Accidentally Fudging the Beast Read Online Nichole Rose

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Insta-Love, Virgin Tags Authors: Nichole Rose Advertisement

Advertisement

"I'm not allergic to chocolate," I remind myself, one suspicious eye on the mixing bowl. "Just…having flashbacks."

She grins, all teeth. "Pretty sure this batch won't kill you. We didn't even buy honey." She winks at me, then plants a kiss on my cheek, right above the fudge smear she left behind.

"Want to help us, Daddy?" Alisha calls, already up to her elbows in the mixing bowl again. "You can do the stirring."

I hesitate, because the last time I helped, I broke three eggs directly onto the floor and nearly lost my wedding ring in the batter. But Dani's eyes are all warm and sparkly, and there's not a force in the universe strong enough to say no to either of them.

"Sure thing, baby girl." I grab a spatula, squeezing Dani's hip as I pass. "What's the plan?"

She shrugs. "I'm not sure. The recipe said to combine everything and 'bring to a rolling boil,' but Alisha interpreted that as 'throw everything into a bowl and spin in circles until dizzy.'"

"I did not," Alisha argues. "I only spun for, like, three minutes."

Dani rolls her eyes, but she's smiling.

I take over the stirring. The batter is thick and sticky, and I have to use both arms to keep it moving. After a few minutes, I'm sweating, but Alisha is giggling again, and Dani is humming along to the Christmas playlist on the speaker. The kitchen is a war zone, but it's the happiest I've ever been.

"Hey, Sunshine?" I say, glancing over my shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I think the fudge is starting to seize up."

Dani sets down her mixing bowl and sidles up next to me. "Oh, wow. That's…that's a lot of fudge."

"Want me to pour it?" I ask.

She shakes her head, then grabs the pan and starts lining it with parchment paper. I scrape the mixture into the pan, then help smooth it out with the spatula. It's a mess, but it looks vaguely edible.

Alisha is still working on decimating the marshmallow supply.

"Okay," Dani says, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "We need to let it set for at least an hour."

"An hour?" Alisha shrieks. "I'll die by then!"

Dani laughs and ruffles her hair. "You'll survive. Why don't you go watch The Grinch while Daddy and I clean up? And then we'll open presents."

Alisha sighs, but immediately abandons her post and heads for the living room, a marshmallow clenched in each fist.

Dani leans back against the counter, exhaling. Her bump is front and center now, round and perfect under the apron.

I set the spatula down and wipe my hands on a paper towel. The kitchen is quiet, except for the sound of Alisha singing the theme song at the top of her lungs in the living room.

My wife tilts her head, watching me. "You're thinking about it again, aren't you?"

I try to play dumb, but she can see right through me. "About what?"

She reaches for my hand, threading our fingers together. "Scratching your ass in the ER."

I laugh softly. "It's not every day a guy loses his dignity before the first date, Sunshine."

She squeezes my hand. "It worked out pretty well for you, though."

I look around at the kitchen—the chaos, the fudge, the woman I love more than anything—and realize how absolutely true that is.

"Yeah," I say, drawing her closer. "It really did."

She smirks, pressing a chocolate-smudged finger to my chest. "I seem to recall you saying that I saved your life, you know."

"You did," I agree, kissing her on the forehead. "And then you let me ruin yours."

She snorts, but there's a softness in her eyes that I never get tired of seeing.

We stand like that for a while, just breathing each other in. I think about the last five years—the first Christmas, the fudge, the proposal, our wedding. Alisha's birth. Her first steps. The look on Dani's face every morning when she wakes up next to me, as if she still can't believe this is our life.

I think about the new baby coming in the spring. My new job coaching at the college level. Our future.

If you'd told me five years ago that I'd end up here because I couldn't keep my hands off a batch of fudge, I would have laughed you off the ice. But right now, with Dani in my arms and the kitchen smelling like chocolate and love and home, I know there's nothing I wouldn't risk for this.

She buries her face in my chest, her voice muffled. "You gonna help me clean, or are you just gonna stand there getting emotional?"

"Depends," I say. "Is there still fudge on your apron?"

She lifts her head and grins, devilish. "Why don't you come over here and find out?"

I do.

Later, when the fudge is set, the kitchen is back to some semblance of order, and there is wrapping paper all over the living room, Alisha passes out on my lap, her mouth covered with chocolate. Dani stretches out on the couch with her feet in my lap and her head propped on a pillow. The Christmas lights blink in the window, and snow falls outside, slow and silent.

Advertisement