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5
Poppy carefully closed the door to Archie’s room, then tip toed out of the hallway. Sometimes he took a while to fall asleep, but once he did, he was out. Phew.
She’d asked Ethan for the night off to go back to the apartment to grab some stuff she needed before leaving for Hawaii the next day. She had to figure out her clothes—the new ones she bought and her regular ones, pay some bills, handle her affairs and stuff.
Also, spend some time with Billie.
The trip to the department store the previous day made her think how much she missed her cousins. Kira had moved into her new husband’s penthouse, so Poppy didn’t see her as much.
She knocked on the door to Ethan’s office.
“Come in,” he said on the other side, and she palmed the handle, twisted it, and entered.
Ever since the moment they shared in the office, she’d been thinking about how dangerous spending time with him without a buffer zone or people around was. The gaze he gave her played in her head over and over again, in slow motion, and each time it seemed to have a stronger effect as to how her body responded.
“Archie is asleep. Willow is probably passed out too. Remember I told you I’d sleep in my apartment tonight?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, then put some papers aside and shuffled in his chair. “I wanted to ask you something as well…”
“Sure.”
He took the tumbler to his mouth. “Do you think Archie’s current school is a good fit for him?”
She worried her lip. Archie did get a couple of notes from his teacher that week about him moving around a lot in class, disrupting other students and having a hard time following directions. She wasn’t an expert, but assumed being hyperactive all those things were normal. “It’s a bit stuffy for me, personally, but he seems to do okay besides, you know, some notes about him getting distracted and needing to move around more. I let his occupational therapist know.”
“I chose that school because it has an impeccable reputation.”
“Oh.”
“But sometimes I wonder if he’d benefit more from a school more open to his needs.”
He’d get in trouble less, for sure. She nodded. “There are a lot of schools for neurodiverse kids. I don’t know how long you have to wait to get in them, but if you want, I can check for open houses or tours and see if I can set something up so you can take a look.”
Ethan outlined the edge of the tumbler, probably letting her suggestion sink in. “That sounds good. Thanks. I know Willow likes her school, for the most part. Though I wonder if I’m doing it all wrong with her too.”
She offered him a small smile. The fact that Ethan was even questioning his parenting already spoke volumes. “You’re not. You’re doing the best you can.” You’re doing the best you can, she repeated inwardly. How many times had she told herself that when she’d taken care of her brothers and one of them acted bratty?
He stared at her, and heat coiled in the pit of her stomach. “You’re very forgiving.”
“I had an alcoholic for a mom, no dad growing up, and two brothers who wrestled each other every waking moment. I had to become forgiving, or I’d go crazy.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad you didn’t go crazy.”
“Jury’s still out. I’m young. It’s bound to happen.”
A delicious smile curved his lips, like they shared a naughty secret. He didn’t smile like this often… and now she knew why. A ball of heat formed inside her, and it bulldozed through her bloodstream like it had a place to go.
Her heart accelerated in her chest, and she bit the inside of her cheek, wishing it was something else. Like his shoulder. Or his very fine ass. “Anyway. If that’s all, I should get going…” she said, then stood, hoping her knees would cooperate until she made it to the elevator.
“Sure, I’ll walk you out. Thanks again,” he said, then stood, his voice neutral like he talked to a business associate.
Well, she was his associate.
Did she just imagine the attraction? Hers to him, no, it was all too real. But his to her…
She arrived in front of the door, but before opening it, she turned around. Damn, she forgot her purse. But she motioned too fast, or perhaps it was because he was far too close to her, behind her… and now, and she turned, in front of her.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she raised her gaze to his. Her nipples puckered at what she saw… the desire flickering in his eyes, the sexual hunger taunting them.
