The Parent Pact (Book Three of The Return to Redemption Series)

by Laurie Kellogg

  She stared at him for several erratic breaths. “I think it might be best if I stop working for you.”

  His heart leapt into his throat. The last thing he wanted was for her to quit. “No, that’s crazy! The kids are happy, you need the money, and I need your help.”

  “So what? If things don’t work out between us, I’ll have to end up quitting anyway.”

  “Why? We’re two mature adults. Don’t you think we can remain friends with each other?”

  “Not if one of us falls in love. Someone will end up hurt, so I’m not even going to start anything. You’re absolutely right. I do need the money, and Noah has never been happier. I don’t want to louse up a good thing.” She glanced at the clock in the foyer. “I have to be up again soon, so if you don’t mind, I’ll go get my son and—”

  “Don’t. It’s silly to disturb Noah at this point. Why don’t you leave him overnight? In fact, you might as well stay, too.”

  She glanced up the staircase, clearly torn between doing what was best for her child and her fears. “All right, I’ll let him sleep here,” she finally agreed. “But I can’t stay. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  “Why? Mitch is here, so you don’t need to go home to let him out. I have a perfectly good guestroom going to waste.”

  “Fine, Mitch can stay here.”

  “Exactly who don’t you trust? Me or yourself?”

  She ignored his question and strode down the hall and out to the garage.

  He watched through the picture window until she pulled the SUV out of the driveway and drove off. He should be thrilled that she doubted her ability to resist him. However, that elation wasn’t enough to counterbalance the ache she’d left in his lower half.

  There was no point in going to bed. He’d never get to sleep.

  He wandered down the hall to his study, flopped onto the sofa, and stabbed Luke’s picture on his cell phone. They had the kind of close friendship that allowed them to wake each other when they needed to talk. After several rings, his friend’s voicemail picked up.

  “Hey. It’s almost one,” Tyler said. “I guess you’re working a stakeout or you have company. In either case, I just called to see how—”

  His call-waiting beeped, interrupting his message. Tyler connected the call, and Luke gasped in his ear. “I’m here.” He panted erratically as if he’d been physically exerting himself.

  “Sorry.” Tyler winced. “I interrupted something good, didn’t I?”

  A soft rustling and the sound of a door closing filled the void left by Luke’s brief silence. “Yeah.”

  “Then why the hell did you call back? I can’t imagine your date is thrilled with you right now.”

  “Tough. You never call this time of night unless something’s wrong.”

  “Really, it’s nothing. Go back to bed. I can call you tomorr—”

  “Fitzpatrick, you’re pissin’ me off. I’m down in the living room now, and my evening’s entertainment is probably half-dressed and getting ready to storm out the door. Now what’s up?”

  “Me.” Tyler laid down as if he were settling onto a therapist’s couch. When he finished telling Luke all about his arrangement with Annie, he sighed. “I don’t know what the hell to do. If I push things with her, she’ll quit. If I don’t, I’ll petrify in this state.”

  “If you’re so crazy about her, why don’t you just marry the girl?” A door slammed in the background, and Luke chuckled. “Well, I guess I won’t be seeing her again.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. She was nobody important.”

  “Are they ever? You’re telling me to get married, but you won’t even date a woman long enough to meet her family.”

  “ We’re not talking about me.”

  “Yeah, and you’re not listening. Annie’s intimidated by everything about my life. She’d be miserable married to me.”

  “No, she wouldn’t. Not if you’d stop running away from where you came from.”

  “Yeah, so what’re you running from? Ben told me you’re trying harder than ever to kill yourself.”

  Luke ignored his question. “Aren’t you supposed to be a gifted negotiator? Convince her she wants you. If I recall, you were the only guy in college who had the patience and finesse to charm a girl out of her panties and leave her believing it was her idea to take them off in the first place.”

  Right. Tyler smiled. Wear her down. Persistence and determination had always worked for him before. It would be a great plan if patience wasn’t the very last thing Annie inspired in him.

  Chapter 7

  Over the next two weeks, Annie questioned her decision to turn down Tyler’s proposition a thousand times. Will called her twice and on each occasion she’d trumped up an excuse not to see him.

  Tyler was a perfect gentleman insomuch as he never put his hands anywhere he wouldn’t touch his sister. The problem was the tender way he touched her. The predatory hunger in his gaze made Annie feel as if she were prey being stalked.

  He was always watching, patiently waiting for her resolve to weaken. Any wild animal that showed his restraint would get a spotlight on the Discovery Channel.

  By the end of September, she was practically jumping out of her skin when any part of Tyler’s body happened to brush hers, which was a little too often for her to swallow his claims that it was unintentional. Despite her protests, several nights each week after Annie took Noah home and put him to bed, Tyler called a babysitter and showed up at her door to review the math and science lessons she’d done to prepare for her exam.

  Each time he visited, they sat side by side at her tiny kitchen table, and he laid his arm along the back of her chair while he checked her work. After Tyler explained where she’d made her mistakes, he’d walk her through solving several problems of a similar nature.

  On the surface, nothing he did could be called openly sexual. Sensual was more his style. Whenever she bent over her work, he simply moved his seat closer and leaned his elbow on the table and stared at her. All the while, he traced feathery trails with his fingertips around her ear and up and down the curve of her neck, stirring the little wisps of hair around her face with his warm breath, making her shiver.

  “Tyler, I can’t concentrate when you do that.”

  “Do what?” He flashed a phony, innocent smile.

  “You know very well what. It’s distracting when you blow on my ear.”

  “I’m not blowing. I’m simply breathing.”

  “A little too close if you ask me.”

  “Well, I can’t tell if you’re solving the problem correctly if I can’t see your paper.”

  “Except you’re not looking at my paper. You’re watching me.”

  “I can’t believe you’d begrudge me this little bit of entertainment while I’m helping you.” He grinned and tapped her paper. “No, you’re solving that backwards.”

  The fact he could do the math problems without concentrating even the tiniest bit simply emphasized the vast difference in their intellects.

  Goose bumps danced up her back as he stroked her neck and whispered, “Don’t forget to reduce the fraction to the lowest denominator. You should’ve had this back in general math.”

  “It’s been six and a half years since I’ve done anything other than simple arithmetic in my checkbook. Even back then I was terrible at fractions and factoring. You know the old expression—if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

  “Yes—I’ve heard that about one’s sex drive. And in that context, believe me, I can vouch that it’s an erroneous statement.”

  Annie rolled her eyes. “Vouch? Erroneous?”

  “Would you rather I say, I can affirm it’s an invalid assumption?”

  “Where do you get these snobby words from?”

  “I believe they’re all on the vocabulary portion of the college entrance exam.” Tyler closed her notebook. “I think you’ve had enough for tonight. You’re getting crank—”

  “I am not cranky,” s
he snapped.

  “Oh? You don’t like that word, either? Hmmm—let’s see how many other pretentious terms can I come up with for the way you’re behaving. Petulant, hostile, surly, truculent....” He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “How about obstreperous.”

  Only Tyler could make a word like that sound downright erotic.

  “All right, enough.” She stood and pulled him to his feet. “You’d better go. Dani has to leave soon. I don’t know why you insist on coming over here this late when we could do this earlier in the evening so you don’t have to pay a babysitter.”

  “If we did, Noah and Mandy wouldn’t get any of my attention.” Tyler stepped closer, until his nose was practically in her hair, and inhaled deeply. “You know, I wouldn’t have to hire a babysitter if you’d leave Noah overnight. We could work at my place then.”

  “I don’t want my son thinking of your house as his home. He needs to know there’s a difference.” She grabbed Tyler’s hand and dragged him toward the front door.

  “Why? It’d be a lot more convenient for both of us if the two of you would just move in with Mandy and me.”

  His suggestion made her stiffen.

  Right. More convenient because it would give him greater opportunity to try to seduce her. “I don’t need everyone talking about what a terrible example I’m setting for our children by sleeping with you.”

  “You’re my housekeeper. You could have the apartment over the garage if you’re worried about appearances. Did you know Mandy had a nightmare last night and was asking for you, again?”

  Annie planted her hands on her hips. “You just never quit, do you?”

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and tipped her head back so she was forced to look up at him. “Do you know why you’re such a grouch lately?”

  “I am not a grouch.”

  He flashed his dimples at her. “Yes, you are, but I forgive you.” He traced his finger over the curve of her lips. “It’s because you’re sexually frustrated....like me.”

  “I am not.”

  “Are, too. And I know exactly how to sweeten your disposition.”

  “If you’re insinuating I should climb into bed with you, you can just forg—”

  He pressed two fingers over her lips. “Shhh—Having you in my bed sounds great, but that’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “Tyler, things have been going so well. Why do you have to ruin it by trying to seduce me?”

  “Seduce you? I’ve been a model of propriety and patience. Show me one indecent place I’ve put my hands on you.”

  Except, she couldn’t. It was the sensual way he touched her in all the proper and decent places that turned her on. He was seducing her with just his soft words and those doggoned sexy smiles. She yanked the door open and huffed. “Just go home.”

  “Yup.” He winked at her on his way out. “It won’t be long now. You’re weakening.”

  She leaned her back against the door once he was gone. He was right. She was weakening. He hadn’t done anything different that evening than he’d been doing all along. His persistence was simply expanding the crack in her resistance like a wedge splitting a log.

  Unfortunately, he’d gained an advantage through their children. With how close she’d grown to Mandy, Annie couldn’t simply threaten to quit when Tyler pushed the boundaries she’d set. On top of using her emotional attachment to his daughter against her, he’d been so good to Noah, Annie felt like an ingrate keeping Tyler at a distance.

  When he’d taken them shopping for Mandy’s school clothes, he’d insisted on buying her son an entire winter wardrobe as well. Little by little, radio control cars, trucks, action figures, and a train set had joined Mandy’s dollhouse and child-sized kitchen in the playroom.

  He’d even spoiled the dog with fancy canned food and doggie treats, so now, on the weekends, the ungrateful mongrel refused to eat the dry kibble she could afford.

  Each time she objected to Tyler lavishing so many luxuries on them, he simply turned her and forced her to look at the delight in her son’s eyes, leaving her no choice but to shut up and swallow her pride.

  After putting Mitch out on his chain, she took a shower. Once she let the dog back in, she checked on Noah and crawled into her bed. As she snapped off the lamp, her phone rang.

  She grabbed it off the night table and when she saw Tyler’s name on the caller ID, her breath caught. A second later, the deep timbre of his husky voice resonated in her ear. “Hi.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Yup,” he murmured. “I’m here, and you’re there.”

  “Very funny. Why are you calling so late?”

  “You know why.” His soft suggestive words flowed thick and slow like warm honey dripping off a spoon.

  “I do?”

  “Uh-huh. I thought a little phone sex might help you get rid of the major case of the grouchies you’ve developed.”

  “I am not grouchy.” But she would be if she didn’t get some sleep.

  “See?” he crooned. “You’re just proving my point. Listen to how irritated you are with me when all I want to do is help reduce your frustration.”

  “Help me? Ha! You just want to sleep with me.”

  “True.” He laughed softly. “Come on now,” he coaxed. “What are you wearing?”

  “Why do you want to know?” She certainly wasn’t going to tell him she had on a ratty old T-shirt.

  “So I can picture you in my mind. We’re going to play a little game of I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.”

  “Fine—you first. What do you have on?”

  Dead silence filled the line.

  “Tyler? You didn’t answer me.”

  “Sure I did. I told you exactly what I have on.”

  “You’re naked?” She gulped.

  “As the day I was born. Now, what are you wearing?”

  “A holey T-shirt.”

  “Holy? What’d you do, buy it at a church rummage sale?”

  “No, holey as in it’s seen better days. I bet that’s a real turn-on for you.”

  “That all depends on where the holes are. I’ll just imagine they’re right over your—”

  “ I’m not interested in your game.” The sexy banter he kept engaging her in left her wound up tighter than a spring.

  “Are you wearing panties?”

  “Goodnight, Tyler.”

  “Imagine I’m kissing you,” he continued, ignoring her. “I’m sliding my tongue over your lips and nibbling my way down your neck while I push up your shirt.”

  A delicious shiver rippled through her. “I don’t want to play.”

  “Sure you do. I can hear in your voice how excited you are.”

  “I might as well make love to you for real if I’m going to do this.”

  “Exactly. I knew you’d finally see the light.”

  Clenching her jaw, she muttered through her teeth, “No, I’m hanging up and going to sleep.”

  “I don’t think so.” He chuckled. “I suspect you’ll be counting sheep all night.”

  She hated how right he always was.

  ~*~

  At ten minutes before eight the next morning, Tyler inhaled the rich aroma luring him downstairs to the kitchen. He filled a mug from the automatic coffeemaker Annie never failed to set each evening before she left. She made everything about his life so much easier. Except for sleeping.

  The last thing he wanted was to end their tutoring sessions, but she was nearly ready to sit for her math and science tests. He hadn’t told her yet, but the previous day, he’d had his assistant register her to take them in two weeks.

  As he stared out the kitchen window and sipped his coffee, Annie dragged Noah in the back door wearing dark smudges under her eyes. “I’m sorry we’re late. I overslept.”

  “Did you?” He smirked. “Bad night?”

  She glared at him. “Is Mandy awake?”

  “Mmm. She’s getting dressed.” Tyler hugged Noah. “How’re
you this morning?”

  “Mommy yelled at me cuz I got dressed too slow.” The child pouted.

  Tyler cocked an eyebrow at Annie and pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile. “You mean she’s a little cranky today?”

  “Yeah. And I didn’t do nothin’.”

  Annie at her crankiest still made other women at their most pleasant seem surly.

  “Don’t worry.” He ignored her scowl and stroked Noah’s head. “She’s not angry at you. Why don’t you go watch cartoons while your mom makes breakfast?”

  Once Noah scurried into the family room, Tyler leaned on the counter beside Annie. “Would you like to earn a little overtime this weekend?”

  Her spine stiffened as he leaned his face into her nape and breathed in her flowery scent.

  “Doing what?” Her suspicious tone rose an octave.

  “I’d like you to cook dinner for a few people on Sunday afternoon.”

  “I’m offended you think you need to pay me overtime after all you’ve done for me.”

  “Well, this would be above and beyond your normal responsibilities. My buddy Luke’s birthday is this week, so I thought I’d invite him, my sister, and BJ for dinner. Naturally you and Noah are invited to join us.”

  “BJ? You said that like I should know who he—”

  “I’ve told you about Ben. BJ and Ben are one and the same financial genius. And BJ is a lot more than my biggest client. Luke and I roomed with him at the University of Pittsburgh.”

  “And Luke is your detective friend,” she said as a confirmation rather than a question.

  “Right. I’ve known him since second grade. After being joined at the hip all through school, we naturally wanted to attend the same university. Neither of our families had the money to afford college, so Luke earned a full scholarship playing football in high school, whereas I chose the safer, academic route and became valedictorian.”

  “All this time, I thought you were only smart.” She pulled a dozen eggs from the fridge. “Imagine my surprise to discover you’re actually brilliant.”

  “Only slightly brilliant.” He smiled and sipped his coffee. “Unlike Luke and me, Ben came from Snob-Hill and was preppy to the extreme. So when we first met BJ, we thought he was pompous and tortured him for the whole first semester. Then Luke broke his throwing arm and put his scholarship in jeopardy.”