Page 75 of Cash

Cara’s eyes darted to Stella.

Stella gave Cara a weak smile. “I’m okay, Care Bear.”

“Now you’re lying!”

“Hey,” I called and waited for Cara to look at me. “I lied to you, Cara. Me. Not Stella. I know you’re angry and that’s okay. But you’re mad at me, not Stella, so be mad at me, sweetheart, and don’t take it out on her.”

“But—”

“Look at her, Cara.” As soon as her gaze moved to Stella, I went on. “Your Lolo might be hurt, but she’s strong and she’s telling you the truth. She’s okay and you wanna know how I know?”

“How?”

“Because the cunning Queen is no match for evil trolls.”

Cara’s attention came back to me. Her frown coupled with her narrowed eyes was seriously fucking cute.

“Trolls are small and wimpy, Cashy,” she told me with a note of authority that dared me to argue.

I was just happy I had ‘Cashy’ back.

“Not all trolls.”

With a dramatic eye roll that I hoped meant I hadn’t fucked up too badly, Cara announced, “Lolo is strong enough to take on all the dragons.”

No truer words had ever been spoken.

“True that, warrior princess. Now, are you ready to say good morning to Lolo and I’ll clean up the kitchen so we can start breakfast?”

Without further encouragement, Cara jumped off the couch and ran full speed at Stella. My hands itched to pull her back or at least warn her to be gentle, but I’d done enough damage. It was time for me to keep my mouth shut and let Stella handle the situation.

I pushed off the couch just as Stella reached for Cara and picked her up. Cara’s little legs wrapped around Stella’s waist, taking with them the fabric of the tee, bunching up the cotton, exposing the toned expanse of her upper thighs. But it was the black scrap of lace between those thighs covering what I knew was the sweetest pussy I’d ever tasted that snagged my attention. Now was not the time for my dick to remind me it had been six very long months since he’d gotten anything other than my hand.

Six months of jacking off to the memory of a woman who had walked away and made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me.

Last night it had been easy to ignore that lace. It had been easy to sleep next to her, something I hadn’t done with another woman in going on two decades. It had been easy to forget all of the reasons I hadn’t fucked another woman since I’d had her.

Now, not so much.

Kitchen clean-up.

Pancakes.

Then the office.

I tore my eyes off of Stella and Cara, and since I decided overlooking a whole host of shit this morning was the way to go, I shoved the way my chest got tight at seeing Cara wrapped around Stella to the back of my mind. But more, I locked away how I felt watching Stella hug Cara protectively.

Clean up.

Food.

Office.

Thank God for chatty little girls.

Never in my life did I think I’d be grateful to have a seven-year-old run interference, but having Stella deposit Cara on the counter after I’d cleaned up the glass so she could go get changed while I made breakfast was the only thing that had stopped me from following her into my bedroom.

And over pancakes listening to Cara fill Stella in on yesterday’s adventure—and, yes, that’s what Cara had called it—while Stella was sneaking glances at me with her eyes soft, appreciation I’d taken care of her girl clear on her pretty face. Which in turn had me fighting the urge to pluck her out of her chair so she could show her appreciation a different kind of way that would begin and end with my cock buried deep and Stella crying out my name.