Daddy on Demand / Déjà You: Daddy on Demand / Déjà You. Lynda Sandoval

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СКАЧАТЬ Collin had his hands shoved into his jeans’ pockets and remained on the quiet side.

      She worried that she had made a mistake and gone too far with him. She couldn’t blame it on the liquor, either, since she’d said those things before she drank—and never did finish the cosmo and maybe had two sips of the wine. But she hadn’t needed the alcohol; she was high on being with him and knowing he’d wanted her company.

      When he didn’t remark on her comment, she stopped and gazed up at a lit storefront on the second floor. She liked this open-air-mall type of shopping.

      “Oh, look. Tattoos.”

      “No.” Collin took hold of her arm just above the elbow and urged her forward.

      “It’s my skin.”

      “Then respect it more. I’m going to follow an old military custom. You work for me, therefore your skin is my property until we end this contract. You do not mar my property. Not even if you invite me to watch.”

      She knew better than to respond to that line. Instead she gazed up at the twinkling white lights in the trees and outlining the arching bridges over the canals. “This is like Christmas 365 days a year.”

      When she spotted a store with postcards, she asked Collin to wait and dashed inside to buy a handful to send to her niece, Trudy.

      “Going to rebuild your scrapbook collection?” Collin asked when she emerged with her bag of choices.

      “I don’t do that, but my niece, Sayer’s daughter, does. Like most people from out of state, she thinks Texas is still the Wild West.”

      “There’s another gift shop. Want to get some T-shirts for the other nieces or nephews? There’s an Alamo piggy bank.”

      “Okay, I can take a hint. I’m done.” She glanced down at her feet. “Besides, these heels aren’t the best idea on this sidewalk.”

      “What you women do for fashion.”

      “Be nice. I could have gone upstairs and changed into my sneakers, and then I’d be ready to walk the whole length of this place.”

      “I promise you that I would have slung you over my shoulder and carried you back to the hotel if you’d tried.”

      Seeing his crooked smile, she felt better. He was over being annoyed with her.

      In the elevator, though, they were joined by a couple who were unabashedly enraptured with each other and had no interest in waiting until they were in their room to begin getting intimate. Cuddling in the opposite corner, the young woman was leaning back against her partner and the hip action while slow was flagrant. He had his arms around her and his fingers were diving inside her sweater to stroke the sides of her breasts. It was a relief to get out at their floor. The couple was heading several levels up.

      Sabrina stopped once the elevator doors closed again and pressed her hand to her chest. “Do you think they’ll make it there?”

      “What I do know is that there’ll be no need for them to rent an adult film.”

      Continuing down the long hallway, it was strange how they avoided looking at each other. Conversation dried up, too. She was relieved to reach her door.

      “Well, thank you again. I did enjoy it.” She concentrated very hard on getting her room key out of her purse. “Um…what time do you want to leave in the morning?”

      “Is 7:00 too early for you?”

      “Not at all. Good night then.” She knew he was going to be a perfect gentleman, waiting until she was inside with the door safely shut and secured behind her, and that made her self-conscious and clumsy. She missed the slot completely the first time she tried. The second time she withdrew it too soon and the green light didn’t come on. “This is humiliating,” she told him. “Could you at least wait by your own door?”

      Instead he took the card key from her and calmly unlocked her door for her. Holding it open with his left hand, he handed the card back with his right, then caressed her lower lip with his thumb. “You are an utter delight. Good night.”

      Shutting the door and turning the second bolt, she stood there and waited. Then she heard a brushing sound against the wood and footsteps as he walked to his room. She waited for his door to open and close…and waited. Her heart began to pound anew.

      Finally he did retreat into his room.

      Sabrina touched her fingers where he’d stroked her and wondered if he would ever kiss her—and would that be enough?

      Chapter Five

      Shortly after the calendar flipped to November, Cassidy delivered Gena and Addison up to Dallas. Sabrina couldn’t imagine what they were feeling and did her best to put on a bright smile, as did Collin, who had taken the afternoon off to be there, too.

      Cass described how excited the girls had acted all the way up from San Antonio. Getting a new room would be like going on vacation. It hadn’t really registered in their three-year-old minds that the cost of that meant not getting to see their mommy for months. As soon as everyone hugged, Genie and Addie ran down the hall to see their room. Squeals of delight quickly emanated from there.

      “Sounds like a hit to me,” Cassie drawled. Then she groaned as she lowered their suitcases to the floor and let her shoulder bag slide down her arm. “That stuff weighs more than the backpacks we hauled during training.”

      Shoving her purse out of her way, she came to Collin for a hug. “You look almost ashen. Everything okay? Too late to run scared now.”

      “It was too late as soon as you told me that you were being deployed,” he said looking none too happy with that memory. He held out his hand. “You and Sabrina talk. Give me your keys and I’ll go get the rest of their things from the car.”

      “I’ll go, too. That’s too much to carry in one trip.”

      Collin plucked the keys out of her grasp. “There must be a hundred last-minute instructions or girly things you’ll want to pass on to Sabrina, and I’d only embarrass her and annoy you by asking what all that means.”

      He was out the door before his sister could say anything else. Cassidy looked from the closed door to Sabrina.

      “What’s wrong?”

      “He’s anxious for you, you must know that?”

      Running her hands through her short, wind-swept curls, Cassie’s lips curved with sardonic amusement. “That I get. It’s the tension that wafted out of here the instant the door opened. And you were hanging back watching him, then refused to make eye contact when he looked over his shoulder at you. My brother doesn’t doubt himself or get worried about women because he simply doesn’t let himself care beyond mutual gratification. I’m getting the feeling that you’re messing with his damaged mindset.”

      “He’s been working a great deal of overtime so he can take some days to spend with the girls.”

      “And when he’s not at the office?”

      “He’s sleeping.”

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