by Tawna Fenske
Ty grinned and shook the boy’s hand with a professional solemnity that made Ellie’s heart clench. “You, too, Mr. Henry.”
Henry giggled and turned to Ellie. “Bye, Mommy.”
“Bye, baby!” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his sweet little-boy smell. “I love you.”
“Love you, too!” Henry squeezed back then wriggled out of her arms and tore off toward the door. “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Batman!”
Ellie stood up and smiled at Polly. “Thanks again,” she said. “I’ll text you when I’m done here. It shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“Take your time.” Polly waved a hand then tossed her gray braid over one shoulder. “We’ve got plenty to keep us busy. Go have lunch or go for a bike ride or something.”
Ellie smiled, grateful for the help. She’d watched Henry like a hawk the whole time he’d battled cancer, barely leaving his side to use the restroom. Now that he was in the clear, it was nice for them to have some breathing room now and then.
“You’re the best,” Ellie said. “Have fun, you two.”
She waved as her son scampered down the hall with Polly on his heels, the older woman hustling to catch up when Henry stumbled a little on the carpet. He righted himself quickly, barely missing a note in his Batman song.
Ellie turned back to Ty. “Thanks so much for that. For being so cool with my kid.” She leaned against his desk, more relaxed now than she’d been thirty minutes ago. “I know you weren’t expecting to have to entertain a six-year-old today.”
Ty shot a grimace at the jacket-covered computer. “Admittedly the appointment got off to a slightly different start than I expected, but that was fun. You have a great kid.”
“I do, don’t I?” She smiled. “I always wonder if people say that to all parents. Even when their kids are real assholes.”
“If your kid were an asshole, I can promise you I would have found someplace else for him to hang out for the last half hour. Preferably a closet or something.”
Ellie laughed as he pulled his jacket off the monitor then hung it neatly on a hook by the door. The screensaver had kicked in, but Ellie was still curious about the image she’d seen.
“You must have had a plan for today,” she said. “Judging from what I saw on that screen.”
He looked startled for a second, and Ellie wondered if she’d just stuck her foot in her mouth. “I mean, I assume that was something for Madame Butterfly. Not that there’s anything wrong with looking at porn—”
Ty’s booming laugh halted her ridiculous flow of words, and Ellie shut her mouth.
“If I were surfing porn, I definitely wouldn’t be checking out pictures of cock rings and fruit,” he said.
“What would you be looking at?” she asked.
Oh, hell. I said that out loud. Ellie licked her lips, not sure whether to hide under the desk or run from the room.
What was I thinking?
She stared at Ty, heart thudding in her ears as she answered her own question.
I was thinking that I want to seduce him. I’m out of practice, but maybe this is how it starts.
“Are you asking about my turn-ons?” His eyes held hers, dark and molten and daring. “You want to know what gets me hot?”
Her heart skidded to a halt, ramming itself against her rib cage. Is he flirting with me? Oh. My. God. What do I do?
“Yes,” she said, eyes locked with his as her pulse thudded in her head. “I guess I am. What gets you hot, Ty?”
Chapter Six
Ty’s heartbeat thrummed hard as he met those sea-blue eyes with his best effort not to blink. Or gawk. Or bend her over his desk and hike up that dress and—
“You’re asking what turns me on?” he asked slowly.
Did she mean it? With his luck, he’d misheard her, and she’d asked for directions to the nearest library.
But the heat in her eyes suggested otherwise. He had a hunch the question had nothing to do with her job.
She wanted to know what got him hot.
Now that was a turn-on.
Ellie eased away from the desk. She’d been leaning against it, but now she stepped closer. Her cheeks were flushed, and her hands shook. That didn’t stop her from edging into his space.
“Yes,” she said. “You’ve seen my product demos. You’ve looked at my website. Even without all that, I imagine you have your own cache of sexual experiences to draw from.”
Ty swallowed hard, fighting the instinct to reach for her. “Maybe one or two.”
“I’m curious.” Her voice was whispery now, her lips scant inches from his. “What gets your blood humming? What makes you breathe a little faster?”
You, his brain screamed.
He swallowed again. “Ellie.”
She smiled. Did she know that was the answer to her question?
Inches separated them now. The floral notes of her perfume filled his senses.
He palmed the curve of her waist, pulling her against him more roughly than he intended.
But Ellie came willingly, molding her body against his like this was the plan all along. She gave a soft little gasp and tipped her head back, offering those delectable lips. His whole body howled with the urge to kiss her. Sliding his free hand into the hair at the nape of her neck, he drew her nearer.
Then he claimed her mouth.
So sweet.
Ellie moaned then grabbed his ass to pull him snug against her heat. Everything in his brain tilted, reorienting itself to this version of Ellie. The Ellie grinding rough against him while her lips parted softly against his.
So soft.
He deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth as his fingers threaded into her hair. Had any woman ever made him this dizzy, this crazy with need? Hell, no. It was all her. Only her.
He kissed her harder, too mind-wacked to care that he was losing all sense of reality. She responded in kind, arching against him, kissing him with startling intensity. Her lips tasted sweet like strawberries, and he wondered if it was her lip gloss or just Ellie.
He inched one hand up from her waist, aching to skim the tips of his fingers against the underside of her breast. Braced for her to nudge his hand back down, he was still startled when she broke the kiss and grabbed the back of his hand.
“Touch me,” she gasped, pushing his hand over her breast. “Please, Ty.”
Sweet mother of—
He obeyed—what kind of fucking idiot wouldn’t?—squeezing all that delicious softness as he grazed his thumb over one nipple. She moaned in response and pressed closer. Touching her like this sent his brain spinning again, whirling in a downward spiral that smacked his heart on the way through his core. Did that even make sense? He was losing it, his grip on reality slipping from his fingers as they slid through her hair.
He took one step back and bumped the edge of his desk, pulling her with him. She came willingly, and it killed him to know she wanted this, too. That she felt even a fraction of the desire that bubbled in his chest. How was it possible for a woman to be this sweet and this mind-bendingly sexy all at once?
He didn’t know, but it made him fucking insane.
Ty kissed her deeper, wanting more of it. Wanting all of her. Wanting to push his free hand under the hem of her dress, hiking it up until he—
“Hey, guys, I was wondering if I could steal Ellie for—oh.”
Ty jumped back, knocking the tape dispenser off the corner of his desk and leaving Ellie standing there with just-kissed lips and a baffled look on her face.
“Miriam,” Ty said, clearing her throat. “I was just—we were just—”
“Kissing,” Ellie said, taking a small step back. “We were kissing.”
Miriam grinned and shifted a stack of papers from one arm to the other. “Is that what that was?” She smirked at Ty. “For a second I thought you might try to tell me you were getting something out of her eye.”
“I might have if I’d thought of it,” he muttered.
&n
bsp; Miriam laughed and waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t bother. Nice lip gloss, by the way.”
Ty swiped the back of his hand over his mouth and tried to recall if there were any company rules prohibiting fraternization between clients and company execs. As his gaze landed on the boss’s pregnant belly, he figured maybe not.
Seeming to read his mind, Miriam laughed again. “Hey, remember that time I hooked up with a client and we got married and lived happily ever after?” She smirked and rested a hand on her baby bump. “Or when my business partner nailed the guy who hired her to remake his professional brand, and now they have a beautiful baby boy?”
Ellie licked her lips, giving Ty the urge to claim them again. “How’s Holly doing, anyway?” she asked. “Is Evan’s colic better?”
Ty blinked and tried to remember how First Impressions’ other owner had met her husband. Definitely through work. He couldn’t recall details, but at this point, he wasn’t sure he remembered his own name.
“That baby is such a sweetie,” Miriam said to Ellie. “Thanks again for all the tips you gave them.”
“No problem. Henry had trouble with colic, so I learned a lot the hard way.”
Ty rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and tried to figure out how he’d gone from groping a beautiful woman to discussing childhood flatulence in under a minute. He took a deep breath as something twisted hard at his gut. He didn’t hate the kid talk. It wasn’t that. There was actually something sweet and beautiful about Ellie’s domestic side. About how kind and nurturing she was with family. It was one of the things he loved about her.
Love.
No.
That wasn’t in the cards for him. Not even close. He damn well knew better than to start wanting something like that for himself. He was Johnny Hendrix’s son. He was a guy whose lone parental figure once took him to the mall and forgot him there, only remembering hours after stores closed that he’d left his six-year-old alone.
That’s what you know. How you were raised. And it’s why you have to steer clear—so you don’t fuck things up for this sweet mother and her kid.
Ty raked a hand down his face and took a step back. At least he tried to. He only managed to knock his stapler on the ground. It landed atop the tape dispenser, making a loud clatter.
Ellie raised one eyebrow at him. “You need to get that?”
“Yeah,” he said. He stepped away from her and picked up the office supplies, then moved to the other side of the desk to put some more space between them. He tried to put his focus back on work, reaching out to jiggle the mouse and wake up his computer.
Bad idea.
The fruit and cock ring image blared back at him like a tortuous sexual taunt.
“Well.” Miriam cleared her throat. “I just stopped by to see if Ellie’s free for lunch, but I should probably let you two get back to work.”
“Work,” Ty repeated, giving a vigorous nod. “Yes. That’s what we should do. Ready to work, Ellie?”
He glanced up to see Ellie standing there, confused.
But he needed to keep some distance between them. A desk between them, at least.
“Yes,” she said, finding her voice at last. “Yes to lunch, and yes to working. Yes to all of it.”
She held his gaze for a moment, communicating a message Ty heard loud and clear.
I want you, jerk. And this isn’t over yet.
Ty stared back, wishing there were some way for her to read his mind.
Trust me, babe. I’m the last thing you want.
…
Ellie forked up a bite of kale salad and stole a covert glance at her sister-in-law, wondering if Miriam planned to bring up the lip-lock with Ty.
She didn’t have to wonder long.
“So apparently Plan Seduce-the-Videographer is off to a good start,” Miriam said, grinning as she reached across the table to spear a cucumber in Ellie’s salad. Ellie didn’t mind, since she’d been stealing Miriam’s croutons. “Sorry about walking in on you like that,” Miriam added. “It looked like things were just getting good.”
“It’s fine,” Ellie assured her, even though it kinda wasn’t. After Miriam left, Ty had behaved like the consummate professional. He’d been respectful, composed, and dignified. She might have been grateful if it weren’t for the fact that she wanted to hump his leg like a feral poodle.
Shaking her head to rid her brain of the dog image, she met her sister-in-law’s eyes with an uncertain shrug. “I can’t tell if he’s interested in me,” she admitted.
Miriam quirked an eyebrow at her. “His hand on your boob and his tongue in your mouth weren’t an indication?”
“I kissed him,” Ellie pointed out. “Maybe he was just being polite.”
“Honey, the man was ten seconds from boosting you onto his desk and devouring you like a cream puff. I don’t think he was being polite.”
“Then why did he back off the way he did?”
Miriam set her fork down, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. “Uh, maybe because having his business partner watch isn’t his idea of a turn-on?”
“No, I mean afterward,” Ellie said. “He could have kissed me again. Instead, he got right down to business. Started pulling up spreadsheets and everything.” She gave a desperate little laugh as she stabbed a tomato harder than necessary. “For crying out loud, he shook my hand when I left.”
“Hmm.” Miriam seemed to consider that as she picked up her fork again and swirled a hunk of romaine in a puddle of dressing. “I’m trying to remember the conversation. We started talking about babies, right?”
“Right,” Ellie said, though, truth be told, she wasn’t sure. Her brain had been a little fuzzy for the first few minutes after Miriam’s entrance.
“So maybe the whole kid thing is awkward for him,” Miriam suggested. “I asked him once if he has any nieces or nephews, and he looked at me like I’d asked if he’s into amputee porn.”
“Yeah,” Ellie mused, considering the nervousness on Ty’s face when she’d first walked in with Henry. She’d chalked it up to the faux pas with the sexy fruit on his computer screen, but maybe there was more to it. “I don’t get the sense he’s been around kids much.”
“He almost never talks about family,” Miriam said. “In the six years I’ve known him, I’ve never once met any siblings or parents or anything. I don’t even know for sure if he has family.”
Ellie nodded, remembering Ty’s comments about his father.
I had an asshole dad of my own.
If Ty didn’t often talk about family, maybe it meant something that he’d shared that with her. Maybe she owed it to him to protect that trust.
“I suppose the baby stuff might have thrown him for a loop,” Ellie acknowledged. “That, and having Henry with us for the first part of the morning.”
“He met Henry?”
“Yeah.” Ellie smiled at the memory of how gracious Ty had been. How sweet and funny and welcoming. “He was actually pretty amazing with him.”
“That’s great!” Miriam looked thoughtful. “And the fact that he kissed you after meeting your kid means he’s not totally wigged out by the single mom thing.”
“I suppose,” Ellie said, trying not to feel too hopeful. “Maybe I just need to get him alone and talk about something besides colic and babysitters.”
“Sex toys seem like a more promising subject.” Miriam forked up a bite of salad and slid it into her mouth. As she chewed, her eyes went wide the way they always did when she had a big idea, but manners kept her from blurting it out with a mouthful of romaine. Her sister-in-law chewed at warp speed.
“I know!” Miriam said as soon as she swallowed. “Isn’t this the boys’ weekend coming up?”
“You mean Jason and Henry’s camping trip?”
“Yes! They’re going to Suttle Lake. That’s four hours away, right?”
“Right,” Ellie said slowly, not sure where this conversation was headed.
“What were you planning to do while they’
re gone?”
“Clean the house, pay my quarterly taxes, and binge-watch old episodes of Parks and Rec on Netflix.”
Miriam shook her head. “No, this is perfect!”
“What’s perfect?”
“This is your chance to seduce Ty,” she said. “Invite him over to your house for dinner. Light some candles, put on a sexy dress, maybe make some sort of special dinner with aphrodisiac properties…”
“Does lasagna have aphrodisiac properties?”
Miriam laughed. “I’ve had your lasagna. If I hadn’t already been sleeping with your brother, I totally would have jumped you.”
“Thank you.”
Miriam grinned. “All I’m saying is that a romantic dinner at your place might lead to something. Especially with your kid and your brother gone for the weekend.”
She gave an exaggerated eyebrow wiggle, which made Ellie laugh.
But it made her think, too. Made her imagine how an intimate dinner date at her place might unfold. She pictured Ty with his shirt sleeves rolled up, candlelight flickering in his eyes as he shoved the dishes aside, boosted her up on the table, and—
“Earth to Ellie…”
She blinked and looked back at Miriam. “I think it’s a great idea.”
“Yeah?” Miriam grinned. “I’ve been known to have a few of them from time to time.”
Ellie glanced at her watch. “Maybe I even have time to hit that little consignment shop around the corner to find a sexy dress.”
“At the rate you’re trotting out the sexy dresses, the man’s going to think you don’t wear anything else.”
Ellie frowned. “You think it’s too much?”
“No, I think it’s fine. I like seeing you come out of your shell a bit. Embracing your inner sex goddess somewhere besides online forums.”
“It has been fun,” she admitted, poking at a questionable slice of celery. “God, if Chuck saw me now. He’d die.”
“You didn’t dress sexy for your ex?”
She shrugged and glanced down at her plate. “Not often. I tried a few times, but he didn’t really respond. Well, there was one time I put on a little black negligee and surprised him in the living room.”