My hair stood on end because of Godfather Nick’s question. He was asking me if I wanted to join him in the tub.
Perhaps if I were incredibly thick-skinned, I would have said yes. But my tongue felt tied, and I couldn't utter a single word.
"It’s okay, Angel. You can go," Godfather said, dismissing me. I left voluntarily, driven by the nervousness attacking me.
I never imagined Godfather Nick’s flirtations would have this kind of effect on me. I could still feel my knees weakening. It felt strange as I stared at my palm; I felt as if I could still feel the heat of Godfather’s muscular back against my hand.
"Get it together, Amber Gel," I scolded myself. Then, I headed to the extension room. There was no mess there because we always clean the house every Sunday, even when no one is around.
I fixed the bed, put on the pillows and blankets, and I added a bed cover as well. I was perspiring by the time I finished.
However, I was surprised to see Godfather Nick standing by the door of the extension room, watching me. He was drying his hair with a towel.
He was standing there with only a wrap around him like a model. Since he saw me staring at him through the large mirror, I turned to face Godfather Nick.
"I told you I would help you," he said.
"It’s all right, Nick, I’m finished anyway," I replied with a smile, swallowing hard. I tried my best not to look at Godfather’s body. "Please get dressed, Godfather; I’ll go prepare breakfast," I said as I approached him.
Once again, Godfather Nick's fragrant scent filled my nose.
"Angel," I stopped walking at Godfather’s soft call.
"Yes, Nick?"
"I don't want to hear news that you are being courted by—who was that again?" His brow furrowed, so I looked up at him.
"Godfather, I don't even like Edgar; you’re being persistent," I said, shaking my head to reprimand him.
"I just want to be sure. I don't want any other men approaching you from now on, Amber Gel," Godfather said seriously, making me swallow hard. I suddenly felt nervous under his intense gaze—nervous not out of fear, but because of a certain sensation I felt at the back of my neck.
"Maybe you’re just hungry, Godfather. You should go get dressed so we can have breakfast," I suggested, despite the nervousness I felt.
"Alright, just wait for me downstairs," he said, turning away.
I followed him to go down. But before I stepped out the door, I managed to catch a glimpse of Godfather Nick’s masculinity.
It didn't take long before he came down as well. He was wearing a gray muscle tee and dark brown shorts. Even in such simple clothes, I could deeply feel the authority in Godfather Nick’s aura.
He walked relaxedly toward the dining room and pulled out a chair for himself. I prepared coffee for him. Even back then, Godfather Nick loved black coffee without sugar.
"Sit down, Angel. We’re going to town afterward," he said.
I silently followed and ate heartily, but I noticed Godfather was constantly glancing at me.
"Godfather, I might choke on my food," I said to Godfather Nick without hesitation. "You keep looking at me."
"Ah... I’m still thinking until now why—" His gaze dropped toward my chest. Then he shook his head. "Don't mind me," he said dismissively.
***
NICK let out a deep breath. Then, he silently lectured himself. All sorts of foolish thoughts were entering his mind because of Amber Gel’s presence.
He must admit he is attracted to her beauty. The young woman truly is beautiful. Perhaps that is why he is losing his sanity. He could treat Amber like a daughter, since she is the child of his brother, Janus. But that isn't how he sees her.
Because Amber is a woman in his eyes. Last night, if his conscience hadn't kicked in, he might have done something to his goddaughter. Especially since he could feel that the girl was also attracted to him.
He woke up earlier to think clearly. But when he found out that his bro, Janus, was allowing a man to court Amber, he wanted to punch him. It’s a good thing he was able to hold back.
After they finished breakfast, he told Amber to get dressed so they could head to town early. It turned out many of the supplies he bought were lacking.
He almost gaped when he saw what Amber was wearing—a floral dress. It wasn't that short, but he could see the girl's sexy thighs. By his estimate, she was about 5'4" in height. She had a slim body and a beautiful complexion. Not too fair, but not dark either. Brown-skinned, so to speak, and smooth—which is why it wasn't surprising that he was attracted to her.
"Your outfit is too short, and are you wearing a bra?" he asked her without a filter.
"Oh, Godfather, I’m wearing a tube top with padding. This is fine," she answered innocently, her excitement visible as she approached him.
"But if you’re going out of the house, it’s not good for your dress to be that short; you might get harassed outside," he reminded her. In truth, that wasn't his real reason. He was feeling his pants tighten just seeing Amber's sexy legs.
"In that case, I’ll go home first to change. This is the only dress I have here that I can wear for going out," she explained.
"Okay, let's go," he invited the girl. She immediately followed and opened the car door for herself. He drove toward Amber’s house. But when he saw a few young men hanging out in front of their home, he didn't stop.
"Godfather, we passed the house," she reminded him.
"Never mind. By the way, those people hanging out in the yard, who are they?"
"I think they are Edgar’s friends; they might just be pestering me," she answered dismissively.
"That kid really is interested in you," he said while glancing at the side mirror to see a guy holding a guitar.
"He’s really like that, persistent," she replied, then searched for something in her small sling bag. "Ah, here it is," she said with relief.
"What is that?" he asked the girl, frowning.
"A list of what we need to buy for the house. I checked earlier to see what was needed, Godfather," she explained, which made him smile at her. "What’s funny?"
"Nothing, I’m just pleased. Your Dad was right; you are responsible. I don't even have to tell you what to do. I like that."
"Godfather, it's just a small thing. Dad said that because we are far from town, everything we need to buy should be listed when going to the market so nothing gets forgotten."
"Okay, you're a very good girl, baby. Because of that, I want you to cook a delicious dinner for us later; let's have it with red wine, later."
"Wow, wine!" she exclaimed excitedly, turning toward him.
Her dress hem accidentally rose as she turned to face him, exposing her sexy thigh. He paused for a moment before quickly turning his gaze back to the road.
"Angel, I know you're excited, but please be careful," he scolded, swallowing hard, unable to stop himself from cursing in his head.
"Sorry, Godfather, I just got excited," she defended, laughing, but she still didn't seem to notice that her dress hem was raised, so he pulled it down himself. However, he couldn't avoid brushing his hand against the girl's thigh.
"You really shouldn't go out of the house wearing a dress."
"You're too much, Godfather. Mimi said people from the city aren't conservative, but it seems that isn't true," she said, laughing.
"I’m not conservative; I just don't want you getting used to showing your body to others. I wouldn't like that."
"Ah... why is that, Nick?" she asked innocently, causing him to glance at her briefly.
"Because... because you are my goddaughter and, like I said, I will take care of you, that's why," he answered.
She nodded, but his hand seemed to have a mind of its own as he reached for Amber's hand, which was resting on her thigh.
"So always behave, okay, baby Angel," he whispered. He couldn't explain it, but he always wanted to call her "baby."
He found himself caressing the girl's thigh. He saw her blush, but she didn't say anything, so he managed to smile.
"Angel, I have a question," he said, still resting his hand on her thigh a little before returning it to the steering wheel.
"What is it, Godfather?"
"Three years ago, when you entered my room... did you see me naked?" he asked. He was sure he had seen Amber that day.
"Huh? Ah... I didn't really see much of..." she answered, her face turning bright red.
"It’s okay, I just asked. It doesn't matter to me if you saw. But you were just a child back then, so I was a bit worried," and that was true. But he had been very annoyed back then because he saw her carrying flowers with a young man.
"But I’m not a child anymore, Godfather," she answered softly. This surged his blood, and out of shock, he almost slammed on the brakes. He swallowed hard and turned to her. He wanted to think she understood what he was doing, but his eyes were met by her innocent gaze.
"Are you really that innocent, baby Amber?" he asked, swallowing hard, unable to stop himself from caressing the girl's thigh again.
And damn, her skin felt so smooth to his touch.