She elbowed him in the stomach and he grunted, his hands falling away. “Not while my niece is here.”
“When our niece leaves then.”
“SmithAnn is spending the night.” That should fix his royal horniness.
SmithAnn ran back to them and tugged on his shirt. “Come watch with me. Please?”
Perfect. Let him have to be around a two year old for the rest of the day and night. He’d be out the door before dessert was served. She started toward her office.
“Where are you going?” he asked, eyes widening as panic set in.
“I’ve got work to do and as my husband it’s your job to entertain our niece while Melanie and Carter have a date night. Don’t forget to fix her a snack.” Striding down the hall, she grinned in satisfaction. “Let’s see how long you last.”
Every twenty minutes Zoe would stop writing and sneak a peek at her niece and husband. At first Christian sat stiffly on the sofa beside her, apparently unsure of how to deal with a toddler. But after the third check, he and SmithAnn were having a tea party on the floor.
His face was caked in makeup while barrettes made his hair stick out in odd places. A child’s dress up hat perched on the front of his head while a feather boa wrapped around his broad shoulders.
“My tea and biscuits are quite delicious, Princess SmithAnn. I’m so delighted you invited me.” He leaned down, pressing the back of his hand against one side of his mouth. “However, I would appreciate if you’d tell the hippo with the wonky eye to stay home next time. Can’t hold his tea and keeps hitting on Miss Kitty. Bad form, I say.”
SmithAnn giggled, clearly enchanted with him.
Frowning, Zoe leaned against the wall. It didn’t look like he was in any mood to leave.
“Uncle Christian, how long you staying?”
Pale blue eyes met Zoe’s, pinning her to the wall with the emotion behind them. “Forever.” Despite the makeup and silly wardrobe he wore, she’d never felt more attracted to him.
Or as in love.
She could barely form the words, “Time to clean up for supper.” She struggled to maintain a semblance of control. Lightheaded, she tried breathing deeply. After a few measured breaths, she pulled out pots and pans, filling them up with water and a vegetable mix that she planned to stir-fry.
Christian stood, picking up SmithAnn and following her to the kitchen. All the groceries had been put up and the kitchen was sparkling clean.
“You did this?”
“SmithAnn and I did, didn’t we?”
Her niece nodded in agreement. The sparkly tiara she wore tumbled to the counter.
Zoe picked it up, examining the headpiece. The gems looked real. Her eyes flew to Christian. He was busy seating his newest fan at the kitchen table and providing art supplies.
“Be right back. I need to wash up. And here you go, my lady,” he said with a flourish of his hat.
SmithAnn giggled as the yellow and green concoction was placed on the table beside a familiar wooden bowl of fruit. He’d actually kept that? Her heart flipped in her chest.
“Did you buy this for SmithAnn?” she asked.
“Yes, it came today,” he said and walked away, all masculine grace.
She eyed the crown again, turning it around and around as the facets caught the light. “Are these real sapphires?”
He turned and cast a smile at her. “Perhaps,” he said with a wink. He disappeared down the hall.
“That’s so not funny. You can’t give a two year old real jewelry.” The bathroom door shut. “Christian?” She set the pretty tiara on her own head and sneaked a look at herself in the mirror hanging over the buffet in the dining room.
“Totally fake,” she said as she pulled it off. She walked back to the kitchen and set it on top of her fridge.
He returned a few minutes later, face freshly washed and golden hair free of her niece’s artistic hair skills. He placed a kiss Zoe’s cheek, then wandered over to her iPod dock.
Soft strains of Colbie Caillat’s old hit “I Never Told You” filled the air. Water bubbled in the pot, cooking the noodles for a macaroni and cheese dinner that Melanie never let her daughter have, but at Aunt Zoe’s what momma didn’t know…
“Dance with me,” he said, capturing her hand.
“I guess I could, but only for twelve minutes.”
His smile brightened the room.
They danced. Slowly. Pressed together with his hand riding low on her back, but there was nothing sexual in his embrace. Nothing that would be inappropriate in front of her niece as she drew pictures of castles and butterflies.
“She’s a very sweet little girl.”
Zoe closed her eyes and leaned against his broad chest. “Thanks for letting me get my work done.”
A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Mmm-hmm. I got your number, love.”
Glancing over at the table to make sure her niece was still occupied, Zoe lifted her chin to look at the man holding her. “No, you don’t. I changed it, remember, and I’m not giving it out.”
“Really?” he murmured and pulled her close again, his breath hot against her hair. “You know, I actually like the whole family thing we’re doing.”
“I do this a lot. As in all the time.”
“Trying to scare me away?” He stroked her cheek. “I’ve endured worse than a loving family bent on keeping their sister safe.”
The reminded of just how loving his family could be, had her sucking in a breath. She pushed at his chest. “Let me go.”
He tightened his arms around her. “Never. And I want a family. Kids. The white picket fence which you already have and a muscle car in the drive.”
“Are you being cruel on purpose?”
He put his mouth to her ear. “No, I’m trying to tempt you to stay with me. So I can give you what you want.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t mean a word of it.”
“While I’m completely serious.”
“Me, too,” SmithAnn shouted, wriggling between them.
Christian laughed, let Zoe go and scooped the toddler up in his arms. “Okay, Me Too. Let’s dance.”
Hands shaking, Zoe tried to concentrate on dinner, but all she could think about was his words, seemingly sincere.
Utterly deadly to her resolve.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Bullshit.” Carter looked pointedly at Christian. He took a quick swallow of beer, setting the glass down on the table and leaning back his chair.
Muttering under his breath, Christian grabbed the large pile of cards in the middle of the table and added them to his hand. This was getting bloody ridiculous. They were playing with two decks and he held the majority of the cards. “How in the hell did you know that I was lying? I make my living from acting.”
Carter gave him an enigmatic smile. “I have my ways.”
“Your turn, Z.” Melanie said.
Zoe pulled some cards and placed them face down on the table. “Three sevens.” She took a sip of water, elbowing Melanie in the process. “Sorry.”
“Watch those bony things!” Melanie quickly put down her own. “One eight.”
On and on it in went in rapid succession, until Christian finally realized that something wasn’t right. Someone or ones were cheating. Amazingly enough, everyone had exactly what needed to be played next. No matter what the damn card was.
He glanced at Zoe, who was concentrating on her remaining cards, with tears in her eyes. And it wasn’t from crying.
She was silently laughing. At him.
Christian looked around the large table and realized that they all were. He threw his cards down and held up his hands in mock surrender. “I give up.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Bloody good show, mate,” Heath said, making Christian roll his eyes. If he heard one more jab at his accent, he would start doing some impressions of his own.
Logan laughed like a deranged hyena. “I’ve never seen someone go that long before. You were so determined to win, but you couldn’t figure out why no one was calling Bullshit on anyone else. Carter put down eight cards when he said two. Eight. Even Zoe was lying through her teeth and trust me, she’s a dead giveaway.”
“Gee thanks, Logan.” Zoe threw her cards at him.
“Sorry, Z, but you suck at bluffing. You get too excited.” Logan wiped his eyes.
“But I was quiet the whole time,” Zoe protested, her nose wrinkling.
“You always hold your breath and wiggle around when you get really excited.” Christian winked at her. “Only I’m too polite to call you on it.” He wanted to make her pass out with excitement. Now. Would it be rude to insist that they make an early departure?
Zoe’s cheeks heated. “Then I must hyperventilate and have ants in my pants when I’m around you.”
“Really, love?” Christian gave her a wicked grin.
His wife’s cheeks turned scorching red and her eyes rounded. “That’s not what I meant. What I mean is that I must turn blue and... no…that’s not it either. Well, crap.”
“I know he’s not talking about what I think he’s talking about,” Luke muttered to Logan and Carter.
All three of them glared at him.
Heath nodded, ignoring his brothers’ exchange. “It was priceless, bro.”
“Well, it’s been fun torturing the new guy, but I think it’s time the men went to Poor Boy’s,” Logan said. He stood and fished a set of keys out of his pocket. “Want to come, Ian—Christian? What is your name?”
Christian took his time piling up the stack of cards. For all intents and purposes these card sharks were his new family. It seemed wrong to ask them to call him by his stage name, but he’d give them the choice. “I’ll answer to either.”
“But what do you prefer?” Evangeline asked.
At least he knew she was on his side. She would direct message him on Twitter, giving him helpful insights about Zoe and what she liked. For nearly two weeks, he’d done everything he could think of to earn her trust and love. But the harder he worked, the more she pulled away. Except when he touched her, then she’d come undone in his arms, giving him her body and frustrating him to no end, because he needed more from her.
He needed everything.
“Call me—”
“Dipshit?” Luke suggested.
“Wanker.”
“Punkface.”
“Numbnuts is my favorite.”
“Hey, no fair, you can’t go twice, Heath,” Evangeline protested.
“I vote for eunuch.”
“Not at the dinner table, Luke. That kind of behavior belongs outside.”Christian didn’t know if he should be impressed or scared by Zoe’s mother’s suggestion.
“Asshat.” That would be his wife’s contribution. Tonight she wore a snug red shirt with hip-hugging jeans. He couldn’t help staring at her cute ass every time she walked around. Hell, he wanted to ask her to go get him something, anything just so he could admire the lovely lines of her body.
“Call him hot as hell.”
“Evangeline Mae, a lady does not talk about the hotness of another woman’s husband,” Leah reprimanded.
“But a lady can say bullshit?” Heath asked Carter out of the corner of his mouth.
Their father, Lawton, cleared his throat and peered over the paper he’d been reading.
“Sorry,” Heath mumbled, impressing the hell out of Christian.
Vladimir could stand to learn how not to bitch and moan at his own sons. It was one of the things Christian liked and admired about Zoe’s quiet father. Lawton had invited him over earlier that day to have a come to Jesus meeting with him. Whatever that meant.
As it had turned out, all Lawton had wanted to know if Christian was serious about making his marriage work. Then his father-in-law had told him in no uncertain terms that the next time Christian got a wild hair up his ass to leave his daughter, he’d track him down and skin him alive.
“Call him late for dinner.”
“We’d never call you that, Logan. You always arrive before dinner and then no one else gets any,” Melanie teased, her hand resting on the top of her bulging belly.
“How about call an ambulance?”
“Luke, really.” Leah chastised from across the room. “I raised you boys better than that.”
“Sorry,” Luke said, sounding the exact opposite of the word. He tossed a glare Christian’s way. “How about EMT?”
“SmithAnn calls him Prince Ian,” Carter said with a smirk. “She’s convinced he can bring that annoying unicorn to her birthday party.”
Everyone including Zoe laughed.
“It was fantastic working with Uni. And SmithAnn was a lovely hostess at our tea while her guests were loads more fun and welcoming. More importantly, they didn’t hoard the biscuits.” He’d make fun of himself before the brothers could. That should shut them up.
Melanie rewarded him with a smile, then whispered in Zoe’s ear. His wife turned a rosy pink and shook her head. What he wouldn’t give to find out what that had been all about.
“Jolly good,” Heath said in the worst impersonation of an English accent Christian had heard that night.
“That’s a right proper gent,” Logan chimed in, making Heath sound like a native speaker. Christian cringed. Okay, make Heath’s the second worst.
“Look, any man willing to suffer through endless showings of that damn unicorn and play tea party with my daughter has my respect,” Carter said, shocking Christian.
“Those dishes aren’t going to clean themselves,” Leah called out from her seat on the sofa. “Would you look at that? Who knew a woman with all that money could manage to look so cheap? Bless her heart.”