Page 5 of Tempt Me-

“I think you protest too much.”My mother clicks her tongue like she did when I was a child.“It’s not healthy to be without companionship.I don’t want to know what you’re doing about your sex life but—”

“Mom!”This time I yell, feeling my face flush and having a hard time keeping an eye on the road.“This conversation is over.”It reminds me of the time she gave me the sex talk while driving on a highway and I couldn’t escape.“I love you, but we’re done.I’ll talk to you later.”

“We’re coming to visit this weekend,” she says, reminding me of plans we made.

“Right.Okay.Bye for now.”I disconnect quickly, shaking my head.

God love my mother.She means well, but she likes to meddle in the name of worrying about her children.

But she put the thought of Mia squarely at the forefront of my mind.I definitely lied when I told myself I have no desire for any woman.I have a healthy sex drive, and I’ve already admitted I want Mia.And the more I watch her interact with my child, the more she engages me on many levels.

But I won’t be the guy who screws the nanny.And being single doesn’t make it all right.She works for me, so any kind of overture would be considered sexual harassment, and that is a lawsuit waiting to happen.And as I already said, I refuse screw up something that works well for my daughter.As always, she comes first.

Before my dick, that is for certain.Which means I am going to have to put a leash on my wayward thoughts, my probably not-so-subtle glances and desire to kiss her, touch her soft skin, and fuck her notwithstanding.With great difficulty, I turn my thoughts to work and my upcoming conversation with my boss, prepping myself for the pitch I am about to give.

I walk into the offices of Alpha Security.Everyone is out on assignment, so I head directly up to Dan’s office, bypassing the empty game room Dan built for his employees to relax in during our downtime.

I knock on Dan’s door just as he is putting the phone down.“Come on in,” my boss says, gesturing for me to join him.

“Hey.Thanks for working around me today.”

Dan nods.“Of course.When you asked to meet, it sounded important.”He motions to the chair in front of his desk.

I settle in while Dan leans against the wall close by.“Talk to me, son.”He considers all his employees his kids, even if only one of us is actually his biological child.

I draw a fortifying breath.“I know you’ve been talking about delegating your responsibilities because you want to cut back some.And I don’t want to be out in the line of fire when I have a young child at home, and I’m the only parent she has.”

Dan studies me in silence, nodding as I speak.

I sweat a little, worried my boss will think I am presumptuous.“I was hoping to take over some of your workload…it would take me out of the field, and I could do much of the administrative side from home.I have a high-tech office setup there that would connect to the office.”

“Yes.”

“I’m well-versed in all our clients and how the office runs, and—”

“No need for the hard sell.I said yes,” Dan says with a grin.“I have two new guys coming on board to replace Ben for short-term work now that he’s off guarding Summer on tour,” he says of the man who’s just re-fallen for a woman who is destined to be a major pop star.“And Shane really is based out of Texas.He just does freelance here, so it was time.We’ll have coverage for you on a day-to-day basis.”

I rise from my chair.“I don’t know what to say.”

“You’re going to help me cut back.It’s me who has to say thank you.”Dan holds out his hand, and I accept it.

“I won’t let you down.”

Dan smiles in that fatherly way he has.“Your daughter comes first, Austin.I, of all people, understand that.”Dan raised his son, Jared, and when Ava Talbott, one of our team, was a teenager and her own mother had issues, he took her in and raised her like his own.Dan understands the importance of family.

“You and I can start going through how things around here run.We’ll get you spending more time at home as soon as possible.”

It isn’t until the ride home, when I have more time to think, that I realize the one drawback to my brilliant plan.Time at home with Bailey means time at home with Mia.Alone time, since my kid is in school full time.And wouldn’t that wreak havoc on my plan not to think about her sexually or otherwise unless it relates to my daughter.

***

Mia

A week afterBailey starts school, ballet classes begin.I run errands for the better part of the afternoon, doing food shopping and getting Austin’s dry cleaning before picking up Bailey from the small studio.The little girl looks adorable in her pink leotard, tights, and ballet slippers, her silky hair pulled back into a ponytail.

We drive home, Bailey in a booster in the back seat.

“How was class?”I ask.