Damaged Billionaire Daddy Bear - Leela Ash Page 0,34

entire staff.”

He wasn’t even going to lie about it, she thought fuming. Well, what had she expected? In the short time she had known Theodore, he had struck her strongly as Mr. Integrity with his core of honesty and openness, his strong principles and his inherent stubbornness, which he had passed on to his daughter. He wouldn’t even fib or evade to save face, which was why the attitude of some of the townsfolk, and some of his own staff, didn’t make sense.

Jessica sighed, “Would my presence make such a difference? I mean, it’s just one party. I could send the kids for Carla, but I don’t have to be there.”

“Oh, you have to be there, Jessica. It’s imperative.”

“Why?”

His green eyes burned with such fire that she felt branded as he enunciated, “Because I cannot ravish you if you’re not there. And I have decided to seduce you tonight.”

Jessica swallowed audibly.

Chapter 14

“What a jerk! How could he say such a thing to me?” Jessica asked aloud of no one in particular as she painstakingly applied mascara to her long lashes.

She had managed to wrangle herself into a long, flowing, sapphire dress with a soft-as-silk texture and slits on both legs. She had tied her hair into a messy bun atop her head, exposing the slim feminine curve of her neck. Then she had applied a faint shade of peach lipstick to her lips. Tiny diamond earrings adorned her ears and her feet were encased in one of those fancy flat sandals she favored.

Her eyes sparkled with light and life, she thought poetically, pursing her lips at her reflection in the mirror.

What was wrong with her? A man had told her, in no uncertain terms, that he planned to make love to her tonight. No, he had said seduce, that was his exact term. And instead of running for the hills, here she was, preparing and trussing herself up like a turkey at Thanksgiving for his ... ravishing.

She sank onto the edge of her bed on shaky legs. What was wrong with her?

“You’ve fallen for him, Jessica. Maybe you’re not all the way in love, but you’re as good as, dammit. Because why else would you be preparing to go to the party after he made his intentions known to you?” she demanded of herself.

Liquid pooled between her legs and she sighed as she shifted restlessly. She was as eager for his touch as a mare in heat, she thought. She wanted him with a desperation that defied all logic.

Fine, she thought, squaring her shoulders. This was the 21st century and any two adults could have consensual sex and move on like ships passing in the night. There didn’t have to be a name affixed to it, she decided. She would have fun with him tonight, enjoy herself and move on; that was all there was to it.

She grabbed her purse from the bedside table and went to check on the kids. They were already dressed and bursting at the seams to go. Arizona ran up to her mother as soon as she saw her, “Mommy. I look like a fairy princess.”

Jessica grinned at her daughter and immediately dropped to her haunches to pull her little girl into a spontaneous hug. “You don’t just look like a princess, you are a princess, darling,” she affirmed, placing kisses on both cheeks.

Arizona giggled and planted precious kisses of her own on her mother’s cheeks. Jessica’s heart turned over in her chest. Whatever else might be wrong in her life, she knew the one thing she had gotten right was having these two kids. They were beyond precious. She extended an arm to pull Kal into the hug and he let out a put-upon sigh. Jessica hid a grin as he came forward with pretend-reluctance and was promptly absorbed into the group hug.

Five minutes later, she was shepherding them through the doors of Thomas Cooper’s mansion. It wasn’t in any way a house; it was a mansion. It sprawled at one corner of Exotic Rescue, and towered above most buildings in its vicinity. It was pristine, extravagant and surprisingly homey. She liked it as soon as she walked through the doors. There were no ostentatious displays of wealth in anyway at all. Everything was necessary but in the first lap of luxury.

The kids cooed with delight when they spied the small goldfish peddling furiously in a glass tank on display in one corner of the house.

Jessica wrenched them away with great effort, only for