"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
"Tonight, if we go our separate ways, I know I'll regret it."
Me, too.
I studied her face. "And tomorrow?"
"What about it?"
I didn't want to say it.But I had responsibilities beyond myself.And so did Cami."You know this is a bad idea, right?"
She hesitated. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," I said, "it's not just about us." I looked deep into her eyes and willed her to understand. "I'm not gonna lie.I want you.I've wanted you for a while now."
"Really?"
"Is that such a surprise?"
"Sort of. I mean you never showed it."
I was finding this hard to believe. "Never?"
"Okay, maybe there weresometimesI sort of wondered."
"Well don't," I said, "because I'm telling you straight-up. If I hadmyway, I'd take you right here – and make damn sure you had nothing to complain about."
At this, she made a sound. It might've been a whimper, or maybe a soft moan. Either way, it went straight to my groin, making me want to pull her closer, to find all of her special places, to give her something toreallymoan about.
But not yet.
I had to say the rest – forhersake, if nothing else. "But," I continued, "if you wake up tomorrow and regret it, and it hurts Willow, we're gonna have problems."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you leave your job because you can't handle it…" I paused to let my words sink in. "I'll make damn sure you regret it."
"What?" She stiffened in my arms. "How?"
"It wouldn't be hard," I said. "A few phone calls, a few innuendos. And there's always bribes."
She swallowed. "Bribes to do what?"
"To make sure that if you leave before your term is up—"
"Wait, my term?"
"The nanny job. You agreed to stay 'til next fall."
"So?"
"So if you leave sooner because ofthis, I'm telling you up front, you'll have a hell of a time finding a new job."
Her fingers stiffened at the back of my neck. In a near-whisper, she said, "Oh, my God. You're actually threatening me."
"No. I'm letting you know in advance. Whatever you're offering, I'm not taking it at Willow's expense." I gave her a serious look. "And neither should you."
With a whispered scoff, she said, "As if I would. I adore Willow. Youknowthat. But webothknow I’m not gonna stay in this job forever."