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And that’s why I’m keeping Ella around as long as I possibly can. That’s my most compelling excuse, anyway.
“She’s here,” I hold Isla for another few seconds before setting her down on her feet again. “Shall we go find her? I’ll bet we won’t have to look too hard.”
“Yeah,” she sniffles, taking my hand and leading me toward the hallway. “Let’s go find her.”
I honestly don’t know where she is, but there are only so many rooms in the penthouse and I’m almost certain she didn’t sneak out the front door while Kinsley was here.
Isla stops in the middle of the hallway and cocks her head to the side. “Do you hear that music? Is it coming from the gym?”
I listen for a moment, then nod. “I think you’re right. She must be working out in there.”
Isla drops my hand and shakes her head as she darts down the corridor. “Ella doesn’t like to work out. She’s told me that before.”
She’s told me the same thing on the handful of occasions I’ve coerced her into going for a run with me, but maybe Ella wanted to burn off some pent-up frustration from having Kinsley up here in her personal space.
Or maybe that’s just me projecting. A good, long workout would probably do me some good right now, too.
“Ella!” Isla calls out as she throws open the door to our personal gym. “What are you doing in here? Why are you playing that boring music? You need fast music for a workout.”
I can hear Ella’s sweet laughter even before I make it to the doorway. “This is classical music,” she explains. “And I’m just stretching for now. Not really working out.”
I step into the doorway and freeze. Ella wears a brown leotard and white tights, her hair swept up in a bun with a protective red silk handkerchief tied tightly around her head. She moves with an ease and a confidence that I’ve never really seen her have before. She looks really young, suddenly.
My heart hammers against my ribs and I watch from a distance, feeling a bit lecherous.
Isla has no such reservations. She tilts her head and eyes Ella. “Why are you stretching, though? Can I stretch with you?”
Ella pats te floor beside her. “Of course! I’d love that.”
Ella hasn’t noticed that I’m standing in the doorway yet, so I watch quietly as she walks Isla through a few easy stretches. The way she interacts with Isla is like night and day compared to Kinsley, and I can’t help but smile seeing the two of them together.
My girls.
They’re my whole world right now, really.
The other thing catching my attention is how fucking good Ella’s ass looks in those tights.
Damn.
This isn’t really the time or place to be thinking about things like that, but…damn.
“Did you want to come stretch with us?” Isla’s little voice pulls me from my not-child-friendly thoughts. “Ella is showing me how to be a ballerina!”
Ella looks over, blushing slightly as she seems to notice me for the first time. “You’re welcome to join us, Keir.” There’s a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she adds, “If you think you can keep up with a couple of girls.”
I snort. “I already know I don’t stand a chance.”
Ballet stretching was the very last thing I could have imagined myself doing today, but the only thing waiting for me in the other room is a stack of mind-numbing reports that I need to look through.
Those reports can keep fucking waiting.
“Okay,” I rub my hands together as I walk over to stand next to the two of them. “Show me how it’s done.”
I mostly just watch as Ella continues helping Isla with some so-called beginner positions that nearly make me face-plant into the mirrored wall when I try to join in.
“Maybe you’ve missed your calling all these years,” Ella teases, tossing me a wink. “You just need to limber up a little.”
“Maybe you can give me some pointers later.” I shake my head and laugh as she reaches to cover Isla’s ears. “Hey, I didn’t say anything bad. I can’t help what you might be thinking.”
