And fuck knew, his voice was shit. Gravelly and broken. Definitely not suited to singing.
“Daddy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.”
She didn’t move. Didn’t say a thing, but her sobs seemed to ease.
Well, shit.
“And if that mockingbird don’t sing.”
Sniffle. Sniffle. But she eased into him, turning her face from his chest.
“Daddy’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.”
Her small hand wrapped lightly around his bicep as she struggled to get her breathing under control.
“And if that diamond ring turns brass.”
He gave in to temptation. Fuck. Where was his iron control now? He kissed the top of her head. She’d piled h
er hair up and secured it with a big clip. He reached up and undid it, letting those strands of silken hair fall around her shoulders.
“Daddy’s going to buy you a looking glass.”
She tilted her head back, looking up at him through swollen eyes. Her cheeks were wet, her face blotchy, her nose red.
She wasn’t a pretty crier.
And he’d never wanted to kiss someone more.
He closed his eyes on a wince. That was wrong. So wrong.
He had to pull back from her. This wasn’t what he wanted. He couldn’t do this again. He couldn’t allow himself to feel anything for her.
Fuck. He had to find some way of putting some distance between them.
“Spike?” she whispered. “Are you okay?”
He opened his eyes, gazing down at her in shock. “Am I okay?” Pretty sure it should be him asking that.
“You looked to be in pain. Oh.” She glanced down as though just realizing that she was sitting on his lap. “I’m so sorry. I got you all wet.”
I’d like to get you all wet.
Ahh. Shit. Did he really just think that? Was he that much of an ass? He wasn’t eighteen anymore. He was pushing forty. He had more restraint than this.
And he really shouldn’t be able to get it up again so quickly after he’d rubbed one off in the shower, right?
Fuck. She was killing him here.
She scrambled to get off his lap and he held her tight. He doubted she had any idea what she was doing to him with all the jiggling, especially as her towel was resting rather precariously on her breasts. It wouldn’t take much for it to fall off.
“Sit still,” he growled.
She froze and he cursed himself for being an asshole.
“About to lose your towel,” he used as an excuse. Even though he wouldn’t object at all if that towel were to slip.
That glimpse he’d gotten of her body before she’d realized she was naked and had curled into herself . . . well, there was a reason he was hard again.