Vienna pulls into her driveway, shuts off her car, and then slowly stands from her driver’s side door, smiling over at me and my daughter, waving as well. “Hi there, Ellis. I love your bike.”
“Thank you, Ms. Lewis. Uncle Fletcher got it for me.” She rings the bell on the handle bar. “It even has a bell and a basket for my dolls.” Lifting one of her Barbies from the basket, she waves it around.
“That’s really special.”
Ellis nods, then takes off back down the driveway and out onto the street.
“I didn’t see you look both ways!” I shout after her, but she doesn’t even glance back.
Vienna’s laugh rings out as she shuts her car door, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “She either didn’t hear you or is already great at ignoring you.”
“I think it’s a little bit of both,” I say as I watch her walk toward me, crossing the grass in her heels and navy dress, and doing so almost flawlessly.
Fuck, I’ve forgotten how sexy she is in the few days since we’ve crossed paths.
No, you haven’t, Rhonan, but keep lying to yourself.
Sadly, my subconscious is right. There has been no shortage of this woman running through my mind, and since I can’t seem to shut it off, it’s just making me more irritated.
But those legs, that ass, and that fucking twinkle in her eye when she smiles at me—she’s got me interested in her, and that’s a big fucking problem.
I don’t date. And I bet if I hadn’t already met her, hadn’t already felt that pull, she wouldn’t be affecting me this much.
Vienna licks her lips as she arrives just a few feet away from me, teasing me with what I can’t have even more. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, she’s excellent at listening when she’s at school. In fact, she’s the one who makes sure the other kids are paying attention.”
I can’t hold back my smirk. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
“She wasn’t lying about liking to be the boss, either. But it actually works in my favor because I can count on her to be responsible and help me with passing out papers and things like that.”
“Glad you’re putting her strengths to good use, but if she ever takes it too far, just let me know and I’ll talk to her about it.”
“I appreciate that, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.” Vienna places her hand on my upper arm, making my bicep tense. She catches it, dipping her eyes to my arm and then back up to my face, clearingher throat but not releasing me from her grasp. Feeling her hands on me now is just reminding me of what they felt like as she clung to me while she rested in my arms.
Fuck. I’m gonna need a cold shower after this fucking interaction.
“She’s a good kid, Rhonan. You should be proud.”
Something tight in my chest loosens. “Thank you. I am.”
“Daddy!” Ellis shouts as she returns to our driveway, skidding to a stop right in front of me and Vienna. “Can I help you wash your truck?”
“Yes, sweetie.”
Ellis nods while letting her bike fall to the ground and reaching up to unbuckle her helmet. “Yay! I wanna play with the bubbles.”
Vienna giggles, and fuck, it reminds me of how that giggle made my chest twist the first night we met. “The bubbles are fun to play with.”
Ellis turns to Vienna. “Do you want to help us, Ms. Lewis?” She bounces up and down at the idea.
“Oh, uh…”
I step in so Vienna doesn’t have to come up with an excuse. “I’m sure Ms. Lewis has things to do. She just got home.”
Vienna nods. “Yeah… I haven’t eaten dinner yet.”
“You can come back out when you’re done!” Ellis pushes more, and I know if I don’t put an end to this, my daughter will come up with even more reasons for Vienna to hang out with us.
“Not tonight, Ellis.” My tone is firm, and just as I anticipate, my daughter shoots me a glare I know will only get worse as she gets older.
