CHAPTER8
Purrs and soft kitty paw bops on her nose woke Belinda the next morning. She kissed Tinkerbell on the nose before stretching. The cat had chosen to stay with her last night again when Pedro had left her with instructions to lock the door behind him before showering and going to bed. He’d left the same way he’d come in earlier—vaulting from one balcony to the other.
Tinkerbell had vanished when she’d opened the balcony for him upon waking. This morning, her dynamic coworker had not been waiting outside for her. Leaving the door open as she got ready, Belinda hoped he would come visit and was understandably disappointed when Pedro had not made an appearance.
She let herself out the front door with her large travel cup of coffee when it was time to head to her office. “Oh!”
“Morning, Little girl.” Pedro leaned in to kiss her, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her close. He had been waiting outside her door for her to come out.
When he lifted his head, he said, “I’ve been looking forward to that since I woke up.”
“You could have… You know, come in. I left the sliding glass door open for you.”
“Then neither one of us would be at work on time.”
He stepped back to scan her body, leaving no doubt in her mind that he appreciated the view. A thrill buzzed through her. She enjoyed seeing the desire on his face.
When he saw the coffee cup, Pedro asked, “Did you have breakfast?”
She lifted the cup to indicate the caffeinated beverage serving as her morning meal.
“That’s not going to happen,” he answered. Releasing her waist, he plucked the travel mug from her hand and replaced it with something very similar. This one had a straw. “Drink this first.”
“Pedro, you don’t want to mess with my coffee,” she warned, looking at the other glass with disdain.
“Coffee is bad for you. Try the smoothie I made you.”
“I don’t really want to drink my food,” she admitted.
He waggled her coffee cup and said nothing.
“That’s not really food. Coffee is supposed to be a beverage. A smoothie is all blended up like you’re too lazy to chew,” Belinda pointed out.
“Or too busy.” Pedro guided her down the hallway with a hand against her lower back.
Belinda eyed the smoothie suspiciously. “What did you put in it?”
“Good stuff that you’ll love.”
“Like spinach or kale? Everyone always tells me I’ll enjoy them, but they just taste like what’s left when the weed whacker goes too fast,” Belinda smirked.
“Hmm. Guess you’ll have to try it to find out.”
They stepped into the elevator, and Pedro selected the ground floor. Belinda tried to read his expression to know whether he’d try to prank her with something awful or not.
“I’m never going to lie to you, baby,” he whispered when they reached the bottom floor.
“All people lie,” she answered.
“I’ll keep in mind that you think so,” he murmured as they stepped out into the bustling lobby. People headed in all directions to start their workday.
Belinda called her greetings in response to the hails of several people as they crossed the green space to their office building. Her mind shifted into work mode as she visualized her schedule she’d looked at earlier. Distracted, she lifted the cup to her lips and sucked on the straw.
“Wow! That’s good. Does it have strawberries in it?” she asked.
“It does and I’m glad you like it,” Pedro commented with a knowing glance.
“Okay. I should just listen to you,” she admitted before whispering, “Daddy only wants the best for me.”