I roll my eyes and kick off my boots so my shoes don’t wake up the kids.
If Tori were a princess, she’d definitely be Ariel the Mermaid. Only with thick, brown hair and a rounder, bitable ass.
The back hallway is dark, and I tiptoe into Cody’s room. Sure enough, he’s nestled in bed and zonked out to the world.
Leaning down to give him a kiss, I realize Tori must’ve given him a bath because he smells like clean little boy instead of the stinker I handed her this afternoon. I check the kids’ bathroom, certain it must look like a hurricane blew through it because my kidlets are hellions in the tub, but everything is neat and clean.
I’m half-ready to thank my lucky stars for our new nanny when I get to Mila’s room and find her bed empty.
Panic builds in my gut as I fly down the hall to Tori’s room. The door is open and the bedside lamp is on, and there, in the middle of the bed, are Tori and Mila, curled up on the comforter, sound asleep, with a copy ofBedtime for Francisnext to them.
Seeing my daughter, safe and sound, makes me feel foolish for freaking out.
Reaching down to scoop up Mila, I gently move Tori’s arm, and her lids flutter open.
“Hey,” she whispers.
I hold up one finger to tell her to hang on while I pick up my daughter. Mila’s like a sack of potatoes in my arms. After I tuck her into her own bed, I stop back in Tori’s doorway.
My eyes widen when I realize how intimate this is. Tori on her bed in a tiny black tank top and sleep shorts. Her gorgeous hair tumbling over her shoulders. The quiet house and soft lighting.
Taking a step back, I look away to give her some privacy.
“Did they wear you out?” I ask, realizing she must be as tired as my kids. “Sorry I woke you. Didn’t think you’d want Mila kicking your face in the middle of the night. She sleeps like a starfish.”
“No worries,” she says as she yawns. “I tried to follow your mom’s directions on that sheet. Got them fed and bathed and in bed on time, but I have to confess they ate pizza for dinner with nary a vegetable in sight.”
I chuckle and pull off my baseball cap to push my hair back. Reversing the bill, I pull the hat on backwards. “If that’s the worst crime, I think you did as well as I could’ve.” It’s true. Given how upset Mila was this afternoon, the fact that the rest of the day went smoothly is nothing short of a miracle. “Thanks for taking care of dinner and their bedtime routine. Usually, I can do that so you have your evenings free.”
Thinking back to my crisis earlier today and not being able to reach her, I tap on her doorframe. “Before I forget, I need your cell number.”
Her lips tug up in one corner as she stretches like a cat. “No sexting, remember?”
My eyes shoot up to hers. At first, I can’t tell if she’s joking or if she really thinks I’m the dick who sends out, well, pics of my dick. Or dirty messages. Can’t say I’ve ever done either of those with a girl, even in college. Would Allison have been into that sort of thing? Hell, I never thought to test those waters.
She laughs. “Just messin’ with you. But you should see the look on your face.”
She calls out her digits, and I tap out her number on my cell, shaking my head the whole time.
When I’m done, I slip my phone in my back pocket. “Ya know, you’re kind of a menace when you’re not playing Mary Poppins.”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I’m worried I offended her, but the smile she gives me is brilliant and wide and more than a little mischievous. “Don’t think I don’t know this.”
Shaking my head again, I start to close the door. “Night, Tasmanian Devil.”
She snickers. “Night, Wolverine.”
Tori
Lying in bed, I wonder why I flirted with him tonight. In the moment, I didn’t think it wasthatflirty. I’ve said worse things to my friends.
But Ethan isn’t a friend.
He’s my employer, and sexting is not what you discuss with an employer.I guess I am an HR nightmare.
I was half asleep, and he looked so damn cute with his baseball cap on backwards and that sweet expression he gets when he’s talking about his kids. And the way his t-shirt stretched across his broad chest, showcasing his tattoos, made my mouth water.
I can’t explain why, but I wanted to yank his chain and see how he took it.
