Page 44 of Mark
“It takes her longer than that to fall asleep,” he snidely remarks.
“Fall asleep?” I repeat, and glance down to find she is indeed asleep. “I swear to you on my life, she came over here moments ago. I flagged you down the minute she was occupied.”
“How can I trust that’s the truth?”
Oh, I am sick of people calling me a liar today. “Fuck off!” I hiss, after covering her ear with my hand. “When she wakes up, you can ask her yourself. I’m sick of people calling me a liar.”
He scrubs a hand over his face, taking a seat on the empty lounger next to me. “Sorry. My heart is still racing. I’d never live with myself if something happened to her under my watch. My brother would murder me too if something happened to her. I really thought I might have lost her, or worse, she had gone too close to the edge of the ship.”
“Apology accepted,” I begrudgingly reply. “What’s her name?”
“Sunday.”
“Sunday?” I repeat, wondering what kind of person names their kid after a day of the week. I thought last night she said Sunday thinking it was the day of the week.
His lips twitch. “She was born on a Sunday. Aiden found out about her the day she was born. Her mother died giving birth, and Sunday was the first name that came to him. It suits her though.”
My heart aches for the little girl for losing her mum. I run my fingers through her hair. “She’s really sweet.”
“But a menace to her aunts and uncles,” he agrees.
“Do you want to take her?”
As much as I’d hate to disturb her, there is a puddle of sweat clinging to the flesh she’s lying on. Thankfully, the umbrella is covering most of her.
“Is she okay where she is? We don’t have an umbrella and I’m not entirely sure which cabin my brother is in. She didn’t sleep well last night either. They think it’s from being in a new place.”
“Then let’s not disturb her,” I whisper, still running my fingers through her hair.
“You like kids?” he asks, and my lips twitch at his attempt to make conversation.
“Of course. I’m a teacher after all. I teach English to nine and ten-year olds.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And I assume by the state of your clothes when you arrive home, you work in construction?”
“I do. My cousin Maddox owns the company I work for.”
“Must be hectic working with family.”
His grin transforms his face, and I have to bite my lip to stop myself from sighing.
You hate him, remember.
Yet my libido remains on another chapter.
“Not really. We’re all close.”
“Must be nice,” I muse softly, wishing it was like that for me and Esther.
“That was rough with your sister this morning.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy watching me be yelled at.”
The flesh between his eyebrows creases. “No. Regardless of what you have done to me—”
“What I’ve done to you? Really?”