Free Sugar Daddy by Nicole Andrews Moore Page A

time.” Then, walking as briskly as her body would allow, she herded the girls up to their room.
     
    Half an hour later, after Rory and Zoe had bathed in her enormous tub and been dried in thick towels warmed on her heated towel bar, brushed teeth, combed hair, and put on the palest of pink pajamas, they climbed onto their mother’s bed to hear a story. That was where Gavin found them. He had paced impatiently, watching the clock, wondering what was taking so long before finally breaking down and rushing up the stairs two at a time.
    He had paused first outside of their bedroom door, half expecting to hear screaming children objecting to going to bed. To his considerable surprise, the room was vacant. With a great deal of trepidation, he managed to drag himself down the hall to her room. The double doors were flung wide open and they were all on Hannah’s bed, nestled amongst the pillows as she read them a story.
    At first he thought he would just slink back down the stairs, but he was quickly enthralled by the sound of Hannah’s voice as she read a story to her girls. It was a story he had never read before, though he was more than a little familiar with the title: The Little Prince. As he neared the door, he realized that she was just beginning the story; he had missed nothing more than the dedication.
    “ Once when I was a little boy,” she began.
    That was all it took. He was hooked. She read with…passion. And as spellbound as he was, he forgot why he had come. All he knew was that he needed to listen to her read this story. It was as though his very life depended on it. Before he realized it, she was done for the night.
    “Okay ladies,” she said affectionately, “tomorrow night we pick up where we left off.” She gingerly lifted each girl from the bed, wincing at times, and hugged her and spun her toward the door. “Time to go to your room to sleep, then I have to meet Gavin downstairs.”
    Feeling sheepish, Gavin tried to make a hasty retreat. Naturally he was spotted. Rory was smiling at him and offered a little wave. Placing a finger over his lips, he slowly backed away and headed to the study. The fire was going really well. Sierra would be here any time to set up. He closed his eyes. And soon after that, Hannah would be lying naked on the massage table. He squeezed his eyes even more tightly shut, trying not to picture that image. It was no good. Hannah naked was all he could imagine. Turning away from the fire, he sighed.
     
    “You wanted to see me,” Hannah said poking her head in the door.
    He nearly groaned audibly. Interesting choice of words. Of course he wanted to see her. That was precisely what he was imagining. Instead he pulled himself together and tried to maintain a professional manner as he grabbed the robe he had lying over the back of the nearest leather chair.
    “This is for you. You’ll need to undress and come back down wearing only that.” He passed her the robe and watched in surprise as her eyes narrowed.
    “Huh,” she began, licking her lips as she prepared to give him a tongue-lashing. “That didn’t take long.”
    “What?” He asked, genuinely confused.
    “I know what you must think of me, the way I negotiated my stay, and my pay, the way I moved in with a complete stranger. I’m sure you’ll find it hard to believe that I’m not that type of girl.” She folded her arms across her chest angrily.
    “And just what type of girl is that?” He asked. Instantly, he realized what she was thinking and tried to hide his laughter. “So, you’re not the type of girl who likes a massage when she injures her back?” He raised his eyebrows in challenge.
    She swallowed. This was going to be one of those awkward moments when she was going to have to eat her words. Damn. “A massage?” She asked weakly. “This is about a massage?”
    “Yes, Hannah,” Gavin said. “A woman will be here in a few minutes to give you a massage.” He watched her emotions radically change