RYDER: A Standalone Military Romance (Blake Security Book 1) by Celina McKane Read Free Book Online

Vince seemed to be more concerned with kissing Branson’s butt than standing up for his own. 
                  I sighed. “You’re right; I can’t promise you that. I can promise you that the Bransons won’t know where I got any of this information. But Alicia, I can see by the way you are with that baby that you care about her. I know that you don’t want anything to happen to her. We can’t protect her if we don’t have all the facts.”
                  The baby was squirming in her high chair. Alicia stood up and used a baby wipe to clean the goo off of her face and hands before lifting her out of the chair. Then she did something that completely freaked me out. She turned and held the baby out in my direction. I’m sure the look on my face was similar to the one I’d have if she suddenly grew another head on her shoulders. “Will you hold her for just a second?”
                  “Um…no. What do you need?”
                  “I was going to wipe up her chair before her parents come down.”
                  “I’ll do that.”
                  Alicia’s lips twitched. “Surely a big, strong guy like you is not afraid of a baby.”
                  “I’m not afraid of her,” I protested.
                  Her lips curled further. She was trying not to laugh at me, but she was losing the battle. “You are so. She’s not going to hurt you.”
                  “I’m not afraid of her hurting me. Look at me. One of my hands is as big as her head.” Celia was actually reaching her little arms out to me. I felt like an ass not taking her, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. “I don’t want to break her.”
                  She actually did laugh then. “You’re not going to break her. Look, she wants you.” She put the baby against the crook of my arm, and I had no choice but to take her. I put one of my big hands against her back, and I had the other arm underneath her little bottom. I held her a few inches away from me and looked down at her. She smiled a little toothless grin and reached up with one of her slobber-covered hands and touched my chin. I made a face, involuntarily, and she giggled. I felt her little body shake in my arms as she laughed. The sound of it was adorable, and her little face dimpled along the sides of her wide smile. It was too cute, and I had to smile back at her. When I looked up, Alicia was watching us with a gentle smile on her face. “See, there’s nothing to it. She likes you. She has good taste,” Alicia said with a wink.
                  I felt my blood run hot. She thinks the baby has good taste because she likes me. That means she likes me too…right? Alicia turned her back on us then went to get the dishrag to wash off the high chair. I looked at Celia again. She babbled something, and then once again began to giggle. Against my better judgement, I was beginning to like the little minion. I sat down with her and bounced her up and down on my knee, making her giggle hysterically until Alicia was done. When she came over and took the baby back, neither Celia nor I were ready to be separated. Celia began to cry, and I immediately held my arms back out to her.
                  “You want her back?”
                  “She wants me. Like you said, the kid has good taste.”
                  Alicia laughed. “Someone thinks highly of himself.”
                  I shrugged and said, “I was only repeating what you said. I was wondering if it meant you thought highly of me.”
                  She rolled her eyes and said, “My English is not so good, but I didn’t fall off of the grape basket yesterday.”
                  “The apple cart.”
                  “What?”
                  “Never mind,” I told her with a smile.