Page 61 of The Au Pair Affair

Oh. Wow. Tallulah’s eyes were open again, but she was seeing double. “Huh.”

A chuckle was his response to her puffed monosyllable, but he got serious pretty fast. “Are you getting closer to letting me spend time with you? Just us?”

“Yes,” she whispered, almost to herself. “I think I am.”

“Time for skinny dipping, Tallulah.” Another press of his lips, accompanied by a rumble in his chest. “Don’t you think?”

“It’s supposed to be unseasonably warm this weekend,” she murmured, sounding dazed.

His mouth grazed her ear. “Can’t wait.”

Burgess progressively released her, giving her a long final once-over before turning and striding from the park, his gait more purposeful and cocky than usual, if she wasn’t mistaken. Were those new jeans or did his butt just look incredible in every pair he owned? Tallulah didn’t realize she watched him go the entire way to the exit, until he vanished around the brick pillar.

She tore her eyes from the spot where Burgess had once been, furiously smoothing her hair to distract from the wild, winged butterflies besieging her middle. Her hopes that no one had witnessed her starry-eyed booty appreciation were dashed when she glanced over at the Young Professionals Meetup... and they were all grinning back at her, some of them even saluting her with empty lemonade glasses.

Wonderful.

She clearly hadn’t sold them on her and Burgess being just friends.

And she was beginning to wonder if she’d even sold herself.

Chapter Fifteen

Burgess handed Lissa’s overnight bag to Ashleigh the following Saturday morning, trading a grimace with his ex-wife as Lissa climbed into the passenger side of the car and immediately cranked Raskulls at full volume.

“Is it too late to write into the custody agreement that you’re required to bring Lissa to her first Raskulls concert?” she asked, pretending to cry.

“Yes,” he said, emphatically.

She laughed, the sound fading as she gave him a considering look. “Maybe you can sucker your au pair into earning some overtime,” she suggested primly. “According to Lissa, she’s young enough to enjoy Raskulls.”

Burgess grunted at the reminder that Tallulah was on his payroll. And young.

Especially considering he planned to take her skinny dipping tonight.

He also knew his ex-wife well enough to know she was fishing. “Is there something you want to ask me?”

“Who,me? No.” She pursed her lips. “Does she stay here on the weekends, too?”

“Yeah, Ashleigh. She does. This is where she lives.”Thank God.“Obviously, she doesn’t move out every weekend.”

Her nod was exaggerated. “Ofcoursenot.”

Burgess sighed. He liked his ex. He did. She was a great mother. She’d been supportive of him when his hockey career had yet to take off. They had a good enough relationship to make co-parenting work for Lissa’s sake, but he didn’t like the passive-aggressive game she seemed to be playing with him this morning. It wasn’t typical of her, though, so he was going to let it roll off his back. “You want me to pick Lissa up Sunday night or will you drop her off?”

“I’ll drop her off.” She pried open the driver’s side door, winking at him before she ducked inside the car. “Enjoy your plans. Whoever they might be.”

Burgess frowned as the car drove away from the curb, waving at Lissa through the rear windshield until they turned the corner. During their marriage, there had been times while he’d been on the road for weeks at a time that Ashleigh had gotten understandably insecure, though she never asked him outright if he was being faithful. If she’d asked, he would have told her the truth—he never strayed. But she’d just kind of...pokedat the possibility. A lot like she’d done just now. There was no way Ashleigh was jealous of Tallulah, though, right? She’d never even met Tallulah. Her wedding was set to take place next year and Burgess wasinvited.

The undercurrent of jealousy had to be his imagination.

On his way back into the building, Burgess happened to glance toward the top floor window and caught the wooden blinds swinging back into place. In the window that belonged to Tallulah’s bedroom. Had she been watching the exchange between him and Ashleigh?

Deep in thought, Burgess took the elevator back up to the penthouse floor and strode the short distance to his door, which he’d left unlocked, knowing that bringing Lissa down to her mother would only take a few minutes. Inside, the living roomand kitchen were empty. He had practice in an hour and he needed to get his gear together, but despite the time crunch, Burgess found himself in front of Tallulah’s bedroom door.

Was it locked? He wondered, but he wouldn’t test the knob.

She’d have to let him in.

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