Page 215 of Santa Daddies
Shit.
“Did you cut yourself?” he asked with alarm, moving over to her.
“I’m okay.” But her voice wobbled and there were tears in her eyes.
“Show me,” he demanded as he stopped in front of her.
She shook her head.
“Alice,” he said in a low voice. “Show me.”
Trembling, she showed him her finger. It had a slice across it. Thankfully, it wasn’t too deep. Didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt.
“Oh, baby,” he murmured.
She sucked in a breath and he realized what he’d just called her.
Shit.
But he decided to pretend that didn’t happen. Grabbing hold of her wrist gently, he turned her to the sink. Then he twisted the tap to make the water run and placed her hand under it.
“Wash it off. I’ll get the antiseptic and a plaster.”
“It’s really nothing more than a scratch.”
“What were you doing?” he asked, getting the first-aid kit.
“I was going to make an apple pie,” she explained as he got some paper towels to dry off her hand.
He turned off the tap and grasped hold of her hand again.
“It’s really not worth fussing over.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” he informed her as he put antiseptic on it.
“Ouchie! Ouch! Ouch!”
Surprise filled him as her voice took on a different pitch. She sounded so . . . young.
“Christmas bells. Sorry,” she said. “I’m being such a baby.”
“You can be whatever you like,” he told her as he put a band-aid on the scrape.
Without thinking, he drew her hand up to his mouth to kiss her finger.
“There, all better.”
What the fuck was that?
He took a step back, needing some distance between them before he did something really stupid.
Like kiss her.
Chapter Six
Alice yawned as she wandered into the living room. She’d struggled to get to sleep last night and then she’d slept in. Now it was close to eleven and she desperately needed caffeine.
She’d tossed and turned, her mind playing over Anson kissing her sore finger. The heated look on his face. She’d really thought he’d been about to kiss her.
