Page 8 of Tempt

“Come look at my puzzle,” Andy says.

I go to the coffee table to take in his handiwork. “It’s a zoo.”

“It’s Noah’s ark,” he corrects. “Two of every animal.”

“Where are your sloths?”

He frowns, bending over the puzzle and searching with a finger. “Probably still in the box.”

I grin.

Kids have this innocence about them that makes you want to see the world through their eyes. They haven’t been scarred. Everything is magical and interesting.

“What can I get you to drink?” Daniel calls from the kitchen.

My gaze lands on a wine fridge. “Red’s good.”

“Wine.” It doesn’t sound like a question, but it is one.

I shrug. “If you’re offering.”

“Are you legal?”

“Do you remember where we met?” I counter, and he turns away, muttering something I can’t hear.

He reaches for a bottle and uncorks it.

“This what you drink on campus?”

“Mostly coffee and grapefruit LaCroix during the week.”

“We’re all out of LaCroix.” I smile as Daniel pulls a glass down from a shelf and pours from the bottle.

“I’ll let it slide. But for the record, I’ve had a lot more grown-up things than wine, Professor,” I say as I take the glass from him.

Our fingers brush.

It’s innocent. Incidental.

The lightest touch of skin on skin.

I swear his nostrils flare, but a moment later, he turns away and everything’s normal.

“No wine for you?” I prompt as he returns to the kitchen.

“I drink. But not tonight.”

Andy captures my attention again, and we work on the puzzle. I sip my wine and sneak looks at the chef while helping Andy track down a rogue goat piece.

Daniel looks good in the kitchen. Capable and confident.

The dance moms would be moaning in ecstasy if they could see this.

When dinner is ready, I take the spot Daniel points to at the table, next to him and across from Andy.

The meal itself is delicious, and sitting with the two of them is surprisingly comfortable.

Andy tells us about school. “We have a field trip soon to go to the museum and see animals,” he says proudly. “My dad’s coming with me.”

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