Her Naughty Holiday (Men at Work 2)

“You’re not an old man. You’re only thirty-eight, right?”

“Yeah, but in parent-of-a-teenager years, I’m ninety-eight.”

“You look great for your age.”

“You look great, period.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. It was the only part of his hand soft enough to touch a soft part of her.

“You’re too good at making me blush,” she said. “I hate being so pale.”

“It’s fun. I can see when I’m getting to you. It’s like an indicator light.”

“I think my indicator light says, ‘Engine needs servicing.’”

“God, I’d love to service your engine.”

She groaned in horrified amusement.

“I don’t even know what that means,” he said, “but I’m pretty sure it was dirty.”

“I kind of hope it was,” she said.

“Can I sleep in your bed with you tonight?” he asked. “No sex necessary. Just sleep. I’d like to get comfortable with you.”

“I would...yeah. I would like that, too.”

“Great. I’ll be right over after I get some stuff at my house. An hour. No later.”

He hopped off the desk and walked to the door.

“Erick?” Clover said.

“Yeah?”

She walked over to him and put her hand on the back of his neck again. She was a good height, perfect height for kissing while standing, which he discovered when she kissed him once more.

“Okay,” he said when she stepped back.

“Okay, what?”

“Okay, I won’t be over in an hour. I’ll be over in half an hour.”

“Don’t rush,” she said. “I want to take a shower and change the sheets on the bed.”

“Take your time.” He kissed her on the cheek and went to leave again. But he stopped and looked back at he

r.

“Ruthie and I drive each other crazy but she’s my daughter and she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. She doesn’t need to know all the dirty details about her father’s personal life, but I wouldn’t feel right keeping this a secret from her. It would really hurt her if I didn’t tell her something.”

“You’re absolutely right. She may act like she’s thirty-seven, but she is still seventeen. She should hear it from you.”

“I’ll call it a date. Can we call it a date?”

“Yes, you can call it a date.”

“I’m glad she forgot her phone,” he said, putting “forgot” into quotes.

“She’s a smart girl.”