Page 26 of My Not So Wicked Boss (My Not So Wicked 3)

Chapter NineAfter putting Henry down to sleep, I knocked on Miles’s office door. It had been a long day and I was ready to call it a night. I had forgotten how much work it was to take care of a toddler. They were hardwired to get into everything and had no fear, which was a dangerous combination. On top of taking care of Henry, I had to get Chloe into school and pack up all our clothes, which were currently in disarray in our new home. I had left Chloe to at least put hers away while I brought Henry back to put him to bed. He didn’t go willingly, which made me sad. I would have thought he’d be anxious to see his uncle who we had only seen briefly this morning. Miles said he kept weird hours, but he hadn’t mentioned how long.

“Just a minute,” Miles called.

I could hear him turning his whiteboard around before he answered the door. You don’t know how badly I wanted to sneak into his office and read every word on the board. I mean, I signed his NDA, so I wouldn’t tell anyone. Though I’m sure my friends would ask.

Miles finally answered the door and my stomach swooped again. I hoped I would become immune to him soon. It didn’t help that his chiseled features were sporting sexy stubble and his countenance lit up when he saw me.

“Aspen.”

Why did he have to say my name so tenderly? I held up the baby monitor, trying not to think about it. “Henry is sound asleep.” After four stories and a song, but I didn’t bring that up. “But I wanted to make sure you had this in case he woke up and you didn’t hear him.” I had to admit I was kind of concerned that Miles wasn’t the most attentive parent and was having a hard time adjusting to his new role.

Miles took the monitor. “Thank you. How was he today?”

“Busy.” I smiled. “But he’s an angel. You’re a lucky man.” I hoped he knew that.

Miles ran his hand through his tousled curls, looking unsure. It pricked my heart, but I couldn’t exactly blame him. He’d been through a lot in the last several weeks. Anyone would need time to adjust.

“Well, good night,” I said when he didn’t respond. I turned to go.

“Aspen, would you like to come in for a minute?” he asked nervously.

I pointed down the hall. “I should get back to help Chloe unpack.”

“Yes, of course . . . but,” he paused and rubbed the back of his neck, “I would really like to discuss a few items I need taken care of tomorrow.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I promise to only be a few minutes.” He opened his door wider, inviting me in.

I skirted past him, making sure I stayed as far away from him as possible. I didn’t need any whiffs of his intoxicating cologne. It was bad enough I had to be subject to his good looks and heavenly accent. Not to mention his beautiful words. I had already put Silent Stones in its place of honor on the nightstand in my new room.

Miles squinted at me as I passed by, probably wondering what was wrong with me, but didn’t point it out. “Please have a seat.” He waved toward the two simple wooden chairs that matched the style of the home in front of his neatly organized desk.

I took the one closest to the door and he surprisingly turned the other toward me and sat down close enough that our knees practically touched. Why couldn’t he have taken his own chair across the desk from me? There was no avoiding his mind-numbing scent now. I gripped the edge of my seat and started taking shallow breaths.

Miles raised a brow over my behavior. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

I placed my hands in my lap and lied. “No. Nope. Not at all.” How many times did I need to convey that? I was such an idiot.

Miles’s lip twitched, but I could tell he was holding back a full-blown smile. He leaned forward and rested his hands on his legs. “I’m happy to hear that. I do hope that you will be comfortable here. Does the guest house have everything you need?”

That and more. I planned to take a long, hot bath in the soaker tub tonight. We hadn’t had a tub since we lived with my parents. And I could go on for days about the stylish and comfortable furniture. Reading in bed was going to be so much more pleasurable now. And the extra space alone was a treat. It was three times the size of our apartment. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Please let me know if you require anything else.”

The only thing I needed right now was some distance between us. Each debonair word he spoke was making the numbing agent around my heart fade, leaving a stinging effect I wasn’t too fond of. If only I could scoot my chair back without him noticing. Maybe I could lie and tell him my back hurt and I needed to get up and walk around. But did I really want to go down that rabbit hole? He would probably offer to buy a more ergonomically correct chair. I’d noticed how easily he threw around money. Like when I offered to have Henry eat with me and Chloe since he wasn’t fond of the chef-prepared meals that Miles preferred, Miles offered to give me a weekly allowance for food on top of all the other perks of the job.

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