More Than I Could (30)

“I needed to return the rental, so Gavin followed me to the rental office this morning. Then he dropped me off here.”

She lifts a brow, a coy grin dancing across her lips. Instead of pressing, which I want to do, I take her bags. Then I step to the side to make room for her to walk in.

“That’s it?” she asks, a trail of jasmine floating behind her. I only know the scent because Kate broke down women’s perfumes one Christmas. She was sure she could control men’s reactions to her based on her chosen scent. Jasmine, I recall, increases libido.

Kate was right about that one. Damn.

I shut the door behind Megan, making an extra effort not to touch her.

“You seem extra grumpy today,” she says, amused.

“Let’s just say that Kennedy is …” I search for the right explanation while setting her bags on the floor. “She’s not thrilled with this situation.”

“Oh.”

“She’ll be fine.” I think. “Just, you know, be warned, I guess.”

Her smile wobbles for the briefest moment. “Gavin said I was extra charming this morning, so I think I’ll be all right.”

“He did, did he?”

“He did.” She smiles, sensing my irritation. “He also said I looked very pretty and smelled nice. Oh, and he’s happy to be my Peachwood Falls best friend.”

I lift a brow.

“I mean, what if you give me a night off?” she asks. “Who am I going to hang out with?”

The words ring with an innocence put on for my benefit. Even if I couldn’t hear through the bullshit, I’d see it in her eyes.

Little minx.

I lean forward. Her confidence falters, her breath hitching as I inch closer.

“Guess what?” I ask.

She hums.

I lick my lips as I gaze down at her.

I want to say that I’ll break Gavin’s kneecaps if he thinks about fucking around with her. It would be too easy to tell her that I can occupy her if she wants to hang out with anyone while she’s here. But both of those responses are a one-eighty from reality. From what’s possible.

In the other room, my child is most likely plotting ways to test every inch of Megan’s nerves. Megan will need to spend her time not getting swindled by a teenager.

Ugh.

“Gavin wouldn’t know charm if it bit him in the ass,” I say instead.

“Is that because he grew up around you?”

I stare at her.

She leans closer, splitting the distance between us in half. Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip. It sends a bolt of energy straight to my cock.

“Why do I think that’s not what you were going to say?” she asks.

“Because it wasn’t.”

“Now I’m curious.”

Me too—about a million things I have no business being curious about.

I take a giant step back, blowing out a breath. “Don’t be.”

“Why? Didn’t we agree not to have secrets between us?”

My brain scrambles, trying to block the jasmine-scented air from fucking with me while I attempt to remember our conversation from yesterday. It becomes apparent very quickly that it’s a lost cause.

I take a deep breath, my gaze landing on the door leading to the kitchen before I flip it back to Megan. “That wasn’t in the agreement.”

Her forehead wrinkles as I approach her. I stop a couple of feet away.

“Do you know what we did agree to?” I ask.

“Yes. We’re moving around this house like two people who didn’t admit they want to fuck.”

I growl. The sound of the word fuck coming out of her mouth catches me off guard. Lust surges through my veins, entertaining the nanny.

She smirks. “Was that what you were referring to? Or did I misread the room?”

“Are you going to be a pain in my ass for the next thirty days?”

“Probably.” She laughs and walks toward the door. “But don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

Oh, I’m worrying.

She stops with her hand around the knob and looks at me. The playfulness slips away, and a mask slides into place. “As soon as I walk in here, it’s game on. This is about Kennedy. Just like you said.”

Yes, just like I said.

Ugh.

Her smile softens, going from suggestive to somber. “You said you need the focus to be on your daughter, and I heard that. I respect that. So that’s what we’ll do.” She turns the handle. “Don’t worry about me. I won’t make this hard.”

Oh, it’s too late for that. I adjust myself as she opens the door.

“Ready?” she asks.

I clear my throat. “What? Yeah.”

“Then let's go.”





Chapter Twelve





Chase




Here goes nothing.

Kennedy sits at the table with her knees pulled up to her chest. No fire is coming out of her nostrils, and the daggers in her stare are relatively dull. I’ll take it.

“Hey, Kennedy,” Megan says.

She doesn’t smile but doesn’t frown, either. It’s a shield of well-constructed apathy. “Hi.”

“Your uncle Gavin is a lot to deal with in the morning,” Megan says as she pulls out a chair and sits. “He gave me a ride from the rental car place a little while ago, and I swear he didn’t take a breath. Talked all the way here.”