Page 18 of One Hot Daddy

"Can I set the table?"Charlotte asks, sliding off her stool.

"Absolutely, sweetie, that would be great."Other children I've lived with never would've asked that question."Thank you, Charlotte.It was very sweet of you to offer."

As she bustles around gathering plates and silverware, I notice how naturally she takes charge of the task.She's clearly used to helping out, probably more than most eleven-year-olds would.

"Jennifer?"Amelia's voice is quieter than her siblings' and more hesitant."Do you really know how to cook?Like, real food?Not just pasta and chicken?"

"Honey, I can make everything from scratch biscuits to beef bourguignon," I tell her."My grandmother taught me to cook when I was about your age.And she taught my mother too."

Amelia's eyes light up."Could you teach me sometime?"

"I'd love to."My heart swells at her request.It's the first genuine interest she's shown in connecting with me.That happened so soon, it warms my heart.

Fletcher watches our exchange with a tender expression that makes my stomach do a little flip.I command myself to concentrate on the pasta, which is nearly done.

"Five-minute warning," I announce."Everyone, wash your hands before dinner, please."

For the first time in my entire career as a child caregiver, I feel like I might have found a family I can love.

And one hot daddy I should never, ever kiss again.

Chapter Nine

Fletcher

The children shuffle up the stairs toward the hallway where their respective bedrooms lie.Joshua and Henry share a room, as do Amelia and Charlotte.That's as it should be.Forcing my youngest daughter to sleep in the same room as my youngest son, the earthworm-lover, would be sheer torture for her.As the two doors click shut, a sigh of relief rushes out of me.

Now that we're alone, I slump down on the sofa opposite Jennifer.She chose the large armchair instead.As I let my head fall back against the thick cushions, a sigh rushes out of me."Crikey.Two superhero movies in one night?That's a new sort of torture."

Jennifer grins."What, you aren't a fan ofSuperman?The seventies versions were the best, if you ask me."

"You will never catch me wearing a skintight blue-and-red suit, and certainly never a cape."

"That's too bad.I think you'd look rather dashing in a cape."Jennifer wags her brows, and her eyes sparkle with mischief."Very heroic, for sure.And you've got the right body for all that Lycra."

I splutter at her suggestion."The children would never let me live it down."

"Really?I bet they'd insist you wear it to parent-teacher conferences."

The image makes me laugh despite my exhaustion."Charlotte would write a four-page essay about superhero gender stereotypes.Joshua would try to build me a utility belt.Henry would demand I rescue his worms from imaginary villains."

"And Amelia would design you a mermaid sidekick costume," Jennifer adds, tucking her legs beneath her in the chair.

I watch her settle into the large, puffy armchair that almost seems to swallow."You handled them perfectly tonight.Dinner, homework, the bedtime negotiations, even the great toothbrush debate that we have every night."

"If toothbrushing is your biggest nightly battle, you're lucky," Jennifer says with a sweetly feminine laugh."My last family had twins who would literally hide in the laundry hamper to avoid bedtime."

"I'm not sure luck has anything to do with it."I stare at her for a moment longer than I reasonably should.The way the lamplight catches her hair makes it glow like burnished copper."Henry once flushed his toothbrush down the toilet because he was convinced it was possessed by evil spirits."

Jennifer's eyebrows shoot up."Evil spirits?"

"Joshua told him the bristles moved on their own at night."I roll my eyes."Cost me three hundred dollars for the plumber, and Henry slept in my bed for a week afterward."

"Poor little guy."Her expression softens, and something in my chest tightens in response.

Gazing at her, I wonder if Jennifer might become a permanent member of the household---at least until all the children have grown into adults and begun their own lives.Once that happens, Jennifer will have no reason to stay here with me.I don't want that, anyway.Marriage had given me only pain and frustration.

But Jennifer is beautiful and sensual.Every time she walks past me---in the upstairs hall, in the kitchen downstairs, or even in the car---the sweet scent of her arouses me.My cock decides now is the time for it to thicken and twitch inside my trousers.The memory of our one and only kiss rushes through me once more, and suddenly, I realize I'm breathing harder.Bloody hell.I need to fuck her immediately.