AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She meets my gaze, forever undaunted by me. Why would I imagine any differently? Zakiya meets the world with a try-me attitude that’s just as sexy as the brief glimpses of her soft side.Bathing in her tenderness is as desirable as being skewered by her determination. All sides of her work as a lure for me.
“You’re in a meeting. We can come back later.” She takes Jinx’s hand, ready to turn away.
I catch Jinx’s disappointment before she clears her face, and that pisses me off more than anything else. More than ever I wish her mother were alive to question exactly what hell she forced my daughter to endure.
“Mattia, whenever my daughter asks to see me, I don’t care what I’m in the middle of, you let her in.” I snare Zakiya in my stare. “That goes for Ms. Chase as well.” I move out of the way to let them in.
Jinx hesitantly crosses the threshold, her eyes wide as she discovers the world I inhabit.
“I’ll get her supplies so she won’t bother you.” Zakiya rushes off before I can protest.
I return to my desk and allow Jinx to roam free. Now and then, I feel her peering at me.
“Is it okay for her to be here?” Jamal follows my daughter with a peculiar look on his face.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I stare at him, daring him to object.
“No reason. I’m just surprised you’d let a kid be this close to business talk.”
I watch Jinx, not hiding my affection. “She’s different.”
With my intentions laid bare, Jamal switches to talking in code, using benign language that won’t traumatize the little girl, and checking on her periodically.
Zakiya returns with an easel, brushes, and paints, but Jinx foregoes the distraction to close the distance between us. I arch my brow at her and she signs the word lap and points at me.
I’m amazed by her memory from the one visit with Tácito. With a smile, I push my chair away from my desk, creating a gap.When I open my arms, Jinx sheds her hesitation and rushes to climb onto my lap.
“Where’s your stuffed bear?” I ask.
She shrugs as if for days on end she hadn’t kept a stranglehold on the toy as if her life depended on it. I guess I should be flattered she’s comfortable enough to not rely on the bear for a sense of security.
I give her a pen and blank piece of paper despite her having a full studio available steps away. She takes it and eagerly starts drawing. While half my attention is on her, I clock the moment Zakiya pats her pant leg before creeping past Mattia. She’s wearing another affront to her charms, and it takes everything I have in me not to do what I did last night. Only the eyes of my men stay my hand because I’d rather not kill faithful soldiers for the sin of setting their unworthy sights on my woman.
A shadow off to the side moves, telling me Aurelio won’t lose sight of her if she leaves the premises without informing me.
Jamal clears his throat. “Do you think the person who left you candid photos is also the one leaving gifts for us to find?”
I shake my head. “This feels different.”
The pictures stopped showing up after Zakiya entered the picture. Her real boss may be the responsible party. Either way, I never felt threatened by them, only frustrated that the person could get around every security measure I implemented. A lot like how Zakiya avoids detection when my men actively pursue her.
After leaving Jamal to find the hacker making a mockery of my security, I grab an extra pen and start doodling in the top corner of the sheet she’s working on. She spins her head to look at me with a smile.
“Doesn’t Zakiya draw with you?”
She nods but a slight frown dampens her momentary happiness.
“Did your mother draw with you?”
She shakes her head and returns her attention to the page. I allow the silence to lengthen as the image she painstakingly draws comes together better than the wriggly spider-looking abomination I attempted. There are three figures holding hands, a little girl, a man, and a woman.
“Is this us?” My heart stills while I wait for her answer, hoping but trying not to scare the little girl who might be the key to getting Zakiya to stay.
She nods and signs the motions for family.
“You want Zakiya to be your mother?”
Jinx bites her lip and nods again. Her eyes shine with yearning.
