Playing It Safe(19)

I’m still humming the chorus of “Straight On” in my head when I pull into Alex’s driveway a few moments later and stop in mid-hum as soon as I get a good look at his house. Holy crap! It’s freaking huge! I do a double take at the GPS on my dashboard and confirm I’m in the right place before turning off the engine and stepping out of the car.

It’s a Spanish-style-meets-contemporary-revival one-story home that sits at the end of a cul-de-sac, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Miami. Like a little getaway vacation home that you would only see in magazines, but not little at all. The exterior looks to be freshly painted in warm beige with accents in light cream and clay-tiled shingles. The solid wood monastery-looking front door is nestled within a large archway, reminiscent of the Spanish-style architecture that is unique to this area.

I approach the front door with trepidation, feeling incredibly underdressed in my worn, hip-hugging jeans and fitted red cardigan, which I paired with a white tank top underneath. I’m wearing black ballet flats and the barest of accessories in the form of plain silver hoop earrings. I’ve decided to wear my hair down today, after much deliberation, in its natural pin-straight state. Why I decided to wear it down I have no clue, since I’m already pushing it off one shoulder so that it doesn’t stick to the back of my neck.

Standing directly in front of his door for a few moments, I take a deep breath and fidget for a bit before raising my hand and giving it a couple of quick raps. While I wait, I can’t take it anymore; I fix my wedgie from the anti-sex granny panties I forced myself to wear, just in case I decide to lose all sense of decorum and think about giving in to the carnal urges when I’m around him.

The door unlocks and opens slowly to reveal a little girl, no more than ten, if I had to guess. She has long, curly blond hair with big blue eyes and bears a striking resemblance to Alex. What the hell? He has a kid? How did I not know this? It’s not a huge deal because I’ve dated men who’ve had kids in the past. Granted, it never gets far enough to actually meet the kids because they’re idiots—the dads, not the kids. What the f*ck am I saying? I’m not dating Alex, so why should I care if he has a kid or not? It shouldn’t bother me, right? Please, someone tell me I’m not crazy for feeling like I’ve been kept in the dark all this time.

“Can I help you?”

Alex’s daughter’s elf-like voice breaks me out of my thoughts. I slide my aviator sunglasses up to rest on the top of my head, and she smiles brightly. So bright that I can’t help but smile back and stare. She is so freaking pretty, just like her dad. Well, technically Alex isn’t pretty, but whatever, same thing. Come to think of it, he could be pretty, I guess, given the right circumstance and correct lighting and …

“Can I help you?” she asks again, this time with a good-natured giggle.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” I say, embarrassed that I’ve been caught up again in my thoughts. “I’m looking for your dad.”

“My dad isn’t here.”

Now I’m confused, and I look at my wristwatch to double-check the time. It’s only ten or so minutes past one o’clock, which was the time he wanted me to meet him here.

“Do you mean Uncle Alex?” she asks while smiling again and revealing her braces, which I didn’t notice before. She’s too cute, and did she just say “Uncle Alex”?

“Um, you’re not Alex’s daughter?” I ask nervously.

“No,” she says with a giggle. “I’m his niece, Jocelyn, but everyone calls me Josie.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Josie. I’m Julia.”

She extends her small hand out to me, and I take it in mine to give it a firm shake just as Alex appears behind her.

First of all, I have never seen him in anything other than a suit or a variation of a suit before today. I almost wish I hadn’t seen him like this, because now I’m going to have a more difficult time trying to remember that I have granny panties on. Speaking of which, thank God they have a couple of holes in them to get some air in there because I feel an instant rush of heat between my legs over the sight of him.

He’s wearing tan cargo shorts and a white linen button-down shirt that has the first few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up around his elbows. It’s doing wonders to show off his muscular frame and his perfectly tanned forearms. Personally, I have a thing for forearms on men. It’s kind of my kryptonite, along with them wearing backward baseball hats. So if he pulls out a baseball hat, I might just die and go to heaven right here and now. His hair looks to be slightly wet still from a recent shower, with a few dirty-blond locks falling onto his brow. He’s not wearing shoes, and Jesus, even his feet are perfect. He looks absolutely delicious, like I-want-to-lick-him-from-head-to-toe delicious.

“I see you met Josie already,” he says while putting his hands on her shoulders. She looks up at him with a huge smile on her face, and he bends down to quickly kiss her on her forehead.


“Julia thought I was your daughter,” she says with an innocent laugh.

Alex brings his eyes back to mine and chuckles when I clarify the mix-up. “Honest mistake. She does look a lot like you.”

“I get that a lot when we’re out together,” he answers, then motions with his hand for me to come inside.

The foyer is a small one, but it opens up after a few steps to the rest of the main living area in an open floor plan. The living room has a large, worn-in, and inviting dark brown leather couch with a matching chaise longue that faces an entertainment unit that houses a huge flat-screen TV. To the right of it is an equally big kitchen with oak cabinets and dark granite countertops. Straight across from me are a couple of sets of glass doors that lead to what looks to be a perfectly landscaped backyard with a swimming pool and furnished patio. Everything is in its place, and the accents and decorations are masculine with just a touch of color here and there for effect. And this is what I can see, because just off to the left of the living room there is a long hallway that leads to a few other doors that I’m dying to open.