Page 70 of A Whole New Play

My thumb strokes her cheek once before I release her. After a pause, she steps away and retrieves the coffee.

She leans against the counter and as she brings the drink to her lips for a sip. Her eyes meet mine over the rim of the mug.

I grin.

She grins back.

We’re acting like two teenage kids, not the experienced adults we are. But I don’t mind. In fact, I like it.

Valerie Palmer isn’t just a woman I’ve hooked up with. There’s something special between us. And I look forward to exploring it further. Maybe even as soon as we get something to eat. I’m going to need my energy before we go another round.

“So about last night…”

“Are you hungry?”

We speak at the same time.

All thoughts of food fade from my mind when I register Valerie’s words. “What about last night?” I ask.

She holds the coffee mug in front of her chest, gripping it like it’s a shield. She swallows the lump in her throat. “Last night was… amazing.”

“It was.” My chest puffs out with pride, but when I see her uncertain expression, it deflates. “But…?”

She swallows again. “But I think we should establish some ground rules.”

My lips twitch. “Ground rules?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “I mean… I’m still your nanny. At least, I think I am.”

“You are.”

She nods. “Right. Well… that means you’re still my boss.”

“It does.”

“Which means what happened between us probably shouldn’t happen again.”

Like hell, it does.

“No.” I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the fridge at my side. I’m trying to look confident and unbothered, but the truth is my heart races with alarm at the thought of us not being together again.

Her eyes widen. “No?”

“No,” I reaffirm. We’ve fought against the attraction between us for far too long, and I’m not interested in doing it again. I decided that last night when I led Valerie onto the dance floor. I thought she’d done the same. Now, doubt flickers through me.

Maybe she was more intoxicated than I thought.

My stomach churns at the possibility.

Valerie chews on her bottom lip. “But won’t it make things… weird between us?”

“No.” I can’t seem to say anything else. At least, not anything that won’t scare Valerie away.

The intensity of how I feel about this woman is sure to overwhelm her. She’s in the middle of figuring out what her next step in life is, for Christ’s sake. The last thing she needs is an almost thirty, single dad of twins, declaring he’s got it bad for her.

But even so, there’s no way I’m letting her go. Not without a fight.

Valerie sets down the barely-sipped cup of coffee with a sigh. “Carter… let’s be reasonable about this. Last night was fun. I don’t regret anything, but we can’t pretend it didn’t happen.”

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