As soon as her car had pulled into the driveway at the Harrington House, with brakes squeaking in need of repair, I beat her to the door and swung it open before her knuckles landed.
She stood before me, fresh lipstick, golden tresses curling wildly around her shoulders. She’d changed out of the purple dress she’d worn to the wedding and into a black one that hugged her curves, showed ample cleavage, and short-circuited my brain.
“Wow,” I’d said. Smooth. Like a man who’d been stranded for years on a deserted island, seeing a sexy, full-bodied female again for the very first time.
Her answering smile was cautious, but full of challenge. “You always answer the door like you’ve been waiting all night?”
“Only when I have.”
I’d meant it as a tease, but the honesty in her eyes made it feel like a confession. I poured her a glass of Macallan, my drink of choice, and gave her the grand tour. It had been my excuse to keep her close on a lazy stroll through the house.
My hand eventually hovered near the small of her back, moving room to room. As we climbed the stairs, my eyes bounced on her round ass in front of me. The air between us charged, thick and questioning, when we reached the master bedroom.
She leaned against the doorway, complimenting the color of the walls, and that was it. I couldn’t wait a second longer to know the feel of her lips.
I pressed one hand against the doorjamb above her head and cupped her chin in the other. Her face tilted to mine, and I brushed my lips along her cheek. My heart exploded out of my chest upon first contact with her mouth, gentle kisses that stoked a roaring fire.
That was the problem with being a busy CEO and single father. Finding time to be intimate with a woman seemed to be a little odd to pencil into my schedule at regular intervals. But this, with Jessa, had been a guilty pleasure of mine, building all year, from visit to visit to her hometown, flirtation at its finest.
Hell, I’d schedule regular trips to Holly Creek after tonight if she’d be open to some discreet pleasures.
Cinnamon-flavored lip balm blended with Macallan between our lips and tongues, and I forgot everything—my name, my company, the thousand expectations crushing my shoulders. I casually stepped her back into the bedroom and closed the door, never losing connection, both knowing the expectations.
For one night I held her in my arms and had my way with her in bed—until the next morning when I awoke and she was gone.
That had been two months ago.And now she was here…
I blinked and shook my head to get out of the past.
“Dad, I can’t find my other sock!” Theo brought me back to the chaotic situation we were in this morning. Talk about bad timing for Jessa to suddenly appear in my life. The handle had broken on his gear bag, and hockey gear had scattered across the floor of the penthouse foyer like a miniature war zone. His helmet rolled under the console table; a single shin guard sat by my feet. He crawled on hands and knees, searching through it all for a single sock.
I gripped my phone tighter. For one stupid heartbeat, I thought I was hallucinating Jessa. The same wide eyes, the same rosy full lips that had taken my cock like a good girl and screamed my name in the Harrison House master bedroom when I made her come for the third time before daylight.
It was really her.
Only now she was standing here holding a folder, wearing jeans and a fitted sweater accentuating her breasts, which did criminal things to my concentration.
Her expression was a mix of disbelief and fear, although she covered it well, tipping her chin up.
In my ear, Sam admonished me about a data set we needed from my CFO immediately. I hung up mid-sentence.
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. I shot a warning glance from her to Theo, who sat on the floor trying to pull on mismatched socks. We needed to be careful about what was said in front of him.
Then he spotted her. “Are you the new nanny?”
Her lips curved. “I could be.”
It wasn’t the answer I expected, but the one I needed.
I rubbed the back of my neck, forcing my brain to catch up. “You don’t remember Jessa from Archer’s wedding, kiddo? The one who caught the frog for you at the reception?”
Theo squinted, the memory lighting in his eyes. “The frog almost got away.”
“Almost. But I was faster.”
“I freed him at the lake like you told me, too.”
“Good. Then he’ll grow to be at least a hundred years old.”
