Page 53 of Unravelling The Beast

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I can hear Cree and Arlo chatting in the kitchen.

As I stroll in, Cree is the first to notice me, and his big smile causes Arlo to turn around to look at me. His dark stare follows me as I close the gap until I'm standing beside him, opposite Cree.

With a smile, I reach over on my tiptoes and wave my fingers over Cree’s curly hair.

"Good morning, sleepy head!"

He scrunches his nose up, a shy giggle escaping him, before I return flat on my feet and side-eye Arlo, who has a bowl of fruit and yogurt in front of him.

As Cree looks down at his iPad while eating his cereal, I notice Arlo draws his head back to get a decent look at my ass in the dress I’m wearing.

I avoid giving him any attention by asking him to stop and instead concentrate on Cree.

"Did you have a good night's sleep?"

Cree lifts his head briefly from the screen and gives me a slight nod before returning his focus to it.

"I think so..."

Suddenly, I feel Arlo's hand on my ass discreetly, and I roll my eyes before reaching around and forcing his hand away. I turn my head and give him a serious look, to which he responds with an eyebrow lift and a tensed jaw.

When I pull my eyes away from him, about to speak to Cree again, he forces his hand up my dress and gives my ass an intense, bruising squeeze. I immediately rise to my tiptoes in pain, gripping the counter tightly in an attempt to collect myself and suppress a scream.

He holds onto it tightly until Cree glances up from his iPad, completely oblivious to his dad's wicked antics and Arlo finally loosens his hard grip on my cheek.

"Are you coming with us to Aunt Sara's house, Wren?"

I try not to show my relief by clearing my throat and giving a little smile with a nod. As soon as Cree smiles in return and looks down at his iPad again, my wide eyes flick to Arlo's quickly.

He raises an eyebrow as he calmly slips a spoonful of fruit and yogurt into his mouth, as if he did nothing wrong and I deserved it for pushing his hand away.

I narrow my eyes on him, and his lips lift into the smallest sneer before I turn away and walk across the huge kitchen to the coffee machine, where I resume my conversation with Cree.

"So, Cree, you will meet your baby cousin for the first time today. Are you excited?"

I reach for a mug, place it inside before pressing the button and then smile over my shoulder at Cree, but he simply shrugs his shoulders before responding.

"She's a girl..."

My brows furrow, and as I hear my coffee being prepared, I turn around fully to face him, arms crossed over my chest, leaning up against the counter.

"And what's wrong with girls, mister?"

I have a little smile on my lips and eagerly await his innocent response.

"They are no fun..."

My gaze shifts to Arlo, who is observing his son carefully until he stands and takes both their empty bowls toward the sink.

"You'll learn in time, Cree; girls are actually a lot of fun."

Arlo casts a glance my way when he says that, and I roll my eyes before returning my attention to Cree.

"I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with your cousin once she gets a little bigger; for the time being, she'll probably just sleep all the time."

"Why?"

"Well, babies are small and don't move much, but they get tired quickly—well, until they get big like you and have lots of energy."

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