The Rules of Dating(14)

“You can always come to the shop to say hello. I don’t need to be injured so you can see me.”

He looked up briefly. “Well, I don’t want to disturb you when you’re working.” Then…he blew on my knee.

Oh. His hot breath against my skin felt like it permeated my entire body. Damn. Who knew a guy blowing on my knee could turn me on? I wonder if that’s a thing, if they have porn for that. Erotic skin-blowing. I swore I felt it in my damn vagina. I needed to get laid. Just not by Colby. Nope. I couldn’t fall for this amazingly gorgeous man in front of me who, based on his actions right now, clearly knew how to take care of a woman.

“Let’s let your wound air out a little before I put a bandage on it.”

Or you could blow on it again. I placed some hair behind my ear. “Thanks.”

There was something so sexy about the way he’d taken care of me. Being a father probably made him a natural caretaker. I supposed that would be one benefit of dating a single dad. It felt nice playing daddy’s girl for a minute. I’m apparently all sorts of kinky up in my head today.

I cleared my throat. “So what does your nanny do for you besides watch Saylor when you’re working?”

“She’s older and unattractive if you’re…insinuating something?”

“Actually, I wasn’t. But it’s interesting how quickly you went there. Dirty mind.” I’m one to talk.

“You have no idea.” His eyes twinkled. “But definitely not when it comes to my nanny.” He laughed. “Kay is in her fifties, actually. She’s great. Her job is to watch Saylor and nothing more. I don’t expect her to pick up the house or cook or anything like that. I also don’t like having people in my house, you know? I don’t want my daughter to have all of her important memories with someone other than me. So, the second I’m home, the nanny is gone.”

“You cook dinner every night?” I asked.

“I try. I limit takeout to once or twice a week.” He chuckled. “Saylor loves sugary crap. I can’t control what they give her at preschool, and everyone is always giving her candy left and right. So I try to cook as healthy as possible. I have to sneak a lot of things into her food because she won’t eat vegetables—sweet potato into spaghetti sauce and greens into various things. It’s like a science experiment sometimes, putting just the right amount in—not so much that the taste is overpowering.”

I scrunched my nose. “I’m not a fan of veggies, either. Can you teach me your tricks?”

“Hang on.” He went over to the fridge and took out something wrapped in foil. When he unwrapped it, it looked like a dessert. He offered it to me. “Take a bite.”

“What is it?”

“Brownie. I want you to taste it.” He held it to my mouth. His fingers grazed my lips as I opened.

As I chewed, it tasted like any other brownie—chocolatey, moist in the middle, a bit of frosting on top.

“It’s good,” I said with my mouth full.

“Yeah?” He raised his brow. “Well, there’s a load of spinach in that thing.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have known.” I swallowed. “You’re sneaky, Colby. What else are you sneaky about?”

“Don’t use my brownies against me. That’s being sneaky for a good cause.”

“Seriously…” I laughed. “That’s a brilliant idea.”

He reached out and swiped just under my bottom lip. “Sorry. You had some chocolate there.”

Damn, I felt that, too. Just like every other bit of contact with him today. I needed to get out of here before my freaking panties melted. “Thanks.” I licked my lips and noticed the way his eyes seemed glued to them. “What else do you have up your sleeve?”

“I might have a few other tricks I could show you.” His eyes sparkled.

His gaze burned into mine, and that left no doubt what he was referring to. And given the state of my panties, my body, if not my mind, heard it loud and clear. He reached into the first-aid container and took out a Band-Aid, which he placed over the cut on my knee. He lightly rubbed over the area with his thumb, once again lighting a small fire inside me.

He watched as I devoured the rest of the brownie. His piercing blue eyes then fell to my breasts, and rather than call him out on it, I took a few moments to enjoy his lusty stare. When he looked up at me, our eyes locked, and I could’ve sworn he leaned in a little. Was he looking for silent permission to kiss me? My heart sped up. Jesus. I wanted that so badly.

Then the door opened, and I instinctively moved back.

Colby ran a hand through his thick mane of light brown hair and tried to act casual. “Hi,” he said to the woman coming in.

“Oh, you’re here already.” She smiled.

“Daddy!” Saylor ran straight to her father. He lifted her up and showered her face with kisses before tickling under her neck, causing her to squeal in delight. It was a heartwarming sight, even for my cold, black heart.

He put her down, and the little girl’s cheeks were rosy from laughter.

“Hi, Saylor!” I waved.

“Hi, Billie!”

It was cute that she remembered my name. It had taken a bit for her to notice me, though, because she’d only had eyes for her father from the moment she walked in the door. The nanny, meanwhile, gave me a once-over. I was sure her imagination was running wild about me and my broken shoe. I suppose there were all sorts of ways I could’ve broken a shoe with Colby.