“Malcolm, this is Dakota.” Celeste gestured. “Come on up and meet him.”
Malcolm climbed the four steps, taking one at a time. Once he reached the top, he extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Dakota.”
Dakota bent slightly at the waist and shook her son’s hand, his face serious. “Nice to meet you too, Malcolm.”
Malcolm squinted in the afternoon sun. “Dakota is a state, not a name. Were you born there?”
Dakota laughed. “I was born in Phoenix. “
“Then why didn’t your parents name you Phoenix?”
“Because Phoenix is a girl’s name.”
Malcolm paused. “From X-Men.”
“Exactly.”
Her older son looked Dakota up and down again, while Jackson bounced in his seat. Anyone who could relate to his collection of comic books was pretty much in. “Nice shirt.”
“Thanks.”
Malcolm nodded, giving his approval. “Want to kick the ball around with us?”
“Let me talk to your mother for a minute.”
“Okay. Come on, Jackson, you need to practice.” They ran off the deck and across the grass.
Celeste hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath until she let it go with a
whoosh
. “I’m glad that went well. I was nervous.” She rubbed her arms. “Jackson is pretty friendly. Malcolm is my wait-and-see son.”
Dakota nodded. “Children are much more adaptable than you think. Malcolm’ll warm up soon enough.”
“I hope so. He can take things pretty seriously.”
“That just means he’s a great thinker.”
Celeste gave him a sideways glance. “He’s only ten.”
Dakota grinned and hefted his broad shoulders in a quick gesture. “These things start early.”
“How do you know all this?”
“My long life experience.”
Celeste rolled her eyes skyward in amusement and focused back on him. He had to be kidding her. “Long life, indeed.” She put a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh at the twinkle in his eye. He wasn’t even thirty.
Dakota smiled back at her and opened his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by a shout.
“Dakota!” Jackson gestured widely from the yard. “Come on!”
“You’re being summoned.”
Before he could step off the deck, she put a hand on his arm to stop him. His bronze skin was warm from the sun and smooth under her palm.
“When do you want to move in?” She took her hand back. “Jackson and Malcolm have a mega birthday party tomorrow, so they won’t be underfoot.” Again, she mentally chided herself. She might as well turn on a neon sign saying,
we’ll be alone!
He pressed his lips together as if he were thinking, then nodded his head. “This same time good?”
Celeste matched his nod, casting her gaze over the blue of the swimming pool. “Perfect.”
“Dakota!” In the backyard, Jackson planted tiny fists on narrow hips. “Come
on
!”
“You’d better go.”
“I guess so,” he said and went to join them.
Celeste stood on the deck and watched them play for a bit, marveling at how well the three got along right away. She rubbed her forearms—suddenly pebbled with goose bumps—second-guessing her decision to have him in such close proximity for the next six weeks.
In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of unsweetened iced tea and watched them play through the window. She wasn’t worried about him. She was more worried about herself.
Chapter Four
Celeste opened the door after his first knock. The peach-colored tank top she wore complimented her honeyed skin and emphasized her ample breasts. She was even better looking in casual clothes.
He breathed in her warm scent as he carried his bags over the threshold. “It’s so quiet.”
Celeste laughed and closed the door behind him. A casual smile curved her full, kissable mouth and for a brief second he wanted to drop his bags, take her in his arms and press a kiss against those soft lips.
“Yes, for once they aren’t ripping and running through the house. They’re at a birthday party. Somehow this mother was brave enough to invite not only all the children in Malcolm’s class but their siblings as well.” She brushed past him, driving his heartbeat into an even higher gear.
She stood next to him, almost too close and he wanted to kick himself. She had told him that yesterday on the deck. Stupid of him to forget, but he had been so busy noticing how the afternoon sun shone off her shiny copper curls that he hadn’t remembered what she’d said.
Celeste beckoned to him. “The suite is this way.”
He followed her over the shiny hardwood floors dotted with exotic looking rugs and marveled at the understated wealth of the house. When he let his eyes travel from the hem of the skirt to the curve of her bottom under the light fabric, he admired that too. The female body was always an amazing sight. In his head, he counted to ten. If he was going to last the next six weeks here, he had to take it down. He raised his gaze to focus on the back of her shirt, but even the graceful arch of her neck made his pulse skip a couple of beats.
“Here’s the suite.” She unlocked the door. Celeste held up a key fob with the shape of a mini soda can before she pressed it into his hand. “The yellow key opens this door into the house and the red key opens the outside door.” The little half-smile expanded and she slid her tongue across her bottom lip.
Her lipstick, he noticed, was a shade darker than her earthy skin.
Mind over matter.
He exhaled and forced himself to focus on her words.
“The suite has its own air conditioner, separate from the central air. I turned it on this morning, but you can control it as you see fit.”
A blast of cold air hit him in the face, just the thing he needed for his overheated thoughts.
“Well, it’s cool. That’s for sure.” He hustled his bags into the room and dropped them next to the bed. He was going to try to keep his thoughts in the right place. Looking around the room, he nodded in approval. Though the walls were neutral, they were adorned with vibrant paintings that jazzed up the room.
Celeste hovered in the doorway with an uncertain expression on her face. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she nibbled at the corner of her lip. “Is the room all right?”
“The room’s great, Celeste,” he said. Keeping his eyes off the queen-sized bed, he walked around the space. The room was spacious and the kitchenette was spotless. “Perfect.”
Just like you.
* * * *
She loved the way her name sounded coming from his mouth. In fact, she wanted to hear him whisper it in her ear, not too close, but close enough that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek. Realizing that she had to keep up her end of the conversation, she shook herself back to reality and resumed her role as tour guide and boss. She had to remember she was his boss.
“You don’t have to use the kitchenette. My mother-in-law used to live here before my husband, well, my ex-husband…” Biting at her bottom lip, she felt her face heat up. She was doing a terrible job as a tour guide.
Get it together, Celeste
. “What I mean to say is, you are more than welcome to use the kitchen. That’s included.” She pointed. “The bathroom only has a shower, but there’s a bathtub on the main floor and I have a spa tub upstairs.”
Now why the hell did you tell him that, Celeste?
Luckily, he seemed too busy examining how to turn down the air conditioner to hear her last words. “The apartment is real nice, Celeste. I’m going to enjoy my stay here.”
“Good.” Celeste paused. “Let me escape to my office and try to get myself organized for Monday. Sunday is your day off, so you’re free to do what you wish.” She started to leave, then turned back. “Dinner is at six. I know you’re not officially starting till Monday, but please, feel free to join us.”
“Dinner would be great.”
“All right then, I’ll let you get settled in here.” She left before she could say something else that would embarrass her.
* * * *
After Celeste had left, Dakota placed his suitcase on the queen-sized bed and opened it. In his former assignment, the one he’d taken before jumping feet first into the frantic world of the money-hungry law firm, he’d lived out of his suitcase for two months. There had been no real reason to unpack that particular time. The mother had always seemed on the verge of firing him, either because of some imagined slight on his part or because, she would claim, her absentee husband couldn’t bear to have such an ‘exotic specimen’ in the house—as if he were a bug under glass. He shook his head to clear the memory from his brain. No fear of that happening here.
After setting up his cell phone to one of his more mellow playlists, he stacked shorts, jeans, T-shirts, underwear and socks in the paper-lined bureau drawers. He hesitated only a moment before tucking the box of condoms into the nightstand drawer, under a pile of old-lady paperback mysteries. Everything in the room seemed brand-new and he wondered how long her mother-in-law had actually stayed in the suite. And had that been the cause of her divorce?
Unpacking done, he explored the room some more. His new boss loved the placement of bold prints against beige walls. These were more abstract, yet still pleasing to the eye in a modern-art kind of way. He peeked into the kitchenette, noted the single cup coffee maker and the neat, cheerful canisters on the spotless granite counter. Celeste had good taste.
After exploring the entire space, he returned to his open suitcase. He removed a few more items, closed the top then slid it under the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress and gazed out of the window, which overlooked a section of the rear yard.
Back to nature
.
He tossed the keys onto the nightstand and lay on the pillow. Closing his eyes, he planned on taking a quick nap before dinner—if the images that he had of his boss would give him any rest.
Chapter Five
Her tablet wasn’t even turned on, but Celeste bent her head over the blank screen, careful to keep the electronic device away from her glass of iced tea. It had been a few days and today was finally swim day. The boys had elected not to go to the club but to take advantage of their own pool. This particular decision pleased Celeste because she had been waiting a week to see if Dakota was that toasted almond color all over. Since it was so hot, she was able to check off ‘yes’ on that particular question before noon.
The twice-a-week housekeeper, a heavy set woman with a puff of white-blonde hair on top of her head, opened the sliding door. “Your friends are here, hon.”
A frown creased her forehead as she hurried into the coolness of the dining room. She burst out laughing when she saw Lynn with Carla in tow.
“We came to see you.” Lynn waggled her fingers a little wave. “We were worried that you would be doing too much work.”
Celeste grinned. She knew exactly why her two friends had come by and it had nothing to do with how much work she was doing. “Have a seat, I’ll get us some iced tea.”
Carla patted her hair, smoothing the short style into place. “Oh, I’d love to sit outside on the patio.”
“It’s really hot out there.” Celeste teased them.
“We can stop the game playing.” Lynn huffed. “We came see your nanny. Where’s your crew?”
“They’re in the pool.”
“Hot damn. Jackpot!” Lynn dropped her purse on the sofa and made a waving gesture. “Lead on, Cel.”
* * * *
“He’s very cute.” Lynn nodded her approval.
“A law student, you say?” Carla adjusted her designer sunglasses. “Smart.”
“Nope, not a student. A real live lawyer.”
Carla raised her eyebrows. “Nice. Does he blow dry his hair?”
“Or does he ask you to wring it out for him?” Lynn winked at her.
Celeste’s face got hot. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t considered those questions herself. “Both of you need to just stop. He works here.”
“If I had him in my house…” Carla shook her head.
“Your husband wouldn’t have hired him,” Celeste told her friend. “We both know that.”
“A girl can dream, can’t she?” Carla fluttered her eyelashes and leaned her chin on her hand. “He’s just…too much.”
“The boys love him.”
“I bet. He looks like he enjoys what he does.” Lynn kept her eyes trained on the pool. Dakota pulled himself up the ladder at the deep end and water streamed from his hair down his body. Celeste gave a little involuntary sigh and blushed when the other women looked at her.
“Somebody’s got a little crush,” Carla said to Lynn.
“Oh, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that.” Celeste covered her embarrassment by taking a sip of tea.
Lynn arched her eyebrows in an expression of mock agreement. “Of course not, dear. You’re just admiring his bronzed beauty, right?”
“No harm in looking.” Celeste settled her sunglasses on her nose and tried to appear nonchalant. “I assume you’re both staying for lunch?”
* * * *
Celeste shooed Lynn and Carla away after a lunch that consisted mainly of gossip, iced tea and surreptitious ogling, then settled the boys with their afternoon reading. Meanwhile, Dakota picked up all the pool toys and hung the towels out to dry. He had been nothing but polite when she’d introduced him to her friends as her summer helper and didn’t seem at all embarrassed. She was impressed.
As in most households with children, the quiet time passed very quickly for both her and the boys. They were up and splashing in the pool again in less than an hour and dinner time was looming.
The setting sun shone through the kitchen window, casting orange light on the wood cabinets. The beauty of the summer sunset was lost on her, however, as she stood at the counter preparing dinner. Chopping vegetables was her least favorite cooking activity, but stir fry was the only way to get her boys to eat the variety she wanted them to. They were all about the broccoli and baby carrots, to the exclusion of everything else. She frowned slightly as she sliced, concentrating on the task at hand.
From time to time she’d glance out the back window where the boys and Dakota were playing in the water. They had been in the pool on and off all day, only coming out for lunch after Lynn and Carla had left. There had been a lot of splashing and shouting. For such a small person, Jackson was a strong swimmer and easily kept up with his older brother. The three were having fun together and for that, she was glad.