of running my tongue along the exposed parts of her skin between the chains before heading all the way down. Another part of me was struck fucking dumb by how much I preferred this look to the skimpy designer dresses girls usually wore when I picked them up.
I had nothing against skimpy designer dresses. In fact, I used to love them. Sundress season used to be my favorite time of year in the city. But apparently, that had changed.
Adi’s face popped up behind April, and she gave me an excited wave. “Hi, Chris. We’re ready. I just need to put on my shoes.”
She disappeared again, but seeing her had reminded me that standing there staring would just be awkward if I let it carry on. “I found your address in your file. It seemed silly to text you for it when you gave it to us just last week.”
“I gave it to you to have on file for medical reasons, though. Not dates. But I forgive you.” Her teeth sank into her lower lip and she seemed to be struggling as much to keep her eyes on mine as I was having with not letting my own gaze stray again.
“So,” I said, trying to remind myself that there was a nine-year-old in the vicinity. “Was it too short notice to get someone to watch Adi?”
“No.” She lifted her chin into the air and her expression grew serious. “I don’t like to play games. If you really want something out of this, she’s part of the package. If you’d rather not take us to dinner now that you know, that’s fine. I would’ve told you earlier, but you didn’t exactly give me the chance.”
“I didn’t give you the chance because you would’ve turned me down again out of some misplaced determination to protect me from you and your baggage.” I didn’t have to give the Adi part of her statement a second thought. “It’s perfect if she comes with us. I was kind of hoping she would.”
It wasn’t even a lie. After speaking to Hunter, I’d given some serious thought to what he’d said, as well as my arguments against asking April out.
Maybe April’s guard was up, and maybe we were both busy, but there was something here, and I wanted to explore it. Sometimes, waiting for the right time meant missing that gap, and I didn’t want to take that chance with her.
I’d also known that if I went for it, it wouldn’t be a one-night fling. I didn’t know where this would lead, but she didn’t strike me as the type who messed around. Because of that, I’d considered the fact that she was a mother and that Adi wasn’t going anywhere.
Despite it all, I’d decided to go for it. A few years ago, her coming right out and saying she didn’t like to play games might’ve scared me off.
But now, it did the opposite. It even kind of turned me on.
“I’m not here to play games, either,” I said, holding her gaze so she would see how serious I was before taking a peek over her shoulder. “Now, where’s Adi? I wanted to get her opinion about pineapple on pizza.”
“I love it,” she yelled from somewhere inside, then came hobbling toward us while still in the process of sliding one foot into her shoe. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of the haters. Mom is, but I’ve forgiven her for it.”
“There’s nothing better than a Hawaiian pizza.” I grinned, stepping back and holding out a hand to each of them. As I did, I realized why Adi had been taking so long to get her shoes on.
They were sneakers, and from the mess happening with her laces, I took an educated guess they were giving her some trouble. “Do you mind if I tie those for you? It’s really good for dexterity, and I’m always on the lookout for an opportunity to improve mine.”
April glanced down at her daughter’s feet as I motioned to them, a storm suddenly brewing in her eyes when she looked back at me. I knew she was blaming herself for not noticing immediately, and she was probably nervous about how Adi was going to react, but the little girl only gave a surprised chuckle.
“Oh, sure,” she said. “I was going to ask Mom to help. It was taking too long.”
April’s mouth turned down. Without thinking about it, I took her hand when I moved past her and gave it a reassuring squeeze.