Mom for the CEO's Daughter Read Online Free PDF

wear.”
    Missy crouched beside them. “Are you sure you’re okay, sweetie?”
    Stacy nodded.
    â€œMaybe we can try this again at the end of the summer when she knows us better?”
    â€œThat sounds good.”
    Missy waved and headed to her own beach house.
    Gabe jostled Stacy. “Hey, I thought you loved the triplets.”
    She buried her face in his neck. “I do.”
    â€œSo why were you afraid?”
    She shrugged. “I missed you.”
    The sweet sadness in her little voice affected him as much as her words. No matter how his marriage had ended, he was grateful for this little girl who loved him unconditionally.
    He kissed her temple. “Come on. Let’s get you into bed.”
    He started up the sand toward the deck, but he hadn’t gotten two steps before Stacy suddenly bolted upright in his arms. “Where’s Kara?”
    He stopped walking. “She’s still looking at the ocean.”
    Her lower lip quivered. “I want Kara, too. Not just you.”
    â€œOkay.” He called down to Kara. “Kara, Stacy wants to say goodnight to you. Come inside with us.”
    Wrapping her scarf around her shoulders, she nodded and met them in front of the steps.
    Together they took Stacy to her room. Gabe slid her into pajamas while Kara pulled down the covers.
    Stacy happily snuggled inside.
    Tucking the blankets up to her chin, Gabe said, “You go to sleep now.”
    He walked to the door, but Kara lagged behind. “You don’t ever have to worry that your daddy is going to leave you.”
    Her words broke his heart. Kara recognized Stacy’s fears because she’d experienced them herself. Stacy’s mum might make sure she was fed, but she hadn’t hesitated to drop Stacy off as if she were yesterday’s laundry, not a sensitive little girl. Kara understood what it felt like to be unloved by the very woman who’d given her life.
    She stooped down beside the bed and ruffled her fingers through Stacy’s feather-light bangs. “There are lots and lots of people who love you.” She smiled. “Me included. You never have to be afraid.”
    Stacy nodded.
    Kara kissed her forehead.
    And Gabe knew he was in serious danger of losing his heart.

Chapter Seven
    Gabe spent the night prowling the house, wondering what to do. But in the end he realized he wasn’t antsy because starting something with Kara was wrong. He was antsy because it was right. And the reason he was so hungry, so needy was because he was ready. Really ready.
    But he also wasn’t stupid. The success or failure of this romance would hinge on a well-thought-out, practical plan. No sudden moves. No grand gestures. Just a nice, safe affair that wouldn’t risk either one of their sanities.
    Once that decision had been made, he’d fallen into a deep sleep and hadn’t woken until after nine.
    The next morning, finding Kara already at the coffeepot, he cautiously entered the kitchen. She wore a long skirt and simple blouse with her hair in her typical bun. When she turned, he saw she wore her glasses.
    He didn’t have a librarian fantasy, but the need to remove those glasses and kiss her senseless urged him across the hardwood floor. Still, when he closed the distance between them, he didn’t reach for the black frames. Instead, he kissed her, leaving her glasses on. The other times he’d kissed her, he’d kissed the new woman he was coming to know. This morning, he crossed the line. He kissed his assistant.
    The woman who made his heart swell with yearning. The sexy woman who’d wowed him in her bikini. The sweet woman who danced on the beach.
    There’d be no mistaking his intentions.
    He pulled back. Gazing into her deep brown eyes he whispered, “Good morning.”
    â€œGood morning.”
    Her soft breathy voice zinged straight to his groin. Still, it was too soon to consider making love. They were in the