d already demanded.
He was reading her a story. Her favorite book about a prince on a huge white steed and a princess saved and swept away to a magical kingdom. He was animated, the inflections in his voice ones I hadn’t heard before. As I stood in the doorway, with a glass of wine in my hand, I remained mesmerized doing nothing more than watching them interact.
Emily was nestled against him, her legs curled up, her little head tipped every so often to look at his face. She was in awe even though I’d read her the book at least a hundred times.
I’d come in to interrupt them, demanding Alexsey’s help as he’d promised, yet I couldn’t destroy the moment.
Here I was in pink PJs and fluffy slippers that he’d insisted I keep on while he was dressed to kill. At least he’d removed his jacket, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt. The best part had been watching him roll his sleeves past his strong arms and over his elbows.
The first words from my daughter’s mouth had been questioning his tattoos.
What is that? Is that a dragon? Why do you have crayons marked on your body? Mommy, can I have tattoos?
I bit my lip even now to keep from laughing. With his shoes off, one ankle crossed over the other, his hair completely tousled due to her wrestling abilities, and the visible gorgeous ink on his arms, he was even sexier than before.
If that was even remotely possible.
When he neared the end, she clapped her hands. Normally, the story put her to sleep. Maybe I should stick to firefighting instead of trying to make a story come to life. Or maybe I could just hire him any time she wanted someone to read to her.
