Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Okay.” He places his hand on my knee, and a wave of something unexpected travels from that spot, up my thigh, and right between my legs. “I’m not looking for a mom for Winter.” My heart already beating hard begins to thunder. “She has a mom. And I’m also not looking for a chef or a babysitter.”
Is it hot in here?
He continues, “That’s not why I’m interested in you, and I’m not expecting you to do any of those things.”
It feels hot in here.
“I want to get to know you without Winter in the mix.”
Yep, it’s definitely hot in here. And between that and my heart now jackhammering, I’m positive I might faint.
“Winter adores you, and I know you feel the same about her, so the three of us will spend time together. But I want time alone with you.” His eyes scan over my face. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m going to pass out,” I blurt, and he grins. Tucking away my freak-out, I start to cover his hand still on my knee but stop myself, and I tell him quietly, “Miles, this—” I motion between us with a wave of my hand. “—is a horrible idea.”
“I know.”
“Your brother is dating my best friend and— Wait, what?” I shake my head, realizing he just agreed with me.
“I know this is a bad idea, probably the worst idea I’ve had in a while. But like I said, I like you. I like being with you, and from that kiss, I know we have chemistry.”
“You aren’t some random guy I’ll never have to see again if this goes to crap.”
“We’ll figure things out if that happens.” He lifts one shoulder.
“What about Winter?”
“You already said you don’t have a problem dating a man with a kid.”
“I don’t, but again, this is different. The connection we have and my relationship with Winter makes all of this much more complicated. I’d never want her to be hurt.”
“So, it will be harder for you or me to walk away without putting in some real effort.”
I should not like that response, but I do. Actually, I like it a lot—maybe too much.
“What about Brit?”
“Who?” He frowns, and I frown in return.
“The woman I saw you with at the bar.”
“Shit." His gaze wanders over my face. “I didn’t get it then but that night, about five minutes after I watched you walk into your building, I took her home and told her it wasn’t going to work.”
“Oh.” I swallow.
“Mmm.” He makes a humming noise in the back of his throat, then squeezes my knee. “Where is your head at now?”
“I don’t know. I like you.” That’s a total understatement. “I just—”
“We’ll start slow,” he cuts me off before I can repeat once more that I don’t think this is a good idea. “I’ll see if Miranda and Tucker can keep Winter for a couple of hours tomorrow evening. We’ll go out to dinner, then we’ll go from there.”
Watching him watch me, I wonder if the risk of this situation is worth the possible reward. I’m not sure. I’m also still not sure that he’s telling the truth about not looking for a mom, or at least a mother figure, for Winter. He might not even realize that may be why he’s pushing for this. Sure, he’s done the whole parenting thing for years on his own, but he could be tired of going it alone.
Or maybe he just likes me, and I’d be an idiot for not seeing where this goes.
“Okay,” I say after a few seconds, and his body seems to relax. “But just dinner, and then we’ll talk and see how we both feel after that.”
“Just dinner,” he agrees, squeezing my knee, his eyes dropping to my mouth for a brief second, and that prickle along my scalp comes back to life, causing my nipples to pebble under his stare. “Now, finish your wine, and we’ll go upstairs. Winter will be pissed if she doesn’t get to see you.”
I don’t sip the rest of my wine; I gulp it down in a single mouthful, then wipe my mouth with the back of my hand with him watching. There is no reason to pretend I’m not ready to run away and get out from under the intensity of his stare, or the air swirling around us that seems to be charged after that conversation. I need time to think, and I won’t be able to do that with him sitting right in front of me.
Chuckling, he shoots back the rest of his drink, then stands and looks down at me, holding out his hand. I place my hand in his and let him help me up, following him to the kitchen, where we leave our glasses on the island. When we step out the door a minute later to go to the elevator, his hand wraps around mine once again, engulfing it in warmth.