Page 19 of Why Not Us?

I almost laugh at that. “I can guess.”

“So you can help me do things I would never do.”

I fold my hands behind my head, considering her. I want to say yes, and I take a second to examine why. As I watch her, she smooths her hands down the skirt of her dress in another gesture that belies the nerves she’s feeling. I’m reminded again of that flower, but now I realize she’s more like a wildflower, soft, pretty, and delicate, but stubborn enough to grow in places it has no business being.

I want to say yes because I want to get to know her better. It doesn’t matter that she’s not my type, that we’re completely wrong for each other and have probably nothing in common. She’s fascinating to me, and I can’t seem to get enough.

“Say I agree to this, what’s in it for me?” I ask.

“What do you want?”

I stand, stepping toward her, loving the way her eyes travel down my body and back up. She swallows when her eyes meet mine again, and I’m certain she’s as attracted to me as I am to her.

“Not… um… that.”

“Not what, princess?”

She swallows again, her eyes dropping to my lips. I know she’s thinking about how I’d kissed her. The memory of her body pressed against me had me awake most of the night.

“We can’t kiss again,” she says, her voice small, her gaze still trained on my lips, like she’s waiting for exactly what she said we can’t do.

“Why not?”

I step closer and she sucks in a breath, looking up at me. She straightens her spine, lifting her chin, like she’s just remembered she needs to. I watch as she transforms from a nervous flower into a prickly rose.

“Because,” she says, her voice firmer now. “You signed a contract with Blue Vista, and it would be risky to mess it up by involving emotions into our otherwise business relationship.”

“Who said anything about emotions?”

She blinks rapidly.

She is fun to tease.

“Anyway,” she says, drawing the word out. “I thought I could offer private art lessons.”

I arch a brow at her. “I’m not really into painting, princess.”

She rolls her eyes. I love the fiery spirit I’m seeing.

“I meant for Dani. She was talking to me on Friday about her art, and I can help her. More than the teachers at her school. She’s still in elementary, right?”

It’s my turn to be taken aback.

“You want to teach Dani?”

Adalie nods, and she looks excited at the idea. “Yes. I’ve been studying different mediums since I was about her age. Maybe a bit younger, even. I’ve taken dozens of classes. I could help her figure out what she wants to focus on and help hone her talent. She’s really very good already. Especially for only being ten.”

“So how would this work, then?” I ask, sitting against the edge of my desk, crossing my legs at the ankles.

Adalie reaches up, lifting her curls and letting them drop. “You have her for a week and she’s with her mom for a week, right?”

I nod and fold my arms over my chest, noting the way Adalie’s eyes follow the motion.

“On the weeks you have her, I could come over for an hour or two one day and we can do something art related. Painting, sketching, I can even do a bit of sculpting. I’ll pay for all the materials. Then, on the off weeks, you can help me do something I wouldn’t normally do.”

“Like what?”

She shrugs, her hands twisting back together and her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “That’s kind of why I need you. I don’t even know where to start.”

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