Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
She shook her head vigorously. “Desse is our fwiend.”
I sighed and motioned for Jesse to get it over with. He leaned forward, and I quickly kissed his lips. “Good? Okay, now let’s clean up.”
She pouted and folded her arms. “But I want candy on my lips too.”
“No, honey, that’s Jesse tube of—”
“Of course you can put some on your lips,” he said with a pointed look in my direction, then dabbed some of the gloss on her mouth too. “Here you go.”
She lifted a compact with a tiny mirror to look at herself, seemingly satisfied.
I stood up and stretched because it was hard to be a captive audience. Especially where these two were concerned.
“Are you ready to see your new look?” Jesse asked.
I winced. “Sure.”
They followed me to the bathroom to look at my reflection in the medicine-chest mirror.
As soon as I saw myself, I cracked up. “Oh my God, seriously?”
“What?” Jesse said in an amused tone. “That purple eyeshadow is very becoming.”
“Yeah?” I turned my head to capture more of the light. “How about these dark-red spots on my cheeks?”
“Hailey just needed to blend the blush a bit better.” He reached up, and using his thumb, began spreading the color across the apples of my cheeks. When our eyes met and held, I had the urge to slant my mouth against his for a better kiss this time—a longer one too. As if he’d read my thoughts, Jesse’s eyebrow arched in a seductive manner that made a flush crawl across my neck.
“Unca Dame looks pwitty,” Hailey said, staring up at us.
“Why, thank you,” I replied, picking her up and turning us both toward the mirror. For the first time, I saw a bit of resemblance between us. Maybe the eyes. But she definitely favored her father most. “Thanks for doing my makeup. How about a couple of books, then bed?”
She clapped her hands. “Can Desse wead to me?”
I looked over her shoulder and mouthed, “Seriously?” to Jesse, whose smile only widened.
He patted her back. “Of course I can.”
Jesse helped me get her ready for bed, then read two of her favorite books, using all kinds of silly voices. Christ, he’d be a hard act to follow. Who knew he was so good with kids? No wonder he wanted to work with them.
“Your mom gave us strict instructions that we can only read two books,” he said when she begged for more, and then he backed out of the room while I tucked her in and turned on her night-light. He was a natural, and having him there made the night practically fly by.
Don’t get used to it, I reminded myself.
Hailey only requested more water from Desse once before finally conking out. I normally stayed close by until Bree got home—instead of heading downstairs, where I’d be unable to hear if she needed me—so when I sat down on the couch, Jesse seemed to understand and sank down beside me.
“Popcorn and a movie?” I suggested. “Or, I mean…tonight’s been a lot of fun, but you’re totally free to go home. Though, shit, I hadn’t thought it through because I can’t drive you, so—”
“To be honest, I hoped you’d ask me to stay.” He bit his lip, looking slightly shy. “Was that overestimating?”
My stomach filled with warmth. “Is that why your bag is so heavy?”
“Partly? I mean, I needed to be prepared for anything.”
I shook my head and snickered, imagining the unicorn PJs crammed at the bottom.
“I definitely wouldn’t mind if you stayed.” I cleared my throat and turned away, taking note of the time on the clock. “Not sure when Bree will be home, though.”
“I’m in.” He reached for the remote. “You make the popcorn, and I’ll search for a decent movie.”
It felt good to finally relax as we settled beside each other under the blanket, ate popcorn, drank sodas, and watched a comedy from the nineties. Neither of us attempted to fool around, as if we knew it wasn’t the time or place, but we did make out a little—okay, a lot, if his puffy lips were any indication—before getting sucked back into the movie.
Before I knew it, I’d fallen asleep and Bree was waking me up.
“Dane,” she whispered, shaking my shoulder.
I rubbed at my eyes and straightened, dislodging Jesse’s head from my shoulder.
“Did you have fun?” I asked in a groggy voice.
“So much. Thanks again,” she replied, then seemed to zero in on my face. “What the hell happened here tonight?”
“What do you mean?” I slid the blanket off my legs as Jesse yawned and stretched.
“Did makeup explode on your face?” she asked in an amused tone.
My fingers flew to my cheeks. “Shit, I forgot.”
Bree chuckled. “Bet Hailey had a blast.”
“You should probably wash that off, or your skin will get blotchy,” Jesse said in a sleepy voice.
“Good idea.” I stood up and straightened my clothes. “I’ll meet you downstairs after I clean up.”