Page 60 of The Manny

“Yes.” I wrinkled my brow. “I can’t say I’m thrilled you had to bribe her to spend the day with me.”

“It wasn’t like that.” He shrugged. “You can be intimidating. I was trying to help.” He moved closer. “Lately, I see a change in you. A good change.”

“You’re not here to change me. You’re here to take care of Mia.”

“Right.” A muscle twitched in his cheek.

Usually, this is about the time we’d devolve into a battle of wills. Today, I didn’t have the stomach for it. I wasn’t angry with him for butting in. I finally understood that anything Thomas did, he did to make things better. When he’d first arrived, I’d felt he was trying to manipulate me. Now I understood he just wanted to help. Was it annoying at times? Hell yes. But it no longer enraged me.

“Mia did make me laugh yesterday. Many times.”

“Okay.”

“Way more than three times. She’s a naturally funny, sweet kid.” I frowned. “At first I felt weird about you bribing her. It made me feel that our interaction yesterday had been fake. Forced. But the truth is, Mia had me laughing most of our time together. A few hours in, she’d already earned her hot fudge sundae many times over.” I glanced up and met his earnest gaze. “We were just enjoying our time together. It wasn’t fake.”

“Of course it wasn’t.”

I cleared my throat. “While your job is not to change me… I think I am changing by being around you. By being around Mia.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Does that upset you?”

“It would have a few weeks ago.”

“But not now?” he asked breathlessly.

“Well, not right this second.” I laughed gruffly. “Maybe I’ll be furious later tonight. Who knows?”

“I hope not.” He gritted his teeth.

I glanced at my watch. “Damn, I’m late.” I moved to the door, but he grabbed my wrist.

“Wait a minute.”

Surprised, I turned. “Yeah?” I liked the feel of his warm fingers on my skin. I tried not to show that, but it was nice.

He surprised me by moving up to me so that our chests touched. “Do you realize we just had a conversation about some very touchy shit, and neither one of us even raised our voice?”

“I guess that’s true.”

His eyes dropped to my mouth. “Mia got a reward. I want one too.”

“Huh?”

He leaned in and kissed me, his lips soft and hungry. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and my need ramped instantly. I took hold of his shirt and walked him backward until his back was against the wall. Leaning the length of my body on his, my brain seemed to short circuit. Who gave a damn if I was late? The taste and scent of Thomas was all I could think about.

He moaned and slid his arms around my neck, pushing into me more. He fit against me so perfectly. I put my hands on his hips and tugged him closer, rocking into him. A little voice told me to calm the fuck down, but I didn’t seem able to do it. Not when he was kissing me so passionately. I just wanted more.

When he suddenly pulled away, I felt dazed. His eyes glittered with need, and his lips were plump from my kisses. “Mia.” He swallowed. “We need to be mindful of Mia.”

I nodded, although my brain was foggy with lust. If he hadn’t put a stop to things, I’m not sure I’d have remembered Mia existed. I blew out a shaky breath and raked a hand through my hair. “I… I need to get going.”

“Okay.” He cleared his throat. “Will you be home for dinner tonight?”

“Uh… yeah.”

He licked his lips. “Don’t plan on going back to the shop after.”

“No?”

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