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Z: Well, one thing hasn’t changed. Your jokes are still awful.
M: Thank you. Wine tonight?
Another long pause. There clearlywerelines, and they were both terrified of them.
Z: Sure. In the shop. 8?
M: C U there
She’d never specified the shop before. It was always a given. But now that he’d been in her bedroom, she must think she had to clarify. He’d love to visit her bedroom again, but Zoey had Hazel on school nights. He frowned to himself as he sorted through the folders on his desk.
Mike understood why Zoey wanted to keep their, um—benefits...from Hazel. But it complicated things. Anything they did, no matter how casual they insisted it was, would impact Hazel. And if it became more than casual? Hazel was a great kid—funny, kind, creative. But thirteen was a complicated age, and her life was already complicated on top of that.
Would Hazeleverbe ready to accept Mike—or any man—into Zoey’s life? Would she welcome him showing up at her breakfast table just because she knew him? Or would she do everything in her power to end things? He headed to the small conference room in his office to get ready for the appointment.
He’d never considered the ramifications of dating a single mom. The worddatingwas a stretch after just one night, but if it ever reached that point... He hadn’t thought he was ready to become a father with Becca, so what made him think he could be a stepfather?Aw, hell.He was getting way ahead of himself—something he’d always counseled his clients not to do. Be prepared, but don’t respond to things that hadn’t actually happened yet. He needed to heed his own advice. One step at a time.
MIKEWASSOdistracted when he arrived at Zoey’s that night that he almost didn’t notice the big elm tree had been cut up and wood stacked near the driveway. The morning after the storm, Owen and Zayne were so busy with tree work around the area that they’d simply cut enough of the tree to be able to drag it off the driveway and away from the house, promising to return later. He was glad to see they’d kept that promise.
He parked his SUV by the barn and, instead of texting a joke, just walked right into the shop. Zoey was at the workbench along the back wall, and spun with her hand on her chest.
“Holy hell, Mike!” She shook her finger at him. “You scared the daylights out of me. Since when do you just burst in without at least knocking?”
“I’m sorry.” He raised his hands in front of him. “I was thinking about something else, and honestly—” he grinned “—I was kind of in a hurry to see you.”
He’d been aching to see her all day. Touch her. Kiss her. But the information he’d learned a few hours ago was also rattling around his head and distracting him.
After the closing that afternoon, which had thankfully been a friendly, straightforward transaction, Mike had waited for the money transfer to go through. He drove to the town clerk’s office to record the paperwork. While he was there, he’d quietly checked on a few property records for Zoey’s place, just in case Karen Schiff decided to carry through with her threats. He wasn’t happy with what he’d found. If Schiff was just blowing smoke, it wouldn’t matter. Even if she wasn’t, Mike still might be able to make a few legal maneuvers.
“You’re forgiven,” Zoey said, turning back to the workbench and providing him a fine view of her behind, all curvy and taut in snug jeans.
Admiring his best friend’s ass was something new and different, but Mike couldn’t make himself feel bad about it. He set down the bottle of wine, walked over and slid his arms around her waist, but instead of melting against him, she tensed, looking back at the door.
“Hazel’s home tonight.”
“She’s not out here.”
“And what if she comes out for something? What if she flies through the door like you did? What if—”
“Slow down the what-ifs, girl.” Despite her worries, she hadn’t moved away from his easy embrace, so he tightened his hold. “The door can be locked if it’ll make you feel better.”
Her head dropped, and her dark hair fell around her face to cover it.
“Locking the door will just raise suspicions. Besides, there are windows, remember? The shop can’t be our getaway, Mike. It’s too risky...”
Everything felt risky these days. He’d gone from being a small-town lawyer with a nice, low-key life to sneaking around and hiding from a thirteen-year-old, just so he could kiss his best friend. And maybe get her naked.
He gave in to the temptation of the now-exposed skin on the back of her neck, brushing his lips against it before pressing a kiss there. She sighed, rolling her head to the side to give him better access. He was no fool—he took advantage of the opening and started trailing kisses up her neck toward that silky spot behind her ear.
As soon as his tongue reached out to taste her there, she rested her hands on the workbench and gently shrugged away from him. He released her immediately and stepped back, cursing himself for pushing her after she’d just said she was worried about being caught.
“I’m sorry, Zoey.” He rubbed the back of his neck, taking another step backward. She turned, staring at him with dark, troubled eyes.
“Don’t be sorry. I just don’t want to lose control, and you had me awfully close just now. We should...uh...talk this out before we do anything.”
He tried to focus on her concerns, and not the quick shot of joy at the idea that she’d almost lost control at his touch. But first—talk.
