Page 26 of Learn Your Lesson

“The bar is very low, Miss Knott.”

I didn’t miss the way her skin turned that lovely shade of pink when I said her name like that.

Tonguing my cheek and doing my bestnotto let my mind lead me down the road it so desperately wanted to drive, I drained the rest of my milk, planting my hands on the cold granite countertop and thinking.

“I’m not very good at beating around the bush,” I said after a moment. “So… I’m just going to come out with it.” Ilifted my eyes to hers. “I want to hire you. Permanently. And I want you to move in.”

Her eyebrows shot up so high it moved the fuzzy purple headband.

“I know I pitched this as a temporary thing,” I said, holding up a hand before she could speak. “But… I can’t explain how much pressure you’ve taken off me just in this last week. I’ll be honest, I haven’t even begun looking for a replacement. And to be frank, I don’t want one. I want you.”

She swallowed at those words, and I cleared my throat, standing and scratching an imaginary itch on my neck.

“Now, I realize this would be quite a change for you. I don’t expect you to quit your job or anything — I know you love it. But, living here is the one part that’s non-negotiable. With my schedule, I need you here all the time. I’m happy to pay rent at your current residence in addition to your paycheck. You won’t be responsible for cleaning, although I appreciate that you took that on yourself this time around. We have a housekeeper who comes once a week. And you’d have your own space,” I added quickly. “The pool house has an en-suite bathroom, complete with a soaking tub, as well as a kitchenette.”

I stopped talking, then opened my mouth to add something else, but snapped it shut again. I needed to give her time to answer for herself — even if I was tempted to keep listing every perk I could think of to get her to say yes.

The pool house has a huge closet.

You can use any part of the house you want to for your bizarre crafts.

Want a new car? I’ll buy it.

It killed me to stay silent, especially the longer Chloe went without answering. Her nervous tics were all I couldfocus on in that moment — the cracking of her knuckles, the playing with her hair, the back-and-forth criss-crossing of her legs.

They weresodistracting, in fact, that I couldn’t help what happened next.

I didn’t realize I’d been moving toward her, not until my hand shot forward and covered hers.

The moment our skin touched, heat rippled through me — sharp and electric. It was like sliding into a hot spring, every cell in my body singing at the sweeping sensation.

I knew right then and there that she was the kind of girl you could get easily lost in.

Chloe stilled, her eyes on where I touched her before she slowly trailed that gaze up to mine.

“You good?” I asked.

The words felt dry and suffocated coming from my throat, but my hand was calm and sure, thumb smoothing over her wrist bone.

She swallowed, her cheeks tomato red now. “Sorry—”

“Don’t apologize,” I ordered. “Just… tell me it isn’t me that makes you this nervous.”

“I’m not in the habit of lying, Mr. Perry.”

That heat surged to an all-encompassing level, but I didn’t remove my hold on her.

“But,” she added with a coy smile and a shrug. “To be fair — almost everything makes me nervous. Or at least, makes me do things like this.” She tore her hand from mine and illustrated, cracking her wrists and wiggling a few fingers before she tucked her hands firmly between her crossed legs and kept them there.

“You don’t have to say—”

“I accept,” she butted in.

When I frowned, she dipped her head to catch my gaze, holding it as she straightened her spine.

“I want to be here. I want this opportunity,” she said confidently. “If I’m being transparent, I was worried sick the whole time you were gone, thinking you’d come home and tell me you found someone else.”

I almost laughed at that, but for me, that manifested in the way of a puff of air from my nose and the slight relaxation of my tight shoulders.