She leaned into his touch, and he realized how tired she looked. He kissed her gently. “Everything okay?”
“Just feeling stressed. The beginning of the year is hard because we have to build new routines. And then William.” She gave another sigh, this time with her eyes closed. When her gaze met his again, she said, “Plus, he’s going out of town on Saturday, and he’ll be gone for two weeks.”
Sounded damn good to Miles. “How is that bad?”
“It’s his weekend. And he’ll miss next Wednesday. And probably his next weekend. More for me to juggle. To top it all off, all day at work people kept whispering rumors about budget cuts for our department.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.” She pushed off the wall and out of his reach. “I have to start a load of laundry. Then we can sit and talk or watch TV for a while.”
He watched her go through backpacks and pick up stray items from the living room. Then she yelled up to Zoe who tossed clothes and towels down the stairs. Tess gathered the pile, which completely filled her arms by the time she was done.
“Two minutes,” she said, pushing her way through the kitchen. “Go relax.”
Instead, he followed her. With her elbow, she flipped a switch and a light flickered on. As she shoved the clothes into the washer, Miles came up behind her.
“How much laundry do you do in a week?”
She chuckled. “More than I care to think about.”
She measured detergent, poured, and then turned dials. When the machine started, Miles pressed closer, allowing his hands to roam down her sides. He kissed her neck. “So this is the infamous laundry room?”
“Infamous?”
“Isn’t this where you hide out to talk to me?” He continued to touch, caress, and rub against her as he spoke.
She licked her lips and nodded.
Gripping her hips tightly, he turned her to face him. He began kissing her in earnest, tasting lips that until that moment he didn’t truly comprehend how much he’d missed. Grinding his hips to hers made her breath hitch before she moaned into his mouth. Miles slipped a hand between them and stroked her through her jeans.
Her hips bucked, and she met his hand twice before squeezing his shoulder. “Stop, Miles. We can’t.”
“Sure we can.”
“No. My kids are home.”
“They’re busy with games. We can be fast.” He kissed her neck, and her pulse pounded against his tongue. She wanted this. More, she needed it. “Let me make you feel good.”
She whimpered, and he thought he had her, but she pushed him away.
“I want to, but no. My kids are home. I can’t have sex with them here.”
He closed his eyes tightly for a minute. “You’ve had sex with them in the house before. You managed to get pregnant three times.”
“That was different. It was their father. We were married.”
“Do you think your ex refrains from sex when the kids spend the weekend there?”
“I don’t know. I don’t ask. But they’re married.”
“So it’s only okay to have sex if you’re married?” He rubbed a hand over his face.
“Obviously, I don’t expect marriage in order to have sex. But these are my kids.” She reached out and rested a hand on his chest.
He wanted to understand but couldn’t. It wasn’t like he was trying to take her on the dining room table. The kids were nowhere to be seen.
“Please don’t be angry.” Her voice almost broke him. Like she couldn’t handle one more emotional hit.
He placed his hand on top of hers. “I’m not mad.”
Irritated? Yes. Disappointed? Definitely. But he couldn’t be angry at her. He blew out a breath.
“Want to have some wine? Watch TV?” she offered hopefully.
“In a minute. If you don’t want the kids to know what almost happened here, we need to wait for the evidence to go away.”
She chuckled in that low, sexy way she had, which didn’t help.
“Since I don’t get to have you naked tonight, how about this weekend?”
She shook her head sadly. “I’m working, and I have to figure out what to do with the kids since William is going away.”
“I can hang out with them for a while if you want.”
“That’s sweet, but I can’t. I trust you, but the kids don’t really know you yet. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving you with them.”
The hand beneath his turned over, and she interlocked their fingers. “It’s not about you. I knew Trevor, Owen, Evelyn, Nina, and Gabe for more than a year before they even met the kids. Even longer before I asked any of them to babysit.”
“Who are all those people?”
Tess pulled him from the room. “They’re my friends. We met in a divorce support group.”
He followed her into the living room and consumed every small bit of detail she offered about her life. As frustrated as he was that he couldn’t have sex with her, spending more time understanding Tess wasn’t a waste of his time.
…
Tess worked all day and into the night on Friday. She took every hour she could in case she needed to call in sick while William was out of town. The thought still grated on her. She was so tired of him using his money as a substitute for his time and energy. And it was pretty evident—at least with Zoe—the kids were growing tired of it, too. At eleven o’clock, she was leaving the hospital when her phone buzzed.
Only two people would text her this late—William and Miles. So she fished out her phone while she headed to the front. She was so tired, she wished she’d driven to work instead of taking the El.
When are you off work?
Miles had impeccable timing. It was like he had a sixth sense for when she might be free. Leaving now.
Good.
Do you want me to come over? She walked through the lobby as she texted and waited for an answer. The glass doors whooshed open, and the cool night breeze swept across her.
“I was actually thinking I could come over.”
His voice startled her. He was leaning against his car in the drop-off area. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to see him. “What are you doing here?”
He reached out and tugged her waistband until their bodies were flush. “I missed you. And I knew the kids were supposed to be with their dad, so you’d be free.”
“I am,” she said with a smile.
“Excellent. I can’t wait to get you naked.”
She sighed as he kissed her.
“Can I drive you home?”
“Uh…you want to go to my house?”
“If it’s okay. You always come to my place. I know you have to work tomorrow, so if we’re at your house, we can maximize our time together.”
She hugged him tightly. “You’re too good to me.”
He opened the door, and she slid into the car. On the drive to her house, Miles asked about her day and the kids. As tired as she was, she realized he was doing it again. Putting every ounce of focus on her.
“How are things going for you at work?” she asked.
“Okay. We’ve run into a few tangles with paperwork and stuff, but we’re moving forward. Any word about the budget rumors?”
“More of the same. Tell me about things with the foundation.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “What do you want to know?”
“What are you doing? What are your plans?”
“I spend most of my day on the phone and in meetings. When I’m not doing that, I’m staring at spreadsheets. Trust me, you don’t want to talk about my day.”
She twisted in her seat to fully face him. “Then tell me about your family. Or your friends. Something.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
She was tired and cranky, and he didn’t deserve her snapping at him, so she softened her voice before speaking again. “No, but you always ask about my day and listen to me bitch and complain.”
“That’s
what being in a relationship is.”
She grunted. “You don’t tell me about your day. Your problems. Your ups and downs.”
Miles changed lanes as they neared the highway exit for her house and then took her hand. “I’m not keeping secrets. My job would bore you. And I don’t need your help with anything.”
Something about the way he said it made her bristle. “Do you think I need your help? I’ve been getting along just fine on my own for years.” A bitter chuckle slipped past her lips. “Long before my divorce if we’re being honest. I don’t share my life and problems with you because I’m looking for you to rescue me.”
He pulled into a spot a few houses down from hers. He took a deep breath as he cut the engine. “I wasn’t implying you need my help. But you fix everyone’s lives. I don’t want you to see me as someone else to take care of. I want our time together to be a reprieve for you.”
Well, damn. His words deflated all her bluster. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I want us to be equals and so far, you’ve been doing all the giving and I’ve been taking.”
He wagged his eyebrows. “You’ve given me plenty.”
“I’m trying to be serious.” Swatting at him, she smiled.
He sobered and leaned across the car until their noses were almost touching. “I seriously like you. If I need to vent, I promise you’ll be my first stop. But my life is pretty even keel.”
“Okay.”
“Does that mean we can go in and get naked now?”
“Yes.”
“And I can spend the night?”
She hadn’t thought about him sleeping in her bed.
“The kids aren’t there.”
“I know. It’s just…a big step.”
“Not that big. I want to spend the night wrapped around you without you sneaking off because you have to take care of people. I want to sleep with you and have breakfast with you.”
She wanted all that, too, but would it set a precedent? She knew she wasn’t ready to have him spend the night when the kids were there, and part of her believed sleeping with Miles would be every bit as addictive as having sex with him. “Okay. But only tonight. It won’t happen when the kids are here.”
“You got it.” He turned and jumped out of the car.
Tess barely got the door open before he was reaching in and taking her purse and her hand. “In a hurry?”
“I told you I want to maximize our time together.”
They walked into her house and Tess felt different. She’d never had a man here. She hadn’t shared her bed with anyone since the divorce. Nerves tumbled through her, which she tried to bat away as silly. She and Miles had been together for months now. They’d had plenty of sex. Sleeping shouldn’t be a big deal.
She kicked off her shoes and pulled her hair from the ponytail in the hallway.
“I love that look.”
“Huh?” she asked.
“Watching you let your hair down. It falls in these crazy waves.” He shoved his fingers into the mass and massaged her scalp.
Tess moaned and then giggled. “I must sound so easy if rubbing my head makes me moan.”
“I enjoy knowing all the ways to make you moan.”
Chapter Fourteen
The following morning, Tess stretched, or at least attempted to. Her body was trapped beneath an arm and a leg. Hairy ones. She knew she needed to get up for work but snuggled closer to Miles for a few more minutes. They’d made love slowly last night, enjoying the quiet of the dark early morning hours.
She felt all warm and gooey inside waking beside Miles. Closing her eyes, she reveled in being held, having someone care about her and put her first. It went beyond the physical. The orgasms were great—phenomenal, really—but the simple touch of his hand on her hip, simultaneously possessive and supportive, undid her. She wanted more. More of this, more of him.
He tightened his arm on her waist, pulling her deeper into the curve of his body.
“I have to get up.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“I’m taking you hostage. No work today.”
“Sorry, my captor. If you get up now, I’ll make you breakfast.”
He nuzzled her neck. “I’d rather starve and have an extra fifteen minutes of this.”
“You make an excellent case, but I need a shower and food. If I don’t eat now, coffee might be my only fuel for the rest of the day.”
“They can’t make you work without a lunch break. There are labor laws, you know.”
He was so cute. “My lunch pales in importance to helping a sick kid. Some shifts are crazy busy. Others are quiet. There’s no way to know which I’m walking into.”
“Responsible people like you make the rest of us look bad.”
She rolled away from him and glanced back as she walked to her dresser. “From where I stand, you look pretty damn good.”
“Then get back in bed.”
“Don’t tempt me.” Ignoring the desire to crawl back in bed, she went to the bathroom to shower. Moments later, Miles came into the bathroom and peed.
“Can I join you, or is that too much of a temptation?”
“You’re always too much of a temptation. But water conservation is important.” She nudged the door so he could step in.
“Damn. That’s hot,” he said as he held his palms under the spray.
“I thought you liked things hot.” She tilted her head back and rinsed the shampoo.
He skated his hands over her breasts. “I can handle the heat just fine.”
She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him. “As much as I’d like to stay here and play, I have to leave you now.”
“You suck.”
“Uh-huh.” She smiled and kissed his cheek before slipping out of the shower, drying off and wrapping her hair in a towel.
By the time Miles came downstairs wearing yesterday’s clothes, Tess was dressed, drinking her first cup of coffee, and had eggs and toast made. “I take it you’re not much of a morning person.”
“Not when I was up half the night enjoying myself.” He accepted a cup of coffee. “Speaking of enjoying myself, I’m meeting up with friends tonight. You should join us. I want to introduce them to the hot woman I nabbed.”
Tess laughed. “While being your trophy sounds great, I can’t. I’m working all day and into the evening. Then I have to get back here. William is leaving for vacation today. My mom is going to take care of the kids until I get off.”
“Can’t she babysit while we go out?”
Tess thought about it for a minute. “I can’t ask her to do that. I already dumped today and tomorrow on her last minute. Plus, I’ll be dragging by the time I get home. I won’t be much fun.”
His expression sank. She hated disappointing him, but she knew if she went to a bar tonight, she’d be ready to go home after one drink. “Go have fun with your friends.”
“Can I come over later?”
“After going out? It’ll be too late. I’ll be asleep.”
“Unguarded and undressed.”
She laughed again. “Wrong. Totally dressed. Kids will be here.”
He gave her another look of disappointment, so she added, “Come over for dinner tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
He inhaled his food and left. Then she went to work and tried not to think about Miles and how she’d managed to let him down.
As long as her day was, in some ways it felt longer because the floor was quiet. Angie was working, which usually made time go by faster. Tonight, though, time stood still. She’d played more games of Go Fish and Uno and read more stories than she’d done with her own kids in quite a while.
After she’d tucked in a young boy and said good night to his grandma, who was staying with him for the night, Tess plopped on a swivel chair beside Angie and swirled back and forth in half-circles, thinking about what Angie had told her earlier about budget cuts being imminent. She considered going
over the nurse manager’s head to see if there was a way to secure her job. Or maybe she should put feelers out for a position at a different hospital. The kids were older now. A regular full-time position might be the way to go.
“You’ve been holding out,” Angie said.
“About?” Tess asked, stopping mid-spin.
“Your man is not only hot, he’s a party animal.” Angie turned her phone to face Tess. It was a picture of Miles surrounded by a bunch of people. She handed the phone back. “Why do you have a picture of Miles on your phone?”
“Remember when we first looked him up on social media? I started following him. He’s been real quiet lately, but he’s blowing things up tonight.”
Tess had no idea if that was supposed to be good or bad. Miles looked like he was having fun, which was what Tess had told him to do. And she was tired. Going to a bar was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Uh-oh,” Angie said.
“What?”
When Angie didn’t answer, Tess took the phone from her. Another picture, this one of some woman kissing Miles’s cheek while he smiled at the camera. A jealous poke stabbed her. If it had meant anything, Miles never would’ve posted it on social media where she might see it. Logically, she knew that. She didn’t think he’d cheat. But she was still bothered by another woman’s lips on his face. “We’re not supposed to be on our phones.” She handed the phone back and stood and stretched. “I’m going on break. You want a coffee?”
“Sure.”
She knew it was petty and jealous, but she wanted to hear his voice, to reassure herself, so she left the PICU and called Miles. It rang and rang, and before she got to the coffee shop, his voice was asking her to leave a message. She disconnected and sent a text telling him she hoped he was having fun and that he should call when he got a chance.
By the time she’d finished working her shift and gotten home, the call still hadn’t come.
…
Miles sat at the table and finished his glass of whiskey. He felt the vibration of his phone, and he fished it from his pocket. He’d missed a call and a text from Tess a while ago. She was probably already in bed, so there was no point in calling and trying to convince her to come meet him. Tony yelled from the bar to ask if he wanted another drink, and Miles held up his empty glass.
One Night with a Millionaire (Daring Divorcees) Page 16
