An Indecent Proposal (The O'Malleys #3) - Katee Robert Page 0,96

both hands into the sink, sending a wave of water onto both her and Cillian. She froze, her eyes getting shiny and her face screwing up into what promised to be an epic meltdown.

“No, no, no.” He moved fast, grabbing a cup and handing it to her. “A little water never hurt anyone. Now we’re ready to really get to work.” He took her hand and guided it into the water, rinsing off the plastic cup. “See—easy. Isn’t this fun?”

Frankly, he didn’t know what the fuck a fourteen-month-old found fun other than princess movies, but she gave him a tentative grin and dunked the cup again. He stayed close in case she somehow managed to get into the sink and went to work on the pot. Hadley seemed completely content to splash around with her cup, making little noises that might be words in a few months.

He set the pot to the side and picked up the first plate. “I really like your mama, Hadley. And you’re pretty cute, too.” She was adorable enough to get away with murder, which was something he’d have to keep in mind, because she turned those liquid eyes on him and he handed over a plate without thinking. Damn. But he’d do what it took to keep her happy and distracted from what was going on. He doubted she was aware enough to realize the full extent of it, but in case she was, he needed her to know that there was nothing to be afraid of. “I’m going to keep you and your mama safe. No matter what.”

* * *

It took Olivia longer than usual to get Hadley down for bed, but that was as much due to her distraction as her daughter being riled up from “helping” Cillian with the dishes. She kept going back to dinner, to his insistence that she take a little time for herself. As much as she hadn’t wanted to admit it, he was right—that bath had helped relax her and fend off the panic attack that she’d had brewing all day. Then she’d come downstairs to find both Cillian and Hadley soaked and doing more playing in the sink than actually washing dishes. He turned a smile her way that had actually made her skip a step.

She finished the story she’d been absently reading and looked down to find Hadley sleeping soundly. This is how it could be. This is how it’s supposed to be.

Olivia sat on the edge of the bed, staring into the darkness. A truth stared back at her that she’d been doing her damnedest to ignore.

She was in love with Cillian O’Malley.

It had snuck up on her somewhere around the time he offered his help without expecting anything in return, and how he’d been interacting with Hadley only solidified it. Though he obviously didn’t spend much time around kids, he didn’t patronize her daughter or dismiss her, and he didn’t so much as blink at the kind of help a toddler offered. He’d been so incredibly respectful of Olivia’s boundaries and careful when interacting with her in front of Hadley.

Not to mention the sex was out of this world.

She traced the floral pattern of the bedspread. Her heart might be all tangled up in him, but that didn’t mean she had to do anything about it. She snorted. Right. Because going through life alone and playing the martyr was so much more attractive than finding a man who’d actually be a partner—one who’d love both her and Hadley.

Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? You don’t even know how he feels.

No, she didn’t. But a few times today she caught him looking at her with some indefinable expression on his face, and she couldn’t help feeling that he was as caught off guard by the thing growing between them as she’d been. Yeah, he’d wanted to take her out, but a date and riding in to whisk her off to his out-of-town fortress to keep her safe were two different things.

He hadn’t hesitated.

She double-checked on Hadley—still sound asleep—and carefully moved her to the Pack ’N Play. Just because she realized she loved him didn’t mean she had to tell him right away. They had time. Hopefully. If she said anything right now, it would look like she was responding to the fact that he’d brought her here or, worse, that last night had gone to her head.

She wandered back downstairs, and stopped in the doorway when she caught sight of him.