I count his abs one by one until I get to the waistband of his pants. That’s all I see. His strong chest, defined abs, and a pair of sweats that hides the rest of his body.
Me: What took you so long?
I willnotcomment on his perfectly sculpted body, and I willnotmake mention of how inappropriate this is, because I clearly have no morals at the moment.
Rhodes: You want the truth?
Me: Always.
Rhodes: I sleep…in less clothing. Didn’t think it would be right to send my daughter’s nanny a dick pic.
I laugh out loud.
Rhodes: Did you just laugh at me?
I slam my mouth shut. On quiet feet, I jump out of bed and shut my open door before diving back in bed and reaching for my phone like a teenager texting her crush for the first time.
Nope. There is no crush. I am not crushing on Ellie’s father.
Me: Must be imagining things. I didn’t laugh.
Rhodes: Hmm. I’ve been imagining a lot lately.
I bite my lip and take the bait.
Me: Like?
Rhodes: Like where I’d be if you had entered our lives a year ago instead of a couple of months.
I could have avoided a whole lot of trauma if I were in Chicago a year ago.
Me: I wish it were a year ago.
Rhodes texts back immediately.
Rhodes: You like me that much?
I smile.
Me: I like Ellie that much.
Rhodes: Fair.
Me: I wish it were a year ago so I could have avoided what happened to me.
Rhodes: Also fair.
There are more text bubbles, so I wait to see what else he says.
Rhodes: But then last night wouldn’t have happened.
I stare at the screen, and my pulse quickens.
Rhodes: I shouldn’t have said that.
Oh, but you did, and now I can’t unsee it. I play dumb, hoping it’ll make him laugh, and we can move past it. Otherwise, I may do something I swore I wouldn’t, and that’s touch myself at the thought of him.
Me: What happened last night?
