Andy raced out the door, obviously relieved to have escaped his wife’s wrath for the moment.
Elaine rolled her eyes. “Okay, if you’re sure. My husband and I need to have a chat. Dr. Phil doesn’t seem to be working out.”
Miranda laughed and shut the door behind them. Gavin sprawled out on the floor with a pile of blocks, seemingly absorbed in the task of creating a high-rise building. Stephen was just as intent in his desire to destroy it.
Miranda dropped on the couch and watched them. “How’d you get Andy on your side?”
Massive shoulders lifted. “He’s on both of our sides. He knows where I’m coming from. So, you really felt like I put a spell on you, huh?”
Color flooded her cheeks. “I can’t believe he told you that,” she muttered. “And they say women gossip.”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“I plead the Fifth. Anyway, that was a long time ago.”
He placed a bright red block on the floor and swung his head around. When he spoke, his voice dropped to a sexy growl. “That’s exactly how you made me feel, Red. I used to catch your scent when you walked past me, and it made me drunker than a bottle of age-old whiskey. I used to watch your mouth when you talked, and remember that catchy little moan you made when I pleasure you.”
Heat ripped through her. Her belly clenched and her nipples tightened to achy points. “Don’t. We have an audience.”
He glanced down. Stephen seemed enchanted with the bucket and bored with their conversation. “Oh. What I meant was, you know we were great, umm, great…playmates.” His face lit up at his supposedly brilliant Mission Impossible encoding techniques.
She smothered a laugh.
“Playmates, huh? I’d say we excelled at taking naps. When we got up from our naps, we were lousy together.”
Stephen shoved both hands out and shook his head. “No nap. No, no, no.”
Gavin tousled the boy’s hair and grinned. “No nap for you, buddy. Not yet.” The toddler went back to his blocks. Gavin’s voice lowered. “You’re wrong. We focused too much on napping and never gave social play dates a shot. My fault. I screwed up.”
Tension sizzled in the air, and Miranda raised her chin. Every time her heart softened, she reminded herself he’d do anything to reach his goal. Business was business. If she allowed herself to be vulnerable, she’d give him the opportunity to hurt her again.
This time she may never recover.
“You talk a good game, Gavin, but in two months you’re back out the door. What’s in it for me? I’m not looking for a short-term fling. I’m looking to settle down. Get married. Share a life.” She grinned. “Scare ya yet?”
“Nope. Bring it.”
“And what will your excuse be this time? A bigger contract? Another account only you can close? When does it end? I’m done being left behind.”
“Come with me.”
A clatter of blocks banged together and saved her from answering. Gavin dumped out the rest of the bucket and Stephen dove in. She kept her attention on the toddler and hated the sudden racing of her heart.
“What do you think?”
She sneered and hoped she looked intimidating. “I think you need to nap, bad. Isn’t that when men promise the world?”
A laugh escaped his lips. “God, you’re stubborn.” He put up a hand when she began to protest. “Wait. How about I offer a truce?”
He ignored her disbelieving snort and continued. “I won’t make any moves on you. No touching, no flirting, no bringing up the past. I’ll be the perfect gentlemen this evening.”
“What’s the catch?”
His lips twisted. “If I promise not to nap with you on Andy’s carpet, you give me a fair chance. No looking for hidden motives. No insults or defenses. Have an open mind tonight. Deal?”
Suspicion laced her tone. “All you want to do is talk?”
“Talking is a first good step. At least you won’t pounce on my every comment.”
“I don’t pounce. You just keep making arrogant remarks.”
“See, you broke the deal. That’s considered an insult.” He pointed an accusatory finger.
She fought the sudden urge to laugh. Was she crazy to accept his offer? She should throw him out and forget he came back into her life. Still, her curiosity burned with the need to be completely satisfied.
The offer was safe. Her body always got her in trouble. Tonight, he’d only deal with her mind, and there’d be no way to slip through her defenses. Maybe after tonight she’d be free of him.
“Deal.”
Stephen gurgled and smashed the perfect tower. Brightly colored blocks flew in different directions and he screamed with glee.
Her ex-lover looked disappointed. “Darn, that was a good one. Is he usually this rambunctious?”
Miranda slid off the couch. “He’ll be up another hour or so. He usually passes out by eight and sleeps all night.”
Gavin scooped up the rest of the blocks. “Okay, buddy, let’s see if we can make Trump Towers and sell them before the market crashes.”
Stephen screeched in agreement.
…
Four hours later, Miranda collapsed on the carpet next to Gavin. A groan of pain escaped his lips. “I think I’m going to die.”
“No, you only feel that way because your head is pounding and your legs hurt from racing around the room. Wait till the aspirin kicks in.” Miranda tried to pull herself back up the couch but only managed to move an inch. One glance at her babysitting partner told her he had the same problem. They both lay stretched out on their backs and gazed up at the ceiling.
“You lied. You told me he sleeps all night and isn’t any trouble.”
“It’s your fault. You got him excited about those blocks and he couldn’t fall asleep.”
Gavin groaned. “How am I going to explain the crayon marks on the wall? I swear I took my eyes off him for a second.”
“They’re washable.” The image of the successful, smooth tycoon chasing a toddler flashed before her. A giggle burst from her lips.
“What?”
“You may be able to close a million-dollar deal, but I never saw such a look of fear when Stephen told you he did poop.”
“I think you broke our truce. That was definitely an insult.”
“Just an observation.”
“If I had any strength left I’d kiss you so we’d be even. Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you look with your hair spread out on the carpet?”
“You’re delusional.”
A comfortable silence settled between them. “I thought Andy had two kids.”
“His daughter is at a slumber party tonight. She’s at that stage where she thinks she’s too cool for a babysitter.”
“Have Andy and Elaine been married long?”
She turned her head to the right and caught a glimpse of his profile. The thought of his mouth sliding, wet and hot, over hers caused a shiver to race down her spine. Damn, she was exhausted. Time to get her mind out of the gutter. “About ten years. I guess Andy was working at another paper and interviewed Elaine for an article on fitness. She managed a health club. He was too shy to ask her out so he ended up writing a different column on her every day for two weeks. His editor finally dragged him in and made him ask her out. They were married a year later.”
Gavin rolled to the side. Propping his head on the side of her head, he studied her in thoughtful silence. Her heart stopped, then burst into rapid staccato. He reached out and ran one finger down her cheek, then drew back as if he remembered his promise.
“It was their karma.”
She swallowed. As if his words weaved a spell, she waited for his mouth to take hers. His quick, indrawn breath cut through the air as he recognized her surrender, and the silence pulsed with electricity. He half closed his eyes. The delicious scents of lemon and spice swarmed her. He leaned in, and she let out a sigh of release. She wouldn’t have to make a choice, because he’d make one for her.