Page 14 of The Au Pair Affair

Yesterday, he’d been prepared to let Tallulah pass on the au pair job, because the last thing he wanted was to force her into a situation that made her uncomfortable. However, now that there was a chance she could change her mind, he was determined toshow her that his home was the safest place for her in Boston, possibly the world.

Starting with dinner.

There was just one problem.

“Tallulah, I can’t cook for shit. I’m on a high-protein, low-carb diet, so I basically eat meat and steamed vegetables. Fish twice a week. I was planning on ordering takeout for Lissa tonight.”

She pouted. “Oh, Burgess, you need help, don’t you?”

“Help me,” he said, hoarsely. “I can’t do what you did this morning. You made straight, white lines in her hair.Whiletalking. I can’t do either one of those things with her. Not even one at a time.”

“I’m... thinking about it.” They continued to stare at one another so long, his body started to respond to her prolonged interest and he had to shift in his seat. Focus hard on keeping his breathing even. God, this woman ruled his dick and she had absolutely no idea. Maybe allowing her to move in was unethical. The need to be around her won, though. It drowned out everything else, including his conscience, apparently. “In the meantime, I have a meeting with my counselor about my course schedule. I guess I’ll see you tonight?”

“Tonight sounds amazing,” he said, adding, “We’ll take it slow. See how it feels. Okay?”

She exhaled, relaxing another degree. “Okay.”

Tallulah pushed back from the table and stood. Burgess did the same. He had no idea what to do with his hands, so he put the right one out for a handshake. Tallulah rolled her lips inward, seemingly to hide a smile, and slipped her fingers into his grip, the contact sending a slow sizzle down to the soles of his feet.Soft. Strong. Perfect.

He watched as she shouldered her purse and picked up her smoothie, obviously preparing to bring it with her. Before shecould breeze past him to the exit, she stopped, hesitated, then lifted the straw of her drink to his mouth. “I dare you to try this and tell me it isn’t amazing.”

Burgess grimaced. “I don’t drink caffeine.”

Briefly, she pretended to choke. “One sip isn’t going to kill you, protein pants.”

“Jesus. Fine.” He closed a hand around her wrist and guided the drink higher, closing his teeth around the straw and tugging it upward, so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck. And hell if he didn’t feel the pulse leap in the small of her wrist. Her eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly, her gaze trained on his mouth as he sucked down a healthy gulp and let go of the straw, licking his lips. If she wasn’t a stupefyingly gorgeous, intelligent, andyounggrad student who could have her pick of any manher own agein Boston, he might have wondered if she was attracted to him, too. But there wasn’t a shot in hell.

“Well? What’s your verdict?”

Only the truth for this woman. “That’s vile, Tallulah.”

Her mouth fell open. “You don’t even like it a little bit?”

“I like knowing what you like.” It took him a moment to register what he’d said—and more importantly, that he’d said it out loud. She was blinking up at him, obviously thrown off by the statement, as well, so he backpedaled as fast as he could. If he wanted her to reconsider the au pair position, the last thing he needed was Tallulah being aware of his totally pointless mega crush on her. “I mean, knowing you happily drink liquefied dog food will make me feel less self-conscious about my terrible cooking.”

A smile lifted one side of her mouth. “See you later, Burgess.”

“Bye, Tallulah.”

He inhaled her basil and orange scent as she skirted past him to the door, then turned and watched her ass move right to left in a hypnotic sway until she was out of sight. A chuckle from behindthe counter snapped Burgess out of his trance—and there stood the smoothie guy behind the register, smirking and drying his hands on a white towel. “Would you look at that? Sir Savage has got it bad.”

Burgess gave him the middle finger on his way out, but the guy only laughed harder.

Not until he was inside the elevator did Burgess allow himself to smile.

Tallulah was coming to dinner.

Chapter Five

Tallulah selected a Styrofoam tray of chicken breasts from the refrigerated trough, making a face as she tossed it into the red handbasket. As a vegan, she didn’t make a habit of handling raw meat, but she could tough it out for one single meal—and once she reached the produce section, she planned to gather eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and onions for a vegetable dish for herself. Her mother’s Saksuka to be exact.

What a difference a day makes. Suddenly, she was shopping with a man’s dietary restrictions in mind. High-protein, low-carb.Blech.Why was she in the store buying supplies to cook dinner for this man and his daughter, anyway? She didn’t have an answer to that. Except her mind continued to replay his rasping plea ofhelp meacross the table in the smoothie shop... and she’d kind of just ended up at the closest market to The Beacon.

One time.

She’d cookonce.

Even if a miracle happened and she changed her mind about living with Burgess, her duties wouldnotinclude cooking. This was a favor. A whim. Nothing more, nothing less.

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