Page 23 of Give Me a Reason

I nodded. “This arrangement with her seems too good to be true. I thought I’d have to hire a teenager and remind them not to have friends over.”

“Aria’s good. I think she babysat a lot in school too.”

“I would have thought she’d want to waitress or bartend for extra cash. Seems like easy money.”

“But then you have to deal with drunk people and their roving hands,” Mallory, the bartender, added as she walked by.

“I don’t hire anyone who doesn’t already have some experience either hosting or waitressing at a restaurant. I don’t have time to train someone in the service industry.”

That might have been why Aria didn’t go that route. Maybe she’d already tried and couldn’t get a job.

“She good with Paisley?” Max asked as he wiped off the counter.

“She’s great with her. Paisley already adores her, and it’s only been a couple of nights. Plus, knowing I can trust her means I can relax and enjoy my set.”

“You ever think about doing more with your music?” Max asked as he threw the cloth into a bucket behind the counter.

“Performing doesn’t work well with being a parent.”

“That’s true, but maybe there are other options besides getting a record deal and touring.”

“Yeah, maybe.” I’d thought about songwriting. That would allow me to do some work on the side and feel like I was using my music for something other than teaching. But how did anyone get into songwriting? It seemed like an impossible dream.

We chatted for a few minutes longer about his other acts, and then I said I needed to get home. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Aria again. I hoped she wasn’t asleep this time.

When I arrived home, Aria was awake and watching something on TV. She clicked it off before I could see what it was.

She quickly gathered her things and met me at the door. “How did it go?”

“It was great. I love playing at Max’s. It’s a good crowd. How were things with Paisley?”

“Fun. We played some games, then she took a shower, and we read books. She’s the best. You’re so lucky.” Aria’s hand rested on my arm, and the contact sent a tingle up my arm. “I have an early day tomorrow. I’d better get going.”

Was it my imagination, or was she in a hurry to not be alone with me? I pulled cash out of my wallet to pay her and asked, “Can you text me when you get there?”

She didn’t argue with me, just smiled softly and said, “Sure.”

I wondered if she lived with her family or moved into a rental. But it wasn’t my place to ask. “Drive safely.”

“Will do, Finn. Enjoy your night.”

Something about what she said got to me. My mind was racing with ways I could enjoy my night with Aria on her knees in front of me, my cock in her mouth. I blinked away the image because it was inappropriate.

I didn’t want to lose her as a babysitter. Not when she was so good with Paisley, who adored her.

I forced myself to take a few steps back, and she walked outside. I’d probably see her tomorrow at the Lance wedding. I wondered if our interactions would be different at work now that we knew each other better.

I didn’t want them to be. I enjoyed our back-and-forth banter, the push and pull, the disagreements that got my blood pumping in the same way performing did.

She believed in love, and she almost made me want to as well.

I waited until she texted me that she was home safe before jumping in the shower. It was her I imagined when I gripped my cock, her blue eyes looking up at me, her wavy hair wild around her shoulders as I kissed her, pressing her against a wall. I imagined how she would feel under me and pumped harder. I wanted my daughter’s babysitter, even though she was off-limits.

I bit back a groan as I let my mind run wild. In my fantasies, we argued, and then she dropped to her knees, determined to bring me to mine. I envisioned her pink lips around my cock, a challenging glint in her eyes as she sucked me off. I quickly found my release, but afterward, I didn’t feel satisfied. I wanted the real thing, but I couldn’t have her.

I sensed that Aria was the real deal, the girl you took home to meet your parents. She wasn’t a friend-with-benefits girl. No matter how much I wanted her to be. She wanted it all, and she deserved it. The relationship, the wedding, and everything that came after.

She wasn’t for me, and I needed to remember that.

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