Page 35 of Redeem Me

‘We’re not sleeping together. I only started working for him a few weeks ago.’ I pop the can open and take a drink.

‘I’m sensing a but here,’ she coaxes. ‘Is there any wine in that basket? That might loosen your lips.’

‘Believe me, these lips are loose enough! There’s no but.’ Not unless you count his nose being buried in mybuttas he ate me out yesterday.

‘He’s never been anywhere with a nanny before,’ Scarlett muses. ‘In fact, he hated every single one of them. They were all terrified of him. Which is hilarious really because beneath his grouchy exterior, he’s an absolute teddy bear.’

‘You heard what Caelon said. He’s friends with my brother, Dermot.’ I shrug, conveniently skipping over thefinger fuck in the bar. ‘That’s probably why he’s different with me.’

Scarlett scoffs. ‘It might have something to do with it, but I’m telling you, the way he bit Rian’s head off was territorial. He wants you.’

‘He doesn’t.’ I swat my hand in front of my face, dismissing the notion, the memories of him staring at the picture of his wife just seconds after I came on his face surging through my mind.

‘It was so awful what happened to Isabella.’ Scarlett’s voice drops.

‘Were you guys close?’

‘No. I only met her a handful of times. James and I got together just before the accident.’ Scarlett strokes a thumb over her baby’s cheek. ‘She was lovely, though. She and Caelon were childhood sweethearts. They were so happy together. Just goes to show, you’ve got to make the most of every day. Live for the moment.’

Which is precisely what I did last night, even though it was wrong on so many levels.

A loud thwack from the volleyball game prevents me from asking any further questions.

‘Ow, mother fucker!’ Rian clutches his nose, glaring at Caelon.

‘Oops, sorry.’ Caelon shrugs, a half-smile flirting with his lips.

‘You did that on purpose!’ Rian sinks to the sand.

‘Time out.’ Sean raises a hand in the air. ‘You two need to cool off before someone gets hurt.’

‘Is there any beer in that basket?’ James eyes the picnic Liz prepared.

‘It’s eleven am,’ Scarlett says pointedly.

‘Yeah, but it feels like four o’clock given we’ve been up half the night.’ James winks at her and she flushes.

‘With the baby,’ Scarlett says to me.

‘Arms’ length, hey?’ I snort.

‘I said I was trying, not succeeding.’ She grins.

‘No judgement here. We’re going to be great friends, remember?’

Caelon strides over to where the kids are digging, ruffling Owen’s hair. ‘You okay, buddy?’

‘Yep.’ Owen barely glances up. He’s so engrossed.

The sun beats down on my shoulders, scorching my skin. ‘I feel like I’m burning.’ I reach for my beach bag, patting around for the sun cream I packed this morning. I flip open the lid and squeeze a dollop onto my palm, massaging it into my shoulders.

‘Need a hand, Ivy?’ Rian calls, dusting sand from his knees as he rises from the ground.

Caelon snarls at his brother and lunges for me, snatching the bottle out of my hand. He sits on the towel behind me, positioning one leg either side of mine, so I’m sitting between his thighs.

I wish he was sitting between mine.

We should spend more time with Rian. I like the effect his flirting has on Caelon. It makes him positively primal.

---