Tempt Me

“Saw a lawyer, had custody, divorce, and settlement papers drawn up, handed her a check for one hundred grand, and told her to get the hell out and never come back.”

Mia swallowed hard. “Yet she showed up today.”

“My guess? She ran out of cash. She’s threatening to sue for custody and tell the judge a sob story about how I forced her out of her daughter’s life… unless I pay up. But if I do that, I’ll keep paying, and that’s sure as hell not how this is going to go down.” His grip was so tight on the mug his knuckles turned white.

“I won’t let her near Bailey.”

He met her gaze, his deadly serious. “You see her, you hear from her, you call me.”

She nodded. “I will. I promise,” she said. “Do you think that black car on the street was her?” she asked.

He shook his head. “She had a blue rental today. Maybe she hired someone to watch the house. But that wouldn’t jibe with her running low on cash.” He shrugged. “I don’t know but I’m going to find out,” he said, his stress still obvious.

“It’s going to be okay.” She placed what she meant to be a comforting hand on his arm, hoping to calm him. But it was the first time she’d touched him and the sizzling shock ran straight through her body.

He glanced at her hand and she froze, meeting his gaze. The warmth of his skin seeped into her palm and the heated look in his eyes wrapped around her body like a caress. Physically there was no doubt she desired him but every warning in her brain told her to walk away before either of them did something stupid, and from the darkened hue of his brown eyes, she wasn’t alone in the wanting.

But she had a good job for a man she respected and a little girl she adored. She’d be a fool to let lust get in the way of common sense and living a smart life. Quietly and with his hot gaze on hers, she slid her hand off him.

Shooting him a regret-filled look, she picked up her tea and made her way to bed.

Alone.

Chapter Three

September went by quickly with no word from Kayla, which made Austin nervous. His lawyer said they could take her apart on the stand if it ever got that far. As time passed, Austin became convinced that his ex-wife was more afraid she would be awarded custody than he was of going up against her in court. That was the hope he held on to as he tried to push her to the back of his mind.

Dan had held up his end of the bargain, and by late September, Austin was working three days a week from home, at the office one day for the weekly meeting, and a second when needed. An intended result of his time at the house was more ability to be on call when parents were requested in class. Bailey’s school was big on “Days of the Year” celebrations, and once a week the teacher allowed parents in with the kids.

Today was a celebration of Stanley Berenstain’s birthday, the children’s book author and illustrator, and Bailey had volunteered Austin as one of the parents who would read to the kids this afternoon. Unfortunately an office emergency came up and he had to go in to work, so Mia was going to read for him. Bailey had taken the news in stride, no doubt because she had Mia to take his place.

Mia, who he couldn’t stop thinking about and not as his child’s nanny. She captivated him with her sexy body. Her easy grace, her kindness… everything about her called to him. He wanted to taste her, to feel her curves beneath him. It was quickly becoming an obsession.

She knew him now, took care of him as well as his kid. Each morning she had his coffee—black the way he’d mentioned he liked it—ready for him before he went to work or headed upstairs to his office. But things had changed.

On the night he’d confided in her about his ex-wife, the night she’d reached out and touched him for the first time, he’d known the awareness between them was mutual. Why else would she have fled the kitchen, her cheeks on fire, unable to meet his gaze?

And ever since, it was as if a wall had fallen between them. Maybe it was his imagination but she was more relaxed around him now, less formal. The sharing of his personal pain and her comforting touch had both bonded them and crossed a line neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

They locked eyes often now. They brushed past each other with inadvertent touches he’d never noticed before but couldn’t stop thinking about when he was alone.

Nighttime was painful, as he’d lie in his bed, knowing she was one floor down while he was hot and worked up, wanting her and unable to have her. Showers were worse, but at least then he could make good use of his hand, his mind conjuring images of her naked, kneeling at his feet, her lips around his cock.