Page 10 of The Au Pair Affair

Although, she seemed sort of conflicted, too, and he had no experience with that combination. The doorman who stood behind Tallulah signaling him with a finger slashing across the throat must have been equally alarmed by a woman who looked unsure about how much anger she would be unleashing, as well. At least he wasn’t alone.

Still . . . “Shit.”

“Dad.”

“Sorry.”

“Who is it?”

“Tallulah.”

Lissa gasped. “Really? She’shere?” She was already clawing down his attempted hairstyle, his pitiful handiwork gone in seconds. “Do you thinkshecan braid my hair?”

“Something tells me she isn’t in the mood.” With a long exhale, Burgess pressed the buzzer that allowed her into the lobby, not even remotely surprised that his pulse started to beat faster. Because pissed or not, hewantedto see her. Was looking forward to it, even. When she left yesterday, he wasn’t sure he’d have the privilege again.

Burgess leaned a shoulder against the doorjamb, crossed his arms, and waited for the elevator doors to open. As soon as they did and he got eyes on Tallulah, his fucking heart started to hammer. Yeah, it had a lot to do with her tight jeans. But hell if the flush on her cheekbones, the delicate notch of her throat, even the purposeful way she swung her arms didn’t fascinate the shit out of him. Uncharted waters—that’s what this was. His ex-wife had never done this to him, even when they first started dating.

No one had.

Ever.

Roll your tongue back into your mouth before you humiliate yourself.

He was verging on retirement and this woman’s life was only beginning.

Burgess stood very still as Tallulah marched right up to him, indignation crackling in those gorgeous brown eyes. And oh yeah, she definitely knew what he’d done. Any second now, she was going to open her perfect mouth and tell him to go straight to hell. That she could take care of herself. That he’d had no right to interfere. She would be right, too.

“Tallulah?” called Lissa behind him. “Hey! Do you know how to French braid?”

Tallulah flicked a softening glance over his shoulder, then returned her attention to him. “We’ll talk about Chloe’s apartment later.”

“I believe you.”

She hummed in her throat. “Fishtail? Pigtail? Or regular, Lissa?”

A cry of relief came from the apartment.

Lissa pushed past him into the hallway and hesitated awkwardly in front of Tallulah. But when Tallulah opened her arms, his daughter walked right into them, resting her chin on Tallulah’s collarbone. Burgess spent the next few seconds pretending the sight didn’t affect him. It did, though. He hadn’t imagined the seemingly immediate bond between his daughter and Tallulah. And he was as envious of it as he was grateful.

“Hey, girl,” Tallulah said. “You still have those fire dance moves?”

Lissa giggled. “Maybe. I haven’t danced since the last time.”

“Not even in the shower?” exclaimed Tallulah.

“People don’t dance in the shower,” scoffed his kid. But she was smiling.

Tallulah gave an exaggerated toss of her hair. “I do.”

Burgess would be mulling over that piece of information for the rest of the day.

Month.

Year.

Decade.

Dangerously close to thinking about slippery flesh at the absolute worst time, Burgess cleared his throat hard and pushed himself off the doorframe. “Do you want to come in?”

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