Page 10 of The Billionaire's Distraction

“That’s Ms.Peterson,” Naomi blurted, lowering her voice.“I should… I should tell my employer that she’s here.”She paused for a moment, that response not feeling right.“I don’t know—”

“Don’t.”His interruption was sharp but not unkind, his deep voice brooking no argument.

Naomi blinked, tilting her face up to him.“Don’t?”

His lips pressed together briefly and he looked like he was contemplating something.Then he spoke again, his gaze steady on hers.“Your employer is a bastard.”

Naomi’s breath stalled.No one ever said that out loud.She’d thought it.Several times, in fact.And she’d seen the horrible impact Tom Peterson had on his sons’ behavior.But she’d never actually dared to speak that judgment out loud.

He nodded toward Melissa.“He divorced her because she caught him sleeping with hookers.In retribution, he took her kids, ruined her career, and made sure she could never get another teaching job.She works at one of those big box stores now, cashiering to survive, because he had her blacklisted from every school in the county.She’s not a threat.She just wants to see her kids.”His tone shifted, dark and certain.“But her ex won’t allow it.”

Naomi’s stomach twisted.Her eyes returned to Melissa, slumped on the bench, looking so small, so beaten down.She thought of her boys under her care, of Mark and Jacob turning crueler with every passing day, and suddenly the pieces fit together in a way that made her chest ache.

“That’s…horrible,” she gasped, her voice thick with emotion.“Would you do that to your wife?”

“I’m not married.”

The flatness of his voice made her huff a sharp laugh, rolling her eyes despite herself.“If youweremarried, would you do that to your wife?”

For the first time, she saw a true flicker of amusement break across his hard features.He glanced around, his eyes sweeping the playground, the street, the houses—always alert, always calculating—before settling back on her.

“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”he asked, his voice edged with a teasing note that startled her as much as it thrilled her.

Naomi pressed her lips together, heat rushing to her cheeks.Yes, she had.And to her own shock, she liked that he’d noticed.

For some reason, the flicker of amusement in his eyes made Naomi feel bolder—saucier, even.She smiled before she could think better of it.“Yeah,” she replied right back, matching his tone.

Her gaze dipped, trailing over the breadth of his chest, the way his black tee-shirt stretched across solid muscle, then back up to his eyes.His expression didn’t shift much, but she caught the faint narrowing of his gaze, the way his jaw flexed like he was trying not to smirk—or maybe growl.

“You might come across as some big, scary guy,” she murmured, her voice softening into a teasing lilt.She leaned closer, close enough to catch the faint scent of clean soap and something darker, sharper, uniquely him.Her pulse leapt, but she pressed on, whispering now as her lips curved into a mischievous smile.“But I suspect that, underneath all of those muscles, you’re a marshmallow.”

For one charged moment, his face didn’t move, but his nostrils flared slightly, and she swore she heard a low rumble of disapproval deep in his chest.

Naomi leaned back, deliberately casual, brushing an imaginary speck of dust from her shorts as if she hadn’t just deliberately poked a tiger.She turned away, ignoring his soft growl.“So, you wouldn’t destroy your wife’s life if she caught you cheating.Good to know.”

“I would never cheat on my wife,” he vowed, his voice rougher, gruffer—each word bitten off with emphasis.

Naomi’s breath caught.There was no hesitation in his tone, no wavering, no glib deflection.Just absolute certainty.Was it stupid to believe him completely?Probably.But she did.Against every instinct of self-preservation, she believed him.

“I should get a bit more of the boys’ energy out before we head home,” she said finally, turning away from him, needing a moment’s reprieve from his intensity.The air between them felt warmer, heavier, charged.She needed space to breathe.“Whatever you said to the boys, thank you.They’ve been little gentlemen for the past thirty minutes.”She grinned, her relief genuine.“That’s unprecedented.”

“Good.If they give you any more trouble, let me know.”

She stared at him, unaware of her nose squinching up in confusion.“Uh…how?”

He’d already begun to turn away, but at her question, he stopped mid-step.Slowly, he pivoted back.“How…what?”

“How do I get in touch with you?”she clarified, suddenly wishing she could take the words back.

He studied her for a beat longer than necessary, his expression unreadable.Then he pointed toward the house directly across the street from the park.“Just knock on the door.”

No goodbye, no further explanation.He simply turned and walked away, his stride long, powerful, leaving the faint scent of soap and masculinity in his wake.

Naomi’s gaze lingered far too long.The ripple of muscles shifting beneath his tee-shirt.The defined lines of his back tapering to a narrow waist.The solid curve of his butt, the commanding length of his legs.He moved like a man who knew he owned any space he stepped into.

She sighed, dragging her eyes away.Impressive,she admitted silently.But men like him didn’t notice women like her.Not in any real way.

The ones who’d been attracted to her in the past were the nerdy types—sweet guys who preferred paved hiking trails, who debated video game scores, or dyed their hair neon blue to make a statement.Not bad men, not really.Just…nothing like Tony.