He should have laughed. He told himself to laugh. But now all he could think about was hunting for stray pieces of glitter all over Jo’s body, following the shiny specks like a treasure map.
Before he knew what he was doing, he’d moved farther into the bathroom, crowding her against the counter. He brushed his fingers over the purple smiley face drawn on her cheek. He recognized that wonky smiley face. Similar drawings of it adorned his refrigerator and the walls of his office. He even hada tiny one on a scrap of paper in his wallet for when he was on tour with the band.
His daughter had painted her love for Jo all over her face, marking her the same way she drew the mark inside the front cover of her favorite books.
As soon as his fingers made contact with the mark, Jo pulled back with a self-deprecating laugh. “I got distracted helping her get ready. I wanted to fix my makeup before you got back.”
“You never have to fix your makeup for me.”
She shot him an incredulous look. “Says the man who’s never seen me without makeup.”
Before he could answer, a loud knock at the door and Annie’s excited screech interrupted him. He heard Annie fling open the front door and greet Kat with a rapid-fire litany of things she had planned for them for the evening. Reluctantly, Derek joined them. “Peanut, what have I told you about opening the front door?”
“It was just Kat,” Annie said.
“You’re sure this isn’t an inconvenience?” Derek asked Kat.
“Are you kidding me? We’re going to have so much fun.” Kat scooped up Annie’s backpack. “Nico and Zach are meeting us at the side door to the Carousel Room. Are you ready to make a grand entrance?” Annie jumped up and down, shrieking in delight all over again. Kat laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Thank you,” Derek said.
“You can make it up to me later. I like fancy chocolates,” Kat said with a wink.
Chapter 14
Derek found Jo in the en suite off her room, scrubbing furiously at the smiley face on her cheek. The rest of her face had already been washed clean. Shimmery blue, warm tans, and pale pink streaked the washcloth discarded on the edge of the sink. She still hadn’t noticed him, so Derek leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom, his hands dug into the pockets of his dress pants, and watched her do battle with the purple mark. He shouldn’t like the idea that his daughter’s claim on Jo didn’t wash away easily, but something about it stuck in his throat, a ball of things he didn’t dare say. Didn’t dare hope for.
Jo dropped the washcloth, palms planted on the counter and hung her head, mumbling to herself. “It’s not coming off.”
Derek pushed off from the doorframe and came up behind her. She startled when he slid his arms around her waist,twisting in his grasp and trying to cover her face with her hands. “You have to go. I’m not ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“For anything. I haven’t fixed my makeup yet.”
“I told you, you don’t have to fix your makeup for me.” When she still didn’t lower her hands, he sighed and took hold of her wrists, gently peeling her hands away from her face. “Come on, Jo.”
“No.” Even through her hands he could see her pout. He wanted to kiss the churlish expression right off her face.
“Let me see you,” he said.
With a frustrated mewl, she let him move her hands aside. Stray flecks of black clung beneath her eyes from her mascara and her cheek had turned an angry shade of red beneath the stubborn smiley face. Derek ghosted his knuckles over the mark, tsking. She lifted defeated eyes to his. “It’s lipstick, and I’m out of my good makeup remover.”
As much as he’d like to leave Annie’s drawing on Jo’s cheek forever, he couldn’t have her abusing her beautiful face. “Stay there.”
It only took him a minute to locate the bottle of micellar water in his toiletry kit. While he mostly used it to get small stains out of his clothing when he was traveling and found peanut butter handprints across his dress pants, he knew it was also used as a makeup remover.
Returning to the bathroom, he motioned for Jo to sit on the counter. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip, pout in full effect. “You’ve got to be kidding,” she challenged.
Stepping toe to toe, he leaned close, speaking directly against her ear. “Do as you’re told, little menace.”
Her nostrils flared, eyes sparking, and he watched her debate with herself, but only for a moment. Jo liked to play the brat, but it was clear she liked being his good girl more. That didn’t mean she was going to go quietly, however, and he loved that about her.
With a dramatic huff, she hoisted herself onto the counter. The little sundress she wore lifted high on her thighs as he stepped between her legs. He dragged his knuckles from her knee up the outside of her thigh to the crease of her hip, the sundress bunching beneath his touch. He took his time preparing a fresh washcloth, soaking one corner in the micellar water and reveling in the feel of her eyes on him, her thighs bracketing his hips. Sliding his free hand into the hair at the nape of her neck to hold her still, he held the wet washcloth to the smiley face, pressing the cleanser gently into her skin. He trailed his lips over her temple, across her closed eyelids. He wanted to taste every inch of her bare skin, to make her understand how stunning she was, no makeup required.
A few more swipes of the washcloth, and he pulled it away stained with purple, her cheek only holding the faintest reminder that once she’d been branded by his daughter. Jo glanced at the washcloth and bit her lip, uncharacteristic nerves clouding her eyes. “I must look like hell,” she murmured.
He turned her face up to meet his. “You have never been more beautiful.”