Page 28

Holy god.
This was supposed to be strategic. A neat solution to a James problem.
But then he showed up like this.
And now we have a situation.
“Thank you.” I try to gather myself. I really do. But it’s as if my entire body is staging an ambush, and I find myself throwing out, “You clean up disturbingly well yourself.”
Heat flashes in his eyes. Then comes the quiet quirk of his mouth. That smug little move that says he’s not going to let what I just said go. And that he’s going to enjoy every second of it. “That sounded suspiciously like a compliment.”
Abort. Abort. How did we get here and where is the reset button?
I wave him off, trying hard to look more in control than I am. “That was an outlier. It won’t happen again.”
That damn mouth of his just won’t let this go. It’s a full smirk now.
“That’s a shame,” he says, smooth, unhurried, and way too pleased with himself.
And, oh boy, we’re in new territory now.
The kind that’s far too sexy to be in with the father of my daughter’s best friend.
“Right,” I say, stumbling over my words as I attempt to steer us out of danger. “We should, ah, we should, go.”
His full smirk eases into a half-smirk, which I didn’t even know was a thing. This man doesn’t follow rules. He sets them. “What happened to the ten minutes of you bossing me around that I was looking forward to?”
Seriously.
He’s a whole-ass situation.
I stab at the call button for the elevator and give him a pointed look. “I’m going to ignore that.” Then I move right along, shifting us into safer territory. “How did you go getting Luna to sleep last night? Was she as hyped up as Sarah?”
His smirk is replaced with a knowing smile. He lets me have the out, though. “Yeah, it was pretty late when she finally fell sleep.”
In the elevator, the conversation flows. It’s light, comfortable, safe. Gage tells me Luna’s bowling. I mention Sarah’s at a sleepover. He’s relaxed and doesn’t miss a beat. Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to string words together and act normal while his scent rewires my nervous system.
I’m relieved when we exit the elevator and walk out to the sidewalk. I inhale as much fresh air as I can while Gage hands over the valet ticket. I also try to unscramble my scrambled thoughts.
And then I see his car.
Sleek. Dark. Sinfully low to the ground and completely unnecessary in this city.
Of course it’s a McLaren GT. And I only know that because my brother once called this car a “precision-built orgasm on wheels.”
Gage opens my door for me, and we exchange a glance as I get in. A glance that only bewilders me more.
Gone is the smugness. The teasing. The laid-back smile.
Now, there’sinterest.
He’s taking his time enjoying me.
And good god.
I was not prepared for this.
Or for how much I like his attention.