I’m momentarily disoriented when my eyes open. But when I realize where I am?

My blood freezes in my veins.

All of the events of last night come tumbling back to me, damn near knocking the air right out of my lungs.

I glance over to Jacks, who is still sound asleep in the bed next to me.

In Eric’s bed.

I swallow hard, trying to get myself together, and definitely trying to ignore the way that my skin smells like him, like I have wrapped myself in a blanket of him all night long.

Good Lord.

That is not ever going to happen...

I throw back the covers before hopping out of bed.

I pace for a few seconds in the room, trying to decide exactly how to proceed, when the smell of coffee seeps into the room.

I may be strong...but coffee is my weakness.

And there is absolutely no way that I can formulate any kind of plan of action without it.

I tug Eric’s t-shirt down as far as I can, before slowly creeping towards the door.

I’m two steps out of the room, when my eyes snap up, and suddenly, all the air is knocked out of my lungs.

Eric stands, leaning against the counter, wearing nothing more than a loose pair of gym shorts.

His hair is ruffled from sleep, and every damn muscle in his arms and back are flexed from his grip on the counter.

And my stupid knees get weak.

Grr.

This is ridiculous. Yes, the man is fine. But the way that he makes my heart race and my body instantly react?

Well, that part is just not ok.

He turns slowly around, as the floor creaks under my feet, and as our eyes meet?

A slow, easy smile spreads across his face.

“Morning, Ave’s.” His voice is still laced with sleep, sounding sexy as hell, as he runs a hand through his hair before nodding towards the coffee pot.

“Still take cream and sugar?” He reaches for a mug, pouring the lifesaving liquid into it before motioning for me to sit down at the tiny table.

“Yes, please.”

He fixes my coffee as I sit down, and even though I try really damn hard...I can’t manage to take my eyes off of him.

His body...lord.

Eric was always in shape, and always had muscles that seemed to go on for miles.

But the Eric from my memory was still just a boy.

This Eric?

Good freaking God.

He is all man. And while I know that the thoughts that circle inside of me are unwelcome and awful?

I can’t even help myself.

Eric Wayne has grown into a damn fine man.

He sets my coffee down in front of me, before sinking into the chair across from me, causing my heart to race even faster.

I shake my head as he opens up his mouth, desperately trying to get a grip on my emotions, before I say or do anything stupid.

“Please. Let me get like, half of this in me before we start to talk about anything.”

He flashes me a crooked smile before nodding.

“Some things never change.”

I don’t bite and tell him that some things most definitely do change.

Such as my feelings for him.

Except that would be a complete and utter lie, since obviously, my feelings for him never stopped.

At least not the ones that involve my body. My heart is a completely different subject.

I take my time, sipping my coffee and forcing my eyes not to meet his. I feel his stare on me, as he leans back in his chair, of course, showing off his gorgeous ripped stomach and the little brown happy trail that I most definitely know leads down to a place that would give heaven a run for its money.

Dammit all.

I swallow hard, still not daring to look him in the eye, before finally finding the courage to open my mouth.

“So, thank you for letting Jacks and I stay here last night. As soon as he is up, we will get out of your hair.”

A disgusted sound leaves his mouth as he leans back even further, the heat of his eyes on me, forcing me to look up.

“I don’t think so.” He says before his eyes lock on mine.

“I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m going to pass.” I pull my eyes away and focus them back on my mug.

“You didn’t even hear what it is yet.”

“I don’t need to.” I shrug. “Answers still going to be no.”

“Ave’s. Please. Hear me out.”

“I don’t need to hear you out. I don’t need, nor want for that matter, any proposition that you may have. Because I’m damn sure that it involves you, swooping in, and trying to save the day. Which I do not need.”

“No?”

“No! God! Really?” I cut my eyes at him before slamming my mug onto the table. “I have been on my own for a long time, Eric. And I have managed just fine, on my own. So, whatever proposition you think that I need from you? Save it for someone who wants it. Because I certainly don’t.”

His chair slams into the floor as he sits forward, his eyes hard on mine as he leans across the table.

“Do you have sudden amnesia or something? Because I’m pretty sure, that last night, your home was broken into with people who had guns.”

“I know that...”

His hand flies up to quiet me before he leans forward even further.

“And, furthermore, you were living in the god damned ghetto.” His teeth are clenched as the words fly from his mouth. “You were working in a bar, and walking over a mile through a horrible fucking neighborhood and you call that doing just fine?”

My hands slam onto the table, and suddenly, my face is just inches from him, as I nearly spit my words at him.

“Fuck you, Eric. You have no right to judge me. You lost that right a long fucking time ago. And, you also have no control over me. So, proposition this.”

I take a step back and press my middle finger almost directly his face, before giving him a smug smile and turning on one heel, stalking back towards the bedroom where Jackson is still sleeping.

“Nope.” He growls before I feel his strong arms wrapping around my waist and jerking me backward.

“You don’t get to just walk away from this, Avery. And I don’t give a fuck about anything other than keeping you safe. I’m not judging you, but for real. We’re going to talk about this.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” I jerk in his arms, trying to push him away, but, he’s just too strong.

And can I just say, that for the record?

The second his body presses up against mine, I literally have to fight to stay mad. Because my stupid heart starts to race, and I know that my breathing kicks up a notch, and it has nothing to do with anger.

This man makes my mind nuts and still sets my body on fire.

Asshole.

He spins me around, before pressing my body against the wall, releasing me, only to cage me in on both sides.

I squeeze my eyes shut so that at least, I don’t have to look at him anymore.

Because having him this close is making me crazy.

“Ok. We’re going to start over, and I am not going to lose my cool.” He says evenly, almost to himself.

I don’t reply.

“I want you to come home with me.”

“No.”

“Jesus, Avery. Listen to me for one freaking second, please?”

He sighs hard, his hot breath blowing against my skin, and completely not helping my situation.

“I am listening. But the answer is still no.”

“USC is literally two miles from my house. They have an excellent grad program for social work. That is what you were going for, right?”

My eyes fly open and I stare at him in shock.

“How did you know that?”

He simply smirks. “I have my ways.”

“I’m so done with this conversation.”

“I’ll pay your tuition.”

“What?”

“I’ll pay your tuition and give you a job. If you come home with me.”

I blink a few times, before beginning to shake my head.

“No...I can’t.”

But he doesn’t even let me finish. He rushes on, moving his body even closer to mine.

“I have a big house, and I’m hardly ever there. I need someone to live in my house while I’m gone. Someone to help keep it clean and do my grocery shopping. Someone to make me meals when I am home. And it can’t just be anyone. It has to be someone that I trust.”

“Oh, please.”

“I’m serious. Being in my position? I can’t just let anyone into my home, Ave’s. It’s hard to trust people.”

“I can completely agree with that.” My eyes level with his and I narrow them before crossing my arms across my chest.

“Right.” He shakes his head. “I know, you don’t trust me. But Ave’s, you have to know that I would never hurt you and that you would be safe with me. Your son would be safe with me. I have a huge yard. A pool. And you would get to be home with him. Seriously, how can you say no to that?”

“As nice as you are making it sound, Eric, still. All of that requires me having to be around you. And I do not want that. Nor, do I want any handouts from you. Regardless of what you think, I have been managing fine. I have juggled everything, completely on my own, without any help from anyone. And there is no fucking way, that when I finally do accept help? That it would ever be from you.”

“Ok, look. I get it. You hate me. You’ve made that perfectly clear. But I care about you, Avery. And your son deserves this. If you won’t do it for yourself? Good fucking God, woman. Do it for your kid! That boy could have been killed last night! If you would have gotten home twenty minutes sooner? You could have been raped...beaten. Killed! And then what? What would happen to your son? You’ve got to think reasonably about this. I’m offering you a sweet deal here, with no strings. This is an opportunity to go back to school, and finish. It’s a chance to be living in a safe home with your son and raising him yourself. He deserves that, and you know it.”

I scoff at him before pushing against his chest with all my weight.

“Way to make me feel like a complete asshole, Eric. Thanks.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel like one. But, seriously, say yes.”

“Eric, really.”

“Jackson deserves this, Avery. He totally does. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for him.” He pleads, his words slicing right through my armor and hitting me in the heart.

He’s right...as much as I hate to admit it?

He is totally right.

Jackson deserves better than I have given him, and well?

I would love to be home with him and be able to go back to school.

But a home that includes Eric?

God...I just don’t think that I can do that. Not when my body still reacts to him after all this time...it’s a recipe for disaster and I know it.

But then, my eyes finally meet his, and well...

It’s a big mistake.

Because when his body is this close to mine, and then, when I look into his eyes?

My resolve totally fades.

And suddenly, the words are leaving my lips and I can’t even stop them.

“Ok.”

The smug smile that spreads across his face should be enough to make me take it back.

Except, I know deep down, that he is totally right.

I don’t have a job, I’m not in school here, and let’s be honest.

I’m terrified at the thought of having to go back to my apartment.

I could go home to Michigan, but, then I would have to admit my defeat to everyone and anyone there.

Plus?

My dad doesn’t exactly know that I dropped out of school, and, the last thing that I want to do is to disappoint him.

So...here I am.

At Eric’s mercy.

And I’m fairly certain that I have just made a deal with the devil.

**

“WE’RE HERE.” ERIC GLANCES over at me, flashing me a small smile before punching in a code at the gate.

“Good. The excitement was just about killing me.” I tell him, unable to keep the dryness out of my voice.

“Yeah.” He rolls his eyes as the gate swings open. “I can tell. The enthusiasm is radiating off you.”

I’ve been nothing but quiet since the moment that our plane touched the ground. And once I was alone with Eric in his car?

Well, my mouth has stayed clamped shut.

But honestly, deep down? I may not be enthusiastic here, but, I am curious. I lean forward slightly in my seat, as the large black wrought iron gate opens, and we drive through slowly.

The driveway is black asphalt, completely shaded by the massive mature trees that surround both sides of the driveway. It’s almost as if he is driving me completely back into the woods.

We drive a bit further, and I sit a little more forward in my seat, as the trees become more sparse, and everything opens up.

As if we’ve just transpired into another world, suddenly, I’m met with a lush green lawn, with areas of large dune grass and other plants meticulously maintained in multiple different gardens. We are now back in full sunlight, and, as we turn the corner, the home comes into view.

I can’t help it...I’m smiling wide and staring out of the window like a little kid on Christmas morning who stares at all the presents under the tree.

The scene surrounding me is just that beautiful.

“This is my home.” He tells me proudly, and still, I can do nothing but stare in awe.

Ahead of me, lies a yellow Tudor style home, that seems to go on for miles. It’s enormous. There is a large front porch, all red brick, that covers the entire middle of the home.

He brings the car to a stop in front of it, before killing the engine.

“Garage is back that way.” He nods his head towards the back of the house. “But we can park here for now to unload.”

“Great.” My once piss poor attitude has changed significantly. And now? Well, now I really don’t know what I feel.

“I’ll grab the suitcases if you want to grab the little guy.” He nods his head towards Jackson, who fell asleep just a few minutes into the ride.

“Ok.” I agree, before stepping out of the car on shaky legs.

This is where I will be living for the next few months...glancing around, I can barely believe it.

I expected his home to be nice, and I expected it to be large.

But this?

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect him to be living in his own damn fortress, in a mansion, on a piece of land large enough to more than likely require its own zip code.

I exhale loudly, before shaking my head, and reaching down into the backseat of the car, unbuckling Jackson and lifting him into my arms.

I wobble slightly, adjusting to the dead weight that is my two-year-old, before steadying myself and waiting for Eric to grab the bags.

I follow slowly behind him, as he punches in a code for the door.

“Every door and every gate here are all a number code, ok? So, no keys, which makes it easier.”

“Ok.”

“The code is the same for every door.” He says, before punching in some numbers and opening the front door.

I follow behind him and suck in air.

“Wow. Eric. It’s beautiful.”

He glances back at me, his eyes meeting mine, before a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

“Thanks. It’s taken a long time to get it to this point. I’ve done almost all of the work myself.”

“Really?” My eyes try to take everything in, but there is just so much to see.

“Yeah. I have a lot of time off in the off season, and, well? I never really had a home growing up. So, when I bought this place, I really wanted to make it my own. It’s my first home, ever.”

His words squeeze my heart, and if they didn’t? The look that crosses his face totally would.

While the world only sees one version of Eric Wayne, I know better than anyone that there is a whole other version, and that started from being a kid without a real home.

“Well, you’ve done a great job. Really. It’s very nice.”

“Thank you.” He breathes, before setting down our bags. “I can give you a tour if you want? Or, if you’re tired, I can just show you to your room.”

As much as I dislike the man, still. The eager look on his face to show me his house is evident. And I am curious to see it, especially since I will be living here.

So, I nod.

“Sure. I would love to see it.”

“Ok.” He grins, before reaching over to me and grabbing Jackson out of my arms.

“Little guy looks heavy.”

I open my mouth to argue, but really, he’s right. Jackson was pretty much dead weight, and, I think this tour might take some time.

So instead of arguing, I simply follow behind him, letting him show me around.

Trying to pay attention to the house tour does pose just a slight difficulty, because it forces me to follow behind him, and well? I may hate the guy, but it would be impossible to ignore the fact that the view of his behind is pretty freaking spectacular.

Add into that the fact that he is carrying around my child?

Good Lord.

It’s enough to make even the coldest woman’s ovaries burst.

I try to force my eyes up, doing my best to pay attention and keep track of things. We walk through a living room, which looks like it’s probably never been sat in. He leads me into the kitchen, where my jaw drops to the floor over the beauty of all of the high-end appliances, before he shows me to his study, his theatre room, too many bathrooms to count, several guest bedrooms, and then, finally, his trophy room.

I pause in the doorway, as my eyes scan the room.

Jersey’s hang in shadow boxes, covering the walls, along with various trophies and metals.

My heart flutters as I stare at his high school jersey, the same one that I used to sit in the stands and watch him play in before my eyes connect back with his.

He’s watching me, and when I turn my head, our eyes lock.

And of course, my stupid knee’s go weak.

“Remember that one?”

I simply nod.

He holds my gaze for a bit longer before I finally find the will to pull my eyes away. As I spin to leave the room, I catch sight of his college jersey hanging on the opposite wall.

“Never did get to see you play in that one though. You were already over me at that point.”

He steps in front of me, blocking my escape, before staring at me, hard.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ave’s. I wasn’t over you then.  Hell, I’ve never gotten over you.”

Oh, please. I can’t even stop the disgusted sound from leaving my mouth. But as I try to step past him, he moves, causing me to almost run into him.

“I mean that.”

“Can we just finish this tour already? I’m tired.”

He allows me to step past him, thankfully, and I move quickly away.

This whole thing is turning out to be a bit harder than I imagined, because if I happen to get stuck alone in a small room like that with him again?

Lord help me.

He shakes his head and mumbles something underneath his breath that I can’t understand, before leading me to a set of French doors, and nodding his head towards them.

“Want me to show you outside?”

I just nod.

His backyard is gorgeous, perfectly landscaped with a meticulously manicured lawn.

He points out a large pool, and then a hot tub, that looks incredibly tempting, before ushering me back inside.

“Pools heated if you want to use it. Gate code for the pool is the same code for the doors and the main gate in the driveway.  Same code for the garage too.  Remember, no keys.  Just the code.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll show you upstairs now.”

I follow along, careful to keep my eyes off of his ass, as we truck up the back staircase.

He points out the door to his bedroom, before leading me down the opposite hallway.

“This will be your room.” He opens the doorway to a room almost at the end of the hallway.

I can’t help but to notice the irony here. I mean, when Eric moved in with my family all of those years ago, we were also on opposite ends of the hallway. Entirely opposite sides of the house.

I’m sure that had been my dads plan, of course, to try to keep us from finding our way to each other.

Of course, that hadn’t worked...but I can’t help but wonder if Eric is trying to recreate that in some way.

I doubt it, of course.

He’s probably just trying to give me some space.

I follow him inside of the room, my breath catching in my throat.

“Wow.” I shake my head, taking in the beautiful four poster bed covered in soft white linens, complete with a wide array of coral and navy-blue throw pillows. There is a large white long thread rug underneath the bed, and then another matching rug in front of the fireplace, which is flanked with two high back off white chairs with thick silver decorative studs.

“No way did you design this.” I blink, literally in awe of the beautiful, high-end décor.

“Nope. Got me.” He chuckles, before leading me into the bathroom. “I hired someone.”

“It’s beautiful. Way too beautiful for servant’s quarters.” I tell him, with full honesty.

“You’re not my servant, Ave’s.”

“I’m your housekeeper. A housekeeper who has no idea how in the hell I’m going to manage to keep this house clean. It’s massive, Eric.”

He flashes me a wicked grin, before opening a door at the other end of the bathroom.

“Not the first time I’ve heard you say that to me. Although I have to admit, I liked hearing it a lot more last time.”

“Ok.” I shake my head, before reaching over and grabbing Jackson out of his arms.

“We’re going to have to set some ground rules if this is going to work out.”

“What do you mean?”

I spin to face him, careful to avoid full eye contact before adjusting Jackson on my hip.

“I mean, if this is going to work out, this needs to be a business only relationship. No innuendos like the one that you just made. No calling me baby, or any of that crap. I’m here to work for you Eric, and that’s it. I need you to treat me like you would treat anyone else who works for you.”

He nods slowly, before looking me up and down.

“Alright. I can try to do that.”

“Try really hard.”

“I...” he shakes his head, before laughing. “Ok, ok. I can do this. See? I almost made a comment there, but I let it go. And that was a good opportunity.”

“Sicko.” I can’t help but to smile, before shaking my head and brushing past him.

“Jackson has his own room? That wasn’t really necessary...oh my god.” I step through the doorway, and my jaw hits the ground.

I glance around, in sheer astonishment, as I take in the room, that has been completely converted into a child’s room.

A toddler bed sits in the corner, his name splayed across the wall in large navy-blue letters. The bed set is made up of a sports theme, and on the other wall, boasts a white armoire with a baseball bat lamp sitting on the top.

“How did you...Eric.” I shake my head, before turning towards him. “This is too much. You didn’t have to do all of this...how...?”

“I wanted you guys to feel at home. This is your home now.” His eyes lock with mine, as he takes a step towards me. I feel all the air leave my lungs in one big swish as he comes even closer to me until we are damn near sharing the same breath.

“This is your home now, Ave’s. This is his home too. For as long as you’ll have it. And all jokes aside, I’m glad as hell to have you here. Both of you here.”

We stand like this, staring at each other until I finally find the courage to take a step back.

“Thank you.” It’s all that I can muster right now, anyhow.

“I’ll let you get settled.” He takes a step backward before turning and heading out of the door. “I’ll leave your bags right here. You know where I’m at. If you need anything.”

“Ok.” I swallow, as he nods, and turns towards the door.

“Oh, Eric. Wait a second.”

He glances back to me, as I take a deep breath.

“The code. You kept mentioning a code, but you never told me what it was.”

“Oh.” He nods slowly, his eyes locking with mine.

“21291.”

“Wait, I should probably write that...” Understanding dawns, as my mouth drops open.

“Your code is my birthday?”

“Yeah.” He nods once, before taking a step towards the door. “I’ll let you get settled.”

The ice the surrounds my heart for this man begins to melt, as the door clicks shut.

The code to his home, is my birthday?

It can’t be a coincidence...

The only explanation that fits, is that he changed the code right before we arrived here.

That would have been pretty damn slick...and hard to pull off.

Although he did manage to have Jackson’s entire room set up for him, so...maybe.

But if not? If that’s just been his code? Well, then I am in serious trouble here.

This man broke my heart badly once. And if I’m not careful?

He’s going to break it all over again.

**