“That doesn’t seem like your style, stud.”
“Goes to prove how much you know about me.”
My mind is too sluggish to form a snappy retort. It’ll hit me eventually. Until then, it’s my turn to make him squirm.
My robe not-so-accidentally parts lower in the front, exposing the tops of my breasts. “Maybe you want to cash in on some of those added benefits I mentioned.”
“Fucking hell,” he grumbles.
“Mhmm,” I breathe. “I can take you there.”
“We’re not discussing this.”
I pout. “Why not?”
“You’re my employee.” But his gaze feasts on the sliver of cleavage I’ve revealed.
“Didn’t stop you from coming in your pants against me.” My attention drifts downward, recalling how the wetness spread so quickly.
Red blooms on his cheeks again, but for a very different reason. “You weren’t working here yet.”
“Convenient excuse.” A sharp smile cuts across my lips as I admire his flustered state. Getting him riled up is one of my favorite hobbies.
“My daughter loves you. I won’t jeopardize that for a casual fuck.”
“But you’d be willing if I offered more of a… commitment?” It’s difficult for me to even force that word past my lips.
Byron’s gulp is audible. “Maybe.”
My gaze slides away. “I don’t do attachments. Meaningless sex is all I can offer.”
Which is unfortunate as I give his towering stature a hungry once-over. This is a burn-on-both-ends type of situation. Nobody wins when we reject each other. It’s probably for the best.
A pinch of disappointment weasels its way in. His gigantic cock might be worth the risk, though. Gosh, I’d be feeling him for days after.
He straightens as if listening to the dead-end struggle of my dirty imagination. “I’ve got shit to do.”
My sigh is seeped in defeat. “It doesn’t involve taking our clothes off, huh?”
“No, that conversation is over.” His heavy stride pounds the floor as he leaves me hanging. “Enjoy your coffee, menace.”
My signature stamp demands retaliation, but the snark won’t spill free. “Thank you,” I whisper instead.
Byron’s retreat slams to a halt. A purposeful inhale lifts his broad shoulders before they fall. “Don’t mention it.”
Frustration bubbles over, prying my eyes open to glare at the ceiling. Sleep continues to elude me. The digital clock on the wall is too bright, revealing what I already know. It’s half-past midnight. I’ve been tossing and turning for almost an hour. That’s only after I forced myself to lie down in the first place.
Images of Frankie bouncing in a Western saddle taunt me. It’s my own damn fault. I shouldn’t have voiced the visual. Now, my fantasies are manifesting it.
“Dammit!”
I kick off the covers and lurch out of bed. My bare feet begin pacing manically back and forth as my filthy mind conjures more material. Fire traces along my spine, pushing me to submit to the urges. I’d go weeks without before Frankie’s irresistibleass arrived on the scene. That woman is reducing me to a mindless fiend.
There’s an easy solution, but I can’t travel down that twisted road. I don’t want to fantasize about her. It’s a lie, one of many I tell myself when it comes to Francesca Keller.
But the truth is that she’s my daughter’s nanny. I’m paying her for a service and it’s not to get me off. Once I let those desires roam free, I won’t be able to shove them back into the stable. But I won’t get a decent night’s sleep either.
“Fuck it,” I growl and drop my boxers.