Formal Arrangement

by Gilmore, Kylie

  Viv giggled. “I get you.”

  “You sure you don’t want to get caught up on work?” Lauren asked. “You could always take her on the weekend.”

  He spoke to Viv. “Then how would I meet Kaitlin?”

  The next day he helped pack what they’d need for the water playground while Lauren got Viv ready. Lauren put one of her own T-shirts on top of Viv’s bathing suit as a cover-up. It looked like a little dress on Viv. He wore his swim trunks and a T-shirt.

  He hadn’t given much thought to seeing Lauren in a swimsuit until after lunch when she directed them to a set of outdoor lockers to tuck their stuff away and quickly stripped out of her tank top. The black bikini top was strapless, just a black band that held up beautiful tempting breasts. Her hands went to the waistband of her shorts and he held his breath.

  “Kaitlin!” Viv shouted, jumping up and down. “Kaitlin!” She took off toward a little girl with shiny black hair that curled under by her jaw, walking with her mom on the path to the spray bay.

  “Wait!” Lauren shouted, taking off after her in bikini top and shorts.

  He should’ve moved to grab Viv, but he was mesmerized by Lauren. She swooped in on Viv, scooped her up, and put her on her hip while she smiled and chatted with Kaitlin’s mom. Viv was leaning down, chattering to Kaitlin, her little hand on Lauren’s bare shoulder. In fact, most of Lauren was bare. Her hair was up in a ponytail, tucked into the band, leaving her neck and back bare. His fingers tingled with the urge to move over all that smooth skin.

  This had been a mistake.

  He should’ve stayed home, where he wouldn’t be tempted by soft curves. He hadn’t pictured her in a bikini top. Soon she’d strip out of those shorts, exposing more skin, ratcheting up the temptation level. He’d pictured something modest like a one-piece. He shouldn’t have been picturing her at all. She woke the sleeping beast.

  Lauren turned and pointed to him, smiling her sweet angelic smile, taking his breath away.

  Just focus on the kids.

  He met up with them. Lauren set Viv back on the ground and introduced him to Kaitlin and her mom, Michelle. Viv and Kaitlin held hands, smiling at each other. Kaitlin was adorable with big round cheeks and blue eyes, about Viv’s size. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I heard you had a great time yesterday. Viv, maybe you and Kaitlin could show me how everything works.”

  Viv took him by the hand and pulled him toward the fenced-in spray bay. Lauren veered to the lockers probably to finish getting ready.

  “Just a minute,” he told Viv. “Let’s go put my stuff in the locker and get some sunscreen for me.”

  “Hurry, Daddy!”

  “If it’s okay with you, I’ll take her in with us,” Michelle said. “You can meet us.”

  He glanced over at the fenced-in area. “Sure, thanks.” Viv already wore her orange wristband that showed they’d paid for the day.

  He headed to the lockers, where Lauren was sitting on a bench, pulling her shorts down the length of her long tanned legs. He swallowed. Her bikini bottom was a modest black and white polka-dot piece that stopped just below her belly button. He tore his gaze away.

  He took off his shirt and hung it on the hook in the locker, risking a quick look over his shoulder where Lauren was now standing. His mouth went dry. She was trim, toned, curvy, and so damn sexy. Like a freaking bikini model. He was sure she had no idea how sexy she was because otherwise men would be swarming her, instead of her going through an online dating service. Before he could get his brain in gear for some kind of compliment that wouldn’t give away the depth of his lust, she spoke.

  “Someone hasn’t been in the sun for a while.”

  He glanced down at his pale chest, figured his back was the same, and turned to face her. “Haven’t been shirtless in the sun, but I get outside with Viv.”

  Her gaze took him in from shoulders to chest to stomach, bringing a soft flush of pink to her cheeks. “For some reason I pictured you with tattoos.”

  “Why? Because I’m an artist?” He’d almost gotten a dragon tattoo to match Tammy’s dragon, but then when it looked like she was going to bail (before they knew she was pregnant), he didn’t. Now he was glad. He didn’t need that constant reminder on his body. He already had it every time he looked at Viv.

  “Yeah.” Her gaze drifted back to his chest before she met his eyes. “And you have a little bit of an edgy vibe.”

  He smiled. “You like edgy?”

  She opened her mouth, closed it, and then smiled, shaking her head.

  So, yeah, she did. He could be edgy.

  He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I took out the piercings before Viv could yank them out.”

  “Where?” she whispered.

  He pointed to the various locations—brow, ear, nose, nipple.

  She cringed, staring at his nipple. “Ouch.”

  “There’s more painful areas to get pierced.”

  She shuddered. “I can imagine.”

  “Where’s your edgy?” he teased, knowing she had none.

  “You need sunscreen,” she announced. “It’s in the bag.”

  He turned to get it from the locker at the same time as she reached for it, colliding breasts to chest. He grabbed her waist automatically.

  She looked up at him under her lashes, her lips curling into a small smile. “We have to stop running into each other like this.”

  Everything in him said this was a bad idea, but he liked it too damn much. “Lauren.”

  She gave him a small almost regretful smile and stepped back. “Meet you over there.”

  He watched her go, taking her in—the line of her spine, the flare of her hips, sweet ass, long legs. He didn’t think he could ever look at her again without seeing her just like this. Like a sexy work of art.

  He turned to finish getting ready. It was the spray kind of sunscreen, so it didn’t take long. He bought the organic hypoallergenic kind for Viv that you had to rub on, which took a lot longer. He never took shortcuts with Viv. She got the best that he could give her in every way.

  He quickly found Lauren and Viv, cold water splashing him from other kids as he made his way over. He felt like a total perv watching Lauren playing with Viv—bending, squatting, standing, her smooth skin slick and wet. He was stupid with lust, dizzy and hot and hungry.

  It was completely inappropriate with his nanny, especially with someone looking for love. How was this possible? Standing in a playground full of kids and moms suddenly alert and aware of a woman, really aware, not just a quick acknowledgment of beauty, but an aching need for her. It was the first time he’d felt a strong attraction for anyone since Tammy had died.

  Lauren was life—laughing, smiling, squealing as she matched Viv’s delight, making it fun for his little girl.

  “Hey!” Lauren waved at him. “Kaitlin and her mom went for a potty break.”

  Just like that he was back in parentland. Potty breaks, diapers, sippy cups and all.

  She whispered something to Viv and a moment later twin streams of water were aimed his way. He joined Viv, teaming up to squirt Lauren with water, who put on a great show with lots of “yikes!” and “you got me!” that had Viv in stitches.

  Time flew by. And even though everything he did was to entertain Viv and her little friend, he probably enjoyed it more than they did. He loved seeing Viv happy, loved seeing her make a new friend. And Lauren was right there with him, playing with the girls and occasionally giving him a playful splash too. She made things more comfortable with Kaitlin’s mom too. Usually moms either ignored him or flirted with him, both of which made him feel like the odd man out. He couldn’t remember having such a fun day. His old kind of fun, partying, hadn’t appealed since Viv was born. Maybe it was time for him to live a different kind of life.

  He drove them home, turning the idea over in his mind of him and Lauren and what could happen if it went bad (he’d lose a fantastic nanny) or if it went well (maybe she’d stick around). It was risky either way
because he was definitely not Lauren’s ideal candidate for love. He didn’t deserve it, not after what he’d done—his own carelessness had terrible consequences.

  But he wanted her.

  The first woman he’d wanted at all after not wanting anyone in two long years. And she was good for Viv. That was enough for him.

  He turned to Lauren once he parked in his driveway. She’d left him to his thoughts in her quiet considerate way. “I had a great day,” he said.

  She smiled. “Me too. Bonus, all the sun and fun wore out Viv.” She hitched a thumb toward the backseat.

  He glanced in the rearview mirror. Viv was out cold, her mouth hanging open. He smiled. He had that good tired feeling after a day in the sun.

  “You should put some aloe on your back before you go to bed tonight,” Lauren said.

  He’d gotten a little burned because the water had washed off some of the sunscreen. “You’re good at taking care of people.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’m just one of those nurturers. My mom says even when I was Viv’s age I was fussing over my dollies, tucking them into bed, talking to them, hugging and kissing them.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  She crinkled her nose. “Good or bad kind of sweet?”

  “Is there a bad kind?”

  “Some people say I’m sweet like maybe I’m a pushover or something.”

  “The good kind of sweet.” He winked and she blushed prettily. Her cheeks would be flaming red if she knew what he was really thinking. She was the kind of sweet that would be soft and pliant in bed. He knew it on a primal level and liked it.

  She interrupted his dirty line of thinking. “Speaking of dollies, do you mind if I get Viv another one with hair?”

  He laughed. “It is kind of sad looking, isn’t it? I left it like that so she wouldn’t get the idea to cut her own hair.”

  “She already did a little.”

  He stared at her, shocked. “What? How did I not notice that?”

  “It was just the tiniest lock of hair. She got my safety scissors and did it before I could get them back. Then she tried to make it stick to Dolly’s head by pressing really hard.”

  He shook his head. “That’s just sad.”

  “I know! That’s why I wanted to get her a new doll.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I’ll get her one.”

  “Maybe we could take her shopping. Get her a doll and some big-girl panties. Something pretty to encourage potty training.”

  “Absolutely.” It occurred to him that when he was with Lauren, he didn’t feel like a struggling single parent. He felt like he had a partner. That was it. He was going for it. Then he remembered she was dating random guys on the weekend.

  “What’s next for your dating adventures with Hailey?” he asked.

  She laughed. “Not with Hailey. My adventures are with a guy.”

  He grinned. “So what’s next on the agenda?”

  “Singles mixer at Marcus’s bar.”

  He remembered she’d mentioned that. Marcus, Ethan, and Ben. Of the three, Ethan was the one to watch. Very smooth with the ladies. He tried to think of something to put her off Ethan, but there was nothing. He was a cop, upstanding citizen or whatever.

  “Marcus is already busy with a few girlfriends,” he told her.

  “So not him,” she said.

  He turned off the car, his plan slowly forming in his mind.

  “You want to get her, or should I?” Lauren asked.

  “Hold on a minute.” He glanced back at Viv still out cold.

  “Yeah?”

  He turned back to Lauren. “Do you mind if I sketch you?”

  She gave him an impish smile. “You’ll have to buy me dinner first.”

  They laughed.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t mean that like a line.”

  She let out a short ha-ha that sounded forced. “I know.”

  He gestured around her face, tracing a curved line in the air. “You have a heart-shaped face. Most people have oval.”

  “Oh,” she said softly. “Well, I guess if you want to. I never thought it was anything special.”

  “Speaking as an artist, it is special.”

  She tilted her head, studying him.

  He laughed. “I swear I’m not trying to be cheesy.” He was damn rusty at this was the problem. “I’ve sketched Viv too. You want to see?”

  Her green eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”

  He took off his seat belt. “Alright. I’ll get her. If she stays asleep, I’ll show you.”

  He got out and carefully scooped up Viv. Lauren had the key now and let them in. He settled Viv in her room. He figured he’d wake her in a half hour so she’d still go to sleep on time tonight.

  He stepped back in the hallway and gestured for Lauren to follow. She did, coming up behind him and whispering, “Shouldn’t we hang up our wet stuff?”

  “Later,” he said, stepping into his studio. “We’re on the Viv clock.” He pulled the Viv sketches from the top shelf of the closet. There was a series, one for each month of her life with the date and her age marked on the back. “Have a seat.”

  She sat on the futon. He sat next to her with the stack of loose pages and set them in her lap. She carefully lifted the first one, studied it, and placed it in the back of the pile before looking at the next one. He tensed because she wasn’t saying anything. These sketches were probably his best work, done out of love.

  Finally she looked up and met his eyes. “Oh, Alex, these are so precious! I love them. So these are, like, every few weeks?”

  He relaxed. “Every month.”

  She kept looking through them. “Oh, wow, look at the difference here between three and four months.”

  He smiled. “Yeah. It was like she suddenly noticed the world.”

  Lauren gestured to the sketch. “And she’s holding up her head, eyes big and wide and so aware.” She got it. She saw the Viv he saw.

  “Yes,” he said quietly.

  She went through the whole set and then handed them back. “What a gift you’ve given her with this collection. You should sign them. They’ll probably be worth something one day.”

  He warmed at the compliment. “Nah. It’s just something I do for me.”

  She gazed at him. “Thanks so much for showing me these.”

  He stood and crossed to the closet, carefully storing them where little hands couldn’t reach. He turned back to her. “Can I sketch you now?”

  She flushed and smoothed her hair. “I’m a mess. My hair is still wet and scraggly. I didn’t even get a chance to comb it out.”

  “It looks natural.” He just wanted an excuse to touch her, to angle her head, trace the shape of her face.

  She put her hands to her cheeks. “I can feel the sunscreen. No makeup. I’m not sketch-ready.”

  “You look fine.” You look amazing—sunkissed and sexy.

  He sat next to her, tracing his finger near the line of her cheek, close but not touching. “It’s the shape, the lines, the shadows I want to capture.” His gaze trailed to her mouth and then her neck where a pulse was beating rapidly. A surge of lust heated his blood. He met her eyes and she gazed back, her lips parting, the air practically crackling with tension.

  He slowly brought his hand up, brushing a loose tendril of hair back from her face and then letting his fingers graze over the pulse point of her neck. “You ready?”

  She stood abruptly. “I’d better…I have a thing! And my wet towel and this hair!” She rushed out of the room. A moment later he heard the door to the bathroom close.

  He blew out a breath. He’d scared her away. In his old life, he’d met experienced women at parties, who were ready to hook up right out of the gate. Hell, the places he used to hang in the city were made for that. Meet, greet, drink, and fuck. Lauren obviously required more finesse.

  The moment he heard the bathroom door open, he stepped out into the hallway. “Hey,” he said in a low soothing tone.
>
  She jumped. “Hi.”

  “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable there.”

  She smoothed her sleek combed-out hair and tucked it behind her ears. “Don’t be silly.” She laughed her forced ha-ha laugh. “I’m perfectly comfortable. I’m just not used to artists wanting to sketch me.”

  He took a step closer. She’d washed off the sunscreen, added some lip gloss, and the dusting of freckles across her nose were less pronounced. She wore a tank top and shorts, but all he saw was bare skin in a black bikini. He gestured back to his studio. “Do you want to try again?”

  “Wh-what do I have to do?”

  “Nothing. Just sit still long enough for me to get some of the lines down.” He gestured for her to go ahead of him into the studio. She didn’t move.

  Instead she eyed him suspiciously. “You know, I checked in the mirror, and I’m not seeing this heart shape you’re talking about.”

  He was going to have to dial it way the hell back for her. Suspicious distrust did not lead to where he wanted.

  “It’s there,” he said. “I’ll show you on the sketch pad. Come on.” He gestured for her to follow and headed back to the studio.

  She sat on the futon while he grabbed a pencil and his sketch pad from the drafting table. He stayed at the table, turning his head slightly to watch as she fidgeted every which way. First she crossed her legs and rested an elbow on her leg. Then she uncrossed her legs and put one hand on each knee. She caught him looking and crossed her arms; then she uncrossed them and crossed them the other way.

  He smiled and stood next to her. “All done?”

  She held up her palms. “My arms don’t know where to go.”

  “Just put them at your sides.” He took a seat close enough to touch if he reached out, far enough to keep her from getting too nervous.

  “And what about the rest of me?”

  He kept his eyes on his sketch pad, giving her some time to calm down. “Just sit like you normally would.”

  “But it doesn’t feel normal because you’re judging me.”

  He looked up, surprised. She had no idea how beautiful she was. If he told her now, though, he’d show his hand. “I’m not judging. I’m observing like any artist would. I never stop observing, so it’s nothing new. That’s how I noticed the first day you were here that your face is a heart shape—” he let his gaze follow his words “—and your eyes are green with blue and gray flecks, and you have a light dusting of freckles across your ski-slope-shaped nose.” And a plump lower lip I want to sink my teeth into.