Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23020 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
When I was ready, I headed downstairs, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to eavesdrop on the story Cassidy was telling. “And then they ate twenty pizzas.”
“Twenty pizzas sounds like an awful lot for only ten dolls. They must’ve been awfully hungry,” Roan drawled.
“Uh-huh,” she chirped.
Making a mental note to stop off at my favorite pizzeria after my interview so I could bring a couple of pies back for dinner, I joined them in the den. Roan lifted his head, his eyes narrowing as his gaze swept down my body. “That’s what you’re wearing?”
I smoothed down the front of my blouse with shaky fingers. “Yeah, I thought it looked good.”
“Too damn good, if you ask me,” he muttered, getting up from where he’d been sprawled on the floor next to the girls.
“You look bootiful!” Cassidy screeched, jumping up and racing over to give me a big hug.
“Do you like this top?” She nodded enthusiastically. “The reason it’s so pretty is because your mom talked me into buying it.”
“She did?” Cassidy’s eyes widened.
“Uh-huh, she had really great taste in clothes.” I tapped her nose. “And I bet you will too since you always know how to pick the perfect outfits for your dolls.”
“Did you hear that, Daddy?” Cassidy raced back to Roan’s side. “I’m gonna be just like Mommy!”
“You sure are, sweet cheeks.”
The smile he beamed at her warmed my heart…and made my panties damp. Which was bound to make me uncomfortable during my interview, so I forced myself to say my goodbyes. “I have to head out so I’m not late for my interview. Be good for Daddy while I’m gone.”
Cassidy puffed out her bottom lip. “Aw, you gots to go now?”
“Yup, but I’ll bring some pizzas with me when I come back,” I promised. “As long as we don’t need twenty.”
She giggled and shook her head, avoiding a possible meltdown over me leaving. Roan flashed me an appreciative smile as he pulled a key fob from his pocket. “I don’t want you driving your car downtown. Take the SUV instead.”
“I know it doesn’t look like much, but my car got me here just fine.” That was stretching things a bit, but he didn’t need to know how I’d white-knuckled it through the entire drive.
He pressed the fob into my hand. “I’ll worry less if you drive mine instead.”
It was silly of me to protest when he put it that way, so I tucked the fob into my purse. “I have to admit, I was surprised when we loaded the girls into it yesterday. A small Mazda SUV didn’t seem flashy enough for a professional football player.”
“I didn’t buy the CX-30 for flash.” His gaze softened as he looked down at Cassidy and Daisy. “I got it shortly after the girls came because it’s the safest SUV in its size class on the market.”
Holy heck, but the man packed a punch when he was in protective daddy mode. His allure was dangerous—it had me already wishing my feeling that we were an instant family yesterday was real. That I could just stay here with the three of them instead of heading out for my interview. Unfortunately, my fantasy wasn’t my reality…yet. If Roan had really meant what he’d said in the heat of the moment about me becoming his, then maybe it would be sometime in the future. But for now, I needed to focus on the girls and take the first step toward ensuring I’d be able to stick close to them.
“And you’re sure it’s okay for me to take it? I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone and don’t want to leave you guys stranded.”
“We don’t have any big plans today, but if we need to go somewhere, I have other cars in the garage we can use. The girls have car seats in the Rolls too, so we’ll be fine.”
“A Rolls Royce, huh? Sounds flashy,” I teased.
“Flashy is an apt description for the Phantom.”
“Thanks for letting me use your super-safe dad car. I appreciate it.” I brushed kisses against the tops of the girls’ heads before heading toward the door. Roan looked as though he was going to stop me—and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he wanted a kiss too after how we’d gotten hot and heavy last night—but then Cassidy drew his attention away from me.
With a final, lingering glance at the three of them, I headed out. They stayed on my mind all the way downtown, and Roan’s tattoo flashed into my head as the hostess pointed out where the owner’s office was when I arrived at the nightclub. My lips curved as I thought about how appropriate the words inked onto his chest were. “Believe. Achieve.”
My little pep talk gave me a burst of confidence as I headed into my interview, and they paid off because I thought it went great. I was pretty sure he was going to offer me a job, but it was going to be a couple more days before I knew for sure. That didn’t stop me from splurging on a few pizzas—cheese for Cassidy, meat lovers for Roan, and veggie for me—before I made the drive back to Long Island.