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KLAUS

“ U ncle Alaric .” The kids squeal in excitement when they see him.

“I come bearing ice cream,” he announces, placing a large wicker basket on the dining table. He kneels to hug the kids. “I’ve missed you kiddos so much.”

“Why didn’t you come to my ballet recital?” Rosalie asks, folding her arms in front of her chest. “You promised that you would.”

“I know, I’m horrible,” Alaric says. “I was away on work, sweetheart. But I saw the video. You were amazing.”

“You’ll have to make it up to me,” she says, pursing her lips.

“Way ahead of you.” He tilts his head at the wicker basket. “I brought you a little gift.”

“You can’t bribe me with ice cream,” Rosalie says.

The basket moves on the table. Everyone turns to look at it.

“I wasn’t talking about ice cream,” Alaric says, suppressing a smile. “Go on. Look inside.”

The basket barks.

Oh, hell no.

“ Puppy .” Both of the kidsrun to open the basket. There’s a tiny golden retriever puppy sitting inside it.

I grab Alaric’s arm and pull him aside.

“Why are you trying to ruin my life?” I demand.

“Only you would see a cute little puppy and ask that question,” he says, giving me a disappointed look.

“You did not just give them a puppy without asking me.”

“What? No. I’m just watching the little guy for a friend.”

“ They don’t know that,” I say, pointing my thumb at the kids.

“Kids, you can play with the puppy until bedtime,” he tells them. “He belongs to a friend, so I’m afraid we can’t keep him.”

“He’s perfect,” Rosalie says, smiling from ear to ear.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen her smile like that.

A storm begins in my chest. I don’t know what I’m doing with these kids. I can’t give them the kind of love and affection they need. If they grow up with me as their only role model, I might mess them up for life.

“What’s his name?” James asks, petting the puppy’s tiny head.

“Biscuit,” Alaric replies.

“Biscuit, who’s a good boy?” Rosalie says, petting the energetic puppy. “You are. Yes, you are. You’re the best boy.”

“Adorable,” Alaric says. He pulls out his phone and starts recording the moment. A few seconds later, he looks over at me and frowns. “Oh, my God. You still have a stick up your butt?”

“This is why I don’t invite you to my house.”

He grins. “And that’s why I invite myself.”

“If they fall in love with the dog, you know they’re going to ask me for one,” I say.

“And is that such a bad thing? This house needs more life.”

“The last thing I need is another responsibility,” I say.

“Okay, what’s going on with you?” he asks. “You’re grumpier than usual lately, and that’s saying a lot.”

I take a deep breath, but it doesn’t do much to calm my frazzled nerves. There’s too much adrenaline coursing through my system. There’s too much energy that needs to be released.

“Not to worry. I know just what will fix you,” he says.

“Alaric, I swear to God, if you tell me that you brought magic mushrooms into my house?—”

“No, silly goose. I was talking about the ice cream,” he says. “I got your favorite flavor and everything, too.”

He takes the ice cream tubs out of the picnic basket.

“I’ll go put them in the freezer and say hi to Helena,” he says,walking toward the kitchen where my head housekeeper is cooking up a storm.

I stay and watch the kids play with the puppy.

I can’t help but wonder why I’m so bad at this. People like Alaric seem to have an intuition that I don’t. They know exactly what to say and do. They know how to make a child happy.

As for me, I’m completely clueless.

We still have a few minutes to spare before dinner, so I head to my room to pack my bag.

I smell her before I see her.

She bumps right into my chest. The scent of her coconut-infused shampoo clouds my head as I wrap my hands around her waist.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you,” she says, looking up at me with those big eyes.

She licks her lips, drawing my attention there. The fantasies in my mind take a dark turn. My eyes trail down her neck. I can see the racing of her pulse. It’s erratic, out of control.

“Mr. Sinclair?” she whispers, making my cock even harder than it already is.

Damp hair clings to her neck, telling me she just took a bath.

I have a vision of interrupting her while she’s in the clawfoot tub—my hand fisting her hair as I make her wrap those pouty lips around my cock. I’d push myself into her warm mouth as soap suds traveled down the slopes of her breasts.

“You look unwell,” she says. “Is there something I can do to help?”

“You’ve done enough,” I snap, letting go of her.

She blushes, seeming to realize we’re standing way too close again. It keeps happening. I keep letting it happen.

I could have easily stepped out of her way before she bumped into me, but I didn’t. I let her fall into my arms just so I’d have an excuse to hold her again.

She lowers her gaze.

I swallow. I’m being unnecessarily harsh with her.

“We have a guest tonight. He’s an old friend, Alaric. He brought ice cream,” I say. Grudgingly, I add, “And a puppy.”

“A puppy?” She clasps her hands together and rocks back on her heels.

The sight of her smile catches me off guard.

Feeling desire for a woman is one thing. Whatever the fuck is happening inside me right now, that’s not normal. I must put an end to it.

Before I can end this interaction, she races down the stairs, leaving me in a scented cloud of coconut and sugar.

Her innocence should make me feel ashamed of the kind of thoughts I have about her.

But it only makes me want to corrupt her more.

It only makes me want to make her mine.

There’s a knock on my door.

“Come in,” I say.

Alaric steps inside and closes the door behind him. He narrows his eyes at me.

“Don’t,” I say.

He walks toward me and sets a bowl on the table.

“I brought you some ice cream.” He sits in front of my desk, propping his feet on the table. I expect him to ask me why I didn’t join them for dinner, but he doesn’t.

“Thank you,” I say.

“So I met your nanny,” he says. “You told me how crazy you were about her, but you didn’t tell me she was such a babe. I understand your predicament better now.”

For the first time in my life, I want to wrap my hands around my childhood friend’s neck and squeeze until he apologizes.

“Yeesh. She’s all yours, don’t worry.”

“I don’t want her,” I say.

“Clearly.”

“I found her reading Sera’s diary the other day,” I say. “She’s too fucking nosy.”

“And you placed spy cameras in her bedroom,” Alaric says. “I think that makes it even.”

“I’m never going to tell you things if you’re going to use them against me,” I say.

“You never told me about the spy cameras,” Alaric says, wagging his index finger in the air. “I learned about that all on my own.”

“Stop calling them spy cameras,” I say.

“What else am I supposed to call the cameras that you use to secretly stalk your nanny?”

“You call yourself my best friend. Aren’t you supposed to have my back no matter what?”

“Not when you’re being this stupid,” he says. “Now tell me. Did you remove the cameras like I asked you to?”

“Not yet.”

“What are you waiting for?” he asks. “A lawsuit?”

“You don’t understand,” I say.

“Talk to me, then,” he says.

I look at him. He’s giving me a hard time about the security cameras, but I know he’s not a judgmental person. It’s one of the things I love about him.I could tell him that I killed someone, and he would give me a lecture after helping me bury the body.

“She makes me feel things,” I confess. “And I hate it.”

“Someone has a crush,” he singsongs. “But tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m different around her,” I say. I want to say more, but the right words elude me.

“Do you get butterflies in your stomach?” he asks.

“You know how I hate physical touch, right?” I say. “For some reason, I don’t mind touching her.”

His eyebrows fly up. “You guys hooked up?”

“Something like that,” I say, thinking back to the night she came to my bedroom. I could have had her then. I almost did.

“Unbelievable,” Alaric says, reaching for the bowl of butter pecan ice cream. He stabs a spoon into it. “I can’t even get a hug, but you don’t mind showing affection to someone you met a month ago.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. He’s reacting exactly how I knew he would.

“She’s still so much of an enigma to me,” I say. “I don’t know what she wants from me.”

“Not everyone has an evil agenda, Klaus,” he says.

“Why on earth would she be going through Sera’s diary?” I ask.

“Maybe she feels the same way about you,” he says. “She might think you’re an enigma too.”

The very thought of that makes me feel all warm inside. I hate this.

“You’re eating my ice cream,” I comment.

“You were letting it melt.” He shrugs, finishing the last bite.

I check my watch. The private jet is already waiting for us.

“We should leave,” I say.

“Sure.” Alaric stands. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to the kids?”

“I don’t want to disturb them,” I say.

Alaric purses his lips, biting back his words.

He doesn’t get it.

The kids have always loved him. They enjoy his company. I can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy every time I see their faces light up in his presence. I can’t help but compare it to how they always walk on eggshells around me.

When I open my bedroom door, I see Emma walking down the corridor. Her steps slow as we look at each other.

“I’ll wait outside,” Alaric says.

I nod, but I don’t take my eyes off the girl.

Witchery. That could be the only explanation for the way I feel about this girl. It’s the only reason I obsess over every breath she takes. It’s why I want to hear every thought that passes through her pretty little head.

“You’re heading out for the evening?” she asks, taking in my black suit jacket.

I don’t know if I imagine it, but her eyes seem to flare as she awaits my reply.

“I’ll be gone for a few days,” I say.

“Days?” She raises her eyebrows. “Where are you going?”

“That’s none of your concern,” I say.

She’s dressed in a simple blouse and straight-leg pants, but I can’t stop thinking about the way her lush body looked in that little black nightgown. I can’t stop thinking about how her breasts felt pressed up against my hard chest.

“Do the kids know?” she asks.

“Again, none of your concern,” I say.

“I just think?—”

I take an involuntary step toward her. “Do you need me to remind you again of where you stand in this house?”

She holds her chin high. She looks at me like she can see straight through me, all the way down to my rotten soul.

“I just asked a simple question,” she says, pursing her lips. “You don’t have to be so rude all the time.”

I don’t know how it happens, but our bodies are closer together than they were a few seconds ago.

“Tell the kids I said goodbye,” I say.

And before I do something I can’t undo, I walk away from her.