“Pizza should be here in about ten minutes. Hope you like Hawaiian.”
My nose scrunches before I can temper my reaction, and Hayden’s expression falls.
“You said you weren’t picky.”
“It’s fine,” I insist with a smile. “If it’s what the kids like, I’ll eat it.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Presley’s conniving grin, as if she’s attempting to hold in her laughter. One thing is certain. That girl has a terrible poker face.
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” I place my hands on my hips. “You didn’t order a Hawaiian pizza, did you?”
Hayden pulls himself to his full height. “I spent most of my adult life in Chicago. I may not be a native, but I’m pretty sure I’d be stripped of my associationwith that city if I ever admitted I liked pineapple on pizza.”
“Whatdoyou like on your pizza?”
“I’m more traditional, I suppose. Pepperoni. Sausage.”
“Thin crust or deep dish?”
“The correct answer is deep dish. All day, every day.” He heads toward the kitchen. “Want a glass of wine? I’ve got red and white.”
I hesitate, chewing on my bottom lip. “I shouldn’t drink on the job.”
“You’re off the clock,” he replies easily. “You’re not here as the kids’ nanny.”
“Oh.”
If I’m not here as their nanny, whyamI here? I refuse to read into it too much. Like I told myself earlier. He probably just wants to give the kids some reassurance.
Still, a glass of wine sounds really good right now, if for no other reason than to relax me. My doctor did say an occasional glass is fine, as long as I’m careful. I’ve always been careful. So I nod.
“Red would be great.”
I follow him into the kitchen and watch him uncork a bottle. His arms strain slightly when he moves, muscles on full display. My brain makes the deeply unhelpful observation that none of the doctors I’ve ever had looked like him.
If they had, maybe I wouldn’t have been so desperate to get discharged.
I’d happily fake an illness in the hopes of Hayden giving me a thorough exam.
“Here you go.” His voice cuts through, forcing me out of my thoughts, and I take the glass from him. “Hope you like it. It’s from my brother’s vineyard.”
I arch a brow. “Your brother owns a vineyard?”
He nods. “Beckham’s the owner of Vivanza. It’s just outside of town.”
“Doesn’t another one of your brothers own a brewery?”
“Jude. Now if Finn or Dylan can start a whiskey distillery, I’d have all my bases covered.” He flashes me a wink, and my god… It makes my girly bits go all aflutter, the hairs on my nape standing on end.
I need to get my hormones under control. It’s probably because it’s been so long since I’ve had sex. Hell, it’s been a while since I’ve even had an orgasm. Lately, I’ve been so exhausted by the time I fall into bed, all I’ve wanted to do is sleep. I should probably rectify that, and soon.
Before I do something I’ll regret.
“To second chances.” Hayden lifts his glass toward me, and I meet his gaze, affection and sincerity swirling in his dark orbs. “Thanks for giving me one, Rowan.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
I clink my glass with his and take a sip of the full-bodied red. But Hayden doesn’t take his eyes off me, watching me with an intensity I feel deep in my marrow.
