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Marcus took the tearful little girl, who stopped crying as soon as he lifted her up to his face "Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing?"
The eous, isn’t she?"
He nodded, never once taking his eyes frorin "What’s your name?" he asked the baby as if she could answer, and she happily replied with a gurglinga beat, he used her bib to wipe off the spitand Nicola started falling
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there staring openood Marcus ith the baby--he was nowher as if she was awith it--until the kid’s mother said, "Found the camera"
Nicola snapped to attention as if fro on either side of her, s for the ca for him already She hardly knew hi, or what he did for fun
But, a contrary little voice in her head told her, don’t you already know everything that ood with children and has been kinder--and gentler--to you than anyone else ever has? Not to o up in flames when he kisses you
"Say cheese!"
Nicola siven thousands of ti the past few years But when the woman turned the viewer around and said, "Look at how cute you all are," she was shocked to realize it wasn’t the sa back at her, it was Nicola, a wo utterly bewildered by what had just hit her
Wanting desperately to reset back to nor therades they were in, if they had a favorite song She asked their mother if she could have their email to send special concert tickets over for her show on Saturday night
Finally, Marcus put the baby back in her stroller and gently strapped her in The falad for the movement to hide how unsteady her hands were
Marcus pushed the elevator button again and followed her in, his hand on the sht before when they’d walked out of the club She was i with that sense of safety she’d felt from the first moment she’d met him in the club
She pressed the button for the penthouse suite and when the elevator doors closed, he said, "You were great with those kids"
"I love kids," she ads"
"Honesty ht about Kenny, about how he’d betrayed her trust "Ithow serious a turn their conversation had taken--and that if she wasn’t careful she’d be crying on his shoulder about how bad it hurt to be lied to, she smiled and said, "I’ve never seen a baby take to anyone so fast"
He didn’t deflect her compliment, but simply said, "I’ve spent a lot of time with babies over the years"
She’d wanted to ask hi with his mother, but she hadn’t let herself because she’d been afraid of building a connection deeper than sex with him Well, she was already screwed on that front, wasn’t she? How could it possibly hurt much more to drill the screw in a little deeper?