Page 13 of Risky Game

Was he insane? He had to be. Texting me a month after he’d cleaned out my savings account and then taken off with all his things and half of mine, and he thought he could text me?

Fuck him. He’d screwed me over in more ways than financially and I wanted nothing to do with him.

I blocked Paulie’s number, something I should have done the day I booked a flight to Nashville, and then rage packed the few belongings I still owned that Paulie hadn’t stolen.

After my bags were packed and I made sure the guest apartment was clean, I headed down the stairs, threw my things into the back of my car, and headed to my brother’s house.

They were finishing up dinner, and Jassen was loading the dishes while Molly wiped down Luke’s and Brittney’s hands and faces.

“You just missed dinner,” Molly said, smiling at me.

She’d had more energy this weekend and had barely taken a nap when she came home from Jassen’s game yesterday. All good signs. Made me not feel like a shmuck for saying I’d help her out and then bailing.

“Need anything to eat?” Jassen asked. “I can warm it up for you.”

Stress and nerves had filled my stomach all day, making me not feel hungry. It’d be smart to eat, but I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to do it. “No, thanks. I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“Yes, big brother. I’m sure.” I rolled my eyes and kicked the back of his knee.

“Hey! Good thing that’s not my kicking leg.”

“Good thing you’re all big and strong and there’s no way little old me could hurt you, huh?”

Jassen glared at me, teasing. He wiped the look away and replaced it with worry. “You’ll be good, right? We’re close if you need us.”

“You’re treating me like I’m moving into my first college dorm all over again.”

“Well, you looked scared then, too.”

Then, I most likely did. Did I now? I glanced at Molly and she shrugged. “You kinda do.”

Wonderful. There was nothing to fear. I could play with kids. I could teach Amelia the ABCs and watch Frozen and Tangled as much as she wanted. I’d had a summer of getting used to kids and their schedules and moods. One child would be a walk in the park.

“Well, whatever. I‘m nervous, maybe, but not scared. It’ll be fine. Logan seems like a nice enough guy, and he assured me Amelia is a sweetheart.”

The nerves weren’t for the daughter.

The nerves were for the dad. What in the heck was I supposed to do in his house? Especially tonight, when it was just going to be us?

He’d texted me yesterday and said he thought it’d be a good idea for us to become more comfortable with each other. That way Amelia would settle quicker.

Of course he was looking out for his daughter.

But being comfortable with him? I’d had a half-dozen dreams last night that gave me a variety of very inappropriate ways for us to get comfortable.

Three times I woke myself up, throbbing, sweating. The first two times, I resisted taking care of that sensation, the third I caved, and when I had slipped my fingers beneath my panties and made myself come, it’d been a man a decade-plus older than me on my mind.

Bad Ruby. Very, very bad Ruby.

“All right, well, give me a hug.” Molly opened her arms.

I rolled my eyes but went to her. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Or maybe I wouldn’t. I’d have the night off, and I could do whatever I wanted to do tomorrow. Maybe I’d go out for a drink, get back to his house after she was in bed or something. He wanted to spend the day with her alone on Tuesday, but then thought we could all do something for dinner.

I had less than forty-eight hours to prepare myself to get over this ridiculous, crush-like attraction.

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