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“Oh yeah? Then why are eighty percent of women wearing the wrong bra size?” He stabbed the pause button. “Read that interesting tidbit in the pamphlet they sent with your bra order. Eighty percent. No one gets it.”
Love him
“I don’t know. Sorry.” Christ, he didn’t understand his own daughter. Every time he opened his mouth that became more and more obvious. He’d had no sisters. No siblings at all growing up. His youth was nothing but hockey, as was the entire life that followed. French braids and training bras and the politics of elementary school girls were an alien language to him that became more indecipherable by the day. Whenever it was Burgess’s turn to have Lissa, she grew more unreachable. Or he grew denser. It was hard to say which.
my dad was the same way oml
He hadn’t imagined the seemingly immediate bond between his daughter and Tallulah. And he was as envious of it as he was grateful.
“I can’t not order it.” “Be strong.” “Be strong,” she mimicked, adorably. “You can’t do a French braid, but you can concoct a whole scheme to funnel me into an apartment of your choosing?”
Burgess had the most inappropriate urge to pick her up and hold her. He couldn’t think of a better use for his strength than wrapping it around her after an admission like that.
bro you dont know her... calm down with the saviour shit.
Burgess took the seat across from Tallulah, ordering himself to act natural, despite the semi he was sprouting in his briefs.
thirsty ass
She squinted one eye. “Do you feel bad about breaking that guy’s nose?” The question caught him off guard. “Do I feel bad?”
Why is that such a big deal ?
“I’ve never laid a hand on a woman in my fucking life and I never will.” Her chest sank all the way down and fired back up, her fingers twitching around her smoothie cup. She started to say something, but no words came out. That telling reaction caused Burgess to dig his fingertips into his thigh hard enough to cause pain, his pulse pumping loudly in his ears. Name the dead man who hurt you.
Not a friend. Not someone to whom she’d be interested in spilling her guts.
Ya'lls best friends are together, you are something.
“I like knowing what you like.” It took him a moment to register what he’d said—and more importantly, that he’d said it out loud.
As a vegan,
ew
High-protein, low-carb. Blech.
girl stfu, you are a vegan
This was her employer now. A kid was in the mix. And he was thirty-seven to her twenty-six. Not always a deal-breaker, but one to think about, because she wasn’t ready to settle down. No, her goal was to start taking flight again.
Ya'll are gonna fall in love... Be fr
“Oh shit,” Corrigan shouted. “Dad is touchy today.” Mailer chewed on the end of his mouthpiece. “He’s going to turn this car back right around if we’re not careful. No Disneyland for us.” “If I was your dad,” Burgess drawled. “I’d have abandoned you in the parking lot a long time ago.”
The irony of her already being in his home—and off-limits—was not lost on him whatsoever.
“I don’t think I’ll be finding out,” she blurted, sounding suspiciously breathy. “Will I?”
WILL I!?
know how orgasms are donated. You don’t know how I donate them. I don’t think I’ll be finding out. Will I? Your call, Tallulah.
“He’s hot.” “He is,” Tallulah blurted. “He’s extremely hot.” “In like a mean Daddy way.” “I know. I know.” Tallulah drained her drink. “Not that it matters. I work for him.” “I know, right?” She stage-whispered over the music. “Why does that make it hotter?”
“Can I get you to autograph this napkin, man?” asked the frat guy behind Tallulah. “No,” Sig replied, without missing a beat. Chloe’s lips pressed into a line for a tense second, but she brightened almost just as quickly. “It’s okay.” She smiled sweetly at the frat guy. “I’ll write my number on it, instead.” Sig snorted and crossed his arms. Until the guy happily produced a pen, extending it toward Chloe. The hockey player intercepted it. “Fine, an autograph. You want it personalized?”
“You could say I’m old-fashioned, sure.” “It’s very mean Daddy of you,” she whispered. Burgess’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “It’s what?” “Ooh.” She winced. “I shouldn’t have said that.” “Now that you have, though, you need to explain.” She shook her head. He nodded. One of her shoulders drooped. “Well. Chloe and I were talking about you and . . . it was sort of decided that you were hot in a mean Daddy kind of way.” “Mean Daddy.” “Don’t be offended—it’s a good thing. For you, not me. I don’t have a horse in this race, you know?” She squeezed her eyes closed. “I’m going to regret every
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told him my boyfriend was coming to pick me up. He’s going to think that’s you. Could you maybe . . . be convincing?” Burgess’s whole body was beginning to thrum. “Convincing how?” “Could you kiss me? One time. I’ll never ask again—” He went into the kiss like a bear being handed a pot of honey after a winter in hibernation. Stiffness, sweat, lust—these things all drilled him at once, like a reverberating blow. And his body, his hands, his mouth, just moved. Found and took. He gathered Tallulah against him with a forearm, drawing her up onto her tiptoes, and he growled into his first taste of
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“If you’re implying I don’t know how to make a woman wet, I’d be happy to disprove your theory, gorgeous. I only need one hand to drive this car.”
BRO SLOW DOWN
grumpy, set-in-his-ways hockey player before she could blink—and that wasn’t the life full of freedom and new experiences that she wanted. But. Maybe she could play Ted Lasso and leave this family better off than she found them. She could help Burgess revive his social life, thus making him happier and a better father. In return, she could go on her adventures securely.
Maybe a securs relationship is what you need? Also, he doesn't need to change his social habits for YOU. That's an ick towards you girl
Wow. Really, it was Tallulah’s fault for asking. She’d walked right into that sticky web of knowledge and now the SUV was filled with a charged silence, although if she listened closely, she could hear the muscle ticking in Burgess’s cheek. Move on. Pretend he was kidding.
And? Why are you mad?
resocialize you.” “Christ, Tallulah. You make it sound like I’ve been living among the wolves. I choose not to be social. People are fucking annoying.” “Maybe you just haven’t met the right one yet.”
Love him
“Just want to mention that I’m happy to give, not just receive. In fact, I fucking love giving, Tallulah.” She blinked up at him, shock spearing down to her toes. “Excuse me?” “Massages.” He winked at her. “I’m talking about massages. What did you think I meant?” Then he continued on his merry way, whistling. Whistling. “See you tomorrow.”
“That’s why I thought it would be fun to bring you to a singles mixer.”
Wtf is her problem
“I’d be happy to help you out next time,” laughed Pinstripes. Burgess’s head turned so slowly, time seemed to be moving backward. Birds flew overhead, children laughed and cried on the playground, cars honked, the earth rotated around the sun, and still he was in the process of turning his head. “What do you mean by that, buddy?” Burgess asked, his tone dripping with malice. Only, the way he said “buddy” sounded more like “future corpse.”
Burgess stared her right in the eye while ripping the stack of business cards in half and holding them up, letting the wind take them in eighty directions. “We clear?” “Oh,” she whispered, feeling suddenly and dizzyingly light. “I don’t know—” “The only woman I’m calling is you.”
Burgess propped a forearm on the top of the doorjamb, pleased to see her attention zip over to his right bicep. “Did I see you watching from the window?” “What?” She sounded dazed. “Oh, I was just . . . making sure Lissa got into the car okay.” “Were you worried I’d put her into the wrong car?”
“I’m not,” she murmured, still breathing hard.
Girl... You haven't done casual in how long because of the incident so like??? This is so stupid. I do not like the use of that trope, the author could have just had her be a party girl with no commitment instead of this dumbassery.
For now, he needed to let her feel free to say whatever she wanted to him, touch him however she wanted, without worrying he was going to press the issue of a relationship.
Nah... I don't like that.
“A few reasons. One, you work for me. You’re the nanny, Tallulah. It sounds like some ridiculous porn category and nothing about the way I feel about you is ridiculous. Two . . .” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “I guess I want to be important to you. It’ll be easier for you to pretend I’m not important once I become the man you’re hooking up with. Instead of the man you could . . . maybe fall for someday. When I take you to bed for the first time, I want you looking back at me like you might. Like you could, you know. Fall for me.” He cleared his throat extra hard. “And three, I won’t
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Love him
“I wouldn’t do this unless it was necessary,” he said, the words catching on rough inhales, grunts as his hand moved faster. Faster. “But it’s either fuck myself or fuck you before we have an understanding, so keep shaking them.”
Bro you have seen boobs before !!
“Uh-huh.” He looked her right in the eye while reaching down to grip her sex in a big hand. “When you’re ready to call me your man, I’m going to spit on this hot little cunt and call it mine before I fuck it. Go ahead. Lie and tell me you don’t want that.”
“Last but not least, Bearcats family . . . you know him as the Blight of Boston, the Menace of Massachusetts. Make some noise for number fifty-nine, Sir Savage himself, Burgess Abraham.”
“Hey! Oh my God, I’m so late!” Tallulah turned just in time to watch Chloe bounce into her seat with a ripple of blond hair and a pink jersey with the name Gauthier on the back. She dropped her purse and threw her arms around Tallulah’s neck. “I’m so glad you decided to come!” “I’m still reserving judgment on the sport itself, but I’m happy to see you, too!” She hugged Chloe, laughing fondly over her excitement. “Do you know Burgess’s daughter, Lissa?” “Yes! We met in the team box last season.” Chloe leaned forward to look at Lissa, gasping. “Wait, you’re like even cuter now. Stop.” Someone
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Love her
“The divorce made me realize how flawed I am. It also made me realize how quickly the things I rely on can . . . go away. So I held on tighter to hockey, but the look in the mirror has me noticing flaws everywhere. On the ice. Off. I’m constantly looking for signs that my career is over.”
Not knowing what else to do but retreat, Tallulah scrambled to her feet and bolted for the door, forgetting the sweatshirt.
Girl..
“What happens in my room?” “I . . . I . . . what?” “This is where you come to be fed, Tallulah.” His magical fingers picked up the pace that much more and she whimpered, squeezing her thighs around his hand. “Nowhere else and no exceptions. I tend to you. Especially after you get on your knees and suck my cock raw.”
And when she turned at the stove with a deer in the headlights expression, he knew that probably wasn’t going to be easy.
Girl... Why are you acting like that?
“Tell me you want to be the only one who sees my bare chest, Tallulah, and it’s done.” He wound her hair around his fist and tugged her head back with just enough force to make her suck in a breath. “Matter of fact, it’s done either way. Feel free to add some nail marks to it.” His au pair appeared to be adorably scandalized. “Burgess.”
His hand was large and reassuring around hers, their fingers weaving together naturally. So natural. Just like being around him with her guard down felt now. Perfect. Easy. Like breathing.
“It’s worth a shot.” He framed her face in his hand, studying her features one at a time. Lips, nose, chin, eyes. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll try something else. And something else after that . . .”
Burgess looked back over his shoulder to find the absolute last thing he wanted to see, which was his ex-wife standing at the bumper of her car with an exaggerated wince on her face. And Lissa on the other side of the passenger side window with tears streaking down her cheeks.
Oh fuck...
Burgess’s daughter launched herself out onto the sidewalk before her mother had a chance to open the door. And when all her twelve-year-old fury was directed solely at Tallulah, not him or his ex, Burgess remembered what he’d missed with stunning clarity and his heart sank down into his boots. “You promised me you weren’t going to steal my dad,” Lissa shouted, her voice high-pitched and wobbly. “You are such a liar!” “Lissa!” Burgess roared out of pure shock. Steal him. Liar? “We’re going to calm down and talk about this, but there is no reason for you to speak to Tallulah like that.
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can’t bring Lissa with me.”
Why can't you bring her...?
But as she climbed into the back of a black sedan moments later, misery clogged his throat while he watched her drive away, wondering if their relationship was too new, too fragile to survive the blow it had just been dealt.
For fuck sakes...
“Wow,” Chloe echoed. “Don’t get any toxic masculinity in my hot chocolate.” Sig tapped her nose. “I have a five-hundred-dollar Sephora gift card waiting in the car and a banana acai bowl for you to eat on the drive over.” Chloe turned on a heel and started walking. “Good luck, Tallulah.” Tallulah watched in shocked fascination as Sig ushered his future stepsister out of the apartment, the door closing neatly behind them, but not before Sig could shoot them a smirk. “Sold out for acai,” she muttered. “I guess it really is a superfruit.”
Burgess was asking for something monumental. Not only to be in a relationship with him, which was enough of a leap for her, in itself. But to essentially . . . co-parent.
Girl... You were also the nanny so it's a different situation since you HAD a relationship with his daughter. Stop overthinking.
