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Rylee
Gorgeous.
As I returned to the room from getting Aiden into bed, I stopped just inside the doorway, finally allowing myself to appreciate the rugged man’s beauty. It might be a strange word to use for a man wearing scuffed work boots and faded blue denim jeans that hugged every muscle perfectly, but it was the one that first came into my mind.
While I’d been gone, he’d rolled his shirtsleeves past his elbows, exposing the glorious ink covering a portion of both forearms. There was something about a tattooed man that drew me in much like a leather-clad biker had when I was a young girl.
My mouth watered from the thought of tracing the lines of the colorful art with the tip of my tongue.
He’d been playful with Aiden, listening to my son’s constant jabbering as if the little boy was telling the most fascinating stories in the universe. Even Xena was wrapped around the large man’s finger, accepting him as if he belonged here. I had to admit, it was nice having someone in the house other than a caretaker or my sister playing nurse, my father who never had much of an appetite, or my adorable kid who never seemed to stop talking.
Yet my stomach had remained in knots, preventing me from eating more than a couple bites of food. I must have made a sound because Foxx tilted his head, those dazzling blue eyes of his piercing mine even in the dingy glow of the overhead light.
He was sitting back in his chair, studying something on his phone. But as soon as I walked in, he placed it on the table, giving me a heated look. The man was more expressive than any I’d known in my life, including the very animated Hudson.
There was something even more carnal about the look he wore, the way his upper lip curled becoming far too appealing.
“You wanted to talk,” I told him, remaining where I was.
“Yeah. I think we need to.” He was hesitant, totally unlike the dominating man.
Sighing, I looked away, realizing I had to drop my defenses just a little bit. “Ask me whatever you need, Foxx. I won’t bite your head off. I promise.”
“Scout’s honor?” His grin was far too much of a turn-on.
I knew a Girl Scout salute even though we had nothing of the sort in Ireland. When I offered it, his eyes gleamed even more.
“Okay. Did your dad make you aware of the special favor he asked us?”
“You mean to see if the rig we own is worthy of selling? Yep. I don’t need to tell you the fact he told me that’s what was going to happen irritated the hell out of me. At least at first, but I’m not stupid about this. I need to find out what I’m dealing with.”
His grin was the kind I’d wanted to wipe off before. Why was I finding it insufferably adorable now? “I can only imagine. If I was a fly on the wall.”
“Very funny.”
Even the way he shrugged was sexy. “What happened with Declan?”
“I fired him.”
He almost choked on the sip of wine he’d taken. “You’re kidding.”
Why did I have the intense longing to lick the drops of wine from his lips? “I might seem like a bitch to you, but I don’t kid about my employees. Or maybe I should say my father’s employees. They’ve never been mine. I finally took a stand after what you told me.”
“Did you confront him about the payoff?”
“I did. He acted as if it was something else entirely. I think you guys caught him. I’ve disliked the man for years but I find it tough to believe he’s a bad seed. Maybe I’m just a fool.”
“You’re no fool, Rylee. You’re a very capable woman with a huge heart. Sometimes, and I hate to say this, people take advantage of someone’s generosity. Unfortunately, he’ll likely run to Madden. You know that.”
“Yeah, so what?”
“So, it bothers me a hell of a lot. You could be in significant danger.”
Danger. I thought about Declan’s warning.
And Madden’s promise.
And shivered.
