The Rock Star's Baby Bargain - Lili Valente Page 0,35
and anything it throws at them.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll heal that sad little girl inside me while I’m at it.
I’ve just gotten to the juicy part of my book—the Duke and the nanny are caught outside in a terrible storm and forced to take refuge in an abandoned cottage where they will absolutely no longer be able to keep their hands off of each other—when a soft voice intrudes, rumbling, “Wake up, beautiful.”
I pull in a breath and open my eyes, blinking in the dim light as the handsome man standing over my lounge chair slides into focus. “Hey,” I say, smiling as I hum sleepily. “I think I took a nap.”
Zack grins, the warmth in his eyes banishing the chill lifting the hair on my arms. “Looks like it. Hungry?”
My stomach snarls audibly, and Zack and I both grin wider. “Starving.”
He extends a hand. “Then let's go. Nancy headed into the kitchen about twenty minutes ago. Said she was going to warm up the chicken and dumplings she made last night and make some salads.”
I take his hand, thoughts sluggish as he draws me to my feet. “Twenty minutes ago?” His arm goes around my waist, pulling me close to his delicious heat. Instinctively, I snuggle against him, loving the way I fit perfectly under his scruffy chin.
He presses a kiss to my forehead. “I watched you sleep for a while. I knew it was creepy, but I couldn’t help myself. You were so beautiful.”
I look up at him, chuckling at his guilty expression. “That’s not creepy.”
He arches a brow.
I laugh harder. “Okay, maybe a little creepy, but with you, I don’t mind.”
“Why’s that?” he asks.
“Because you don’t have a creepy bone in your body. You’re all good guy.” I link my arms at the small of his back, wiggling closer as I add in a whisper, “Sexy-as-hell good guy.”
He arches a brow. “Does this mean you don’t want me to spank you later?”
Excitement zipping across my skin, I bite my lip. “Oh, no, I want a spanking later. Good guy spankings are the best spankings.”
“Yeah?” He grins, a dimple popping in his right cheek, which I’ve never noticed before, but it’s yet another adorable thing on an already extensive list of endearing qualities. “Because good guys know when to say ‘when’?”
I shake my head. “Because good guys make the spanking about you. Not them. They want to please, not be pleased.”
“I’m all about pleasing you,” he says in a raspy voice that makes the well-loved place between my legs begin to pulse all over again. “I can’t wait to be inside you again. It’s all I can think about.”
“Not surprising, considering the way we left things,” I murmur, skimming my nails up and down his back through his T-shirt. “We can always start conserving sperm at a later date, you know.”
Unexpectedly, he laughs. “Hell, no. Give me all the delayed gratification you can dish out, woman. I just had the best writing session of my career. Bar none.”
I pull back, grinning up at him. “Seriously?”
“If I didn’t write something that’ll go on my greatest hits album, I’ll donate my fingers to science.”
“No, don’t say that. You need your fingers,” I say with a laugh, his giddy energy infectious. “But that’s amazing! I’m so happy for you.” I press my lips together and wrinkle my nose, but in the end, I can’t help but ask, “So do you really think stopping in the middle was…inspirational?”
His lips quirk as he shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe it’s just you.” He pulls in a breath, letting it out as he nods toward the house. “Or this place. It has a reputation in the industry for giving good creative vibes.”
I glance to my left, shivering as a breeze sweeps in and sends a few fallen leaves tumbling across the lawn. “It kind of looks like a face from back here, doesn’t it? I didn’t realize it before. The windows on the third floor are the eyes and the—”
“Shit,” Zack cuts in, his voice hushed. “Do you see that? Fourth floor. The window on the far right.”
I shift my gaze, catching what looks like the flutter of dress fabric and black hair blown by the wind. My throat goes tight, and adrenaline dumps into my bloodstream. I’m on the verge of telling Zack that we should rethink the whole “sleeping in a haunted house” thing when he laughs and asks, “What is it? An old toy or something?”