Chapter 10
CHAPTER
TEN
Sawyer
“Are you sure you don’t need your car?” I ask Aria as I throw things into a duffel bag.
“I’m positive.” She rolls her eyes at me from where she’s lying on my bed. “Luca can drive me to and from the shoot this weekend. You’re the one that needs a car to pick up the kids.”
“Luca, huh?” I say in a suggestive tone.
“Oh shush.” She rolls her eyes. “We’ve just worked on a few shoots together, that’s it. Plus, I don’t shit where I eat.”
“Number one, that has to be the most disgusting saying out there.” I look at her. “Number two, the real question is, do you fuck where you work?” I smirk.
“Oh my god. Shut up.” She throws a pillow at me, her cheeks turning red with a blush.
I dodge the pillow. “I’m just saying, you do have the apartment all to yourself tonight,” I tease her.
“I hate you.” She shakes her head at me, laughing.
“You could never.” I laugh with her.
“True,” she says. “So, what about you and the boss?” she asks, raising a brow at me.
“What about him?” I turn away from her, skimming through the sweatshirts in my closet.
“First you offer to spend all night alone with him doing ‘inventory . ’ ” She uses air quotes around inventory. “And now you offer to watch his kids. You used to hate watching Mags’s kids,” she exclaims.
“First off, it was just inventory. That’s part of my job, you know.” I throw two sweatshirts onto the bed next to her. “And Mags’s kids were devils.” I look at her with wide eyes.
“That’s true. They really were.” She nods to herself. “Remember that one time the little one dumped a whole jar of honey onto the chair, and you sat down. It nearly took your pants down.” She snorts, breaking into a fit of laughter.
“How could I forget?” I shiver at the memory. “And what the fuck did I ever do to her?” I scoff.
“Well, before that, nothing, but you did snitch to Mags after,” Aria says, still trying to calm herself down.
“Whatever. The little shit deserved it.” I roll my eyes. “But King’s kids aren’t like them. They’re cool. And he was in a bind. I just offered to help like any good employee would.” I shrug.
“I’ve never known you to be a good employee,” she mumbles under her breath, and I ignore her.
“That’s really the only reason you offered? Because he needed help, and you like his kids?” she asks.
“Yup,” I say, zipping up the duffel bag that’s definitely overpacked for one night. So what? I like options. Not that I have that many clothes, but still.
“Whatever you say,” Aria says like she doesn’t believe me.
Not sure I believe myself either, but I’m happy to ignore that for now.
Aria’s phone buzzes from next to her, and she looks at the screen before jumping off my bed. “I got to go. Luca’s here.” She grabs her purse off my bed. “Text me updates so I know the children don’t murder you?” She smirks.
“Of course.” I laugh at her. “Get out of here. Luca’s waiting,” I tease, and she sticks her tongue out at me before turning to leave.
I leave the apartment about fifteen minutes after she does. I don’t have to be at the shop until ten this morning, so I agreed to meet King at his house around nine after he dropped the girls at school. That way he can give me the house keys and all the info I need. Knowing him, I’m sure he has a long list of rules and instructions for me.
I get to his house at nine twenty, which is basically as on time as it gets for me. I pull into the driveway next to his car and knock on the door, which swings open almost immediately.
“You’re late,” he says.
“Barely.” I roll my eyes. “Good morning to you too,” I say cheerily, pushing past him in the doorway to walk into his house.
I’ve been to his house before for the barbecue he held, but never inside. I stop in the entryway, looking around. It’s not a huge house, but not a small one either. Even right when you walk in, it feels like a home.
I once had a home before my father died. Not that I remember much of it, but I like to think that it was one at least. After that, we just had the trailer.
The trailer was our house, but it was never a home.
There’s a small entryway that opens right into the main living area. The living room has a large gray sectional with a coffee table in the center of it, a sideboard, and a large flat screen on the wall across from it.
Two shelves are on either side of the TV that are packed with picture frames. There’s a few of the girls alone, some with King, some with an older couple who I’m assuming are his parents, and even some with Kade, Asher, and everyone else that’s part of their little group.
“I’ll show you around,” he says, dragging my attention back toward him, and I nod, moving to follow him through the house.
He shows me the kitchen first, which is pretty standard, with white countertops and dark wooden cabinets with an island in the center of it all. There’s also a small nook off to the side where there’s a decent-sized table and chairs sitting next to a large window.
Then he brings me past the glass doors that lead to the backyard, back through the living room, and down a hallway on the other side of the house. Ellie and Willow’s room plus a bathroom are on one side of the hallway, and the master bedroom is on the other side.
His bedroom.
“You can spend the night in here,” he says, opening the door to his room. “Just put your bag down wherever.”
It’s the least decorated room in the house. A four-post king bed sits in the center of the room, perfectly made with dark gray bedding. There’s a nightstand on each side of the bed with lamps and pictures of his daughters, and a dresser across from the bed where a large TV sits. There’s a door on each side of the dresser, one that leads to the master bathroom and one that looks like a walk-in closet.
The room is nice, but plain. Not that I expected a man like Damien King to have a fully decorated bedroom. But still, it feels like his space, and even being in here feels like I’m invading it.
“I can just sleep on the couch,” I tell him, pulling my duffel bag farther up onto my shoulder.
“Why would you do that when there’s a perfectly good bed you can sleep in?” He looks at me, confused.
“Yeah, but it’s your bed,” I say, like it’s obvious.
He raises a brow at me, staying silent as he waits for a better explanation, although I’m not sure I have one.
The truth is that sleeping in his bed feels intimate. Sleeping between the same sheets he does every night, sharing that with him, how could anyone expect me to not feel undeniably close to him?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Either way, I won’t tell him that.
“You’re my boss,” I finally say. “Isn’t it a little weird to sleep in my boss’s bed?” I look up at him.
“It’s just a bed, Sawyer,” he says casually. “It’s not like you’re sleeping with me.”
“No, I’m definitely not.” My eyes widen, and I bite my lip to hold back the smirk threatening to escape.
“That’s not what I meant.” He shakes his head, looking exhausted with me already. “Just sleep in the damn bed, okay?” He grabs the bag off my shoulder and places it on top of the bed.
“Whatever you say, boss,” I huff out to appease him.
A problem for later.
He walks out of the room without another word, and I hurriedly follow him back out to the living room. He goes through the list he wrote out with everyone’s phone numbers if I need anything and watches me as I make sure to put them all in my phone. He also tells me he made sure both Ellie and Willow had my phone number too, so they can contact me if they need to.
Then, he tells me that Willow is hanging out with a friend after school and her mom will drop her home before dinner. He gives me her number just in case too.
Apparently, Ellie’s friend’s parents take her home from school most days that King can’t pick her up, or to the shop to hang out. But he thought it would be best for me to get her directly today so there’s no issues since he won’t be around.
After telling me the name of Ellie’s high school and where it is, he tells me to pick her up outside of the parking lot gates by her school. He says she’ll text me exactly where to meet up.
“Are you sure you got it all?” he asks after going through his entire list of instructions and information with me—twice.
“Positive,” I nod. “I promise we’ll be just fine without you for the night.” I give him a look that says, relax, I’ve got this .
“Okay.” He nods. “I’m gonna leave right after the expo finishes tomorrow night around eight, so I should be back by eleven. I’ll have my phone on me the whole time so you or the girls can call me if you all need anything.”
“We won’t,” I assure him with an amused smile.
I take pictures of the papers he wrote out with the names of the girls’ schools, pickup times, etc., and then place them back on the entryway table next to the door.
“I should head out. I’ve got a long drive,” he says, and I nod, turning toward the front door. “Oh, shit,” he says as if he’s remembered something. “Listen, I don’t know if it needs to be said, but I would appreciate it if everything I told you about my ex could stay between us.”
“It doesn’t have to be said,” I tell him genuinely. “That’s your family business. I would never say anything to Ellie or Willow. I promise.”
“Thank you.” He nods, the corner of his lips turning up in what almost resembles a smile. “Not just for that, but for watching them too. All of it. I really do appreciate it.”
“Yeah, it’s no problem.” I tell him honestly.
My eyes lock on his, and suddenly it seems like the space between us is smaller, neither of us move.
It’s not a secret that Damien King is one of the most attractive men I’ve ever laid eyes on. I just don’t let myself acknowledge it often. But right now, I can’t help it. The silence between us is loud, the tension palpable. I can’t help but wonder if he feels it too. This undeniable, unexplainable pull between us.
Time stands still, and it feels like neither of us knows what move to make next. Then my phone makes the decision for us. A loud ding of a text message comes through, causing both of us to jump, startled by it.
He clears his throat, taking a step back, and I do the same.
“Well, you better get on the road,” I say with a close-lipped smile. “And I should get to work. My boss hates it when I’m late,” I joke, opening the door and walking through it. “Have a good trip.”
I walk away before he can say anything else, making a beeline for my car. I can feel his eyes following me the entire way there. Only when I’m seated in the driver’s seat do I dare look up to see him finally closing the front door.
I sigh, pulling my phone out of my purse to see the text I got.
Aria: I’m a liar… I do fuck where I work. *insert upside down smiley face*
Aria: Actually, I fucked the photographer I’m working with in his car if we’re being technical, but you get the point.
I roll my eyes at the messages before responding.
Sawyer: well, what’s the verdict???
Aria: 10/10 recommend
She replies immediately, and I laugh, throwing my phone down onto the passenger seat and letting my head fall against my seat.
I take a deep breath, steadying myself before sitting back up in my seat and getting ready to actually drive to the shop. My eyes latch onto King walking back out of the front door, dropping his duffel bag onto the ground, and facing the door to lock it.
I take a moment to let my eyes roam over his large frame. How tall he is in the doorframe. The way his short hair sits perfectly messy on top of his head. The way his muscles stretch at the fabric of his T-shirt and his arm flexes as he lifts the duffel back up off the ground.
Maybe fucking where you work really isn’t that bad.
He turns around, looking to where my car is still sitting in his driveway, and I quickly shift the car into reverse, pulling out of the driveway and speeding away before he can add anything.
Or before I can even begin to process that thought.