Daddy’s Little Assistant by Lila Fox
Chapter Seven
It was close to noon when Eli stepped back and surveyed the room. He loved what Kinley had done to make it nice. He would never have thought about pillows and a blanket for the large sofa or the artwork on the walls. They had even picked up curtains for the windows and books and knickknacks for the shelves on one wall.
He had several other things he already owned that he would bring to personalize it even more.
All morning, he had touched Kinley in one way or another to get her used to him. If it was touching her hand while she handed him something to a hand on her back when he passed her. It told him a lot when she always leaned toward him, not away. At no time did she flinch from him, and there were a few times she’d touched him.
“Hey, I think we’re done.”
Kinley grinned and looked around. “It looks nice.”
“I think it’s great. I couldn’t have done this without you. Thank you for helping me, honey.”
He could tell his praise made her extremely happy.
“Would it be weird to ask for a hug?”
His eyes widened in shock. He loved that she instigated it.
“Not at all.” He opened his arms. The breath caught in his throat when she was pressed against him, with the side of her head on his chest and her arms around his waist. “This is wonderful. I like having you in my arms.”
“I like this, too,” she whispered.
He squeezed her and stepped back but held on to her shoulders.
“You can ask me for a hug anytime.”
She pressed her hands to her own chest and smiled. “I’d like that.”
It almost physically hurt him to release her. Every molecule in his body was screaming for him to pull her back and keep the connection they’d just had.
He dropped his arms. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes. Are you?”
“Yes, all I got was coffee this morning.”
Her brows snapped together. “You didn’t have breakfast?”
He bit his lip to keep from smiling at the outrage on her face, and her hands flew to her hips.
“No, I forgot.”
“Never again. Don’t you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?”
He tipped his head forward. “I’ve heard that.”
“I will make sure you’re fed every morning.”
Damn, could she get any cuter or make him feel the depth of emotion more than he already did? He was afraid she was going to become a part of his soul very quickly. It was remarkable that it felt like he’d known her for weeks instead of two days, and that she’d gotten as close as she had.
He cleared his throat. “How about we grab some lunch, and then after, we’ll go up to the condo and make a list?”
She practically bounced in place. “I’d love that.”
“Good. Let’s check in with Mrs. Bennet to see if you’re free this afternoon.”
“Okay.”
Eli guided her down the hallway toward the elevators and stopped at the desk.
“Mrs. Bennet, is there anything you need Kinley for today?”
“Not that I can think of, dear.”
“Good, I need her help. We got the office set up and were going to lunch, and then we’ll be up in the condo making a list of the things I’ll need for now.”
“That’s fine.”
“Would you like us to bring you back lunch, ma’am?”
Mrs. Bennet smiled at Kinley. “No. I brought mine, but thank you. I have a suggestion. Would you like to stay with Mr. Turner, and if the eggheads need your help, we’ll call you? It will be easier to find you.”
“Really?”
Eli and Mrs. Bennet smiled at the enthusiasm in her tone. “I’d like that very much. Unless…”
She turned toward him with a worried expression. “Do you really want me around all the time?”
Eli chuckled. “I’d love it. If I could, I’d glue you to my side.”
Kinley snorted and wrinkled her nose. “Why in the world would you do that?”
“So, I know where you’re at all the time.”
“Oh, okay.”
“We’ll see you later, Mrs. Bennet.”
“You two have fun.”
Kinley waved at the older lady as the elevator doors closed. “You’ll tell me if me being with you starts to bug you, won’t you, Eli?”
He smoothed down her hair. “Baby, that’s not going to happen. In fact, I’d really like to get a desk for you in the office.”
“In your office?”
“Yes. There’s plenty of space.”
“Really?”
He laughed at the disbelief in her tone. “Really.”
He started sweating when she didn’t say anything. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? If not, we’ll figure something else out.”
They walked off the elevator, and she still hadn’t said anything. He finally stopped her outside the building. When he saw the tears, his heart dropped.
“I’m sorry, honey. The last thing I want is to make you sad.”
She smiled, sniffed back her tears, and laid a hand on his chest. “You didn’t. In fact, the opposite is true. I’ve never had my own space here. I go from office to office and sit in the lounge if there’s nothing for me to do.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I know that it had to be discouraging.” A woman like her needed stability, and she hadn’t had it for a long time. He was determined to give her everything she needed.
She nodded, rested against him, and put her small hands on his waist.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her until the lunch crowd started to bump into them.
“Let’s get going.”
She nodded and took the hand he held out to her.
