Page 27 of The Au Pair Affair

“And cooking.”

“Now, that isn’t my job. Tonight wasdefinitelythe last time.”

“Understood.” He tried really goddamn hard not to look below her neck, but the strain of making it thirty seconds was taking a toll on his self-control. Burgess made himself a deal. Just her hips. He’d just memorize the line of her hips in that skirt and he’d go back to making eye contact. One, two, three...

God.

That leather had been licked onto her by the devil. Cursed with the knowledge that she wore stockings underneath made his balls feel heavy, his hands itchy to touch.

Eyes up.

“Are you going out?” he rasped.

“Yes. That’s what I was going to speak to you about.”

“You’re going to tell me your plans?” She was volunteering them without him having to ask? Awesome. Saved him from looking too interested. Which he was.Waytoo interested in where she was going in black lace panties.

“I mean, no? I wasn’t going to inform you of my plans. Should I?” Humor crackled in her eyes. “I was actually wondering if you had keys for me, so I don’t have to sleep in the hallway.”

“Keys. Right.” This wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. “They’re hanging by the door—the ones with the pepper spray attached.”

Her smile dimmed, her expression growing more curious than anything. “You bought me pepper spray?”

“Did I overstep again?”

“I think so?” She shook her head slowly. “There are a lot of gray areas with you, boss. And I already have some spray attached to my keychain.”

“Good.” She’d definitely put a little extra emphasis on the wordboss. “I would want my daughter to carry pepper spray.”

Whydid he say that? It made him sound old enough to be herfather, which thank fuck, he wasn’t. Still. Could he call anymoreattention to their eleven-year age difference?

“Since we’re already operating in the gray areas, maybe you should let me know where you’re going. Just in case.”

She studied him, half amused, half searching. “I’m meeting some grad students at a club near the harbor. I met them at orientation, and we share a class.” She brightened. “Actually, Chloe is coming, too.”

That caught him off guard. “Chloe. As in Sig’s future stepsister?”

“Yes.”

“How did that come about?”

“Well...” Her amusement deepened. Why? He couldn’t recall everamusinganyone before Tallulah. “When I made plans to meet for drinks today, I figured the more the merrier, so I texted Chloe to join us.” Burgess couldn’t help it, he was completely fascinated by that mentality. Making plans with people she’d just met? Mixing friend groups? Where did the chaos end? “If I let too much time pass after meeting Chloe, we’ll never hang out. Making friends in a new place means taking initiative.”

“How do you know that?”

She tilted her head, causing dark hair to skim against her bare arm... and his mouth to go dry. “Are you asking me a lot of questions to stall me from going out, Burgess?”

Was he?

Maybe.

“Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice was softer than before, almost flirtatious. “You tell me.” A fraction of a second after that flirty opening left her mouth, she started, seeming almost surprised at herself and rushed to fill the ensuing charged silence. “I’m trying to relearn how to create... social networks, I guess. I need them, you know?” A shadow danced in the brown of her eyes. “I can’t stay inside and avoid the world forever.”

“Pretty rude of you to call me out like that. First day on the job, too. Is this the kind of abuse I should expect from you?”

A dimple popped in her cheek. “Doyoustay inside and avoid the world, Burgess?”

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