by Kristen Echo
She held up her hands in defense. “I’m old-fashioned and would most likely drop Rylen and take my man’s name. If I had a man that is. I’m not even dating anyone at the moment.” She shuffled her feet, looking at the ice. The man she wanted to date skated his warm up circles. “Subject change. If you need someone to help investigate, my sister would be great. She’s waiting for the next opening to join the city police, but she was part of a special team’s operation with the army. Hailey’s extremely smart, hardworking and in between jobs. She needs something short term like this.”
“If I don’t have to do interviews and post a job, that would be so awesome. However, the final decision is yours, Sylvie. You’re the leader on this project now,” Caroline said, leaning closer to the ice before blowing kisses.
Sylvie laughed and slapped Meagan on the back. “She’s hired. I’m great at web design and blogging, but I can’t handle the investigation. The clues point every which way and since we added a forum, and group chat, it’s been insane. Is she cool with long hours?”
Meagan knew her sister would be perfect for this. “She’s ex-military. Long days wouldn’t bother her.”
“Good. We hired one lady who does nothing but data entry. We need someone to look at the information and make heads or tails of it before we send it to the cops. They say they are happy for the help, but I think we piss them off.”
“Why wouldn’t they be happy for the help?”
Sylvie shrugged her shoulders. “They don’t think these teens are in trouble, but they are wrong. Please have her call me next week. I told Martin this week was all about us. I’ll be on the road with him and the team. When we’re back, my focus will be on the case.”
Her focus had already returned to the rink. “I’ll pass along your number and have Hailey call you next week. I should go make sure April isn’t getting into any trouble. Thanks for considering her.”
“I like her,” Sylvie said to Caroline as Meagan walked away. The feeling was mutual.
They sat in the best seats and watched the best team in the national hockey league pummel the competition. The first period had been a nail biter, with both goalies shutting down the offense. Then Smith and Larson worked their magic on the line, getting the puck to Montagne who sailed one past the crease. By the time the third period started, they were already up by three goals. The lead didn’t stop them from playing hard. Ivarsson and the defense did their jobs with precision and kept the puck out of their zone. Both teams brought their A games, filling each second with non-stop action.
The final score was four to zero. A victory that brought the team one step closer to the playoffs and the Stanley Cup. Meagan had brought a bag full of supplies to entertain April, but she’d been riveted by the game, yelling at the ref’s calls like she knew what they meant. Connie mostly played on her tablet, but they shared a few laughs and the girls hit it off, despite the age gap.
After the game, April wanted to watch a movie. She clapped and sang songs the entire drive back to the house. Meagan set her up in the theater and excused herself to get work done. That kid was so easy to love; Meagan felt her attachment growing faster than it should. This was a job and a temporary one. She wanted to avoid getting too attached. The sooner she got out of this assignment the better, for her heart.
She called two agencies to send over resumes for the next nanny. There was no such thing as a weekend in their line of work. Both said they’d send them over. Once she hung up, she wondered how many nannies he’d already slept with. It bothered her that she cared. It wasn’t like she intended to sleep with him. Even if they were both single and attracted to each other, she’d resist him and those dimples.
Pictures of Cameron and April lined the theater walls. Newborn April snuggled in her father’s arms was her favorite. Their happiness melted her heart along with part of her resistance. Every angle of his smile chipped away at her reasons to stay away. He was an amazing dad. Missing in the collage was a leading lady. All the shots were of them, making Meagan wonder if he wanted a partner or not.
Being around him, even his pictures, made her insides turn to mush. The hockey game hadn’t helped. All that power and virility on the ice had sparked the fires of desire. She’d never been so attracted to anyone. She wasn’t sure how she’d react when she saw him next. Gail’s and her father’s words did little to temper her crush.
As if he’d read her naughty thoughts, he called and doused the flames. He wasn’t coming home for dinner. She kept her disappointment well-hidden over the phone. The team planned to celebrate the win. He promised he’d be back in time to tuck April in. When he asked to speak with his daughter, the little girl told him to stay out as late as he wanted and he could read her two stories in the morning. Meagan laughed, but there was something in his tone, a hesitation that made her think he didn’t trust her yet.
Trust was something she gave freely, but with Cameron, it had to be earned. After they hung up, she realized how much she wanted his trust. Mr. Northcote had been the same at first, always present when she’d interacted with Connie. It had pushed her to try harder and to be the best. She’d prove the same thing to Cameron. He’d also have to get over his issues soon since the team was scheduled to travel.
The rest of the evening cruised by. April settled into bed without a fuss and Meagan finished her book. All the sex on those pages had supercharged her engines. She was about to satisfy that itch when the first wail erupted. Non-stop tears followed for the next hour. April yelled for her dad and it took a while to settle her. Meagan held her and soothed her until she fell asleep. Meagan closed her eyes, leaning back against the racecar headboard.
When she opened her eyes, Cameron hovered over them. Her initial instinct was to scream, but she remembered where she was, with a sleeping baby in her arms. He chuckled at her distress. “You didn’t have to sleep with her,” he whispered as he pried April out of her arms and tucked her in. His body pressed against her as he did so. The scent of whiskey surrounded him.
“Each time I tried to leave the room, she’d cry again. I didn’t think I’d fall asleep.” She got off the bed and lingered by the door, yawning as he kissed his baby goodnight.
His movements were slower and less fluid than normal. “Thanks for taking care of her.” Cameron inhaled as he walked by. “You smell good. Sweet.” He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
“Do you need a hand with anything?”
“Yes. Come with me.” He reached for her hand, but she kept them by her side.
They made their way to the kitchen; his ass taunted her with each step, breaking the last of her willpower. She wanted him. “How many nannies have you hired since your mother left?”
“Five. Why do you ask?” He leaned against the island, preventing her from walking past him to the table.
“I wondered why none of them worked out. Is there anything I should know since I’ll be starting interviews next week for my replacement?” She placed her hands on her hips to stop herself from touching him.
He huffed. “Don’t rush things. What did you think of the game?” He smiled and gripped her hips, pulling her flush against him.
“Are you drunk?” She tilted her head up to see his face.
His eyes traveled to her lips and then down her shirt. “Not at all. I don’t get drunk.” His hand moved over her ass. He groaned.
“Joe played well, scoring three assists,” she teased. It earned her a hard squeeze, and she moved her hands onto his biceps. The muscles flexed under her fingers.
“He’s not a great guy. Not for you. Although, he’d love your tits.”
Meagan laughed. “That’s good to know. So, he’s bad for me, and are you good?” She watched his eyes move back to her lips, and she licked them, waiting for him to speak. He never answered. They stood there with their bodies pressed together not talking. “I liked the game. Watching it from the box seats was incredible. I had no idea hockey was so sexy. I mean hot. No, that’s not the word. Virile.”
His lips covered her open mouth and his tongue slipped inside. She dug her nails into his arms as her tongue greeted him. The whiskey flavor rolled around her taste buds. She was getting drunk off his kiss.
He cupped the back of her head, deepening the connection. Her eyes closed and she let him take control. They were kissing. A mash of lips, tongues and hot breaths. She whimpered as he nibbled on her lower lip and ground his erection against her stomach.
“I want you,” he said, kissing along her jaw towards her ear.
She wanted him too. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Wondering where he’d take this. Would he make love to her right there on the island? The counters were clean, and that’s when Gail’s words rushed back, like a firehose extinguishing the blaze. He’d had sex with five nannies. He wasn’t kidding when he said his life was complicated. Five different women in the past few weeks. Meagan had only ever had one other partner.
If they took this step, she’d be disposable like them. Nothing more than a warm body and she didn’t want that. She wanted more; a relationship. Once that realization hit, she pushed him away.
“We can’t do this.” She pressed against this chest, creating distance and he let her go. “Sleep it off. Let’s not do anything we’ll regret.” She doubted she’d regret the sex, but she’d hate the aftermath and the inevitable rejection.
Chapter 7
The kiss wasn’t mentioned the following morning. They sat next to each other and he acted as if it hadn’t happened. Pretending the attraction didn’t exist failed to stop the sparks between them. Each time their eyes met the connection resurfaced. Occasionally, his cheeks would flush. She would have given anything to know his thoughts as they ate breakfast. Her legs bounced under the table and her fingers inched towards him.
The conversation revolved around April and the crafts she had sprawled across the table. With Easter around the corner, she was in full bunny mode.
“I’ll clean and then see if I can find a pipe cleaner in my stuff. Your bunny basket needs a handle.”
“Leave the dishes. We’ll make a paper handle and then clean all this mess. I don’t have hockey; so, take the day off. I’m not sure when you’ll get another chance to escape.” He kept his eyes on the papers and his smile didn’t reach his ears.
“Oh, thanks,” she said, pushing away from the table. The sting of being dismissed hurt. A day off should have been welcomed, but she had nothing planned. Visiting her family was out of the question. Plus, she wanted to be near him. She was a ball of contradiction. “When will you need me or want me on my back? I mean to come… back. Oh, goodness.” Meagan stumbled over her words and chewed her lip to stop the flow.
“That’s a trick question given how our evening ended.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. His dimples were in full force with his cheeky smile. “You tell me when you’d like to come.”
“Well, I… thanks for the time off,” she replied, too flustered to answer him. “I’ll be in my room.” She put her dish in the sink and left the kitchen. Once in her room, she flopped down on her bed and exhaled. Lindy would have known exactly how to respond. She picked up her phone and dialed her best friend.
“It’s about time you called.” Lindy’s raspy voice put Meagan at ease. “How was the game? Did you meet other players? Leave nothing out.”
“We kissed,” she blurted. “To be more precise, Cameron Smith kissed me.” Silence followed. Meagan picked at a thread on the covers. “Say something. Please.”
“I hate you, and I’m happy for you all at the same time. You sound freaked out. Was it bad?”
“It was so good. Too good. Lindy, I can’t be kissing my boss. This is messed up and I don’t know what to do. Not surprising, right?”
Lindy giggled. “I know what I would do and that would involve him being naked and inside me as often as possible. I don’t see the dilemma. Help me out.”
“He doesn’t want a relationship. That’s a deal breaker. He sleeps with all the help and then drops them. That’s not a good sign. His life is crazy busy and what would be the point of kissing him again?” The first two points alone were valid reasons to keep her distance.
“Cart before the horse my dear. Have you talked to him about a relationship? Maybe they’d agreed to those terms. Plenty of people do no strings sex. I mean, how do you know what he wants without asking. Did you become a mind reader since I moved?”
Meagan could see her friend’s smile from the other side of the world. “Check the sarcasm. I need your help,” she snapped. Sometimes Lindy’s smart mouth did more harm than good.
She giggled again. “I am helping. The point of kissing is to feel good and have fun. If done properly it gets all the blood flowing south. Seriously, didn’t you mention the lack of pleasure in your life? Don’t over think and analyze this to death. He’s a hot man and you’re sexy bitch. Enough said.”
“It’s not that simple.” She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillows, keeping the phone glued to her ear.
“It is. His life if complicated, and yours is boring and in need of shaking up. Perfect match. I love you Meags and I’m going to be your decision maker because I know how indecisive you are. If my wet dream on skates kisses you again, go with it. It doesn’t matter what comes next. Enjoy the ride. And I mean that literally. Don’t forget to call me after and tell me all about it.”
“So, you’d make love to a man, knowing it was temporary? I don’t want my heart broken,” she admitted into the pillows.
“You don’t want to live then. Life is full of heartbreak. Look at your family, your sister and all she’s been through. We survive and we thrive. Look, I’m meeting up with my study group for pints at a nearby pub so I have to jet, but without a doubt I would take a temporary man.”
Meagan listened and let her friend’s opinion sink in. “I love you, and I miss you like crazy. Have fun tonight.”
“You too. Does this mean you’ll give him a chance? I can’t hang up until you tell me.”
“You are my decision maker. My answer is yes.” She hung up the phone before Lindy went ballistic.
Her friend was right. A fling was better than an empty bed and she didn’t know for sure what he wanted. Meagan spent the next hour making calls and failed to find something to do. Her sister was happy to get Sylvie’s number and sounded like she was nursing a hangover which was unlike her. The rest of her friends were all busy too. The last call was to Connie Northcote. At the hockey game, she had invited her over for a swim. It wasn’t exciting plans, but at least it would get her out of the house. Once the plans were confirmed, she tossed her bathing suit in a bag. She changed into jeans and a sweater with a pink flamingo embroidered across the front.
When she came out, she found the Smith’s doing a puzzle. She kneeled next to April and helped her put a corner piece into place. The 24-piece puzzle of a duck holding an umbrella made her smile. “I think you’re getting the hang of puzzles. What else are you guys up to today?”
“I don’t know. What’s in the bag?” April asked, pointing at the backpack beside her. “Do you have another unicorn?”
Meagan and Cameron laughed. “Not today. There are clothes in there; nothing exciting.”
Her smile disappeared. “Are you not coming back?”
She wrapped her in a hug to alleviate her worries. “I’ll be back. Yesterday, Connie invited me over for a swim, so I’ll only be gone for a few hours. They have a nice indoor pool.”
“I swim too. I have a jacket.” She batted her lashes and scooted closer to Meagan.
“If it’s okay with your dad, you can come with me.”
“Daddy, can I go?” April dropped the puzzle piece and jumped onto her dad’s lap.
“Let me think about it.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin. The short growth looked sexy on him. He peered at her and smiled. “Meagan, are you wearing a bikini or one of those thong bathing suits? I’m wondering what I’ll see when we g
et there.”
Her eyes must have widened, and he laughed. “We… what?” The prospect of seeing him wet and half naked left her tongue-tied. In the same breath, all her insecurities sent warning flags to avoid the situation. There’s no way she wanted to prance around in a skin-tight suit around Mr. Zero-Percent-Body-Fat. “It’s not a pool party.”
“I’m sure the kids will have a blast and I’ll tag along to make sure she’s safe. I could use a soak in their hot tub. Mr. Northcote asked how things are going since you moved in and this will give me a chance to update him. I don’t see any downside to this. Meagan, may we join you?”
Double crapola. She couldn’t say no. “Sure. Let’s go swimming. Perfect.”
They cleaned up the puzzle and gathered their clothes for a day of swimming. Meagan wasn’t sure how she got roped into this mess, but she was glad the friction from the morning had disappeared. The flirting had resumed and her cheeks had a permanent pink tint.
Once they arrived, Cameron and Mr. Northcote retreated to his den. Megan changed into her red one-piece and helped April into her bright blue suit with an attached tutu. Connie was an avid swimmer and didn’t need to wear a floatation device. Most of the time, swimming with Miss Northcote consisted of Meagan staying dry and resting on the side. She had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case today.
“Last one in is a stinky shoe.” Connie dove into the water and had swam her first lap before Meagan secured April’s life jacket.
“Why do I have to wear this? You’re not,” she complained.
“When you learn how to swim, you won’t have to either. Until then, it’s the jacket or no water. You decide.” Meagan clipped the buckle.
Connie pulled herself onto the side and smiled. “I wore one all the time too. Everybody does when they start. It’s cool.”
“Cool,” April repeated, taking the spot closest to the shallow end of the pool.
The girls sat along the edge, dangling their feet in the warm water. Meagan sat next to April and listened to their conversation. She held back her laughter as they conspired to push her into the water. They weren’t quiet either. When they reached out to grab her arms, she was ready for them and scrambled to her feet.
