Page 22 of Falling for the Single Daddy

“Wait.” He jogs after me, putting his hand on the door before I can yank it open. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that. I just don’t like the idea of you faceplanting and seriously hurting yourself.”

“It’s fine,” I tell mutter.

“No, it’s not,” he snaps. “I shouldn’t have freaked. It’s just—if I hadn’t been there…” he trails off with a shudder.

I don’t know what I’m thinking. Maybe I’m not. Maybe that’s how it happens. I put my hand on his chest, feel his heart pounding against my hand, powerful thump-thump-thumps that reverberate through me. He stares at me, his expression difficult to read.

“I’ll be more careful, okay?” I whisper.

“Good,” he replies. “You’d better be… Let me get the door…”

As he leans past me and reaches for the door, his cheek brushes against my face. We’re so close to each other that I can almosttaste him. Time seems to slow down as he turns and looks directly into my eyes. We’re barely inches from each other. He looks at me as if searching for something. But for what? Maybe he thinks this is all a setup, too, just like me falling down the stairs as if I’d hurt myself just to make him care.

“What are you thinking?” he whispers, moving even closer. Our lips are a hairsbreadth apart from each other. Each breath he takes has his lips nearly brushing against mine.

“Nothing.”

“You look pissed at me.”

“I just didn’t throw myself down the stairs on purpose. That’s all.”

His lip twitches into a captivating smirk. I almost reach up and touch his face, trail my fingers across his jaw, and feel the prickles of his slowly returning beard. “Okay, you’ve made your point.”

“I’ve never wanted anybody to save me,” I tell him earnestly. “I saved myself. Okay? Do you get that?”

“Yeah, I get that. But can you save me?”

“From what?”

“From you,” he groans, and it should be cheesy. It should make me cringe. If I read about this in one of my books, I might roll my eyes. It’s so different when I’minthe moment when I can feel his hand on my hip, his warm breath on my face, the heat in my chest, the desire emanating from him.

He finally takes that last step forward and crashes his lips against mine. It doesn’t last long, but I know that in my memory,it will expand, become three, four, five times the length. His lips are just the perfect texture: rough, manly, but not off-putting. He tastes freaking delicious. He kisses me confidently, but not aggressively, not as if he owns me. But when I moan, his desire begins to take over. He tightens his grip on my hip. I slide my hand up his chest and…

Then it’s over.It’s like we’ve both woken from a dream. I’m not sure who comes to their senses first, but he finally steps away.

A long time passes with us both just standing there. Then his expression changes, and it infuriates me. He narrows his eyes, looking at me as if to ask,Why did you make me do that?I almost scream at him.He’sthe one who kissedme. But is that true? It feels like a blur. My lips are still warm from the contact. Other parts of my body are warm, too, as if tempting me to explore where else we could take this.

His look doesn’t change. If he wants to play the gaslighting game, I can also do that. I spent years having it done to me, after all. “Okay, well, thanks for the save,” I say with a slightly tight chuckle. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Let me know if there’s anything specific I need to know about Emery’s schedule. If not, I’ll keep her entertained.”

A polite, fake smile replaces his searching expression. He nods. “Will do. Thanks for everything, Callie. Sleep well.”

Walking across the yard, I breathe in the cool summer air, but it does nothing to dampen the heat coursing through my body. I sit on the couch in the guesthouse, but then I stand and pace. I can’t sit still. I can’t think clearly, reasonably, or anything even close.

He kissed me. I want to scream the words. I can still taste his lips, still feel their heat. But it was so quick, and he wentalong with my acting after. It should be easy to pretend it never happened. Maybe if I were thinking straight, I’d find a way out of this job.

However, could I find something better than this, and would I really want to? I check my cell to distract myself, only to find a text from my dad.Hope all is well in the ’burbs. I’ve just bought a houseplant! Love, Dad x

No, I can’t even think about ditching this job. Dad needs it too much. But that doesn’t mean this is going to be easy. Already, I’m thinking about kissing him again, feeling my fingernails bend against his hard muscles. Holding him tight, refusing to let go.

The look in Gray’s eyes flashes into my mind. It was pure accusation, like he blamed me for the kiss, almost like he resented me for it. The smart thing to do is forget it and pretend it never happened. I’ll wake up tomorrow and go to breakfast with a smile on my face. I’m just regular old Callie, not the nanny who’s fairly certain she’s going to touch herself tonight thinking about her boss.

Chapter Eleven

Gray

Fuck, fuck,fuck. I can’t stop myself as I lock the bedroom door, lie on the bed, and take out my stiff shaft. My desire is throbbing as I stroke my hand from my pre-come-slick tip to my base and then back again, the sound of my palm against my rod loud in the quiet of the night. I close my eyes and return to the kiss, and I can’t hear anything. It’s like I’m really back there.

Only this time, instead of backing off, I sink my hands greedily into her. Then I hold her there as I slide one hand up her thick thigh, under the hem of her floaty dress. I find her neediness dripping wet for me, push aside her underwear and stroke along her folds, find her haven, and push my finger inside.

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