AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She rolls her eyes. “Well, sorry if you were hoping to see him. He is exhausted. He’s been fighting a nap for the last hour.”
“I told Akim to take care of Benjamin.”
“And I told him I was fine to do my job,” she fires back. “And I am doing fine. I’m totally fine.”
The moment the words are out of her mouth, she stumbles back half a step. I watch her eyes glaze over.
“Piper.” I grab her good shoulder and pull her close. “Hey. What the—”
“I’m fine.” She blinks and laughs nervously. “I’m a little dizzy. The pain pills with the lack of food and… It’s no big deal. I’m fine.”
“You shouldn’t be holding a baby when you’re feeling light-headed.”
“I know how to take care of a baby.Iwouldn’t do anything to put Benjamin in danger.”
It doesn’t take a genius to hear the unspoken accusation in her tone.
“Food,” I command. “It’s waiting downstairs, so we’re going to go eat, and you’re not going to have another medical emergency for at least the length of a meal. Can you handle that?”
She jerks her shoulder out of my touch. “Only if you can handle not touching me for the length of a meal. As far as employer/employee conduct goes, we’ve crossed too many lines to count. I’d like to keep at least a few intact.”
I don’t mention how I’m not even close to getting my fill of her.
35
TIMOFEY
We walk together into the dining room. Akim has arranged the food on the table and then seemingly disappeared.
I look around, expecting to see him spying on us from the corner of the room. The man is a hopeless eavesdropper and irritatingly invested in my “love life,” a misnomer if I’ve ever heard one.
Sure, I want to touch Piper. Sure, I want to fuck Piper. But I don’t want to—
“Oh, for God’s sake, Akim,” I spit under my breath.
In the center of the table is a lit candelabra. Five flickering candles in a gold fixture, a scene taken straight out of a fairy tale.
The bastard is determined to piss me off.
Piper stops suddenly and wrings her hands in front of her chest. “You looked concerned,” I observe. I nudge her forward and pull out a chair. She drops into it and I push her into the table. “Were you expecting hamburgers and plastic containers?”
“You say that like it’s ridiculous,” she says. “Normal people expect hamburgers and plastic containers. That or, like, lukewarm pad thai. I guess you aren’t exactly a ‘normal person,’ though. You’re not familiar with our ways.”
“I didn’t always live in a mansion.” I take the seat opposite her and unfold a napkin in my lap. “And I didn’t always eat well. I used to not eat at all, more often than not.”
Piper looks down at the creamy seafood pasta on her plate. Seared scallops, a buttery golden sauce, al dente linguine. A basket of fresh bread sits in the middle of the table next to a chilled bottle of red wine.
“How long were you in foster care?” Piper asks suddenly.
She has a bite of food suspended in mid-air as she waits for me to respond. I gesture for her to eat. “I don’t need you passing out mid-conversation.”
“A conversation would require you to be forthcoming about your life.”
“You’re the one keeping secrets,” I remind her.
She can’t argue with that, so she brings the bite to her mouth. Her full lips wrap around the fork, her eyes flutter closed, and a moan starts low in her chest and bubbles up, unable to be contained. It’s a uniquely sensual experience watching her eat.
“My God,” she sighs. “That’s amazing.” She drops her fork and stares at me. “I’ve eaten. Now, it’s your turn.”
