Page 16 of Bedding the Biker Next Door

Monica smiled. “Yes, we’re headed down to San Diego tomorrow. Thanks again for the time off.”

“Of course, sweetie. See you when you get back.”

Jill closed the door behind Monica. While Liz read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Jill picked up toys and wiped down tables, but her mind remained on Cole.

Stella used to talk about her “sweet, beautiful boy” all the time. She never mentioned he was over six feet tall and built like a Mack truck, or that he had eyes that could melt a woman’s panties off. Okay, so that would have been weird if she had said that, but still… Stella had talked about how much he loved oatmeal cookies, board games, and Harry Potter books. But that was when he was younger. Now that Cole looked like a hot extra from the Sons of Anarchy set, she couldn’t help but smile. She pictured him with his tattoo sleeves and muscular physique playing Scrabble or reading The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Last night, he’d been a sex god. Today, he was just a man who’d suffered a great loss. That unnerved her. It made her want to turn around, march back over there, and take Cole in her arms. With no other purpose than to comfort him.

She had to remind herself more than once she’d turned down his invitation to go back over there for a reason. For several reasons, actually. One, given the strong pull she already felt toward Cole, it stood to reason the more time she spent with him the harder it would be for her when he left. And second, even if she gave free rein to her deepest fantasies—even if Cole stuck around for a while, and they somehow ended up exploring their relationship beyond a one-night stand—what was the point? He’d already spent most of his life sacrificing his dreams for someone he loved. He didn’t need the kind of burdens that getting involved long term with Jill might entail. Honestly, no man did, but especially not a man as vibrant as Cole.

“Miss Jill!” One of the children brought her out of her reverie. Story time was over, and Liz was getting a craft project out for later.

“Yes, Anaya?”

The little brunette tugged at her hand. “Who is the man next door?”

The question surprised Jill. Anaya wasn’t one of her more curious children. Before she could say anything, Stanley said, “He’s an evil giant. He was sent here from his land to spy on us. He eats kids!”

“Stanley!” Jill said, trying not to smile. She supposed that to someone who wasn’t quite four feet tall yet, Cole might look like a giant. “First of all, it’s not nice to try and frighten your friends, and second of all, we don’t say mean things about people before we get to know them. It’s not nice.”

“He seemed grumpy to me,” Stanley pouted.

Jill saw Liz out of the corner of her eye, holding back a chuckle, but she wouldn’t look at her. If she did, she would surely laugh. Besides, she had no idea what to tell Liz about her adventures with Stanley’s giant. So far, she’d managed to dodge Liz’s questions about what had happened after she’d left the bar last night, saying only that she and Cole had talked before she’d headed home. But Liz had given her that look that only a best friend can—like she knew Jill was withholding information. Jill wasn’t ready to talk about her night with Cole—maybe she’d never be—but she couldn’t keep to herself the fact that Cole was Stella’s son and was currently visiting the house next door.

She’d have to tell Liz.

But only when they had some privacy.

She crouched in front of Stanley. “Sometimes when you’re having a bad day, you seem grumpy too, right? You wouldn’t want us to think that was how you were all the time based only on one day, would you?”

Stanley’s eyes fell to the carpet. “No, Miss Jill.”

“Good. Now I’ll tell you what we’re going to do before play time. We’re going to go around the circle and say one thing that we like about each one of our friends. Do you all know what that means?” They mumbled and nodded and a couple of the smaller kids continued to stare at her, having no clue what she was talking about. “Stanley, you go first.”

Stanley made a grumpy face, but he seldom defied Jill. He stood up and said, “I like Michael’s blond hair. I like Anaya’s purple dress. I like Adam’s brown skin, and I like Chloe’s red hair bow. And I like the giant’s motorcycle…”

Jill smiled at the little boy. “Much better.”

They all took their turns, and when the last one finished, Jill told them they could get out their toys before they started on the craft project. Controlled havoc ensued, and thoughts of Cole finally seeped from her mind. At one point, though, she thought she sensed movement outside the living room window, but when she went over, no one was outside. Could it have been Cole? She hoped so, because the thought of a stranger loitering around the daycare worried her, made her all the more determined to get an upgraded security system for the house.

As the hours passed, the children’s parents came, one at a time, to pick them up and take them home. Eventually, only Stanley was left. He lived with his dad, a single father in his late thirties whose ex-wife had died several years ago. Jill had been impressed with Jason Baker, a hard-working man who seemed to adore his son. Lately, however, he’d begun to make her uncomfortable. There was nothing specific she could put her finger on, and it actually made her feel a little guilty, especially given how wonderful Stanley was.

Stanley sat on the floor playing with some blocks when Liz slipped her arm through Jill’s and whispered, “I know we can’t talk about it in front of our little one here, but I’m going to call you later, so we can dish about the giant next door.” She winked. “Right after you come clean about how long you and that guy from last night ‘talked.’”

Jill tried to hide her smile. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Liz shot her an “Oh please” look, and Jill bit her lip. “Okay,” she said softly so Stanley couldn’t hear. “There’s nothing to talk about other than the huge coincidence that the giant is the same guy who helped us out at the bar last night, Stella’s son, and probably our new landlord.”

“What?” Liz squeaked. “That’s…”

“A coincidence,” Jill warned with a raised eyebrow.

“You mean lucky coincidence. Holy moly.” Liz fanned herself. “Well, I have a feeling if there isn’t a story to tell now, there soon will be.” She elbowed Jill.

Jill glanced toward Stella’s house, feeling rattled, as if Cole could hear them. “It’s not like that. He’s grieving for his mother.”

“Then it’s too bad he’s grieving all alone,” Liz whispered. Before Jill could answer, she added, “Do you mind if I take off a few minutes early?”

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