Page 50 of Only You

He spun on his daughter and gave her nose a tweak.

“I think Ana also needs a shower,” he said before realising that the thought of Ana in the shower was not something he needed to picture right now.

“You get washed up,” he said, gently ushering Olivia out the door.

“Okay,” Olivia said as she vacated the kitchen as quickly as she could. Andrew knew she hated clearing up, and he should have made her stay, but he needed not to be under the scrutiny of a seven-year-old at that precise moment. He knew he should leave too, but that was unfair to Ana. She’d run for the hills if she knew the thoughts going through his head right now.

When he looked up, Andrew realised Ana had stopped and was staring at him. She looked away quickly as if embarrassed he’d caught her.

“The gingerbread house looks fantastic. Thank you for doing that with her,” Andrew said, needing to fill the silence.

A blush spread over Ana’s cheeks. She raised a hand and touched it, clearly trying to cover it up. He loved how her cheeks developed into a rosy glow whenever he complemented her. This time, however, she spread a streak of goo over her cheek. Before he could stop himself, Andrew had stepped forward and grabbed a kitchen towel, wiping her cheek. They both froze, their eyes clashing. Andrew watched as Ana’s pupils dilated and her lips parted. He stepped back. What the hell had he been thinking? He stared at the kitchen towel in his hand.

He wanted to kiss her again. No, needed too.

“Sorry, you had something on your cheek.”

Ana’s hand returned to her cheek where he had touched her.

“I think we both have,” she said with an awkward laugh. “Sorry about your suit.”

Andrew looked down and realised his suit was a write-off. It would need the dry cleaners, but somehow, he didn’t care. “Don’t worry, it was probably due to be cleaned anyway,” he said, unable to meet Ana’s eyes.

“Why don’t you get changed?” Ana said. “I’m nearly done here.”

Andrew decided not to argue. He simply nodded and left, his fingers tingling with the need to touch her again, his body craving something he knew was impossible.

Andrew was jerked back to the present as his door was flung open, and a whirlwind threw herself onto his bed.

“Daddy! Santa’s been,” she said, jumping up and down on his bed as if it was her trampoline. Snatching her mid-flight, he tackled her to the bed.

“Merry Christmas, Sunshine,” Andrew said. “If Santa’s been, we better get downstairs.”

Andrew pulled back the covers and grabbed a hoodie to put over his loungewear pyjamas. There was no time or patience to allow him to get changed. Olivia was already out and thundering down the stairs.

Andrew made his way downstairs to find the kitchen light already on. Ana stepped forward, her face fuzzy with sleep, her normally perfect hair slightly messed where she had slept on it. She gave him a half-asleep grin and handed him a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee.

“Merry Christmas,” she said, taking a sip.

Andrew accepted it, his fingers brushing Ana’s, making his nerve endings tingle and shoot shivers of pleasure up his arm.

“Merry Christmas, Ana.”

Ana remained calm, although he could have sworn he heard a sharp intake of breath. His mind was probably working overtime, looking for an attraction where there was none. He really needed to get out and get laid. It was the pent-up frustration of going without sex for too long.

“Come on, you slow coaches,” Olivia said, breaking the moment.

She had appeared in the sitting room doorway holding a large, wrapped present. Ana had volunteered to wrap all Olivia’s gifts weeks ago, doing a much better job than he ever could. When he mentioned that his mum usually wrapped them, Ana offered to step in. She had found it highly amusing that he was a heart surgeon used to working in small spaces with delicate tissue, and his wrapping skills left a lot to be desired.

Turning towards his daughter, Andrew swept his hand forward, offering for Ana to take the lead. She smiled at him, hugging her coffee cup to her chest, making his heart flutter once more. They made their way to the sofa and sat down, watching as Olivia tore through all her presents. Andrew knew he had overdone it. He did most years, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. The joy on Olivia’s face was worth every penny.

The last present Olivia opened had her jumping for joy.

“Daddy, Ana, look... an American Girl!”

Olivia opened the box and snatched the doll out, squeezing her to her chest before looking at her carefully.

“She looks just like me,” she said, grinning.

---