Chapter Eighteen
Brick
“What are you doing?” I raised an eyebrow at Daisy. She was hovering over the kitchen counter, working on something, but whirled around with a guilty look on her face. Dressed in one of my shirts and nothing else, she was the most beautiful thing that I’d laid eyes on.
“Making breakfast,” she admitted. I moved to the left, and she deftly turned her body and shook her head. “You’re not supposed to be down here yet. I thought we might eat in bed.”
“An alluring thought, but it’s noon. Breakfast time is long past.”
“Breakfast food can be eaten during any time of the day,” she said defiantly. I inched around her a little more, but she refused to let me see. “It’s supposed to be a surprise. Go take a shower or something.”
“Are you implying that the things we did last night…and this morning were dirty and that I need a shower?” I teased. She immediately blushed. “If that’s the case, then you need a shower as well because we did all those things together.”
“I’m starting to get the idea that you don’t think I’m a good cook,” she laughed.
“It has nothing to do with my belief or disbelief in your cooking. I happen to be very hungry, but not for food.” I touched the hem of the shirt she wore. “It must have something to do with you wearing this.”
I liked seeing her in my shirt. I liked waking up next to her. I was starting to like everything about her.
Sex with her last night and this morning had been like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I’d never felt so connected with anyone in my life. This month wasn’t just a contract with a submissive, but something more.
“Wait.” Frowning, I looked over her head. “Is that a pizza? I thought that you were making breakfast.”
Her whole face flooded with disappointment. “I wanted it to be a surprise!”
“Trust me. I’m surprised.”
“It’s a breakfast pizza. At least, it will be if you let me finish. You eat all these fancy foods, so I thought you might like something simple but still delicious.” She pushed gently at my chest. “But you have to let me finish.”
I was about to capture those pouty lips in a kiss, but my buzzing intercom interrupted us. Suddenly, I remembered my date this weekend. “Shit,” I muttered. “Pizza will have to wait. Go put some clothes on. We’ve got company.”
“Who?”
“Now, Daisy,” I snapped without meaning to. Daisy face fell and I immediately felt bad, but she scurried away to her room.
Walking over, I buzzed Jim in. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. As soon as I opened it, a bundle of blue leapt into my arms. “Uncle Brick! Uncle Brick!”
“Miss Gemma! You look beautiful. Is that a new dress?”
Immediately, the little girl stepped back and twirled for me. “Yes! Daddy got it for me. It’s for my dance, but I wanted to show it to you,” she said shyly.
“She’s lying,” Jim said with a grunted as he walked in, but there was a fond smile on his face. “She hasn’t taken it off since I got it for her, and her dance is still a week away.”
“A dance?” I frowned. “You’re too young to be dancing!”
“Nuh-uh! Dance! Dance with me, Uncle Brick!”
“Sure thing, sweetheart. Why don’t you go put your things in the guest room and then come back down, okay?”
Nodding, she grabbed her pink backpack and headed up the stairs. Immediately, Jim’s face fell. “Maybe I should stay too. Last night, she had nightmares all night long.”
“She’s going to be fine. I’ll be with her, Jim.”
My friend’s eyes suddenly narrowed as he focused on something behind me. “You and your hooker?” He hissed the words at me. “I thought you’d have some respect for my daughter and have her at least gone for the weekend.”
Whirling around, I saw Daisy creeping down the stairs. She froze, and I could tell by the look on her face that she’d heard Jim’s accusation. The blood immediately drained from her face, and I had to resist the urge to knock Jim out.
“Daisy, will you please go upstairs and make sure our guest is settled in?” I asked in a calm voice. Jim immediately took a step forward, and I put a hand on his chest to stop him.
“Of course,” she said softly and headed back up the stairs.
“You and I are good friends, Jim,” I said coldly. “But if I ever hear you talk about Daisy that way again, I will sever all ties with you and never look back. Do you understand me?”
“Gemma is spending the weekend here,” Jim said. “She doesn’t need to see or be around someone like that.”
“Gemma will be perfectly fine. Daisy is a guest in my home, and she deserves your respect. She is not a hooker,” I added with a little too much anger and emotion in the words. I took a deep breath before continuing. “You’ve always trusted me with Gemma before. This shouldn’t be any different.”
Jim cocked his head and stared at me. “This is a change for you,” he said gruffly. Suddenly, we could hear peals of laughter coming from upstairs. He nodded his head. “All right. Gemma! Come give me a kiss before I leave!”
“Daddy!” Gemma flew down the stairs, and Daisy slowly followed behind her. I tried to give her a comforting smile. “Miss Daisy said she would do my hair pretty! I want my hair pretty for my dance too.”
“Did she?” Jim cleared his throat. “I would very much appreciate that, Daisy. I’m not very good with hair.”
It was the closest that Daisy would get to an apology, and she seemed to know it. “No worries. I happen to be excellent with hair.”
“And makeup?” Gemma asked hopefully.
Jim’s eyes opened in alarm, and Daisy shook her head. “Now why would we mess up that pretty face with make-up?”
Gemma beamed, showing off her cherub cheeks. Jim bent down and gave her a hug. “I’m only a phone call away if you need me, okay?” he told her softly.
“Okay, Daddy.” She hugged him tight, and I could have sworn there were tears in his eyes as he stood and cleared his throat. I never would have thought that anyone could bring Jim to his knees, but that girl had him wrapped around her little finger.
After Jim left, I bent down and picked Gemma up. “Have you ever heard of a breakfast pizza?”
A look of puzzlement crossed her face. “No.”
“I think we’re going to try some, but I would hate to mess up that pretty dress. Why don’t you go change while we finish baking?”
“Okay, Uncle Brick.” I twirled her in the air until she squealed with laughter before putting her down. She hopped up the stairs, and I sighed. “I’m sorry. I forgot that I’d offered to take Gemma for the weekend. Jim is a business associate and a friend. He’s raising Gemma alone, and she’s been having nightmares lately. I thought a change of pace might help her.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Brick. This is your home.”
“And Jim should not have called you that. It’s not who you are. You know that, right?”
She stared at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. “Except that when you strip away the list of chores every morning and the pretty dresses at night, it’s exactly what I am. It’s okay, Brick. I’ve come to terms with this arrangement. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Ice bloomed in my chest. I’d never, for an instant, thought of her like that, but she did?
“Come on. It’s time you learned how to make something fun to eat. Tonight, we’ll have hot dogs and spaghetti.” Her eyes were once again warm and sweet.
I grimaced. “That sounds awful.”
Footsteps thundered upstairs as Gemma ran down the hall, and Daisy grinned. “I guess Gemma will have to cast the tie-breaking vote. I have a feeling that she’ll be on my side. We women have to stick together!”
* * *
I never heard Gemma’s cries that night. After a day at the park, a dinner that was as…interesting as Daisy had described it, and a movie before Gemma’s bedtime, I was exhausted. The little girl was a bundle of energy, and Daisy never once slowed down with Gemma. After tucking Gemma in bed, I left my own door open in case she had a nightmare, but I’d fallen deeply asleep.
The hallway light spilling into my bedroom woke up. Frowning, I blinked. I could hear soft whispers coming down the hall, and as I stumbled to Gemma’s room to make sure that she was all right, I realized that Daisy was in the room with her.
“You don’t have to be ashamed,” Daisy said. “I used to have scary dreams too.”
I froze outside the door and closed my eyes. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but wanted to make sure that Gemma was okay. At least, that’s what I told myself.
“What were your bad dreams about?”
“A lot of things,” Daisy murmured. “They weren’t always the same. And some nights, I’d just wake up scared and couldn’t remember why.
“Did your daddy scare your bad dreams away?” Gemma asked. “Mine does!”
“You’re a lucky girl,” Daisy chuckled. “No, my parents didn’t know that I had nightmares.”
“Why?”
I held my breath, and there was a beat of silence. “My parents didn’t always get along,” she admitted. “But we don’t have to talk about that. What happens when you lay down to go to sleep? After your daddy tucks you in?”
“I can’t sleep. I’m scared of the bad dreams.”
“Yeah? Why don’t we try something different tonight? Do you like to read books before bed? Or…since I don’t have any books, why don’t I tell you a story until you fall asleep?”
“What story?”
“What kind would you like?”
“Hmm.” Gemma hummed loudly, and I could hear some shifting in the bed. “A dog story! I love dogs.”
“I think I can do that. Slip back under the covers for me and close your eyes. I’m going to turn out the light except for the nightlight, but you don’t have to be scared because I’m going to be right here.”
“Okay.”
The room darkened, and I leaned against the wall, listening to Daisy’s voice as she began her story. She was going to make an excellent mother one day.
For half an hour, she made up some ridiculous story about a dog escaping the pound and trying to make its way back home. Before she finished the story, she fell quiet, and I realized that Gemma must’ve already been asleep.
Not wanting to be caught listening in, I hurried back to my room and waited for Daisy to come out. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of me, and she put her finger to her lips. “Is everything okay?” I whispered when she approached me.
“She woke up, but she’s asleep again. She’s right next door, so I should be able to hear if she wakes up again.”
“Actually, I might stay up to get some work done. Why don’t you catch up on your sleep here,” I said, motioning to my own bed, “and I’ll keep an ear out for Gemma. Okay?”
Daisy yawned before frowning. “Sleep in your bed? With her right down the hall?”
It wasn’t the first time she’d shied away from me with Gemma around. “You’ll get more sleep here. I’ll get some work done in your room. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“For bunny pancakes?”
“Bunny pancakes,” I confirmed and kissed the top of her head. She stumbled into my room and crawled into my bed. Seeing her curled up under my sheets was nearly my undoing, but I managed to grab my computer and close the door behind me.
They both slept soundly until morning, but I didn’t get any work done. My focus wasn’t on my multi-billion dollar company. It was tangled up in the woman sleeping in my bed.