Page 68 of Singled Out

“Never?”

“Not with anyone. I’ve probably been overprotective.” I knew damn well I’d been overprotective. “I don’t want anything to hurt him. Ever. And I know there’s gonna be shit in life that tears him up. Look what already happened to his parents. But if I can prevent him from getting hurt, you better believe I’m going to protect him with everything I have.”

“You think I’d hurt him?” Her tone was incredulous.

“I think if he grew attached to you and then you stopped coming around, he’d get hurt.”

Understanding sparked in her eyes. “I see.”

“Do you?”

“If you date someone, you don’t want Danny to get to know them in case it doesn’t work out.” She still looked skeptical.

“Precisely.”

“Except we’re not dating.”

“No.”

“So it doesn’t quite hold up.”

“Same concept. Danny could get hurt, and I won’t risk that.”

“Danny would only get hurt if I spent time with him. Right now, he might like me, but if he never saw me again, he wouldn’t miss me.”

“Maybe,” I acknowledged. I hoped she was right. It was damn hard to know what went through an eighteen-month-old’s head. “I’m sorry you felt embarrassed tonight. That wasn’t my intention. There was a lot running through my mind as to how to act around you. Everyone knows we went to the gala.”

“I know.”

“That was supposed to be all it was.”

“Yep.” Harper stood. “Except it isn’t.”

Before I could stop myself, my gaze dropped to her generous breasts in the bikini top, the expanse of her bare abdomen, her sexy belly button, the hint of her hip bones, and the skirt that left one long leg exposed.

I went hard instantly.

“No.” My voice came out rough and husky. I sat back against the cushion, revealing the effect she had on me. “It isn’t.”

I stopped breathing as she stepped toward me, closing the space between us, one foot at a time. When she reached me, she went down to her knees. With her hands on my thighs, she leaned closer. Her gaze darted to my lips, then back into my eyes. Then her lips fluttered over mine, just a tease of a touch. Her breath stuttered out, and I felt it whisper over my skin.

I was dying to grasp her gorgeous ass and pull her into me, but I held back, waited, my heart hammering. I was curious to see what she would do.

“Our night together was a secret,” she said just above a whisper.

“Yes.”

“Nobody knows I’m here now.”

“Where’s your car?” I asked. I’d been too wrapped up in the sight of her at my door to check for her vehicle.

“It’s parked downtown, near the Fly.”

“You walked here?”

She nodded. “Because I can keep a secret.” She smiled meaningfully. The gleam in her eyes was alluring as fuck. I clenched both my fists to keep from reaching for her. “I’m thinking…”

She leaned forward and kissed me full on the lips, none of that fluttering, flirting crap. Her hand trailed up my jaw, to the back of my head, as her tongue plunged inside my mouth.

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