Page 7 of Harvest of Love
I follow him down the hallway to his studio, my heart banging in my throat. I must look like a deer in headlights, and his wicked smirk tells me he knows exactly what’s on my mind.
“Can we table this for another time?” he asks, eyes searching mine.
When I don’t answer, he adds, “I’m truly dying to kiss you, Dais. But I want to do it right.”
My mouth falls open.
“I want our first kiss to be engraved in your memory, not a quick kiss that you will forget just because I was rushed.”
I can’t find words, so I just nod. Manny squeezes my arm, leans in to brush a kiss across my cheek, and then he’s gone—out the door, leaving me breathless.
The front door clicks shut, and I crumble to the floor.
Did he really hear me? And still, he wants to kiss me?
Oh my God. It’s both embarrassing and arousing at the same time. It feels so wrong but so right.
I already can’t wait to see him again.
Chapter 3
Manny
I’ve completely lost my damn mind. Telling Daisy I heard her moaning my name while in my bed? What amess.
Her sounds keep replaying in my head—the breathless whimpers, the way she gasped. The more I picture it, the hotter it gets. Daisy spread out in my sheets, playing with her clit while chanting my name. Jesus. I almost kissed her. Almost.
Fuck. What do I do now? The cat’s out of the bag.
I’ve been attracted to her since the day we met, but I kept myself in check. Too many reasons not to cross that line—fear of hurting her, fear of getting hurt again. And all that was before she became Tommy’s nanny.
I’m a single dad. My time isn’t my own. I don’t have the luxury of starting something messy. And I’m way too old for her. Forty-two. She just turned thirty.
I know because she spent her big three-oh with Tommy and me instead of out with her friends. I can still hear her words:“Age is just a number, Doc. To be honest, turning thirty and not being where I thought I’d be hits hard. Why should I remind myself what I haven’t achieved when I can be a part of one of Tommy’s core memories? It’s his first hockey game. I’ll only get to cherish this memory once.”
And what a memory it was. Daisy rode with us to Asheville’s rink, hugging Tommy after my pep-talk and telling him how proud she was. A tear might have slid down my cheek right then. We sat side by side, theloudest cheerleaders in the stands, shouting ourselves hoarse for Tommy and the Lumberjacks.
Afterward, we went out for pizza and ice cream to celebrate his first victory.. I noticed the number of pricks looking at her, the flicker of jealousy on their faces because she was with me—with us. But not once did she look anywhere else.
I might tell myself she’s too young. But the truth? She’s more mature than most people I know. And I have no doubt that there are men her age who are dying to date her.
The thought makes my blood boil. My grip on the steering wheel tightens, and I take several deep breaths before I do something stupid. The last thing I need is to get in a car accident because I can stop thinking about how wrong—or how right—it feels to want her.
“Fucking hell, why is life so complicated sometimes?” I mutter, smacking the wheel once.
But the way she makes me feel whenever we’re close doesn’t feel like a complication.
She feels like the answer.
It’s not just because Tommy adores her, or because she’s made his transition to Azalea Creek so much smoother. It’s the way the house feels when she’s there. Alive. Warm. Likehome.
And that can’t be a complication.
Yeah, I need to get my priorities straight. If I’m going to take this leap, I'm going to do it right.
By the time I park at the hospital, I’ve almost convinced myself. I grab the tablet I went home for, ready to translate for my new patient, but my mind’s still with her. Always her.
When I finally return home, the house is lit up. Outside, the pink and orange streaks of autumn sunset are long gone, leaving only a navy sky scattered with stars—my favorite.
