The Best Thing He Never Knew He Needed by Tina Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

“I’m a
photographer. Of course I can.”
    “ Right.”
    Desmond watched as she
positioned the camera on the tripod, angled it towards them then
walked over next to him. She sat down on the grass and picked up
Ezra. Desmond was holding Grace.
    “ Okay,” Sherita said. “Get
ready. It’s about to flash several times, so let’s do different
poses.”
    When the camera began
flashing, they both smiled, both did a shot of them looking at the
babies, then they did face-to-face shots with the babies before
Desmond did something completely unexpected. He leaned in closer to
Sherita, so close their faces touched. Before she could put up any
resistance, the camera flashed, taking their picture.
    Sherita jerked her head
away from him. “What are you doing?”
    “ Taking pictures,” he
said. “
    “ Let’s just pack up so we
can get the babies back home,” she said, exasperated.
    “ We should probably pick
up dinner while we’re out,” Desmond suggested.
    Sherita sighed while
packing her equipment. It was going to be a long night.
     

CHAPTER 6
     
     
    Back at Dante’s house, they
changed the babies, fed them again and rocked them to sleep. Ezra
went down easy. Grace, on the other hand, had proven to be a
challenge – one Desmond seemed to have no problem accepting.
Sherita had watched Desmond walk back and forth with Grace, gently
bouncing her in his arms and humming to her while his large hand
cradled the back of her head.
    For a while, Sherita
observed how Desmond interacted with Grace. If a stranger saw the
two of them together, they would swear Grace was his daughter. He
had obviously bonded with his niece and nephew, which took her by
surprise. You would think the motorcycle-riding, millionaire
bachelor would be somewhere partying or, better yet, trying to spit
game to some unsuspecting woman. But no. He was here. On a Friday
night, rocking his niece to sleep.
    “ I think she’s finally
fallen asleep,” he whispered to Sherita. “Where should we put
them?”
    “ I’m going to take Ezra
upstairs since he’s probably out for a few hours. You can put Grace
in Ezra’s Pack-N-Play.”
    “ Good idea.”
    Before she attempted to get
up from the couch, she watched Desmond carefully lower Grace to the
soft blanket. Then he took another blanket and spread it over
her.
    “ Sweet dreams, baby girl,”
he whispered.
    “ I’m going to put Ezra to
bed,” Sherita said softly.
    “ I’ll warm
dinner.”
    After climbing the stairs
and reaching his room, Sherita carefully lowered Ezra to the crib,
made sure he was lying in a safe, comfortable position, before
leaving his room. She took a moment to step into the bathroom to
control her breathing. She would be alone with Desmond, again,
eating dinner. How would she survive breaking bread with the man
when the mere thought of being alone with him gave her
palpitations? She’d nearly fainted in the car. And when he leaned
against her for the photo, his face touching hers, she felt a
nervous energy rip through her body – the sensation causing her to
jerk. She knew he felt it. The moment she trembled, he
smiled.
    “ How am I going to do
this?” she said out loud. Then, annoyed with herself that she was
even considering coming up with a strategy to avoid him, she left
the bathroom and jogged downstairs. She told herself to remember
who she was dealing with. He was a charmer. He was Thane all over
again.
     
     
    Desmond took some plates from the cupboard and placed a serving of
lasagna in both. He had suggested food from his favorite Italian
restaurant and since Sherita had never eaten there before, he knew
this would be a treat for her. His brothers weren’t due back for
another three hours, and he’d planned on using that time
effectively to further probe inside Sherita’s mind.
    “ Everything all right?” he
asked when she walked inside of the kitchen. He already had their
plates on the table.
    “ Peachy,” she responded.
She sat down at the table, watching