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I couldn’t look away.

Hints of skin peeked between the two sides of his shirt. I wanted to look farther down, see if his cock strained against his dress pants.

You work together. He’s dating your friend.

I moved closer.

He’s everything you actually want in a man, and the heartbreak when he leaves…

That did it.

I turned, practically sprinting across the white oak floors spanning between his kitchen and living room. The steady thumps of his steps echoed behind me as he followed. The distance I was trying to create didn’t feel like it was growing. No, it was like he hovered right over my shoulder.

The heat of his chest seared into my back.

“‘Yeah’ to me leaving. I’m gonna go find someone to buy me a drink,” I said, grabbing my bag and phone off the little metal table tucked between two chairs.

“Don’t you think you should be getting home and going to bed?” There was an edge to his tone.

“Monroe, you might be geriatric⁠—”

“I’m thirty-three.”

I turned, jumping at how close he was despite sensing him there the entire time. “But I’m only twenty-six, and these are prime flirting hours.”

Obviously. It’s what we’ve been doing for the past ten minutes.

“Graciella.”

“Monroe?” I asked casually, as if my knees didn’t nearly buckle at his growl, fingers flying across my screen. “Check your phone, please.”

He furrowed his brows, pulling it out of his pocket. “Did you just send a request for a hundred dollars?”

“Yup.” I popped the p. “That’s my childcare fee. It includes the cost of supplies I had to get, too.” I sent through another request. “And that’s for being a pain in my ass.”

He shook his head, but the corner of his mouth tugged upward. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Oh, come on.” I pushed the strap of my bag up. “Dalton sent Ari two grand just to talk to her. The least you can do is pay me for watching your kid. Oh, and I didn’t even charge you for the gift we got you.” I pointed at the gift bag sitting on the couch.

“Gift?” He asked, pulling at the pink and blue tissue.

I should’ve stopped him, told him to wait for Goldie to see him open it, but I deserved a laugh after getting five million sprinkles back in a bottle, and then dealing with the sexual frustration he caused.

“The hell?” He frowned, holding the shirt up by the collar.

The thing was comically small in his hands.

My laugh was loud in the quiet home, and I pressed my hands to my mouth to try to silence it.

“Goldie said you needed it because you were a daddy.” The explanation was barely decipherable over my laughter. I closed my eyes, attempting to bat away the tears pouring out.

My damned eyes leaked for any reason.

“And what do you think, Graciella?” Monroe’s voice sounded slightly muffled. “You think daddy works for me?”

I peeled my eyes open…and froze.

Fuck. I just had to buy him that…