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“I asked how long you’ve lived in Richmond.” A slight smile tugged at his sensuous lips, as though he knew the dirty turn her thoughts had taken.
“Oh.” She accepted the fork he offered her and pushed her pastry around. “Thirteen years. I went to college in Virginia, and Richmond seemed like a good place to set up a PR firm.” She chuckled. “I can see you doing the math in your head trying to figure out my age. I’ll save you the trouble. I’m thirty-four.” She took particular delight in the slight blush that took over his face, a brief crack in his otherwise confident demeanor.
“Well, can you blame me?” He sipped his coffee, his eyes gleaming wickedly over the rim of his cup. “I’m a bit older than you, obviously, and I was worried you might be in your twenties.”
“Twenty-something me would’ve totally drooled all over you,” she was quick to assure him. “All right. Spill the beans. Since you seem worried about the age gap between us, why don’t you get it over with and tell me just how old you are?” She spoke in a playful, haughty tone, swinging her feet under the table as she awaited his reply. She scooped a bite of pastry into her mouth.Mm.
He cleared his throat. “I’m forty-eight.” A look of uncertainty passed over him, and he shifted in his seat. Suddenly she felt guilty for teasing him. “Look, if you think I’m too old for you or that—”
She reached across the table and grasped his hand. “You’re not too old for me. I’ve played with older men before.” The second the confession left her lips, the tips of her ears burned, and she worried maybe she shouldn’t have added that last part. What if he wanted exclusivity? She might be able to give that to him during her time at the Ranch, but she was leaving in a month.
To her relief, however, Stephen relaxed at her words. His gaze bored into her hand that was still touching his, but she didn’t retract it right away. She allowed her fingers to trace his knuckles as she slowly pulled her hand back.
“Have you ever played with a Daddy before?”
His question caught her off guard and she struggled to swallow her coffee. She coughed a bit and was stunned when he joined her in the booth seat and patted her back a few times.
“I’ll be right back, sweetheart.”
Confused, she watched as he darted away from the table. For a moment, she feared he was abandoning her. That perhaps he didn’t like her reaction to his question and had decided to end their breakfast date prematurely, never mind that he’d said he would be right back. She’d had dates skip out on her mid-meal before.
Stephen hurried to the drink area for a glass of water, which he promptly brought back to the table. Joining her in the booth, so close his thigh brushed hers, he pressed the glass into her hands and said, “Drink,” in a commanding but affectionate tone.
She obeyed, taking a long drink of the water. But when a cluster of ice on the bottom of the glass shifted, something terrible happened. Nearly half the glass ended up rushing down her neck. She squealed at the sudden chill as the cold liquid ran down her neck and soaked the front of her sweater and the shirt underneath. Oh God. He probably thought she was the clumsiest person in the universe. It wasn’t even noon yet and already she needed a second change of clothes. How embarrassing.
But Stephen’s response touched her and helped lessen her humiliation. He removed the glass from her hands and set it aside, then grabbed a handful of napkins off the tray and proceeded to wipe her face and neck. He pressed a few napkins against the top of her sweater, though his touch didn’t venture to her breasts. She dared a glance at him, and her heart went pitter patter at the affectionate gleam in his eyes. He didn’t seem to mind cleaning her up. In fact, he seemed eager to take care of her. Her insides went soft and mushy.
“Thanks. Sorry about the mess. I-I didn’t get any on you, did I?”
He glanced at his lap, and she gasped at the huge wet splotch on the front of his jeans. Oh no. She grabbed a handful of napkins from the dispenser on the table and pressed them to the wet area of his pants.
“So sorry,” she murmured. Then it occurred to her that, holy shit, she was pretty much feeling up his crotch in the middle of the cafeteria. Her eyes widened and she tore her hands away. Her face had never felt so hot. What must he think of her?
A low chuckle left him, and she was relieved to find he wasn’t upset. His eyes glimmered with warmth and humor, and he grasped her hands in his as he peered down at her, his lips oh so close to hers. The murmur of the late breakfast crowd faded into the background, and it felt like they were the only two people in the room.
“It’s all right, sweetheart.” He squeezed her hands. “But you’ll forgive me if I’m vain enough to sit in this booth until my pants dry completely, won’t you?” A sexy smile spread over his face, his teeth flashing white and his dimples deepening.
“It’s perfectly understandable.”
He released her hands and removed the napkins from around her neck, as well as those he’d placed on her sweater. He tossed the wet napkins onto the tray. Wanting to show her appreciation for his help and understanding, she reached for his coffee and half-eaten danish, pushing the items in front of him.
“Thanks, Kaylee.” He gave her another one of his award-winning smiles. Her insides fluttered and warmth spread through her like melting butter. “Now, I’m still waiting for an answer to my question. I think I know the answer, but I’d like to know for certain. Have you ever played with a Daddy before?”
She struggled for air. “No, I haven’t.”
A long, sexually charged moment stretched between them as they simply stared at one another. Kaylee was thinking about what it would be like to have Stephen as her Daddy, and she suspected he was thinking the same thing.
She decided to break the silence first. “Since you’re probably going to be stuck in this booth for another thirty minutes, why don’t you tell me about yourself?” Thus far, all she knew about him was his name, age, that he’d recently moved to the Ranch, he was a security guard and a Daddy. Oh, and he used to live in Chicago. That was pretty much it. “Um, have you ever been married? Have any kids?” A shadow crossed his face when she mentioned marriage and kids, but he blinked and the darkness quickly dispersed, making her wonder if she’d only imagined it. But his next words confirmed her suspicions.
“Yes, I’ve been married before. Just the one time. I’m a widower. My wife, Heather, passed away about six years ago. No kids.” His voice came out calm and steady, though a muscle in his jaw feathered.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Shock resounded through her. His wife must’ve died rather young. Why? How? She wanted to ask, though she wasn’t sure it was appropriate. Thankfully, he saved her from having to ask the question.
“Thank you.” He sighed. “It was an inoperable brain tumor, and it happened fast. Two months after the doctors found it, she was gone. She was only forty.”
Tears burned in Kaylee’s eyes. “Oh, Stephen, that’s tragic. Again, I’m so sorry.”
He nodded slowly, his lips pressed in a firm line. “What about you? Marriage? Kids? Pets?”
