“There are, but I was thinking of giving you and the kids a personal tour.”
Sara took her time placing the last pin, trying to decide. She was already getting too attached to this man. Did she really want to spend more time in his company? With her children?
“Only if you want,” Ezreal said, his voice now hesitant.
He was either a really good actor or truly vulnerable. For whatever reason, this meant something to him. She couldn’t hurt his feelings.
“It sounds like fun.”
And it did. He’d turned her into a fan of the game. She now played it even when Ezreal wasn’t online. It hadn’t occurred to her to ask to see where it was all created, but now that he’d suggested it, she found she wanted to.
“Would you like to visit when everyone’s there working or come at a time when things are slower?”
Sara took his shoulders and turned him around. She stepped back to eye the outfit critically, holding her breath so she wouldn’t breathe in his yummy masculine scent. The butterflies in her stomach were in a frenzy—the guy was smoking hot. Why had she always assumed that a quiet, sensitive guy would be unattractive?
She let out a breath, willing her pulse to calm down, and ran her hand down the sleeve. She’d outdone herself with the outfit. It’d been important to her that he look his best. He might not care, but she understood the concern of his partner. Ezreal would be representing his company, and he should do a good job of it. Sarah was glad she’d taken that sewing class in high school. She doubted even a trained professional could have done much better with his suit.
Now that she’d read the lore about this particular champion, she saw how well it fit Ezreal’s personality too. His champion was the son of explorers who’d disappeared when he was a boy. He’d spent his life searching for them and coming to the aid of people he met in his travels. Like Ezreal was helping Sarah with her project.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, his voice soft.
Sara glanced up and met his gaze, his expression tender. If they’d been standing closer, she could have blamed the sudden warmth on their proximity. It wasn’t just the heat of attraction that she couldn’t deny she was feeling, but also the sense of . . . She couldn’t think of a proper word. It couldn’t be protection. As a strong, independent woman, she didn’t need a man to protect her. She’d had to learn to do that for herself. For the first time since she’d left Landon, she wondered what it would be like to be married to someone who wouldn’t only have her back but who would need her to have his.
“Sara?”
“Oh, sorry. No.” She pulled herself together and straightened the hem of the sleeve and turned him so he could see himself in a mirror. “This will be perfect once it’s been ironed.”
“You never said when you’d like the tour.”
“When do you suggest?”
“Since we’re an international company, we often have employees there 24/7, though the busiest times are typical work hours. We’ll be closed for Midsummer’s Eve event, though. I can show you around when everything’s quiet.”
“Brand can get overly excited in new places. It might be better to show him your offices when there are fewer people around in case he acts up.”
“Midsummer’s Eve it is then. Would you like me to pick you up?”
Sara blinked. Was this a date then?
“Don’t you have responsibilities?”
“Well, yes.” Ezreal glanced at her sheepishly.
“Hey, don’t think you can use me and the kids as an excuse to get out of making a public appearance.” She gave him a stern look like she would have to Brand but couldn’t help chuckling. “I’ll drive my own car.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “It was worth a try, but I really would prefer your company to all that other stuff. Any day of the week.”
“It’s sweet of you, but it’s probably just as well that I come myself. Brand is little and won’t last the whole day anyway.”
“Well, thanks for sewing this for me. When I told Darius I’d commissioned someone to make my costume, he was relieved.”
“It’s the least I could do after all you’ve put into fixing up my music room. That really means a lot to me.”
“I know.”
And there it was again, that intense look that had the power to take away her breath.
“Well, I enjoy sewing, and it was challenging to make an outfit without a pattern. I doubt I’d have had time to make it during the school year.”
The kids came bursting into the house again, this time with Brand screaming that he’d cut his knee.
“Poor little guy falls a lot,” Sara said, waving to Ezreal to take off the jacket.
She lifted her son to the kitchen counter. The tiny cut was barely bleeding, but Brand continued to shriek. As she calmed him with a superhero band aid, her thoughts drifted to the other room. She’d never felt this way before, and she liked it. Maybe too much.
Ezreal might not have lost his temper yet, but that didn’t mean he wasn't dangerous to her heart.
