He picks up his coffee, clearly already done with me. “Don’t fuck this up. Anika seems to like you.”
The second the door shuts behind him, I sag, the tension draining from my body.
God, he’s intense.
Catherine steps back into the kitchen, a knowing smile on her lips.
“Okay,” she says lightly. “Follow me.”
RAY
“Anika said you found someone to help out?” Dale asks.
“Yeah.”
“She must have balls of steel if you didn’t scare her off.”
“She cried,” I say flatly. “Anika sent me out, then hired her before I got back.”
Dale barks out a laugh. “That makes more sense. So, when do I get to meet her?”
I fix him with a hard look. “You’re not going anywhere near her, Dale. She’s here for Anika.”
He lifts his hands in mock surrender. “Easy tiger. What do you take me for? I’m the closest thing you’ve got to a brother. I should at least meet the girl if she’s living under your roof.” His grin turns knowing. “She’s fit, though, right? Has to be. You wouldn’t be warning me off if she wasn’t.”
I don’t answer. Because that’s not the point.Yeah, she’s beautiful. But that’s not what bothers me. It’s the way she looks at everything like it’s still good. Like the world hasn’t gotten its hands on her yet.
She’s too soft. Too fucking innocent.
And men like me?
We ruin things like that.
CHAPTER TWO
WYNTER
The best thing about working for Anika is how easy she is to be around. I insisted I start training straight away under Catherine’s watchful eye. Her last day is fast approaching, and she’s determined to leave everything in order before she goes. And honestly, what else have I got to do?
We’re going over the pain relief medication again, and I’m busy scribbling notes when Ray walks in.
With a child.
I don’t see Ray often, and when I do, he barely acknowledges me, which, honestly, works out perfectly. I’m more comfortable fading into the background.
But this . . . this is different.
He crouches slightly as he speaks to the boy, his voice softer, calmer. There’s patience in the way he listens, a quiet reassurance in the way he responds, like he’s someone else entirely.
My pen stills against the page as I watch him. Gentle. Careful.Sexy.I blink, snapping out of it, and give my head a small shake.
Where the hell did that come from?
“Oh, I forgot to mention Sebastian,” Catherine whispers. “He’s Anika’s son. Seven years old. Absolute sweetheart. You’ll get along just fine.”
I gasp. “She has a kid?”
Catherine’s head snaps towards me, eyes widening slightly as she glances over her shoulder.
