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‘Morning,’ she rasped.

Holding forward his offering, Fox peeled the cloth back to reveal a stack of pancakes, syrup dripping golden from the edges.

‘I had some extra this morning,’ he said as she gasped in delight. Their hands met as she reached to take the plate off him. The brush of his fingers on hers sent shocks straight to the pit of her tummy. Their hands lingered.

‘You said you liked them.’

‘Thank you,’ she stuttered, wanting to eat him right there and then, and leave the pancakes for dessert. She peeled her fingers away with a wrench.

‘Don’t let them get cold,’ he said, turning to go. ‘See you later.’

As soon as he turned the corner to the main house, she shut the door and headed back to bed, leaving the pancakes on the bedside table and throwing her robe on the floor.

Seeing him had brought it all back and now she had to come. His face so close to hers. His fingers brushing her skin. She thrust her hand between her legs. Her body reacted of its own accord, pushing back against her, finding the right pressure. Her fingers moved rhythmically against the warm wetness of her, and within seconds she was arched like a bow, reaching for the sky, pulsing, pulsing, pulsing into oblivion. She couldn’t have come any quicker if it had been battery-powered. She collapsed back on the bed, limp and satisfied, feeling the flush of her face, the rasp of her breathing, and smiled.

That should keep her on the level for the day.

But she couldn’t go on like this – especially not with a broken vibrator. Maybe she should plan ahead a bit, because she knew she was going to be just as horny later as she had been this morning. Today was their meal at Tutto Mio, and he would be there, and she would be there, with all their mutual friends. But what were they?

They were not friends. They were so much more and so much less than that. They were boss and employee. They were ex-lovers. And they were parents. Whatever they were, he would still be sexy as hell.

Fox had made it clear last night, though, that they should leave things in the past, which she’d be happy to do, if she could just stop thinking about him. But then he’d brought her pancakes this morning. Was that just him being friendly?

She needed something to get through the next six weeks. She opened her phone and searched for sex toys, leisurely enjoying her pancakes while she perused.

Chapter Fourteen

Fox

‘So how’s it gone this week?’ Millie asked, and Fox could imagine her crossing her fingers at the other end of the line.

He considered for a moment, letting his mind linger on Robyn and how damned good she looked first thing in the morning. He exhaled slowly.

‘All good,’ he answered honestly. ‘Just establishing our work boundaries.’

‘Great,’ she said, and he could practically hear Millie’s smile. ‘Told you it would be fine.’

Fox let his mind wander to the almost-kiss. While it was definitely off limits, it had also felt bloody tempting at the time. He’d just have to keep a safe distance from Robyn.

Millie was telling him about a corporate event she’d spoken at in the week. Something about ‘the benefits of establishing a corporate body’, but Fox found his thoughts wandering again, back to the feel of Robyn’s body pressed against his. Those long, lean legs.

‘And I felt so much like Meg!’ Millie suddenly said, bringing him back to earth with a bang.

‘Meg?’ Fox asked stupidly.

‘Yes! You know, your wife, my sister, Meg?’ Millie laughed. ‘She always says she imagines the audience naked to put herself at ease.’

Fox felt that, right in the gut. Millie sometimes still referred to Meg in the present, and every time it knocked him for six.

‘She was so funny. You two used to laugh so hard together.’

Fox smiled at the thought. Silence hung on the line for a moment as they both considered what they’d lost.

‘Some people never find a love like yours,’ Millie continued. He rested his forehead in his palm and momentarily shut his eyes, feeling the loss all over again, before forcing himself upright and taking a deep breath.

‘I know, Millie, we were so lucky. I miss her every day.’ He paused and changed topic, back to brighter things. ‘Right, still on for next weekend? See you Saturday?’

They confirmed logistics before Millie hung up. Fox stayed where he sat, forcing himself to confront his feelings. The stone in his stomach, the ache in his chest. There was only one word to describe how he felt: guilty. The almost-kiss with Robyn suddenly felt like something else entirely. It felt like betrayal. And he’d tried to make it feel friendly this morning again by taking pancakes round, but now he worried he might have made it worse. He could have cut the tension between them with a knife.