Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) (21 page)

When I arrived at the office, I found a bigger problem that had to be taken care of in person, which meant I had to go to New York. I made Anne promise to stay at the main house, taught her everything about the security system, and asked Mike and Nick to keep an eye on her.

Nick made sure to give her more than enough work to keep her busy, and from our nightly talks I knew she was enjoying it. The joyful tone of her voice made me glad that I had pushed Nick to give her a chance. He
’
d been more than impressed with her work so far.

Now, it was finally Friday night, and I was waiting at the airport to catch a red-eye back home.
How the hell had she made my place feel like a true home?
I
’
d been gone for most of this past week and it was beyond me, but she had, and I wasn
’
t going to overthink it. I was going to keep pushing the voices of doubt to the back of my mind.

Anne

After you become a mom, sleep is never the same.

Add in the fact that I was on the run, it was easy to say I was a very light sleeper. Even asleep, I was always aware of my surroundings. Right now, my eyes were closed and I felt Zoey
’
s body next to me, her little hand holding on to one of my fingers. My mind was slightly muddled with sleep, but I heard the door opening in one of the extra rooms. John had wanted me to stay in his room, but it hadn
’
t felt right.

I could feel the warm sunshine coming in from the window hitting my face, and I let myself enjoy the silence. Somehow, I floated back to sleep, only to come back. My mind felt Zoey
’
s little face in front of mine, her sweet breath on my face, and a large hand on my bare shoulder and an even bigger body behind me. For a moment, my body stilled, not sure if I should fear whose hands were on me.

“
Shh
…
it
’
s just me, Kitten,
”
John
’
s deep, rumbly voice seeped into me, making my body relax against his.

“
You
’
re back,
”
I whispered. When he peppered my shoulder with small kisses, I was glad I
’
d worn a camisole with shorts to bed.

“
Yeah.
”

“
Mmm
…
I
’
m glad you
’
re home.
”
My mind still heavy with sleep, I cuddled deeper into him, my bottom nestling into his front, his fingers moving my hair so that his mouth was at my neck. I felt him breathe in deeply and wondered if he was breathing me in or if he was just tired. Somehow I fell back asleep. Deeply content and cozy, I felt completely safe for the first time in a very long time.

***

Waking up alone in the guest room was the last thing I expected. Turning my head into his pillow, I breathed in deeply everything that was John. Standing up, I wrapped myself in my grandmother's cardigan since all I was wearing was a black camisole and soft baby blue cotton boxer shorts. Just like that, I went in search of John and Zoey.

It didn
’
t take me long to find them. They were in the living room and couldn’t see me from where I was standing, taking in the scene in front of me. Zoey was standing, holding on to the couch and staring up at John. Her bright blue eyes were happy as she giggled and he talked back to her. Watching him as he smiled and laughed while he was talking to my baby girl, made me feel like I was about to melt into a puddle of goo. He was always handsome. But this was something that softened my heart as I watched the usually stern and scowling John happy and talking to my daughter.

“
Hey,
”
I said before I did something stupid like jump him. His handsome face turned, taking me in from head to foot, and I could literally feel his gaze on my skin.
How the hell is that even possible?
How does he do that?

“
Good morning.
”
His deep voice did things to my insides.
What are you doing, Annie?
John could do so much more damage than Blake ever had. This thought was forefront in my mind and, unable to shake it off, I had the urge to retreat.

“
Let me get her and I
’
ll get breakfast started for you,
”
I started to say as I walked towards them, but he just shook his head, a smile on his lips as I fought to keep mine from trembling. Panic hit me. I liked him. No, I
liked
him. Like, a lot.

“
Don
’
t worry about that. Come here. I
’
ll get you coffee,
”
he said, but I didn’t move towards him. If anything, I was sinking. Everything on my mind suddenly took over, and by the expression on his face, he saw it.
“
What
’
s the matter?
”

“
I
’
m still your housekeeper,
”
I blurted out, closing my cardigan. Breathing wasn’t as easy all of a sudden, and I had no idea why my heart felt like it was deciding whether to fall to my feet or jump out of my chest. As the words escaped my mouth, he leaned back slightly, staring at me.

“
Okay,
”
his voice rumbled, but I didn’t pay attention to it. Too many thoughts in my own mind were running a million miles an hour. Memories of Blake and his anger, and of the heartache I
’
d felt at knowing I
’
d been so wrong when it came to him. What I
’
d felt before paled in comparison to what I felt for John, and every day it was only getting stronger.

“
I
…
. I think Zoey and I should go back to staying at the guest house,
”
I blurted, not knowing why, but the panic surging through me made me unsteady.

“
Okay.
”
He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.
“
I should get ready to go to the office.
”
I nodded, ignoring the way my chest was hurting, my mind and heart at war with one another.

“
I
’
ll get your breakfast started.
”

“
Don
’
t worry about me, Anne. I
’
ll
…”
his eyes met mine and they were expressionless. No, that was a lie. They weren’t blank. They were mad. He was angry and I didn’t blame him.
“
I
’
ll grab something on my way to the office,
”
he shared, and I looked away from him. I felt the tension radiating off of him as he walked around me, going the long way out of the living room so he didn’t have to come near me.
What did I do? I
’
m such a coward!

Breathing in deeply, my shoulders slumping forward, my hand touched the back of the couch he
’
d just been on. I closed my now stinging eyes. John wasn
’
t Blake. He made me feel safe and cared for.

Shit. Shit!
I had messed up.

I
’
d freaked out and made it a point to push him away. Him! A man that I was sure had never been pushed away, ever.
Shit.

Deeply immersed in my own thoughts, I didn
’
t realize the mood in the living room had changed. With my eyes closed, I could hear Zoey
’
s chattering and giggling, but I couldn’t feel him. If I
’
d been paying attention, I would have seen him at the doorway. Watching me. Lifting my head, I rounded the couch, grabbed Zoey, and gave her a watery half-smile that I hoped she wouldn
’
t remember as sad. My mind muddled as I tried to distract myself, I ran right into a very solid John. His arms wrapped around both of us as a gasp escaped my lips from the impact.

“
Crap,
”
I whispered, afraid to look up.

“
You
’
re more than just my housekeeper,
”
his rich voice vibrated. I held Zoey in one arm and had one hand on his solid chest. I could feel the rumble of his voice and my eyes closed slowly. He pulled me in and just like that, the anxiety I
’
d been feeling started to dissipate.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I whispered into his chest while his lips rested on the top of my head.

“
Nothing to be sorry about,
”
his voice rumbled, and I let my own hand wrap around his waist. After a while, he pulled slightly away, mostly so that he could look at me.
“
Let
’
s go out and do something. What do you say?
”

I was done with hiding and being scared.

“
Yes.
”

John

“
I
’
ve never been here before!
”
She smiled brightly, her beautiful hazel eyes glittering in the sunshine as I pushed Zoey in the stroller towards the front entrance of the Los Angeles Arboretum.

“
I
’
m glad I can be the one to bring you, Kitten.
”
She rolled her eyes at me, but when she took my hand in hers, my heart rate picked up.

I was so damn glad I
’
d gone back into the living room after I
’
d walked away, and she
’
d let me hold her. I
’
d reacted to her pushing me away without thinking what had spooked her. I wasn
’
t going to ask, not right now. Right now was about the three of us having a good time.

“
When I moved here, I found this place. It
’
s kind of where I come to think, just don
’
t tell anyone,
”
I confided in her, and she glanced at me.

“
You like to think in a garden?
”

“
My grandmother used to have a garden that I found rather peaceful. I found this place and just seem to keep coming back.
”

“
It
’
s beautiful.
”

“
Not as beautiful as the company, but almost everything else pales in comparison,
”
I told her smoothly, and she laughed when I winked at her playfully.

We walked around, holding hands, taking Zoey out to look at the peacocks and different flowers. We even took pictures together with my cell phone. We ate lunch at the Peacock Cafe and afterwards, we went to Sprouts to buy a couple of things for dinner before we headed back to the house.

Instead of going to the main house, we went to the guest house and ate dinner there. When Anne took Zoey for her bath, I shut down the place, making sure all the windows and doors were locked then engaged the new alarm system. Stepping into Zoey
’
s cozy room, I watched Anne read what looked to be a worn-out Dr. Seuss book to her. Her little eyes were heavy as Anne
’
s soft voice rang out soothingly in the silence of the small room. I looked at her sitting in a dining room chair and made a mental note that she needed a recliner. She needed something more comfortable for her to be able to read to Zoey at night. Anne
’
s eyes met mine, and she smiled without missing a beat in telling the story. I nodded and walked back to her bedroom, my heart racing at the thought of what the night might bring.

***

It might make me an asshole, but all night the thought about her joining me in bed had been driving me crazy. She was taking her time, too. She read another book to Zoey and then came into the room, grabbed clothes, and went into the bathroom, giving me a shy smile and not saying a word.

I wanted her hands on me so fucking badly my own trembled. My back was against the headboard of her bed. I breathed in deeply, but her soft scent hung in the air of her room and didn’t help very much in calming my body down.

Even if we didn
’
t do anything tonight, I was going to sleep next to her naked. I was dying to feel her, to touch her. My dick twitched beneath the white terry cloth towel that was loosely wrapped around my waist. My hand moved to tug on it slightly to give myself a bit of relief. I hadn
’
t been with anyone since a week before I’d met Anne. My body throbbed at the idea of sinking into my kitten
’
s sweet wet heat, of feeling her warmth sheathed around me as I worked in and out of her body.

Closing my eyes, I squeezed my cock a little tighter before letting go. I moved my hand to lie flat on my stomach. My free hand was behind my head as I tried to keep my shit together. She was in charge here. I
’
d take this at her pace. I sat up as I watched her enter the room, her eyes not directly on me. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, the sight of her making my dick jerk as if reaching for her.

Seeing her in the same cotton candy pink nightgown she
’
d put on for me the night that I
’
d found the door open, made my skin warm even more. I fisted the edge of the towel to find some kind of control. I watched as she reached to turn off the light.

“
Don
’
t,
”
I warned her.

Even though I was in the mood for her to come to me, I still couldn’t seem to give her full control. Her back was to me, and I was dying to see what she was wearing below that sweet getup she had on. Would it be something lacy? Cotton? Silk? Or heaven help me, would she be bare? Biting my lower lip, I tried to remain calm.

“
I like the nightie, Kitten.
”
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled shyly, and I patted the bed next to me.
“
Come here.
”