Page 16 of Hacker Auction

“Take your time. I promise not to break him.”

I hesitated for a moment. I was worried about leaving him alone with Wes. We talked for the past week, and I knew who he worked for, but I still worried about leaving my boy alone. I must have taken too long.

Wes rolled his eyes. “I’m serious. He will be okay.”

Wanting to get out of my shirt, I disappeared into my room and tossed it to the side. I slipped into the shower and scrubbed the vomit off my body. When I got out of the shower, I threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I didn’t bother with doing my makeup or hair. He’d already seen me at my lowest.

When I stepped into the hallway, I heard Sage’s laughter coming from his room. I pushed open the door to find Wes on the ground with him. He had pulled out a few toys from a blue container near the wall.

Sage held out his little arms when he saw me.

Wes looked over his shoulder. “Feel better?”

I took two steps into the room and swooped my son into my arms. I nodded and shifted Sage in my arms. He pressed his slobbery lips to my cheek.

Wes stood up. “I can order food, and we can have dinner here.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m fine with changing our date to another night. Mom was supposed—” the doorbell echoed through the house. “I guess she is here now. Let me tell her she can go home, and we can schedule another night.” I hurried to the front door and swung it open to find Mom dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. An outsider would never realize by looking at her, she was extremely rich. Mostly because she still had dirt on her shirt and jeans.

“I’m so sorry, dear. I got working in the garden and lost track of time.” Mom held out her arms, and Sage pulled away from me and leaned toward her.

“Don’t worry about it, Mom. I was about to call, anyway. My little guy has an upset stomach. He just got sick, so I think it’s best I stay in.”

Sage clung to my mother and rested his head against her shoulder. “Why don’t you take the night to yourself, hun. Your father told me how busy you’ve been at work the last week. I can watch this little guy for the weekend. Remember, the date is part of a charity.”

I closed my eyes and counted to five. When I opened them, the sexy man was still in the living room dressed in black slacks, a white button-down shirt, and at the bottom of his sleeves, I caught sight of his tattoo. “I can pick him up after dinner.”

Mom tilted her head to the side and glanced between Wes and me. Growing up, Mom shoved romance novels at me. She always said I would find my perfect man as she had found hers. I knew that wasn’t the case for me. Especially since I had Sage, my boy would always come first.

“Why not take the weekend to unpack. I really wish you would have let the moving company do that for you.” Mom and I argued over that for a few days. I didn’t like people digging through my things. I was perfectly capable of unpacking. “Okay, but if he gets sick again, please call.”

“Honey, I raised two kids, plus your father is a world-renowned doctor. People fly all over the world to have him look at them.”

“He was a neurosurgeon, not a family doctor.”

Mom grabbed the diaper bag I had near the door. “I got this.” She turned to Wes and smiled. “Make sure my daughter has a fun night. She doesn’t go out very often.”

God, let’s tell the sexy man I have no friends. Before I could counter my mom, she walked out the door, leaving me alone with Wes. He reached over and pushed the stray hair that fell from my bun behind my ear. “You ready to go?”

“This feels so strange.”

Wes leaned against the wall like he was posing for a GQ magazine. My eyes couldn’t help but trail down his body. I was happy he didn’t call me out. “To go on a date?”

“I paid two million dollars for this date. Can’t we just say we went on it?”

“No.” He was in front of me a second later. His fingers trailed down my jaw. “I haven’t been able to get you off my mind all week. Since I already have a rule about one date, I promise not to stalk you, but I want one night with you.”

“Nobody said anything about sex.”

“You’re correct.” Wes countered; his lips turned up.

“But you said only one night.” My face felt like it was on fire. I’d never been the type to mention sex or pursue it. From what Calvin told me, I was shitty about it.

Wes pulled me against his hard chest. His head dipped, and I thought the sexiest man I’d ever seen was about to kiss me, but instead, he pressed his lips to my ear. “I only do one date. Even if it doesn’t end in sex.”

The damn sexual tension had my brain in a fog, and I had to take a step back. “That sounds sad.” I wasn’t looking to find my next love, but not even opening yourself to the chance it might happen sounded heartbreaking.

“Believe me, I’ve never had a date complain.”

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