Burn For You (Boys of the South) (12 page)

I glance at the screen. Paisley.  My heart races, but my dick gets all soft at the thought of dealing with my ex. I flick my gaze to Landry. “I
have
to take this call. It’s Paisley.”

Hurt flashes in her pretty eyes, but I’ve already answered the phone. I want to assure Landry that I’m not answering because it’s Paisley, but because she has Mia.

“Ready to bring my baby girl home or should I pick her up?” I ask, keeping my gaze on Landry’s face. The hurt fades a little, and I breathe a bit easier.

“I’ll be by at six.”

“Do you want me to feed her supper?”

“I’m not a fucking moron, Beau.”

My jaw clenches. It was too good to be true for Paisley to admit herself to rehab like she had done. She stayed there a grand total of a month before coming home. The program was for ninety days.

Now we’re back to fighting and to her making unreasonable demands of me again. She thinks she’s won, because I hardly ever go out, I refuse to race this season, and I’m never seen in the company of another woman.

But it’s because I am focusing everything on my daughter. My time, my attention... anything and everything she needs in a dad.

I slice my gaze to Landry. Until now, that is. “I’m trying to work with you, Paisley. We’re a family, and no matter how you and I feel about each other, Mia comes first.”

“Trying to work with me? Are you my employer?” she snaps.

I rub the back of my neck. “Honey, I’m trying to help you. I want you—“

Paisley cuts me off, muttering “give me a break” while Landry sucks in a breath.

The car door opens as Landry softly says, “I’m going to get out and let you talk in private.”

I shake my head at her, but she gets out anyway, carefully closing the door behind her. “Who was that? Where are you?”

Fuck
. Of course, Paisley heard Landry. I watch Landry walk to a low wall and sit down. She looks lonely and left out.

“Mia’s new nanny—the one who will be going with me to Monaco. We talked about this. I even asked you if you wanted to help me interview potential candidates,” I remind her.

“You could have asked me to go,” Paisley says, but we both know the truth. She wants me to take Mia, because she’s still fucked up and wants time to get even more fucked up with Austin.

But I ask her again anyway. “Would you like to go with us?”

“We are not getting back together, Beau,” she snaps. “No matter how much you beg.”

“I don’t want to get back together with you,” I growl into the phone. “I was only being polite.”

Paisley snorts. “You’re such a nice guy, Beau. One day, you’ll make someone a really good wife.”

“I don’t have time for your bullshit. See you at six. If you want to feed Mia before you bring her, that’s great. If you want me to do it, then that’s great, too. Whatever’s easier.” And whatever gets her to my house faster. I miss my baby girl.

“So very
nice
of you, Beau,” she says sweetly, and I want to rip the steering wheel off the dash. Instead, I end our call and shove my phone back into my pocket while I try to calm down.

I flick my gaze to Landry. She’s on her phone, still waiting for me. Her long legs sway back and forth a little, and I start to imagine them around my waist. There’s no one at the track but a skeleton crew, and I know plenty of private spots.

I get out of the car, leaving the keys and our helmets behind, determined to make sure I don’t screw up what could be something amazing.

––––––––

L
andry

I can’t believe what just happened. Now that I’ve had a chance to catch my breath, be out in the fresh air again, and not have his magic hands on me—I cringe—I can think clearly again.

Clearly, I’m an imbecile.

Out of all the foolish things I’ve done in my life, this takes the cake. I can’t even begin to imagine the conversation I’ll have to have with Beau.
Sorry I begged you to kiss me. I promise to be good from here on out and save my touch-starved body for someone who isn’t paying me to work for them.

Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my contacts, finding Meagan’s name and texting her.

Me:
I’m so stupid

Meagan:
Why?

Me:
First day of work and I kiss my employer

Meagan:
!!!

Me:
I know. It was dumb.

Meagan:
One, quit beating yourself up. Office romances totally work out all the time on Lifetime.  Two, how was he?

I risk a peek at Beau. He’s still on the phone with Paisley, the
mother
of his child. The woman he still calls honey and says they’re family. Once again, I’m reminded of how I felt when I thought he was married. Yes, things didn’t work out with Paisley, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t—eventually.  What am I supposed to do with this knowledge?

Me:
What do you think? 

Meagan:
That he was so good, you had to text me right away
.

Well, she’s partially right. He was swoon-worthy, and I’m still hot and bothered by what we did.

Me:
Haha.

Meagan:
Don’t sweat it. I’m sure he’s used to women falling repeatedly onto his face.

Me:
Gee thanks.

I hear a car door shut and look up. Beau’s headed my way, determination written all over his sexy face. Ugh. Why couldn’t my employer have been someone who wasn’t a hot, single dad? God must have thought it would be really funny to put someone in my life I can’t have.

Me:
Gotta go. TTYL?

Meagan:
Have fun sexing up your boss

“Who are you talking to?” Beau asks.

In my haste to put up my phone, it slips out of my shaky fingers and falls to the ground. “My best friend. Meagan Thomas. Remember meeting her?” I ask, sounding guilty.

“Good thing you have one of those indestructible cases.” He picks it up, brows raising as he hands it over. “Have fun sexing up your boss?”

I swear to God my entire body turns red.  “Ah, yeah... that ... autocorrect fail.”

“What should it have said?”

Oh good grief.
Think, Landry, think
. “I think she meant to say have—” My mind goes blank. I can’t even think of a similar word or phrase it could be, “fun at your new job?” My response sounds lame, weak, and completely transparent.

“You promised not to lie to me,” he says, his face growing dark. “And I believe that you’re not allowed to talk about me to anyone, according to the non-disclosure agreement you signed.”

He’s right. I did promise, and I did sign, but it’s embarrassing as hell to be caught like this. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

I mean it. I won’t tell anyone, and I’ll probably have nothing else to say, because he’s within his rights to fire me. He wouldn’t have to worry about a sexual harassment suit, because I was a willing participant. Clogging up a court system for revenge doesn’t appeal to me.

“I don’t know why this keeps happening. I keep accusing you of things out of your control.” There’s a tick in his jaw. His hands clench into fists, like he wants to punch something, but not me. He’s not even looking at me. He’s looking off into the distance, in his own world.

“Most control freaks hate when things are out of their control,” I say, a little teasing and a little honest.

His gaze jerks to mine, the side of his mouth quirking. “Control freak, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“You might be on to something. Did you learn how to diffuse situations like these at school? Or is that just one of your many charming abilities?” He slides closer to me. I widen my thighs a little, and he moves until he’s standing between my legs. The familiar heat of contact makes my entire body come alive.

“Guilty as charged,” I say, a little breathless. “I’m a peacemaker and a people pleaser. Saying no is really, really hard for me.”

“Is that why you let me kiss you?” He looks worried, like he forced me into something.

“No,” I say, a grin following the word. “I wanted to be kissed. By you.”

Beau cups my face, his thumbs brushing over my sensitive bottom lip. “I’m sorry for being so short with you.  But you have to understand that I’ve been betrayed by people who I thought were my friends. Money makes people do stupid things, including spread gossip to anyone with a twitter account and a blog.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” I insist.

He tilts his head to one side, studying me. “I’m going to hold you to it. I’m going to trust you, just like you trusted me to keep you safe today.” He exhales. “I want you to trust me even more. When we’re in Monaco, things will be a lot different than they are here. Around here, I make the news if I do something really stupid or win a race. But there... I’m making history with a bunch of other racers. There will be celebrities, billionaires, politicians, and royalty. Still, the focus will be on the racers, which means that focus will extend to Mia and you.”

“They will?” I croak.  I hadn’t thought of paparazzi, or people following us, watching every move we make just so they can report on it.

“If I was a less selfish person, I’d bring my stepmother along to watch Mia, instead of you,” he says.

“What about Paisley?” I ask.

“We didn’t work, remember?” he says.

I do remember but I also remember how, not even ten minutes ago, he talked to her on the phone. The coaxing voice he used... the same one he’s using with me right now.

“I need to finish unpacking, and I have one more trip to make from home,” I say.

“We can drive by your house on the way home, and pick whatever you need up,” he offers.

The quicker I put up a wall between us, the better. “No. My parents are huge fans and would keep you too long.”

He gives me a look, like he’s searching for the truth. I am telling him the truth. My parents really would keep him too long. He’d be lucky if they let him out of the house.

“Swear they would,” I add.

He smiles, making every bone in my body melt.
Bad, Landry. He’s very, very bad for you.
  “Park your car in the garage when you get back, okay? The fourth bay is empty.”

“No problem, boss.”

He makes a face, then lets me go.

I lean to the side and do a weird little hop to get down from the wall. “Ready to go?” I ask. “Or do we need to drive at a billion miles an hour to park the car somewhere?”

“Nah. This is where we leave everything. Nate will be by to take care of it as soon as I text him.” Beau makes no move to leave. I know the longer we stand here, the more likely we’ll end up making out again.

I scoot around him, and then start walking to the exit door by the back booth. “I really need to unpack.”

Beau is behind me, his boots echoing. “I wouldn’t unpack too much.”

“Why is that?”

He opens the door and gestures for me to go through first. “Because now that Paisley’s bringing Mia home early, I want to leave sooner.”

“How much sooner?”

“Tomorrow.”

I
leave
the windows rolled down as I drive Landry back to my house. She’s been quiet almost the entire way, using the excuse of listening to the radio to get out of talking to me.

She’s singing along with every song, though. Something I find adorable and sexy all at once. I doubt she knows she’s doing it. She sounds really good, too. I want to tell her as much, but I’m afraid she’ll get self-conscious and stop. Then it would be really awkward.

Not talking is a problem for me. I’m not a quiet person by nature. I don’t fucking brood, and I don’t punish people by not talking to them. Although, Parker would say that is a special kind of torture. He’s just as bad as I am, so I ignore his ass.

“Have you ever flown overseas?” I ask, turning the radio down.

“Does the Bahamas count?”

I shrug. “Sure.” She gets quiet, so I try again. “No air sickness?”

“Nope.”

Well, this is amazing conversation. I might as well turn the volume back up.

“Does Mia?” she asks.

“Not sure.”

“Have you talked to her doctor about it?”

I smile a little. “Yes. She’s gotten all the shots she needed. Everything is taken care of.”

“I didn’t mean to imply you didn’t know what you were doing,” she says quietly.

I laugh. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

I can feel Landry’s eyes on me.

“Seriously?”

“Okay, so I know the basics, but other than that, I don’t know shit. I read every book I can about parenting and child development; I ask Mia’s pediatrician, my stepmother... any person who I think has it remotely together when it comes to kids. I look at parenting and Mia’s development the same way I look at racing.” I brake for a red light and then look at her. “Some of it comes naturally, but the rest you have to study, ask questions, and not be afraid to look like a total dumbass, because trust me, you will look like a total dumbass to the ones with more experience.”

Landry’s eyes widen. “Wow.”

“Impressed by the dumbass remark, huh?”

She shakes her head, and I glance at the light. It’s green.

“I’m impressed by the fact that you’re willing to ask for help and take this so seriously. Mia and Paisley are lucky to have you.”

And we’re back to that again. Our gazes meet, briefly, before I turn my attention back to the road. I didn’t miss the look in her pretty eyes. She doesn’t believe that it’s over with Paisley.

“I’m lucky to have
Mia
in my life,” I say.

Landry doesn’t respond at all to that.  So, I turn the volume up and spend the last ten minutes of our ride home in my head. This time, I’m okay with it, because I need time to think and answer the questions buzzing in my head. I have to know why Landry’s gotten under my skin so quickly, why it’s so important for her to know that Paisley and I are over, and how far I want to take things with Landry.