Page 56 of The Baby-whisperer and the Brute
So either the date had been not so great—or it was amazing.
I wasn’t sure why I cared so much which one it was, but I had a suspicion. That feeling I’d never experienced before? I suspected it was jealousy. Which was beyond stupid.
He hadn’t seen me yet. I was scrunched down in the couch cushions so only the top of my head and my eyes peeked above them. It was possible I could slip off the couch and tiptoe away, darting up the stairs barefoot before he spotted me here.
But then he turned and saw me. His shoulders rose and fell in a quick startle reaction.
“Oh. Hey. I didn’t know you were there. What are you doing up? Everything okay?” He walked toward the living room.
Right. Naturally he would assume the reason I’d waited up for him was to tell him something about one of the girls. My mind scrambled, searching for something, any little tidbit I could share that would serve as a legitimate excuse.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t accustomed to lying. I couldn’t come up with a thing.
Without me even thinking the words first, they came out of my mouth. And they sounded decidedly surly.
“Did you have a nice time?”
Sully slowed his pace then came to a stop beside the sofa.
His gaze traveled from the top of my unbound hair, down the length of the red dress to my bare, red-tipped toes. Then it meandered back up again, stopping momentarily at the ruffled v-neckline.
By the time his eyes met mine, my heart was doing a convincing impersonation of a trap drum. Goodness, what this mandidto me.
He still hadn’t answered my question, and apparently he wasn’t going to. Instead, he said, “You look amazing.”
The drum in my chest was now performing an impressive double-stroke roll.
Making a valiant attempt to keep my tone casual, I lifted my shoulders and let them fall. “The girls and I went bowling.”
“Bowling, huh? That bowling alley’s going to see a major uptick in business if the league guys think the place attracts women likeyou.”
There was a full drum corps in my chest now, and my belly somersaulted, simmering with nerves.
“There were several nannies there. All of us are in our early twenties.”
“That’snotwhat I meant. I’m talking about this.” He waved his forefinger up and down then in a wide circle, the gesture encompassing my whole look.
Sully walked around the arm of the sectional, moving like a prowling cat and taking a seat not right next to me but one cushion over. It was close enough for me to smell his cologne, an earthy compound of sandalwood and citrus with a hint of leather.
Though he’d shaved earlier, his beard was coming back in, the shadow of it just under the skin, making my palms itch to reach out and glide over his strong jaw.
And that was when I spotted it—a splotch of red on his ear. Concerned, I leaned toward him, trying to get a better look. “Did you hurt your ear?”
Sully reached up instinctively. “No.”
Rubbing the spot, he studied his fingertips. “It’s not blood. It’s…” His eyes met mine again. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
It was lipstick.
My face heated in a flash of embarrassment—and temper. What a little fool I was, waiting up till all hours of the night while Sully was out canoodling with another woman.
In an abrupt motion, I stood and gathered my book and cup.
“It’s late. I should get to bed. And you must be tired after…” I shook my head, feeling ridiculous. “…whatever you’ve been doing. Good night.”
I started to walk past him, intending to scoot around the couch and flee upstairs as quickly as my feet would take me.
Sully’s hand shot out and engulfed my wrist, stopping me. The paperback dropped to the carpet with a soft plunk.
