Page 74 of Soft Tissue Damage
I relax a little at that thought. This is probably the safest house in Blackport, thanks to Cullan. “Did Rosie have a good sleepover?”
He turns to his daughter with a smile. “Did you, sweetheart? Did you have fun with Aunty Vivienne and Uncle Tyrant?”
“Vee-vee,” Rosie says, beaming up at him.
“And can you say Tyrant?” he prompts.
Rosie thinks for a moment. “Tyra.”
“That’s right,” Cullan praises, and Rosie giggles in delight.
I come forward and touch Rosie’s curls. It doesn’t matter that it’s my day off, I still want to hold her. It would be rude to ask to hold his child when I’m just the nanny,but Cullan must see the longing in my eyes as he gently deposits the child in my arms.
As I hold her and talk to her, Cullan stands close by and watches me intently. I feel a blush heat my cheeks. If I look up at him, will it seem like I’m asking for a kiss? Does he want to kiss me? I don’t know what the rules are. We’ve only ever been physical with each other in the dead of night. When Rosie’s present, he probably expects me to be ultra-professional.
Or does he? He caresses my hot cheek, and presses a kiss to my brow, and I melt at the tender gesture. Maybe not ultra-professional, but I’m still not certain about what exactly is going on between us, and I’m afraid of breaking any unspoken rules. The things Cullan did and said last night made me feel like he wants me as a lover, maybe even a girlfriend, but people can say things in the moment that they don’t mean or that wither away in the cold light of day.
“Last night was wonderful,” he murmurs.
“It was,” I whisper, concentrating on the buttons of his shirt, not trusting myself to look up into his intense hazel eyes in case he can tell just how hard and deeply I’m falling for him.
“I think I wore you out. You take it easy today. Enjoy yourself.”
“What are you going to do?”
I hear the smile in his voice. “We’re a day late, but Rosie and I are going to bake you a birthday cake. I don’t know how good it will be, but we’ll do our best.”
I look up in surprise. This close, Cullan looks so handsome that it takes my breath away. “Really? That’s so sweet, thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure. What’s your favorite kind of cake?”
My heart shines with pleasure that Cullan cares enough to ask me. “Vanilla. With sprinkles. It’s not birthday cake without sprinkles.”
“Vanilla with sprinkles it is.” He takes Rosie from me and settles her against his hip, and then he reaches for his shopping bag. “By the way, I got you some vitamins. Little kids can carry a lot of germs, so it’s important that your immune system is properly supported.” He opens the bottle and shows them to me.
“Oh, thanks. That’s really thoughtful of you.” Odd, but thoughtful. Or is this a normal sleeping-with-your-boss perk when your boss is a careful man?
“Great. I’ll put them beside your coffee mug so you’ll remember them every morning. Before I start baking, I’m going to sort through the fridge and wash all the vegetables. But make sure you wash them again before eating anything.”
“Is there a food poisoning outbreak or something?”
“There’s always something going around. It’s best to be safe, so I’m making washing vegetables twice a new house rule.”
My eyebrows creep up my forehead. House rules? I wonder if this is the next level of getting to know Cullan. Level one is understanding how the security system works.Level two is orgasms and sleeping in his bed, and level three is food safety and vitamins.
He notices my incredulous look. “Apart from the days my children were born, last night was the best night of my life, and it was because I spent it with you, Elena. I care about you, and this is one of my ways of showing it.”
The best night of his life because he spent it with me? No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.
“And one more thing.” He moves toward me, cups my face with his free hand, and leans down to press a long kiss to my lips. “I don’t just want to kiss you in the dark. You’re just as beautiful and alluring in the bright light of day.” He rubs the tip of his nose against mine and whispers, “You must be magical, darlin’, because I even feel like myself while the sun is shining, and that’s never happened to me before.”
Cullan presses another toe-tingling kiss to my lips and then heads back to the fridge. While I’m still reeling from his velvety words, he reaches inside, pulls out a round cheese wrapped in paper, and tosses it in the trash.
“Why did you throw that out?”
Cullan keeps his back to me while he sorts through the contents of the fridge with his left hand, holding on to Rosie with his right arm. “Listeriosis.”
I have no idea what that is, but it sounds scary. I don’t really pay attention to product recalls and things like that. Cullan has always favored healthy food, and he exercises and doesn’t drink or smoke, so I guess this is just more of his health consciousness that I’m learning about.
