“Just aftereight.”
“What?!” She tried to stand and was thrown off-balance by Akoni’s weight, landing back on the couch. “I have so much to dotoday.”
Teo gave her a half smile that was downright adorable. She paused in her rush to admire him. Though he’d been up most of the night, he looked all right. The bags were gone, probably hidden by all the makeup. She’d have to find out what brand of concealer they used, because dang! The whites of his eyes were brighttoo.
He took Akoni, tucking the sleeping baby into hiselbow.
“Wait—did you take a nap?” sheasked.
Teo ducked his head. “I may have caught a few power naps while they were changingsets.”
Cedar wanted to throw a pillow at him. She’d had a full night’s sleep, but after a day of trying to mind-read a baby and anticipate his needs and listen to him scream in her ear when she didn’t get it right, she was more than a little jealous of Teo’s easy day. Sure, he had to shoot a commercial andwork,but he’d been the star,pampered.
At least she could check pampering him off her to-do list. Wait. If she didn’t pamper him, who had? Some woman with a tight shirt and a platter of doughnut holes? The image made her gag. She hadn’t been able to completely block out those kinds of thoughts lately. Not since Darrin planted the seed of distrust in herhead.
She pulled her shirt away from her body. Akoni’s body heat had made her sweat under theblanket.
“I stopped at the grocery on the way home and bought a couple of steaks. I thought we could barbeque tonight.” Teo headed to thekitchen.
Cedar followed, rolling her head from side to side. “I’m going to have to pass. I didn’t get anything done today, and I have so much todo.”
Teo’s bright eyes dimmed with disappointment. “Oh.Okay.”
Cedar went to him and slipped her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest. He smelled so good, rustic and fresh all at the same time. She probably smelled like sweat and greasy hair. “Ugh. It’s definitely time for a hotshower.”
Teo kissed her temple. “You always lookbeautiful.”
She snuggled in a little closer before pulling away. “I’d better get going. I’ll be here tomorrow. One more day of filming?” She didn’t want to seem too eager to have a day off, but she needed time. Personal time was a luxury when she was caring forAkoni.
“Yeah. Do you have plans?” Teo hoisted Akoni higher on hisshoulder.
“Work. I need uninterrupted hours to read through the proposal from start to finish, and I still need to refine the presentation. I should drop into it and swim around for a while.” Ever since she’d turned Darrin down, Teo had become the best boyfriend ever. He paid attention to her needs—like bringing steak home and offering to cook for her. He hugged and kissed and tickled her until she shook off the seriousness of the day and had a chance to unwind. She loved every minute with him. There were times when she felt like he was holding back, working to control something inside of himself, but she didn’t dwell on those times. Or tried not to. The green eyed monster wasn’t a good look, and she hated giving in to her own insecurities. If Teo could remain faithful to a wife who didn’t love him, then being faithful to a girlfriend who cared would be all that much easier forhim.
“I get that.” Teo followed her to the door. “Thanks for getting him tosleep.”
Cedar brushed her finger over Akoni’s cheek. “He can have another dose of the pain meds in half an hour.” She hovered in the doorway. The tasks ahead pulled on her, urging her out the door, while the fact that Akoni needed her tugged her the other direction. Adding to that end of the tug-of-war was also her need for a good make out session with Teo. He was such a good kisser, finding every sensitive spot on her neck and igniting her lips with every kiss. If they started kissing now, she wouldn’t be home until midnight at theearliest.
She couldn’t afford to put things off—even for a blissful evening withTeo.
And really, she was a hired nanny. She had to separate her duties on the job from her duty to the little boy and her feelings for his father. She loved Akoni, she really did, but she had no claim on him. Teo could fire her at any moment, and she’d never see Akoni again. Not that he would and not that they’d found a replacement for her. They’d decided to put the interviews on hold for a couple days while Teo filmed and she finished up her project. This whole thing would be a lot easier if Teo would sweep her into his arms and lay one on her. She wouldn’t fight—maybe protest a little, but that just made staying all the morefun.
Confused at the many sides of her at war, she took the concrete steps slowly, cringing at the sound of the door closing behind her; it rang out like a warning that there was too much at stake to mess this up. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure what she was messing up—her personal life or her professionalone.
Chapter 20
Cedar hitprint.The sound of the ink-jet jetting ink was a victory tune. She was too tired to get up and dance, though. Her apartment was a mess. Piles of papers were scattered on the side tables and across the kitchen counter. Half-eaten bowls of cereal were stacked next to the couch, added to the pile when the solution to the problem she’d been pondering hit her out of the blue. Protein bar wrappers, a nasty habit she picked up from Teo, lay here and there, and the carpet was in dire need ofvacuuming.
The massive amount of cleaning she faced was worth finishing the presentation. She let out a contented sigh just as her phonerang.
Hoping it was Teo so she could share the good news, she answered quickly. “Hello?” She hadn’t seen him in two days. While working on the presentation had been fulfilling and exhausting, she’d felt the loss of not holding Akoni or kissing Teo. She very much wanted to share this moment withthem.
“Sunshine, is that you?” Noah Baker’s voice boomed through the phone. Noah’s family owned Camp Buckeye where Cedar had worked every summer of her high school years. She and Noah had worked together before Noah went off to the police academy. Two years ago, he’d taken a private security job and fallen in love with the woman he was hired to protect. That woman happened to be one of the wealthiest people in Texas. Cedar was networking the tar out of her connection to Camp Buckeye to get this phone call. She’d had to call Noah’s mom and explain everything to get an email address hemightlook at. Billionaires took their privacyseriously.
Noah wasn’t who she was expecting, but the good fortune of getting his call wasn’t lost on her. “Noah! How’s the weather?” If he could pull out the old camp nicknames, then she was free to tease him about his given name. Teasing was good. Teasing was relaxed and open and friendly. At least with Noah Baker itwas.
Noah laughed easily. “If a flood was coming, I’d put my money on Texas to survive. They are too tough here todrown.”
“Don’t I knowit.”
