Page 20 of A Billion Secrets

But first, I kissed her. She acted surprised when my lips touched hers. Soon she cooperated fully.

Now, all I wanted to do was take her up to her room again.

Except there was the small issue of her family being here.

And her small, creaky bed.

I ended the kiss and said, “Let’s eat.”

Then I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the kitchen.

The girls were already diving into the bags, unpacking all the boxes.

“It smells so good,” Beatrice said, inhaling deeply over a steaming order of beef and broccoli. Her face was completely serene. It nearly made me laugh.

“It would be nice if you two didn’t act like animals when we have a guest over, sheesh,” Eve said, shaking her head. She let go of my hand and walked over to the cupboards.

I watched her pull out plates and cutlery, then carry them to the table. She handed me a plate, “Thank you,” I said and sat down.

Everyone passed around the boxes of Chinese food and took what they wanted. Beatrice spoke nonstop about her day at school, with Rachel chiming in to give her opinion on nearly everything.

Eve, however, had been quiet—not saying much of anything.

And not meeting my eyes.

I decided to eat first, and deal with whatever was bothering her later. My afternoon had been busy, so I hadn’t eaten or had so much as a coffee since I’d left here at one o’clock.

When we heard a knock on the door, Eve got up to see who it was.

She’d showered and changed since I’d seen her last.

I knew this because I’d left her naked and sweaty in her bed.

And now her hair was straightened, and she had makeup on. All she wore were tight jean shorts and an off the shoulder top, but my cock took notice as she moved to the door.

“Hi, you hungry? Nick brought Chinese food,” she said, letting Giselle and the baby in.

“No way!” she squealed, bouncing baby Daniella in her arms. “You know I’m always in for Chinese.” Giselle practically bounded to the table, and I quickly took my last few bites.

“Hi, Giselle,” I said, wiping my mouth with the napkins the restaurant had provided. “Nice to see you two again.”

She looked at me and this time gave me a genuine smile.

She’d smiled at me this morning at breakfast, but I could tell she was faking it.

But right now, she was definitely happy to see me. “Hi, Nick. Thanks for the food. I haven’t had Chinese in ages.” Then she hurried to the cupboard and grabbed a plate and a fork.

When she sat down, baby Daniella had other ideas than allowing her mommy to eat. Dani wanted to bang on the plate and have fun. “Stop, you goof,” Eve said, setting her fork on her plate. “Come to Auntie, I’m almost done.”

I stopped her from getting up. “Let me, I’m already finished,” I said, rising up and walking toward the little meal disturber. “May I? We became fast friends at breakfast.” I held out my hands and Giselle gladly shoved her into my arms.

“You bet, thanks,” she said quickly, then began scooping out food onto her plate.

I smelled the top of the baby’s head. I’d never held an infant before, so I had no idea how different they smelled compared to adults.

Or maybe it was just Daniella.

At any rate, she really was sweet. There was a hint of baby powder, but I didn’t know what else—perhaps detergent? I had no idea.

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