What Love Sounds Like by Alissa Callen Read Free Book Online Page A

an answering smile. ‘This time you need to try and say ‘k’
before
you eat.’
    Kade again checked his watch.
    Mia picked up another pink loop. She opened her mouth and pointed to where Tilly should put the loop in her own mouth. To her surprise Kade spoke. ‘Here, like this.’ He put a yellow loop behind his bottom teeth. Held his mouth open for Tilly to see, then ate the cereal.
    Tilly giggled. She placed another loop in her mouth, held her mouth open for Kade to see the loop and again chewed. Her laughing eyes didn’t leave her uncle’s face. He stared at Tilly, bewilderment clouding his expression.
    Did Kade even have a childhood? Friends that he’d played with? He simply had no idea that Tilly was copying his actions in an attempt to play and interact with him.
    He passed a hand behind his neck and then leaned toward Tilly. ‘How about I put the loop in.’ She dutifully opened her mouth.
    Mia couldn’t resist. ‘Make sure she doesn’t chomp on your hand.’
    Kade jerked his fingers away. His shocked eyes met Mia’s.
    ‘Just joking. You won’t bite your uncle’s hand will you?’
    Tilly shook her head, still keeping her mouth open. With a last glance at Mia, Kade carefully placed a loop behind Tilly’s front teeth.
    ‘There you go.’ He sat back in his seat as if to say mission accomplished. Tilly again ate the loop.
    At the very least, Mia thought impatience would thin his lips but his impassive expression didn’t alter. He picked up another loop. ‘Open.’ Just as he was about to place the cereal into her mouth, he smiled briefly. ‘No eating, okay?’
    Tilly nodded. This time when he positioned the loop, Tilly’s little mouth didn’t close.
    ‘Now,’ Mia said, ‘put the tip of your tongue in the hole to hold it still. Say ‘k’.’
    Tilly did as she was instructed. But as soon as she attempted a ‘k’ sound the wet cereal shot out of her mouth and landed on the front of Kade’s shirt.
    Mia dared not look at Kade’s face as he took three attempts to brush the sticky loop off his chest. ‘What a great try,’ she said, bitting off a giggle that was in danger of escaping. ‘Tilly. You almost had it.’
    ‘Right, Tilly, let’s try again,’ he said in a mild tone Mia didn’t recognise.
    He placed another cereal loop in Tilly’s mouth and yet again it flew past her lips when she tried to say ‘k’. After the third attempt, Tilly’s grin waned. Mia opened her mouth to suggest a break but Kade beat her to it. He placed a handful of cereal on Tilly’s small palm.
    ‘Here, eat these and when you’re done we’ll try again.’
    Tilly crunched and munched through a fresh smile as Kade unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. He gathered three pink loops into his hand and waited for Tilly to finish chewing. Again the expected impatience failed to tighten his features.
    ‘Here we go…one…’ he said.
    Tilly opened her mouth. The cereal went flying. Kade continued speaking. ‘Two…’ Tilly frowned as she concentrated on using the tip of her tongue to keep the cereal in place. An audible sound emerged from the back of her throat.
    ‘K’.
    Mia clapped. ‘Well done, Tilly. A fabulous ‘k’ sound.’
    Kade placed another loop in Tilly’s mouth and again she made a clear sound. This time Mia didn’t clap. Kade’s tentative, almost shy, smile toward Tilly caused Mia’s suddenly unsteady hands to lower slowly to the table.
    The modus operandi of the ambitious and powerful was all too familiar. It was the one thing she knew like the lines of pain carved on her reflection. She’d seen Kade’s indifferent hand hover over Tilly’s sobbing head, the way he could barely look at her as well as his obsessive watch-checking. Tilly was just an inconvenient distraction on the bottom of his ‘to do’ list.
    And yet here he was smiling at Tilly with unmistakable warmth in his eyes. Sure she’d had to bribe him to stay but then with every loop he patiently placed in