Meet Cute (Page 35)

“What if she doesn’t come back up right away? What if she decides to watch TV?” I whisper.

Dax smooths my hair away from my face. “She’s probably getting a snack.”

I seriously hope that’s all. I’ve never lost my head over a man like this. I can’t believe we just snuck up to his bedroom to have sex without considering the worst-case scenario, which would be getting caught by his sister. It was pretty great sex, but still, this isn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done. It’s actually right up there with walking through a Frisbee game with my eyes closed and that time I was watching reruns of It’s My Life between classes but my earbuds weren’t in properly and everyone could hear Daxton and the female lead sharing their first kiss. “I left my phone and my purse in the living room.”

“Mine’s in my pants.” He smiles a little. “Don’t worry. We can always climb down the trellis and run around the front of the house if we need to.”

I imagine what that would look like, two adults climbing down the side of the house to hide the fact that we’ve had sex from a thirteen-year-old. His grin widens, possibly at my horrified expression. I am not a fan of heights. “It’s not a joke, Dax!”

I push on his chest again. He’s still inside me, half-hard based on how full I still am. “We should get dressed. I don’t even know how long we’ve been up here.”

Dax frowns but unlocks his arms. I roll to my back, breaking the physical connection. His body is amazing, long and lean with definition that speaks of time spent at the gym. I feel exposed as I reach across the bed for my flashy panties and pajama pants. Dax removes the condom and ties it off while I wiggle into my underwear. He presses a kiss to my shoulder before he picks up his boxers and throws his legs over the edge of the bed. I watch his incredible ass disappear into his boxer briefs, then he disappears into the bathroom to discard the spent condom.

I rush to grab my bra from the floor and slip my arms through the straps.

“Let me help.” Dax sweeps my hair over my shoulder and hooks the clasp, dropping another kiss at the base of my neck. I shiver at the tender contact, and again when he drags a single finger down my spine. He plucks my shirt from the edge of the bed and helps me into that as well, smoothing the fabric down my sides, his wide palms settled on my waist. “I would’ve liked some naked cuddle time.”

I can’t quite judge his mood, unsure if he’s trying to defuse my panic or the sudden tension between us. This isn’t some casual screw. There are consequences for our actions.

I laugh, but my anxiety comes through loud and clear in my high pitch and the way I’m unable to meet his gaze. “What if I’m not a cuddler?”

“You’ve never cuddled with me.” He turns me around and lifts me by the waist, setting me on the edge of the bed. I’m sure he can sense my worry, and I’m certain he believes it has everything to do with Emme.

Part of me realizes that the sex shouldn’t have happened, but the other part of me wants this connection because it’s so much stronger than anything I’ve ever known before. And that terrifies me because I have so much wrapped up in both of them. The stakes are high, the potential losses great, and the possible damage frighteningly emotional.

“It’s going to be fine,” Dax says gently, his fingers slipping through my hair, maybe trying to tame it.

Despite the internal command to keep my hands to myself, I trail my fingers over his chest, following the contour of muscle. “It’s a complicated situation.”

“I know.”

“We need to be careful, for Emme’s sake,” I whisper.

“I agree.”

She’s already attached to me, and I’m attached to her. I don’t even want to consider how this might compromise my career, or my role as Emme’s conservator on top of everything else. And if we don’t work out, then what? I lose him, Emme, and the one thing I’ve been working all these years for? What will I have then?

I tense at the sound of footfalls coming up the stairs. The slam of a door follows and I blow out a relieved breath. “We should go back downstairs.”

Dax nods, but he doesn’t look all that happy as he dresses quickly. Before he opens the door, he takes my face in his hands, eyes searching mine before he tips my head up and kisses me. It’s a slow tangle of tongues that makes my knees weak and my heart stutter. He pulls away on a deep inhale and caresses my bottom lip with his thumb. “Let me make sure the coast is clear.”

He unlocks the door and opens it a crack, cringing as it creaks. “I’ll WD-40 that for next time,” he whispers, then peeks down the hall. “All clear.”

My heart hammers in my chest as we tiptoe to the stairs and steal swiftly back to the living room.

I rush to the front hall and take our shoes out of the closet, then open and slam the door, maybe a little harder than I need to.

Dax leans against the doorjamb, looking ridiculously calm. I poke his shoulder and he grabs my finger, pulling me to him. “You need to relax, Kailyn.”

I exhale a deep breath. Maybe I’m overreacting, but then there’s more going on here than two consenting adults having sex. “Sorry. I think we need to plan this better in the future.” I’m talking like this is going to happen again, even though I’ve already told myself it shouldn’t.

“I agree. I’d like a sleepover where I get to see what you look like with bed head, and we can have lazy morning sex.”

I need his levity with everything going on in my head. “Pretty sure a sleepover is out of the question for the time being.” I lift my chin, eyes on the ceiling.

“We’ll figure something out.” He links our pinkies. “Come sit with me for a while before you tell me you have to go home.”

Two days later I’m in my office, files spread out over my desk, when my cell rings. It’s Dax. Yesterday he sent me a very beautiful flower arrangement. I’ve never been much of a hearts and flowers girl, but the gerbera daisies in vibrant colors are particularly lovely, and coming from him they mean something special. Which is a problem. I’m more invested than I ever meant to be, and now not only do we have to try to hide this from Emme, I’m also supposed to convince him to work at Whitman. My head’s a mess over this.

I pick up my phone and put some cheer in my voice. “Good morning, Mr. Hughes. How may I help you?”

“Are you at your desk right now? Can you check your email?”

“Yes, and yes. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No problem, this could actually be the opposite of a problem. I’ll wait until you open the email before I ask more questions.”

“Personal or professional?”

“Personal.”

I grab my home laptop from my bag and access my emails, pulling up the one he forwarded. “This is about the alumni conference.” Our law school is hosting a two-day conference featuring panels, speeches, and workshops led by some of the top lawyers to graduate from their program. I was offered an opportunity to lead a panel, but wasn’t sure I could commit to it, or even wanted to.

“Are you going?”

I have to stop chewing on the end of my pen in order to answer. “I reserved a spot, but I wasn’t sure if it made sense to attend. Why? Are you?”

“I’m speaking on a panel on Saturday.”

“Oh.” So much for seeing him this weekend. “Do you need me to watch Emme?”

He laughs. “No, Kailyn. I’ve made arrangements with one of her friends to have a sleepover.”

“Have you talked to the parents? Will they be there? Does she know them well?”

“Yes, yes, and yes. She’s been friends with Marnie since first grade and they’ve had plenty of sleepovers, so she’ll be in good hands for the weekend.”

“Well, that’s good news.” I’m a little bummed that he’s going to be away all weekend. Maybe he’ll have an evening free this week or something.

“Kailyn?”

“Yes?” I rearrange my mugs on my desk—the old and the new one with the chip. I think it’s going to be my favorite now, because of the memory associated with the shopping trip and the events that followed.

“I have a hotel room booked for Friday and Saturday night.” At my silence he presses on. “We could spend the entire weekend together. No pretending we’re going for a walk, no hiding”— his voice drops—“and we can have lazy morning sex. What do you say? Are you in?”

I squeeze my thighs together. “Yes. I’m in.”

His voice is smooth silk. “Are you thinking about lazy morning sex, Kailyn?”

“No.” I’m sure lazy morning sex will be nice, but I’m looking forward to experiencing his other talents again.

He chuckles. “I think you’re lying.”

I smooth out my skirt, my body already responding to the endless possibilities that will come with an entire weekend together, uninterrupted by time constraints or the presence of a teenager. But I play it off as coy. “And why would you think that?”

“Because you’re suddenly all breathy.”

I can feel my face heating up. “I am not.”