Page 98 of Little Sunshine

The elevator doors slid open, and I followed Cole into a waiting room that was far nicer than the penthouse. It was a place of business, but I still felt like I should take my shoes off so I didn’t track dirt in.

Ash stood in a doorway, his profile to me as he laughed.

I’d never got what people meant when they talked about getting butterflies. It definitely didn’t sound like a good thing. Insects flying around someone’s stomach sounded like the plot of a bad sci-fi movie.

But as I watched Ash laugh before he rubbed a large, tattooed hand across his beard, I suddenly understood. My belly and heart both seemed to flutter, and it was far from unpleasant.

Unlike the taunting voice that followed. A voice that sounded a lot like my mother.

If he wanted to kiss you, he would’ve. You were practically begging for it. Instead, he locked you away all day because he knows you don’t belong here.

He just pities you, little girl.

With more effort than it ever took, I blanked my mind. It was just in time because Ash glanced over. When he saw me, a dimpled smile spread across his face.

God.

I pushed that down, too, and focused on my irritation. That was easier to deal with. Holding up the cell, I gave it a little shake while I glared.

He just smiled wider.

The ass.

That was an emotion I didn’t suppress. “You owe me another five lobster stories, you ass.”

He chuckled.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Reaching out, he snagged my wrist and pulled me into the expansive office, where two other people stood in front of a wall of security monitors.

With tattoos peeking out from his expensive suit, the man was hot. Not Ash levels of hot, but still. His dark hair was pushed back and slightly disheveled, and his dark eyes were sharp and serious despite the small smile that tipped his lips. I moved my attention from the attractive yet terrifying—or maybe terrifyingly attractive—man to the exceptionally pretty woman in his arms. Her strawberry-blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and she wore a dress that looked a lot like the one I wore.

They both winced as they took in the damage to my face, but she was quicker to hide it. The angry glower he shot at Ash made me inch closer to the behemoth. I wasn’t sure if it was an inept attempt to protect Ash or have Ash protect me, but it didn’t matter. There was no threat and the man’s expression smoothed out.

Ash kept hold of me as he made introductions. “Mila, this is my boss, Maximo Black, and his wife, Juliet.”

The one who ran?

She didn’t seem like she was there against her will and wanting to escape. With the way she leaned into her husband, I didn’t see anything forced about her body language or her smile.

“Uh, hello,” I greeted, my cheeks burning red hot. “I, uhh… Sorry.”

The woman—Juliet—waved away my apology. “No, no, you’re right. They’re all asses. A job requirement to work for my husband is they have to be bossy and domineering and heavy-handed?—”

“How would you like my heavy hand to make your ass red, dove?” her husband cut in.

My breath caught at the threat, and my alarmed gaze shot to hers. While her eyes were also wide, she didn’t look horrified like me.

Not.

At.

All.

With a bat of her lashes, she bit back a smile. “Hey, you hate liars. I can’t get in trouble for telling the truth, Daddy.”

That time when my breath caught, it wasn’t from fear.

---