by M. S. Parker
Don’t do it, Pax…
“Okay, yeah. Thanks.”
* * *
Driving with Leslie was a damn sight better than riding in a cab, I had to give her that.
For one, she smelled fantastic.
The way she smelled made me think of sex and hot summer nights, spent out on the lake, spread out on a blanket. That made me think of having her on a hot summer night, spread out on a blanket, by a lake. I even had a lake in mind – my place up in the mountains. Where no one was around for miles.
That clear, pale skin of skin of hers would gleam under the glow of the moon. I could imagine her mouth falling open as I trailed my fingers down her neck, her torso –
“Do you think your wife made it home?”
Head out of your ass, I told myself.
As the car glided to a stop in front of my building, I debated on the answer. “No. If she made it home, Alex would have let me know.”
“The nanny lives with you, right?”
“Sort of. She’s got an apartment that’s connected to our penthouse, so yeah, I guess she does, more or less. Good memory.” I climbed out of the car and grabbed the messenger bag I used for work, and started to close it. Abruptly, I stopped and looked back inside. “You want to come up? You could…” I paused, faltering a bit, before deciding to just brazen it out. “You probably want to see that Carter’s happy and all, right? What’s the phrase…well-adjusted?”
“That’s a social worker, not me.” Her hands gripped the steering wheel. “I’m just here to help take care of the divorce.”
“Yeah, but at some point, she’ll drag a lawyer in it too, right? Maybe if you have a heads-up on whatever she plans to do to argue…” I was floundering bad here. Let it go, Pax. Let it go.
That smile again, quick and brilliant, and then she turned off the car. “You’re not the first client who's ever suggested such a thing. It’s never made much of a difference, and I'm sure you’re a great father. But yes, I can come up for a few minutes. My car?”
“Valet will take care of it.” I held out my hand for her keys after she came around, even though the man heading the stand was already on his way over. Her fingers brushed my palm.
As much as I wanted to, I didn’t close my hand over hers.
She was coming upstairs. That was good enough.
Maybe if I spent a few more minutes around her, I could get her out of my head. Chances were, I was just obsessing because she was so…steady. Beautiful, hell, yes, but steady. So different from everything I was used to.
If I had any luck at all, she’d be lousy with kids and nothing was likely to sour me quicker than that.
Chapter Twelve
Leslie
I hadn’t lied.
I'd met the families of my clients several times in the past, but that wasn’t why I’d agreed to go inside with Paxton Durham.
I was having a hard time separating my personal interest already, but I couldn't seem to stay away.
It’s business, I reminded myself as we stepped inside the elevator. I needed to be professional. The doors slid silently closed and I settled back against the far wall with a quiet sigh, readjusting the bag on my shoulder and trying to convince myself this wasn’t a huge mistake.
Then Paxton shot me a grin and I smiled back.
I was so screwed.
The elevator doors opened to a wide, airy entryway that was clearly private. As soon as I stepped out, I could see there was only one residence on this floor. A matching pair of elegant tropical plants framed both sides of a regal looking set of carved wooden doors.
“This way,” Paxton said unnecessarily. He glanced at me, the expression on his face one I hadn’t seen before.
He looked…nervous, although I couldn’t understand why.
Unless he really was concerned that I might not think he was a good father.
He really did love his daughter. I could see that already, and I hadn’t even seen the two of them together. Everything he did seem to be centered around her. It kind of blew my mind that someone like him would be so involved, but even as the thought occurred to me, shame slid through me.
He might be some big rock idol, but he was still a guy, a guy who clearly cared about his child.
“Come on,” he said, clearing his throat before reaching out and unlocking the door. He stepped inside but didn’t have a chance to take more than that one step before a small girl came barreling toward him.
“Daddy!”
He caught her up in a hug and stepped further into the penthouse, moving off to the side so I could come in.
“Hey, baby.” He pressed a kiss to her head, all his attention on her. She tucked her head against his throat and curled her arms around his neck like it was her favorite place in the world to be. “You maybe wanna go hang out with me today? I’m tired of being cooped up in the studio. I wanna go have fun with my best girl.”
She sniffed. “Me and Mommy were supposed to go do fun stuff. She left and forgot about me.”
Paxton’s eyes closed briefly, his expression clouding. “Mommy wouldn’t forget. I bet something happened and she’s probably lost or something. You remember how she got lost with you in SoHo and had to use somebody else’s phone to call me because she left hers at home?”
There was a faint pause and then she nodded. “Yeah.”
“Bet it’s something silly like that.”
“But what if she’s lost again, and she can’t find us to see the fireworks?” Carter said, her voice rising at the end.
“I’m taking my phone. And Alex will have hers on. If Mom tries to call one of us, we’ll be able to talk to her. Okay? Come on, princess. Don’t be all down. You’ve been so excited about today.”
I watched as she slowly eased back, her eyes locked on her dad’s face. My heart twisted a little, and I felt a flare of anger at a woman who could be so careless with her child's feelings.
“Okay. But…we’re going to miss the show. It’s already started.”
“I’ll make it up to you. You and me, we’ll pick one out – or better yet, you can pick it out, and we’ll get the best seats. I’ll even see about getting you backstage too. It’ll be a date, just you and me.” He reached up and wiped at the tear on her cheek.
“Okay.” She sighed, a shaky little sound that was evidence that she had been crying harder than that earlier. She gave her dad another tight hug and then shoved at him, clearly ready to get down. She started to say something else but caught sight of me.
Her eyes widened. “Who are you?”
The question took Paxton off guard, but I’d been expecting it. She was six. I might not be a parent, but the past few years had giving me some experience with kids, and I knew this was a curious age. I smiled at her. “I’m a friend of your father. I’ve been working with him on something. You’re Carter, right?”
“Yes.” She narrowed her eyes and studied me with the seriousness only a child can muster. “Why are you here? Are you going to the fireworks with us?”
Now it was my turn to be caught by surprise. I opened my mouth, then closed it, uncertain how to respond to that. Before I figured it out, Carter kept going.
“We still don’t know the city too good – too well…” She rolled her eyes like she was sixteen instead of six and looked over her shoulder.
That was when I noticed a tall, slim woman – she looked barely out of her teens, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. The nanny, I assumed. Alex? Yes, that was it. The woman grinned at Carter and tapped her nose. Carter gave a long -suffering sigh before continuing.
“Alex does though. She’s been here before and even lived here for a little while when she went to college. She says she knows all about New York City. But she's supposed to be off tonight, and she’s going to do stuff with her new boyfriend. She’ll probably kiss him a lot too. She does that when nobody is looking.” She lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper very loudly, “I see them kissing. It’s gross.”
I managed to disgu
ise my laugh as a cough. Paxton just looked amused. Judging by the lovingly exasperated look on Alex's face, this wasn't anything she hadn't heard before.
“Mommy was going to take me out into the city with a friend of hers, and she knows where all the good stuff is on the Fourth, but Mommy isn’t here. We’ve never done fireworks or nothing here. So…” She paused and took a deep breath, then rushed on. “Is that why you’re here? Do you live here? Do you know the city?”
“I…um…” I felt a little dazed. Okay, I thought I was used to kids, or at least experienced with them. Usually, though, they tended to be a bit quieter – or at least, not all but tripping over themselves with fifteen hundred questions a minute. Finally, I latched on the last clear bit of her explosive dialogue and answered. “Yes, I live here.” I managed to smile a little. “I bet I know the city even better than…Alex, right?”
Alex inclined her head, smiling a little. She looked a little sympathetic. “She’s a talker.”
“I noticed.”
“I have lots of stuff to say,” Carter said matter-of-factly. “We’ve never done fireworks here. You should come with us then. You can help us find all the good stuff.”
“Ah, you know you can’t set fireworks off here, right?” I shot Paxton a quick look.
“Yeah, we know.” He tugged on Carter’s ponytail. “She’s talking about finding stuff to do in the city. We can’t set them off in California, either. We were going to find one of the street festivals or something, then we planned to head down to the Hudson this evening. A friend has a place on the river.”
Rubbing at my temple, I managed to smile. “You really haven’t done the Fourth here before, have you?”
Carter giggled. “I just said that. We only moved here a couple of months ago.” Some of the animation left her face and she wandered over to the couch, dropping down on it and picking up a ragged looking bear. “I don’t like New York. We lived in California before and I love California. This place is boring. My old house had a big yard and I had a tree house and a swimming pool and I could go outside and play – as long as I didn't go by the pool. Now I live here and I’m stuck inside all the time.”
She shot her dad a mutinous look and Paxton blew out a breath before moving over to sit on the coffee table in front of her. “Honey, you go to the park with Alex all the time. And the zoo, the museums…you’ve made a bunch of new friends at school.”
“No, I haven’t. Some of the kids are mean and they think I’m stupid because I’m in summer school.” She sniffed, looking dejected.
“You’re not stupid,” he said in a firm ‘father’ voice. It was clear this was a discussion they'd had before.
She buried her face in her bear.
“I miss my old friends,” she said softly. “It’s no fun here.”
Heart tugging, I moved closer without realizing I’d even done so.
Paxton glanced up as I sat on the edge of the arm of the couch. “There’s lots of fun things here, Carter,” I said. “I bet I can show you.”
She looked up at me, a quick, nervous look. “Are you going to come with us? Take us to some of the fun stuff in the city?”
Paxton cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Ah…well, I’m not sure how your dad feels about that.”
“He doesn’t mind,” Paxton said neutrally.
* * *
Hours later, I collapsed on a lounge and stared out at the river.
“I’m going to say this…I don’t think I’ve ever had a view like this for the Fourth of July,” I said when Paxton settled down on the lounge next to mine and offered me a frosty cold bottle of some dark beer.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of the label, but I really didn’t care. I was hot and exhausted, but I’d had more fun than I’d had in a very long time.
Carter was curled up on a fat, round chair, sleeping. Nodding toward her, I asked, “Is she going to wake up for the fireworks?”
“I’ll wake her up after she’s had a chance for a nap. She won’t let me live it down otherwise.” He smiled at me before taking a sip from his bottle. When he lowered it, his eyes were still locked on mine, and my heart started to race, my blood burning inside my lungs.
It was enough to make my head feel all funny and light, especially combined with the exhaustion and heat of the day, and now, putting alcohol on top of it, I was practically buzzed. Maybe I should have stuck with water.
“Thanks for coming out with us,” he said. “I know that wasn’t what you had in mind, but Carter had fun.”
“So did I.” I smiled, then shifted my gaze away, looking down the crowded street. It was all shut down to vehicular traffic, standard for Independence Day. Once I explained how awful traffic would be, Paxton suggested I leave my car parked in the guest valet parking and we’d taken a taxi – Carter had loved it – for part of the day, then walked down here. He’d assured me he would have my car brought to me in the morning. He also promised to make sure I got home.
The wind kicked up, and I looked off into the distance, staring at the slowly building clouds. Bad weather was supposed to move in later, but the forecasters were saying it shouldn’t affect the fireworks.
The scent of ozone hung heavy in the air, and I could almost feel the promise of rain. I just hoped it held off so Carter could see the fireworks.
“Me too.” Paxton's voice was low.
I swung my gaze back to his, momentarily unsure of what he was referring to. By the time I figured it out, he was up and moving away. I watched as he stopped maybe five feet from where I was, pulling his phone out.
He lifted it to his ear.
Although I couldn’t hear the words, something about the tension creeping into his body told me who it was. When he glanced around and seemed to realize how many people were looking at him, he froze even more. That protective streak started to heat inside me and I got up, moving toward him.
He caught sight of me as well, stopping in mid-sentence.
I caught his arm and he frowned, clearly not understanding my intent. Still, he allowed me to lead him back to the relative privacy of the corner where we’d been. I nudged him down onto the lounge chair – farthest from the crowd – and then I moved to stand in the entryway of the small alcove, barring it and offering him whatever privacy I could.
A few people gave me appraising looks, but I ignored them, drinking my beer and playing deaf to the conversation going on behind me.
Not for the first time, I found myself thinking…She must be crazy.
Brinke had taken off. Even though I was trying not to listen, it was impossible not to pick up on that much. She was crazy. She had a guy like Paxton. How could she not appreciate him? And their daughter was amazing. I knew that from just one day.
If I had a family like this, I might not have minded the thought of settling down.
Chapter Thirteen
Leslie
“Thanks for asking me to come with you, Carter.” I rubbed my cheek against her hair. Her shampoo was strawberry-scented. “I had a lot of fun.”
“Me, too. New York isn’t too ter’ble, I guess.” Her voice was a sleepy mumble, a smile on her face as we pulled up in front of their building.
“Gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes at Paxton. He sat watching us, his expression unreadable. The car stopped and I eased Carter upright, stealing a look at the time. After midnight, whoa. No wonder she was all but asleep on top of me. “Well, sweetheart, it’s about time for me to go. I’ll turn into a pumpkin soon.”
The driver opened the door, but before I could slide out, Carter found her second wind, grabbing my hand. “You can’t go yet!”
“Carter, honey…” Smoothing a hand down her hair, I smiled at her. It was impossible not to fall in love with her. “It’s late. I need to go, and you need to sleep.”
“But…” She squeezed my hand and watched me with big, imploring eyes. “Just a few more minutes. You…you didn’t get to see my bedroom!”
Paxton remained silent throughout
the exchange, and I finally shot him a look. I didn't want to intrude, but I also wasn't sure I could say no to Carter either.
Our gazes locked and he hitched up a shoulder. “It’s up to you, Leslie.”
Great. I gave Carter a smile. “Sure, honey. I’d love to see your room.”
Although I was exhausted, saying no seemed impossible. I could face the angriest people on the stand and face down the most hard-ass judges, but one six-year-old child made me crumble. As we climbed out of the car, a thunderous crack tore through the sky overhead, bouncing off the buildings and echoing through the concrete canyons of New York City. Lightning followed closely after.
A split second later, the rain started. Although rain wasn't entirely accurate. It was a downpour.
We all rushed for the awning just a few feet away, making it under just in time to avoid being completely soaked as the skies opened up. A doorman rushed out to meet us halfway, an umbrella already open in his hand.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Gorham.” The doorman lowered the umbrella once we were all under the awning. “That blew up out of nowhere.”
Paxton shook his head, flicking some rain out of his eyes. He’d shoved Carter and me under the umbrella, racing to the awning ahead of us in the rain, so he got the brunt of it. With an easy smile, he shrugged at the doorman. “No problem, Pete. It’s just rain. We don't melt. At least, Carter and I don't.” He slanted a look in my direction.
I rolled my eyes. “I'm pretty sure I’m still intact.”
Carter giggled. “People don't melt, Daddy.”
“People don't,” he said. “Witches do. Haven't you seen The Wizard of Oz?”
Following them into the elevator, I made a face at him, making Carter laugh again. “Are you calling me a witch?” I made my voice sound indignant.
“What makes you think that?” he asked easily, leaning back against the wall and meeting my eyes.
My heart lurched, then started to race. Licking my lips, I dragged my gaze away and looked at Carter. “Okay, let’s see this awesome room of yours.”
