Page 41 of Only You

Andrew moved over to his daughter, although Ana could feel his eyes burning into her. Her heart rate picked up, and a familiar tingling sensation gripped her body.

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked Olivia, bending over to look at her work.

“Maths,” she said with clear disdain in her voice.

Andrew chuckled. “Only nine more years.”

Olivia groaned. “That’s what Ana just said!”

“Great minds,” Andrew said, his eyes catching Ana’s eye again and smiling.

Ana felt her cheeks warm. She really needed to get herself under control when Andrew was around. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes,” she said, using it as an excuse to break Andrew’s gaze.

Ana chastised herself. She was turning into a blushing mess. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d bumped into Andrew outside the home gym, but she could not seem to get her body back under control. A couple of weeks since that kiss.

She’d known he had a great physique. There was no hiding his shape under his shirts, but seeing his bare, muscled flesh and tattoos... feeling his mouth on hers… the memory left her mouth-watering and her body aching with longing. Too many times, she’d woken hot and breathless on the edge of an orgasm, Andrew having played the starring role in her x-rated fantasies. She could barely look at him at breakfast. One afternoon, she’d made the mistake of mentioning her dreams to Millie, who had taken to sending her links to online sex shops and some of the most outrageous toys. Their descriptions left Ana hotter and more wanting than before. She really needed to get out… or maybe invest in a toy.

Unlike her, Andrew seemed unaffected by their encounter. He had simply walked away. Ana had tried to rationalise his reaction, blaming it on her lack of experience. Andrew was an intelligent man of the world with a beautiful heart who adored his family and daughter. What wasn’t there to love? But Ana wanted him to see her as a responsible adult and be glad he had taken a chance on her. He would never think that if every time she saw him, she became a blathering, sex-starved mess.

Olivia slammed her book shut and moved it at record speed to the island. She clearly wasn’t sorry to be stopping her maths. Washing her hands in the sink, she made her way back to the island.

Ana grabbed some knives and forks and handed them to a now-waiting Olivia. Andrew raised an eyebrow as he watched his daughter take them without argument and lay the table. She then went and grabbed some plates, while Ana dished up the food.

“Is there anything I can do?” Andrew asked.

“Wash your hands, Daddy,” Olivia said before sitting down in her seat. Ana picked up the serving dishes and carried them across to the table. She walked the long way around, avoiding Andrew, who had moved to the sink.

Ana watched out of the corner of her eye as Andrew grabbed two glasses and a bottle of chilled white wine from the wine fridge. He waved a glass questioningly at Ana, who nodded. She would need some Dutch courage to get through the meal. Andrew poured two glasses and placed one in front of Ana before taking a seat opposite.

“How was your day, Liv?” Andrew asked Olivia.

Olivia spent the rest of the meal recounting her day from registration to pick up, allowing Ana to get her wayward body under control. Andrew’s interaction with Olivia wasn’t helping. She loved how much he cared for his daughter and showed an interest in everything she did. Not once had he switched off while she was talking, instead he asked her for more details. There was no rush. It was her time, and he was giving it to her.

“How was your day, Ana?” Andrew asked, making her jump back into the conversation.

Ana felt the colour in her cheeks rise once more. “Oh, it was fine. We handed in our group project, so things between now and Christmas will be quieter. How was your day?” Ana wanted to distract, so she pushed the conversation back to Andrew.

“It was good, thank you. This morning was a little crazy, getting to the TV Studio, but Sally did my makeup in record time.”

Olivia broke down in fits of giggles. “You are not a girl. You don’t wear makeup,” she chastised her dad.

Ana couldn’t help but laugh as Andrew went all conspiratorial with her. “Shh, don’t tell anyone,” he whispered, looking around. “But it’s true, everyone on television has to wear makeup.”

Olivia’s eyes opened wide. “What, even the boys?” she asked.

“Yep, even the boys. I make sure I take every little bit off before I leave, or my patients might look at me strangely if I have a brown splodge on my cheek.”

Olivia removed herself from the table and asked if she could watch television. Andrew agreed on the proviso she finished her homework the following evening.

Andrew raised the bottle and refilled Ana’s glass.

“So, you were studying medicine?” he asked, clearly not going to let what he had heard earlier go.

“Yes,” she said, staring down at her wine glass. “It wasn’t sustainable when I broke away,” she added.

Andrew reached across the table and placed a hand on hers, sending violent tingles shooting up her arm, making her head swim. She stared openly at where their hands met.

“I’m sorry,” Andrew said, pulling his hand away, a frown marring his forehead.

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