CHAPTER NINE - SEAN
Asking Emily to take her job back was the best and the worst decision I’d ever made. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I was excited and nervous. My heart was pounding as I remembered how fucking hot Emily looked the night before. When she walked into the diner, I thought I would lose it right then and there. I held it together and offered her the job. Though I hadn’t exactly been nice about it at first.
The way she’d stood up to me and demanded an apology had turned me on even more. This woman was going to be the death of me.
To top that off, her passion and drive to start her own daycare that made a difference in the lives of children was admirable and incredibly sexy. She didn’t want to tell me, but I knew how things worked for small start-up business, and Emily needed a cosigner to help her get her loan.
When she agreed to come back, I was secretly thrilled and I knew the kids would be too. Still, my anxiety had only increased as the night wore on.
Part of our deal was that Emily would move in. Being a fulltime nanny required more than just breakfast to dinner each day. I needed her around more often, and so did Tommy and Sarah. It was a good arrangement, but I was terrified that I would be walking around with a constant case of blue balls.
Even worse than the sexual feelings Emily brought out in me, was the fact that I actually wanted to be nice to her. She was easy to talk to and I found myself slipping and revealing personal details about myself to her. As badly as I wanted to be an absolute dick that she didn’t want to be around, I couldn’t always keep up the act around her. I tried over and over to remind myself that she was here for the kids and nothing else. No one else.
As I got dressed Saturday morning, I reminded myself of the guy I’d seen her with that night at the pizza parlor. He got so close to her and was clearly romantically into her. She was off limits for more reasons than one.
Still, when Emily arrived with her bags, my eyes trailed over her body with a hunger I’d never felt before. I wanted her so fucking badly that I thought I might come unglued at the seams. Fuck me, what was I doing to myself?
“Emily!” Tommy yelled, running down the stairs and throwing his arms around her waist. “I missed you!”
“Oh, I missed you too,” Emily said. She kissed the top of his head just as Sarah came bouncing down the stairs.
“You’re really here!” Sarah said, squealing with delight. She hugged Emily and immediately began chatting her ear off about all the things she’d done in the last few days.
I couldn’t help but laugh and I shook my head, pulling Sarah away long enough for Emily to speak.
“I’m glad I’m here,” she said, looking up at me with a smile. “I missed you guys.”
“Let’s let Emily get settled in, okay?” I said to the kids. “Then we can all have breakfast.”
“I’ll just throw these bags in my room and come back down,” Emily said. “Who wants french toast?”
Tommy and Sarah both erupted in cheers of joy. Emily laughed, and I helped her haul her bags up the stairs. We were silent as we dumped her bags in her room and awkwardly made our way downstairs.
There were a million things I wanted to say to her. I was so grateful that she’d agreed to come back. Her presence here was going to make the kids so happy, but just looking at her was enough to make my stomach tighten painfully.
My entire body reacted to Emily without my permission. I felt like a teenager, popping boners left and right without knowing why. As we sat down to breakfast, I tried to keep my thoughts in check, but Emily made that impossible.
She leaned over the table, making her tits once again fall forward. I swallowed and looked away, focusing my attention on Tommy. He was telling me all about the book he’d just read. I didn’t remember the name of it, but I pretended to be interested while he chattered away. When the kids finished breakfast, they ran upstairs to get changed for the day, and I helped Emily with the dishes.
We stood side by side, just as we’d done that night I fired her. The energy between us was palpable, and I wondered if she felt it too. Whenever our eyes met, she looked away quickly, almost as if she were afraid of what she might find staring back at her.
I couldn’t blame her for her nerves because mine were worse than ever. I fucking ached to touch her. Our hands brushed against each other in the sink, and I felt my entire body stiffen. We both froze, and when our eyes met, my desperation to kiss her was stronger than ever. Instinctively, I leaned forward, but immediately thought better of it and pulled away. Clearing my throat, I took a step back.
“I’m going to get some work done in my study,” I said. “Are you okay out here?”
“Absolutely.” She smiled. “I think I’ll take the kids into town, if that’s all right with you? I have some errands to run, and I think they’d enjoy getting out of the house for a while.”
“Sure,” I said. “Sounds great.”
She smiled again, and I hurried down the hallway toward my study. I pulled the door closed behind me and waited until I heard the front door close before I sat down at my desk. Laying my head on the cool surface, I tried to force my boner away. It was impossible. Emily’s scent still lingered in the air, and I was powerless against it.
I knew hiring Emily back would be complicated. It was the right decision for my kids, but it was a dangerous decision for me. I couldn’t breathe around her. No matter what I did, she overwhelmed all my senses. My attraction to her was only growing stronger, but I hoped, eventually, it would subside.
As I pulled my notebook toward me, I couldn’t think of anything to write. Finally, I decided to jot down my thoughts about Emily. I hoped that by putting them on paper, they would leave my mind, and I’d be able to be in her presence without wanting to bend her over and fuck her senseless.
I wrote for what felt like hours, filling pages and pages of my notebook. By the time I was finished, it was getting late, and I knew Emily would be back with the kids any minute. With a sigh, I closed my notebook and tucked it safely in my desk drawer.
***
“This is amazing!” Tommy said as he shoveled food in his mouth.
“Thank you,” Emily said, smiling at him affectionately.
“I’ve never had chicken parm…” Sarah tried, but she couldn’t get the word out.
“Parmesan,” I said.
“Yeah, that,” Sarah said. “It’s so good.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Emily said.
The four of us ate in silence for most of dinner. The kids were too busy eating as fast as they could to speak, and I was afraid of what I might say to Emily. My feelings were still just as strong as ever. Writing them down did nothing to assuage my discomfort.
Still, Emily’s eyes continued to flicker to mine, and I knew she wanted to talk. Finally, I came up with something safe to discuss, something I knew wouldn’t get me excited.
“So,” I said. “Tell me about your boyfriend.”
“My boyfriend?” Emily asked with a frown.
“You have a boyfriend?” Sarah asked with interest. “I wish I had a boyfriend.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Emily laughed.
“You don’t?” I asked, surprised.
“No.” She frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“That guy at the pizza place,” I said. “When we saw you, you were with someone.”
“Oh.” Emily rolled her eyes. “Him.”
“He’s your boyfriend?” Sarah asked with excitement.
“No,” Emily said firmly. “That’s just Tanner. We’ve known each other since high school. He’s always asking me out, but I’ve never said yes.”
“Why not?” Tommy asked. “Is he not nice?”
“He’s nice enough,” Emily said with a nod. “But just as a friend. Nothing more.”
My heart skipped a beat at her words. Suddenly, all the blood rushed to my pelvis, and I had to take a few cleansing breaths before I could speak again.
“I’m sorry to just assume,” I said.
“That’s okay,” Emily said. “Tanner can be pretty persistent. He’s harmless and sweet but not at all my type. We’ve never been anything more than just friends. I think he knows that too. He just enjoys teasing me by asking me out all the time.”
“You shouldn’t tease people,” Sarah said wisely.
“No,” Emily said. “You’re right. You shouldn’t tease people.”
Emily glanced at me, and I looked away. My heart was still beating rapidly as her words sunk in. For days now, I’d been telling myself she had a boyfriend. The fact that she was off limits made it easier for me to resist her. Now, I wasn’t sure how I was going to control myself around her.
When we finished dinner, Emily took the kids upstairs to give them baths before bed. I cleaned the dishes, moving slowly so I would stay busy for a long time. My mind was still focused on Emily and what she said at dinner. Everything seemed more confusing now, more uncertain.
About an hour later, I finally finished the dishes just in time for Emily to come quietly down the stairs. She stopped in front of me, staring at me silently.
“Are they asleep?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said. “They went down easy tonight. Can I help with the dishes?”
“All done,” I said. “You’re off the hook for the night.”
“Oh, well, thank you,” she said and smiled up at me.
I nodded, feeling my pants start to tighten. I shut the light off in the kitchen and went upstairs to kiss my kids good night. When I came back down, Emily was standing in the living room, looking out the window. I went to the couch, sitting down and pulling a pillow into my lap. I knew I should just go up to my room and lock myself away from her for the night, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it just yet.
Emily came over and sat next to me on the sofa. My heart was pounding in my chest and I hoped she couldn’t hear it. When I looked at her, she was watching me closely. There was something different about her expression. It was one I hadn’t seen before.
“I still can’t believe you thought Tanner was my boyfriend,” she said with a laugh. “God, he’s impossible.”
“I shouldn’t have assumed,” I said. “But in my defense, he was whispering in your ear.”
“He does that,” Emily said. She rolled her eyes. “Janie calls him my stalker.”
“Is he that bad?” I asked, a spark of irrational anger in my gut.
“No,” Emily said. “He’s persistent but truly harmless. He’d never hurt a fly. He just thinks his persistence will eventually win me over. He doesn’t realize it makes me less attracted to him when he comes sniffing around like a lovesick puppy.”
“If he ever bothers you too much,” I said. “I can take care of it for you.”
I didn’t know what inspired me to say that, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Emily looked at me with wide, grateful eyes. She still had that same expression on her face, and I suddenly realized what it was: desire.
Fuck.
My stomach tightened, and I felt my face flush. Our eyes were locked on each other’s, and I knew I couldn’t fucking resist her for another second.
“Emily,” I breathed. She moved closer to me, and suddenly, we were kissing.
Her lips were soft and gentle against mine. I didn’t intend to kiss her, but I wasn’t surprised that the urge overtook me. What surprised me the most was that she kissed me back. Her lips were eager against mine, and soon, our kiss turned more insistent.
I wrapped my hand around the back of Emily’s head and pulled her harder against my mouth. She moaned and kicked her leg over so she was sitting in my lap. I kissed her harder, my lips devouring hers. She tangled her fingers in my hair while I held her hips.
“Emily,” Sarah said softly.
We jumped apart quickly and both turned to the stairs. Thankfully, Sarah was nowhere in sight. Emily hurried to the foot of the stairs and looked up.
“Can I have some water?” Sarah asked.
“Sure,” Emily said. She hurried into the kitchen and then went upstairs with the water in her hand. I heard her footsteps as she led Sarah back to bed and tucked her in.
I listened carefully, waiting for a sign that Emily would return. Instead, I heard her bedroom door open and close with a soft click.