Page 60 of The Rogue

“No.”

"Levi." His tone stops me in my tracks. "What if it's bad?"

He didn’t see the fear in her eyes when she woke up. Iknowit's bad.

But so is betraying her trust.

It’s after eleven when I walk up the steps to my front door and quietly enter. A dim light glows in the foyer, the living room, and beneath the kitchen cabinets.

It’s clean and smells…piney.

I do my usual sweep to lock up, but the back doors and windows already are.

I turn off the foyer lights but leave the others before heading upstairs.

Tessa’s bedroom door, right across from mine, is wide open. I’m about to knock and ask if everything’s alright when I notice the room is empty. The bed is still made.

Where the hell? The gym is the next thing that comes to mind but the basement door was closed and the lights were out.

Panic grips me, and I rush toward Jackson's bedroom. His night light is on, but he’s not in his bed.

Covering my ground before losing it, I check my bedroom. And freeze.

Jackson is tucked in the middle of my bed. Head on the single king-sized pillow. I hate pillows. And nothing screams “I like to sleep alone” than a single pillow on a bed. But right now, I wish I had it filled edge to edge for the comfort of these two heads.

Tessa is next to him. Her auburn head just barely lying on the pillow.

With soft steps, I close the distance, scanning the way her hair is spread wildly around her. How does it always look so fucking silky?

I’m tempted as fuck to move my kid to his bedroom and come back here for her.

But I need Jackson here.

If only to remind me that she’s the fucking nanny.

I run my palm across the top of her head. “Hey.”

Inhaling deeply, she flutters her lashes and accesses her space, then looks up at me. “Oh, right.”

She sits up, stretching, then drops her chin to look at my son. “This kid is somethin’ else, Indie.”

You’re somethin’ else.

I follow her gaze. “He keep you up?”

She’s all sleepy and gorgeous. “He was just worried you weren’t home yet and wanted to wait up for you.” She shrugs.

I chuckle. “Yeah, I used to sneak into my parent's bedroom when they were out late. Or when my dad was traveling, I’d pretend I was only sleeping on his side so mom wouldn’t be afraid.”

She looks up at me like she can’t relate. I have the strangest urge to explain it to her. To have her look at this from my eyes. Coming into mybedroom with my kid fast asleep on my pillow. A beautiful woman next to him who took care of him while I was gone.

“Help me up, will ya?” She grabs my wrist and pulls herself up, moving in the opposite direction of where I want her.

She stumbles groggily, and I catch her by the waist, my mouth by her ear. “You don’t have to leave.”

Tessa’s cocky grin is contagious. “It’s cool. I’ve got a neat place just across the hall.”

I laugh. “Oh yeah? Did you just move in?”

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