Page 31

“It’s a few bows,” I whispered.“Not really worthy of a black card.”
Lux gave me a look.
“Everything Bella needs is worthy of a black card.”
Something in my chest warmed at her declaration.Maybe I was wrong about Lux.
The worst part, though, was that it made me want her even more.In my line of work, I saw so many kids whose parents would never say something like that.And she wasn’t even the girl’s mom.
That single sentence had me rethinking everything and looking at her in a different light.
Shut it down.
Lux turned to the little girl.“Bella, time to go to school.Go get dressed.”
Bella gave her aunt the grumpiest look imaginable but still scooted off her chair and headed to her room.
“She’s a good kid,” I said when Bella left earshot.But when I looked up at her, my heart stopped in my chest.
Her hooded eyes were looking at me with an intensity that caught me off guard.
I’d almost forgotten that she wasn’t like every other parent I dealt with.That she was actually someone who had the ability to steal my breath from me with a single look.Who could make my knees weak with just the brush of her hand.
“I allowed you to come back,” she reminded me.“For Bella.She likes you.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat.Why do I feel like I’m a kid about to get scolded?
The need to please Lux was so strong I was already thinking through every little thing I could have possibly done wrong and getting ready to apologize for it.
“Like I mentioned, we went through a lot of nannies.That was because she never liked any of them,” she continued.“I don’t know what you did, but it saved your job.”
I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth.Bella likes me?I mean, guessing by the way that she offered me her pancake, I would say that I was on her good side, but I hadn’t done anything special, other than treat her like a kid.
“I’m not sure what I did either,” I admitted.“But I can assure you my number one goal is to make sure she’s happy and taken care of.You can trust that.”
“Good,” she said.“Can I also trust that nothing will happen between us again?”
My skin heated at her words, and while it shouldn’t, disappointment filled me.
“I don’t know, can you trust yourself?”I shot back with a raised brow.“You’re the one who pushed me up against the counter.”
Her lips pulled into a deep frown.
“A moment of weakness,” she said after a moment.Her eyes raked my form, taking in the light blue sweater and lowly white skirt.“Don’t wear the sundress again.”
I had to look away from her as my heart began pounding in my chest and heat flooded my body, swirling deliciously in my belly.
It made me want to wear it again.Test exactly what it did to her.What she’d want to do to me in it.
“It’s work-appropriate,” I muttered.
“It’s only appropriate if your goal was to get fucked again.Tell me,Juliette, was that your intention when you came into my home?”
I gave her an incredulous look.
“Don’t act like such a-a?—”
“Barbarian?A wanton, needy bitch in heat?”