Page 20 of Silver Fox's Secret Baby

He pulled out one of the barstools from under the island, motioning for me to sit. He pulled another one out and sat and then took several cookies off the tray, setting them on his plate. "Have you all settled in?"

I sat down on the stool, taking a cookie from the tray and dunking it in my milk. "We are. Thank you."

Henry cocked his head as I pulled my cookie from my milk and took a bite. "I haven't done that since I was a kid." He dunked his cookie in his milk and took a bite. His eyes closed as if he were savoring the taste. My heart skipped a beat remembering how sweet he’d been to me years ago.

"I forgot how good that is." He smiled warmly at me, but I fought the warm, fuzzy feeling that tried to grow.

I’d rather be irritated at him. "Are you avoiding me?"

He tensed as he dunked his cookie back into his milk. "Why would you say that?"

"Because we’re in your house, and I haven't seen you since the day you showed us to our rooms. It's really important to me that we don't disrupt your life. I don't want you hiding in your office or wherever it is you spend your time because we’re here."

"It's not unusual for me to spend the majority of time in my office."

I studied him, wondering if he was telling me the truth. "If you're worried that I might grow attached to you or something, you don't have to worry about it. You don't have to avoid me. That comment the other day was about Tori, not you."

His jaw tightened as he looked at me. "I'm not worried that you'll grow attached to me. I know that you've moved on. Your being a mother is proof of that."

It was my turn to flinch. I should've been relieved that he believed I’d been with another man after moving away from New York. But mostly, I felt guilty.

He let out a breath, the tension releasing with it. "And speaking of that, Samantha, Pax is a beautiful little boy. I don't know how long you've been a single mom, but I can see that you're a very good mother."

It meant a lot to me for him to say that. For all his faults, Henry was an excellent parent, so he would know. "Thank you."

Our gazes held for a minute, and the air between us started to thicken and crackle. I felt the pull from my heart toward him as I had five years ago. But I wasn’t that silly young girl anymore, so I turned away, picking up my milk and taking a gulp.

Once I swallowed, I said, "You haven't told me where to report for my job tomorrow."

There was a pause, but I didn’t look at him to figure out why. "Come to my office. We can discuss in more detail the various platforms and figure out which we should focus on first."

"What time should I be there?"

"I know you need to deal with Pax in the morning, so after that, you can come in."

I stopped trying not to look at him and narrowed my eyes. "I don't want special favors, Henry. I can work a full schedule just like everyone else. I was doing it before I returned to New York."

Henry let out a long sigh, and I felt embarrassed at my outburst.

"We have many parents, mothers and fathers, who have flexible schedules so that they can have quality time with their kids. But beyond that, I don't know why it angers you so much that I would try to do something nice for you."

I rolled my shoulders, trying to relieve the tension. "I'm sorry. It's just important to me that I make my own way."

He studied me for a moment, and it made me uncomfortable. What was he seeing? "There was a time when you could accept help easily."

“I was younger and naïve. And I needed more help then."

He stood, and as he did so, his robe loosened more, showing the entire expanse of his chest. The man was pushing fifty, and yet he still looked like he had a chest sculpted from marble. My hands itched to press against the hard warmth of it.

He picked up his plate and glass, taking them over to the sink. "Have a good rest, Samantha." He made his way to exit the kitchen.

"Good night, Henry."

When he left, I let out a breath, feeling like an idiot. He must think I was an ungrateful brat.

I put my plate and glass in the sink and went up to my room. I lay in bed willing sleep to come, but it still eluded me. Only this time, I wasn't thinking about Henry and how he was avoiding me. I was thinking about Henry and his chest.

I was thinking about the times that I had come to his home to work with him, and once the work was finished, he would take my hand, lead me to the elevator, and take me up to his room.

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