Chapter 10 #2
I can’t deny that the woman has a point—a bizarre point—but a point nonetheless. “I see. Well, it’s still strange in my book.”
“That’s just because you haven’t tried it.”
I lift Remy from her playmat and lay her on my chest as I lean back on the couch. She reaches for the scruff on my jaw as I kiss her cheek. “And I probably never will.”
Shrugging, she takes one last bite and sets her empty bowl and spoon on the coffee table. “You’re missing out.”
Remy is making all sorts of noises while I study her gorgeous blue eyes. “How was she today?”
“Good. Eating a bit more than usual and she took a longer nap too. I think she’s about to go through a growth spurt.”
“How often will that happen?”
Elodie smirks at me. “Well, think about how small she is and how big she’ll be by the time she’s a year or two old, Henley. So, I’d say a lot.”
“The sarcasm wasn’t necessary.”
“That’s funny coming from you.” Smiling, Elodie takes her phone from her pocket and snaps a picture of me holding my daughter, something I’ve grown accustomed to her doing now, so I don’t bother fighting her on it.
I feel the corner of my mouth lift. “How was your day?”
She slides her phone back in her shorts before answering. “It was all right. I tried to sit down and start making a list of different jobs I could do if singing doesn’t pan out.”
“And what did you decide?”
She stands from the ground, taking her bowl to the sink and grabbing a bottle of water and a notepad from the counter before returning to sit next to me on the couch. “Well, a flight attendant is in the top spot right now.”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“I love the idea of getting paid to travel, and since I’m unattached and don’t have a family, I have the freedom to do that right now.”
My chest grows tight at the thought of her leaving again. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.”
“But I want a dog, and having a pet doesn’t really work with that career.
Plus, I know I want a family and a home someday, so even though the job sounds great now, it would only be temporary, and that’s definitely not the sort of thing I’m looking for right now.
If I’m going to make this type of decision, I want a job I can see myself doing for a long time. ”
A family. A home.
The exact opposite of what you’ve ever wanted for your life, Henley.
Yeah, but can one person change how you feel about stuff like that?
“Okay, so any other options?”
She sighs. “Nothing that doesn’t require me to get another degree.”
“You went to college?”
“Yeah, my parents made me get a degree before I went to L.A. so that I had something to fall back on in case music didn’t pan out, which they hoped wouldn’t work out anyway.
I knew they were just trying to help me, but those four years were the longest of my life so far.
I just can’t stand the idea of sitting still for another four. ”
“What’s your degree in?”
“Business. Something generic enough that I could use in pretty much any arena.”
I nod. “I never went to college. School wasn’t my thing either. But working at the lodge for seven years before the owner sold it to me was far more valuable to me in the end.”
She turns to face me, propping her head up on the back of the couch, her lips curling into a soft smile that makes her look so fucking beautiful and relaxed right now, the urge to lean over and pull her lips to mine slams into me like a train.
“You know, I was thinking about something when you brought this up before, and after Dilynne told me a little bit about your daredevil history.”
“Okay…”
“What do you do now for that adrenaline chase? I mean, that’s not something you give up overnight.”
Fuck. Do I answer her honestly? Or do I spare her and me the awkward truth?
“Well, I’ll still hit the slopes from time to time, but I found another hobby that gave me a thrill to chase that was far less risky, at least in my opinion.”
“Which is?”
I look directly into her eyes. “You don’t want to know.”
“I asked, didn’t I?”
I move my gaze to my daughter, bouncing her a bit as she still lays on my chest. “Let’s just say, my daughter is here because of what I used to do for fun.”
Elodie’s smile falls. “Oh.”
“See? Told you you didn’t want to know.”
She blows out a breath. “No, it’s fine. I’m not judging. I just didn’t think that chasing women would give you the same high.”
“It didn’t,” I say honestly, pulling her attention back to me. “In fact, it didn’t even compare, but the orgasm at the end of the night was close enough.”
“I see.” She stands from the couch now.
“Elodie?”
“Yeah?” Her voice is almost an octave higher than before.
“I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”
“It didn’t.” Her smile is quick and borderline fake. She’s definitely not being honest, which doesn’t sit well with me.
Does this mean that my previous extracurricular activities have made her think differently of me now?
I mean, I’m not ashamed of my past. Every woman I’ve ever been with has been a consensual partner. But for some reason, right now, I really wish I hadn’t said anything to Elodie about it.
Before I can say anything else, my phone rings in my pocket. I fish it out and see Warren’s name across the screen. “What’s up?”
“You busy tonight?”
I glance up at the clock and note the time. It’s just after six on a Friday, but it’s the end of the week and I’m beat. “Nothing but a date with my bed until my daughter wakes up for her midnight feeding.”
“I need you to come out with me tonight.”
Groaning, I shake my head. “No way, man.”
“Come on. My buddy that was supposed to come out with me canceled. He caught a cold or some shit. I need a wingman.”
“Call Elliot.” Warren knows my boys and has gone out with me and Elliot plenty of times.
“I did. He’s already too intoxicated to go out. Someone needs to check on him again, by the way.”
I mentally make a note to send Fletcher or Rhonan over to his house this week. It may be time for an intervention. “Well, I’m busy.”
“No, you’re not. You have a nanny. Come on…when’s the last time we went out together? And dude, I need to get laid. This is the longest dry spell I’ve had in a while.” You’re preaching to the fucking choir, Warren. “Please?”
“You’re begging?”
“I wouldn’t if I didn’t think my balls were about to explode.”
“Then jack off in the shower like a normal person.” I lift my eyes to find Elodie staring down at me, her brows lifted. Mouthing ‘sorry’ to her, I point to the phone next to my ear. “My friend.”
“What?” Warren asks.
“Nothing.”
“Dude, my hand is turning into the claw with how much I’ve been yanking the one-eyed snake lately.”
“Please don’t ever fucking say that again.”
“You know, you might want to start watching your swearing. You don’t want Remy’s first word to be fuck,” Elodie whispers while reaching for my daughter and picking her up from my chest.
I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Warren. “Where are you even going?”
“Riley’s.”
“The sandwich shop? Dude, you must be desperate if you’re looking to score at The Happy Belly Deli.”
“No, fucker. Riley’s Office. It’s a new bar in Asheville. Just opened a few weeks ago, so there’s new clientele.”
I groan again, but as I look up, I see Elodie putting Remy in her high chair to feed her dinner.
I know the routine for the rest of the evening—dinner, bath, play time, bedtime story, sleep. Midnight feeding. Three in the morning feeding if she’s still hungry. Waking up by six.
And Warren is right. I do have a nanny.
But I also don’t want to leave my girls.
Then Elodie bends over to pick up something off the floor, and the crease of her butt cheek peeks out of the bottom of her denim shorts—that delectable, smooth skin that I’ve been dreaming about all week.
Fuck. Maybe I need to get laid too.
I know the talk I had earlier today with my sister is in the back of my mind, but maybe I just think I have feelings for my nanny because I haven’t been with anyone in a few months. This is the longest dry spell I’ve had, and I literally have temptation living in my house with me.
If I can take out my frustration in another way, maybe all of my problems will disappear.
Fuck, it’s worth a shot, right?
“Fine,” I finally say.
“You’ll go?”
“Yeah, give me a couple hours and then swing by and pick me up.”
“Hell yeah! Awesome, see you in a bit.”
I end the call and look up to find Elodie studying me. “Where are you going?”
Bracing my hands on my knees, I stand from the couch and stare down at her. “Warren wants me to go out with him tonight.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I honestly didn’t want to, but he needs a friend right now.” Elodie doesn’t need to know that “friend” really means wingman.
“He’s not commissioning you to jack him off, is he?”
“What?”
Fighting her laughter, she says, “Your comment from before. You told him to jack off like a normal person.”
“Oh, uh…no. He’s just…going through a dry spell and needs some emotional support.”
She nods slowly. “I see. And hey, maybe you can chase some of that adrenaline you’ve been missing lately too?
I’m speculating, of course.” Giving me her back, she picks up the jar of baby food from the counter and takes a seat in front of Remy.
We’ve just started a few pureed foods with her this week, and so far carrots and sweet potatoes have been the biggest hits.
“Does that bother you?”
“Why would it bother me, Henley? You’re a grown man, and I’m your nanny. This is what you pay me to do, right?” Her eyes lift to mine, followed by one of her eyebrows.
I can sense the irritation in her voice, but I don’t want to engage with it right now.
“Why don’t you let me feed her?” I say, reaching for her hand before she takes the lid off of the glass jar.
Elodie freezes but doesn’t look up at me. “I can do it.”
“I know you can, but I want to. I’ll take the next hour or so, and then you can take over when I need to shower before I leave.”
She doesn’t even put up a fight. “Okay.” Handing me the jar and spoon, she avoids my gaze and heads straight for her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Sighing, I sit down in the chair Elodie just vacated and make eye contact with my daughter. “Your daddy is really good at pissing off women.” Remy lets out a bunch of garbled noises I pretend to understand. “Yeah, I know.” But as I sit there and feed my daughter, this dull ache builds in my chest.
I really don’t want to go out with Warren tonight, but part of me thinks I need to, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that Elodie hasn’t gotten under my skin as badly as I think she has. And maybe getting under another woman will help me confirm that.
After feeding and bathing Remy, I cautiously knock on Elodie’s door. When she answers, I can’t tell if she’s irritated with me. “I need to shower before I head out.”
She reaches for Remy before I can hand her off, sliding her onto her hip. “Okay, no problem. Thanks for the break, by the way.”
“You don’t have to thank me, Elodie. You deserve a break too.”
“I know. You let me have one last week, remember?” I instantly connect that she’s referring to the night she went out with my sister and the conversation that I had with Dilynne about it earlier.
“I do. Speaking of which, my sister said you never texted her back.”
Elodie grows confused, her brows drawing together. She reaches for her phone in her back pocket and swipes to open it up. “Yes, I did.”
“Then why would she say that you didn’t?”
After a few seconds of clicking around, she groans. “I never hit send. Oh God, she’s probably thinking she did something wrong.”
“She was more worried about you after your…panic attack.”
Elodie’s eyes widen. “She told you about that?”
Taking a step closer to her, I tip her chin up so our eyes meet. “Yeah, and you didn’t. If I’d have known, Elodie, I could have been there for you.”
“Would you? You didn’t even ask how my night went. You just jumped down my throat for being out late.”
That hits me square in the chest, but I hold her gaze. “I’m sorry, Elodie. I should have put my pride aside and checked in with you.”
She visibly swallows before replying, “I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to lie to me.”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You tell me.”
We stay there in a standoff—chests rising and falling with rapid breaths, her pulse under my fingers that have slipped down her neck, her lips slightly parted and wet from her tongue.
My dick is half-mast, quickly on its way to full, and my pulse is firing so rapidly that I can hear it in my ears.
Lucky for us both, before I can do something stupid, Remy smacks Elodie on the chest. Elodie blinks, breaking the trance and prompting me to release her chin. “Sorry, baby bear. We weren’t paying attention to you, were we?”
Clearing my throat, I take a step back. “I’ll be in the shower.”
“Okay.” That’s the last thing she says to me before I walk away, strip my clothes off, and fist my cock under the water as soon as it’s warm enough.
Like clockwork, I think about Elodie ass up in my hallway, but instead of just standing there, I drop to my knees and bury my face in her pussy from behind, teasing her puckered hole as well.
Fuck, this woman is going to be the death of me.
I’m so fucking horny just from barely touching her and only seeing part of her naked, but it’s those eyes—stark, gray eyes—that I can’t look away from, especially when there’s a hint of a challenge in them.
She’s right. I have lied to her. I’ve both omitted and covered up the truth of what I’m feeling. And if I’m not careful, the truth may come back to haunt us both.