Page 34 of You've Got Male

“I deserve that,” he said. “And we’ve been working on it. Look, I really need just fifteen kid-free minutes. I have a meeting with a potential employer and it’s a big deal.”

She catalogued his outfit. Now that she’d collected her tongue up off the floor, she had a chance to really see what he was wearing. “And you’re dressed like that?”

He looked down, clearly baffled. “What? I’m in a suit.”

“That’s like two sizes too big.” He’d clearly lost the dadbod he’d had while married. Now he had the body of a runner, which made sense, since she saw him hit the pavement every morning after he dropped the kids off at school.

“It’s all I had. Is it that bad?”

She walked around the counter and started undoing his tie. She whipped it off and went to work undoing the top two buttons of his shirt. Her fingers brushed his Adam’s apple and there went that nosedive sensation again.

Her gaze flew to his and she found him staring at her lips. He didn’t even bother to hide his interest. “Trying to get me out of my clothes, Evie?” Her name was said on a low rumble that sent her pulse racing.

She shook her head to clear it. “Shut up while I’m trying to be nice. Here.” She took Waverly from his hands and plopped her on her hip. Oblivious to the heated tension in the air, Waverly started playing with Evie’s hair. “Lose the coat.”

“I’ve never undressed in public, but I think I like it.”

“It isn’t an undressing. It’s an emergency fashion intervention.”

It reminded her of the other intervention, which reminded her of her steamy dream last night that led to a meet-and-greet with her battery-operated boyfriend this morning that had her body going from warm to surface-of-the-sun blazing.

“He’s supposed to arrive any minute. All I need is twenty minutes.”

“You said fifteen.” But Evie was already breathing in the sweet scent of baby powder and peanut butter, causing her hormones to go into a baby-induced frenzy.

“You said yes.” He looked behind him to another man in a suit. Only this one, lord help her, had a red rose. “Or I could ask your mom and leave you to your suitors.”

“Gee, what a choice the universe is giving me. I have to pick between two men who are trying to commandeer my morning. I already have a family of hijackers to contend with.” And if she’d had time to spare it would have been spent studying for her entrance exam.

“I know what I’m asking, and I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

She sighed. She didn’t want to be an asshole, it was only fifteen minutes. And she knew what it was like to be a struggling single parent desperate for a lifeline. Plus, time with Waverly wasn’t a hardship. “You owe me.”

“I’ll bring over a tray of my famous spaghetti.”

Her mouth began to water. “With homemade noodles?”

“Homemade from a box.”

“Then I expect a big bottle of wine to go with it.”

“Noted,” he said and that was his cue to leave, only he stood there, staring at her. She was staring back and something new passed between them. Something dangerous and intriguing. He cleared his throat. “I should…”

“Yeah. You should.”

But neither moved, and the moment grew until it was hard to breathe without taking in his yummy male scent. Or the way his eyes dilated and his nostrils flared.

“Cookie,” Waverly said, reaching her pudgy fingers out toward the jar of cookies on the counter, effectively breaking the moment. She was as relieved for the distraction as she was disappointed. Which made no sense at all.

“I promise I’ll make it fast,” he said and turned around, heading for a man who was waving him over. Evie watched him walk away and couldn’t drag her eyes off the way his ass filled out those slacks.

“Are you Evie?” the next customer in line asked. “Of You’ve Got Male?”

Evie looked at the rose and sighed. “I’m Evie of You’ve Got aToddler with a Dirty Diaper. You want to help with that?”

Chapter Twelve

Jonah

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