Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
She stared at him for long seconds. “Okay. Coffee. But for the record, I only like coffee when it’s really hot milk with a splash of brown and a lot of sweetener.”
He grinned. “So, you’re saying you’d rather have milk?”
She gave an exaggerated groan. “You better not make me regret this decision.”
“Never, Little one. I promise.”
Chapter Three
“I can’t go, Rexy,” Aria whispered to her stuffed dinosaur as she sat on her bed. She waved a hand over the mound of clothes scattered on the floor. It was impossible to decide what to wear.
She stared into the stuffie’s black eyes and knew what he thought. “I know it seems easy to pick something for a coffee date, but I don’t want to be too casual or look too prissy.”
The doorbell rang and she dropped down to lie prone on the bedroom floor. Maybe he’d think she had forgotten and had gone to church or somewhere for breakfast.
Silence filled the apartment. When she didn’t hear anything, Aria crawled on her hands and knees as quietly as possible to the front door. Just as she laid her hand on the door to steady herself to stand up, a voice carried through the barrier.
“Aria. Don’t be scared. Open the door.”
She froze. Holding her breath, she pressed her ear against the door. Aria heard a rustle of clothing. The door rattled and stabilized as if he were brushing against it.
When he spoke again, his voice sounded like it was parallel to her ear. “Aria, I promise I will never hurt you. It’s okay to take a risk for something that could be magical. I’m willing to wait for you as long as you need me to.”
“Are you sitting on the floor?” popped out of her mouth.
“Yes.”
“You’re not going away?”
“Not unless you tell me to,” he answered without a hint of annoyance in his tone.
“Really?” she squeaked.
“Truly.”
Thoughts raced through her brain as she tried to decide on the best response. Finally, she rose to her knees and unlocked the door and deadbolt. Taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and scooted out of the way as she opened the door.
Cameron smiled at her from his position sitting against one side of the alcove leading into her apartment. “Hi, Aria. Are you ready to go on our coffee date?”
His lack of ire or annoyance further off-balanced her as she sat down on her heels. “I couldn’t decide what to wear.” She glanced down at the PJs she still wore.
“I’m wearing jeans and a T-shirt,” he shared.
Aria looked over his toned body in the snug shirt and jeans. He looked edible. Shaking her head to clear away those thoughts, she forced her gaze to return to his.
“Do you have jeans and a T-shirt?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Go put them on, Little girl. Don’t choose anything too precious. The kittens have claws.”
“Kittens?” He’d mentioned something about cats last night, but she hadn’t known what he was referring to.
“CC’s has cats from the animal shelter that are all ages. And CC’s own cat, Tangerine, is usually there as well,” Cameron informed her.
“You’ve been there before?”
“I have. It’s a fun space. I like all animals, but I have to admit cats are my favorites.”
“Do you have a cat?”
“I don’t. But it’s part of my master plan,” he admitted.
“What’s that?”
“I want to find my Little girl. Fall in love. Convince her that I’m the Daddy she’s always dreamed of. Create a home for the two of us. Lavish her with affection. Let her pick a pet from the shelter or the cat café if she’d like to.”
“That’s a lot of plans,” Aria said, looking at him in wonder.
“The plans all revolve around the first step. Finding my Little girl. I’ve checked that step off my list.”
“You have?”
“I have. Now I just have to convince you. Will you be brave and come to coffee with me?”
Aria paused, looking down and biting her lower lip. She froze as he reached out to smooth a finger over her trapped lip. His warm touch felt good against her skin. His fingertip didn’t feel smooth against her but not like sandpaper either. It rasped slightly, making its presence known. Immediately, Aria wondered what it would feel like caressing her body.
“No hurting yourself,” he gently reprimanded. “We’ll never know if you don’t get dressed.”
Her gaze flew to meet his. “You’ll wait for me?”
“For as long as it takes, Little girl.”
Suddenly, her worry seemed less important than her excitement. She scrambled to her feet and hesitated with her hand on the doorknob. Was it rude to close the door?
“I’ll be right here, Aria. Close the door and go get dressed.”
With a nod, she closed and locked the door. Racing into her bedroom, she dug through the clothes on her floor to find her favorite jeans and a T-shirt. Aria changed clothes and brushed her hair. She stepped into a pair of sneakers and dashed back to the door to find him once again standing. The smile he greeted her with made her heart skip a beat.