“Well, maybe. But syrup isn’t poisonous.”
“All right,” he conceded with a shake of his head. “A pinch of brown sugar and a drop of syrup. Understood?”
There was no way she was agreeing to that, but she was also smart enough not to outright tell him so. “Do you want me to set the table, Daddy?”
“That would be great, babygirl. Bowls are in that cabinet.”
Sliding out of her chair, she crossed the kitchen and opened the door he’d indicated, grabbing two colorful bowls from the shelf. A quick search yielded spoons and mugs for the coffee he’d apparently brewed before waking her. After setting the table, she poured them each a fresh cup. Something about the simple routine settled her, soothed an uneasiness she’d become so accustomed to she barely even recognized its existence any longer.
With the table set, she turned to ask if there was anything else she could do and found herself nearly nose to nose with Owen. The blue of his eyes seemed darker, warmer somehow than usual, and there was an intensity to them that sent her pulse scrambling.
His gaze dropped to her lips, and he lifted a hand to her cheek, the pad of his thumb tracing the outline of her lower lip. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you from the moment you walked into my office all those weeks ago.”
Yes, please. “Oh?”
“Mmhmm. You were so passionate, so full of righteous fury. And when I called you out on it, and you were so stubborn about admitting the truth, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kiss you or spank you.”
“I guess we know what you chose.” Shame heated her cheeks at the memory. There was disappointment there, as well, that he’d elected to see her as nothing more than a naughty child in the end.
“And you have no idea how hard it was. I chose what I felt you needed from me most at the time.”
“And now?” A tiny spark of hope lit inside of her, and she held her breath as if even the slightest wind might extinguish it.
“Now…I would very much like to kiss you, Julia.”
Without waiting for her response, he closed the short distance between them, his lips capturing her own. He tasted of coffee, a hint of mint, and something elusive she couldn’t quite place, a taste that was uniquely him.
Never in her life had she been kissed like this. Slow and tender, almost brutal in its sweetness. Everything inside her went soft, and she surrendered with a sigh. He took his time, exploring her with all the wonder of a man who had just discovered a great treasure.
When they finally pulled apart, she nearly wept at the sense of loss.
He opened his eyes, emotion darkening the pale blue, and her heart kicked into high gear. All her life, she’d dreamed of having a man look at her this way, as though his entire being was focused on her and only her.
“Sweet, beautiful Julia,” he murmured, brushing another kiss, feather soft, across her lips. “I could spend all day kissing you and consider it time very well spent.”
It wasn’t fair for him to say things like that when they both knew this…whatever it was they were doing, wouldn’t last beyond the weekend. Tears sprung unbidden to her eyes and she blinked them away, forcing herself to give him a sassy smile. “I guess it’s too bad you already planned to spend the day punishing me instead, huh?”
The smile he gave her in return was sad, and she could swear it was tinged with at least a hint of regret. “That seems like a good enough segue. Have a seat and we can discuss your next punishments over breakfast.”