Just as I suspected, I didn’t even see Graham in the coming week. Although he texted me regularly, he never said a word about the night we spent together or the terrible day afterward. I wasn’t surprised when he left the picnic early, although I was annoyed that he even suggested it to begin with. What wasn’t tolerated was the violent punch that he’d thrown right in front of Tyler. I was so angry that I couldn’t even look back at him as I gathered the picnic things and hurried away.

Tyler was a flurry of questions, and I couldn’t answer a single one of them. It took all afternoon to finally get him settled, and then I had to hide from Crystal to avoid her questions.

There was a simple note the next morning with a list of things he wanted me to do. At the very end were two simple words.

I’m sorry.

Graham didn’t seem like a man who apologized easily, and I couldn’t figure out what he was apologizing for. Was he saying that he never should have touched me? That he initiated contact with my son? That he left us in the middle of everything?

I didn’t have the nerve to ask. I was ashamed to admit that even though I was angry, and even though I knew it would never end well, I missed his touch. I missed his lips on mine, the feel over his body pressed against mine, the way he took the time to learn everything I liked.

I was in way over my head.

“Miss, you can’t come in here! Miss!”

At the sound of Daniel’s frantic voice, I snapped my head up. Before I could even rise from my desk, the door flew open and those telltale heels clicked across the hardwood floor. “You fucked him, didn’t you!” Darleen shrieked.

“I’m so sorry,” Daniel gasped as he chased after her. “I guess Mr. Porter forgot to revoke her access code. I’ll call the police.”

“Darleen, do you want Daniel to call the police?” I asked in a calm voice. “Or do you think we can sit down and discuss this like adults?”

For a moment, I thought she’d throw something at me, but she slid into the chair and crossed her arms. “I think we’re fine here,” I told Daniel. “I’ll let you know if that changes.”

“Mr. Porter will not be happy that she’s here,” he muttered under his breath as he walked away.

Although my voice was even, my heart was pounding something crazy. I didn’t think for a single second that Darleen was sane when it came to Graham. “I want you to know that I was happy with our arrangement. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Then you shouldn’t have taken the job,” she hissed.

“I need the money. You know that.” I looked at the woman and felt some pity. It was obvious that she’d had her sights set on Graham, and it was just as obvious that she didn’t know a thing about him.  And you do? My inner voice taunted me, and I ignored it. “I have a son to think about.”

“Were you thinking about your son when you spent the night last night? When you went to dinner with him wearing that slutty dress?”

My back stiffened. “And how would you know all that?”

“I have my sources,” she said as she stuck her nose up in the air. “You know just as well as I do that you don’t belong in his world. You’re just some piece of trash who lives out of a motel, and he’ll figure you out for the gold-digging slut that you.”

Even though she hadn’t raised her voice, she was getting nasty. “You don’t know the first thing about me,” I reminded her coldly.

“And neither does he,” Darleen snapped. “Look at you. You’re pathetic. You can barely take care of yourself or that creepy kid of yours, and you think sucking a rich man’s cock will get you everything that you want.”

“That’s enough,” Graham said coldly. Darleen gasped and whirled around. I hadn’t even realized that he was in the house, and I’d never seen such anger in his face before. His gaze shot daggers of ice, and for a moment, I thought that perfect control of his would snap. “Get out before I throw you out.”

To my surprise, Darleen didn’t even seem upset as she stood. In fact, she smirked. “I’m going to remember this moment when it all comes tumbling down around you,” she said as she glanced my way. When she stroked Graham’s arm on the way out, I wanted to pick up the potted plant on my desk and hurl it in her direction.

“Are you okay?” he asked me when she’d walked away. “I’ve already had her access code revoked, so this won’t happen again. I should have done it immediately.”

“I’m fine, but I’m fairly certain that she’s stalking you. You might want to look into that.” I didn’t like the concern in his eyes when he watched me. It made me feel secure, and the last thing that I needed to do was feel secure around him. “Have you been here all week?”

He leaned against the door, and I realized that there were circles under his eyes. “Yes,” he said quietly.

I wanted to remind him that a vague apology on paper meant nothing, but I also wanted to keep my job. Forcing a smile, I nodded my head. “I’m sure you’ve been busy. I’m actually ahead of schedule today, so if you need me to do anything else, feel free to let me know.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Why would I be angry? This is your home, and I work for you. So long as you pay me, I don’t need to concern myself with where you are.” The words were almost stuck in my throat, and I had to force them out.

To my utter dismay, he stepped inside and closed the door. “Since I’m here, I’d like to talk with you about what happened.”

“It’s not necessary.” There was no escape. “I’m perfectly happy pretending that it didn’t happen.”

“I’m not.”

Of course he wasn’t. If there was one thing that I was learning about Graham Porter, it was that he wasn’t predictable in the slightest. “Very well. We can acknowledge that it happened and that it won’t happen again.”

He turned his head up slightly, and a sexy smile spread across his face. “Won’t it? Even right now, my body is screaming for me to touch you. Why should I ignore that?”

“Sex is complicated,” I whispered.

“It doesn’t have to be. We can avoid the awkward days after by avoiding spending the night together. It’s a simple solution.”

“If all you want is sex, I’m sure that women will be lining up outside your door for a night with you.” I tried to sound bored as he sat in the chair across from me and stretched out his legs. Why did he have to be so tempting?

“They’re not you, and there are things that I haven’t done with you yet. I haven’t tasted you. I want to slide my tongue across your clit until you scream for mercy. And I believe we already talked about your fantasy of spreading your legs for me on a desk. Was it this desk?”

Swallowing hard, I tried not to look at the desk. I kept my gaze trained on him as though I wasn’t growing wet at his words or tormented by the mental images in my head. “Why me?” I whispered. “Is it just because you know you shouldn’t? Is it about control?”

“My urges are a little more basic than that,” he said in a low voice. “I want you, Julie. Pure and simple. It has nothing to do with anything else.”

Before I could respond, there was a knock on the door and it swung open. To my surprise, the man from the garden strolled in with a cocky grin. “I’m sorry. Am I interrupting something? I was fairly certain that I heard screaming earlier, and I thought I might be missing out on all the fun.”

Graham growled. “The door was closed for a reason.”

“I knocked.” The younger man was just as handsome as Graham, and I knew without a doubt that they were related. He winked at me as he stretched his hand out. “Graham has terrible manners, so I’ll introduce myself. I’m Miles Porter. You must be the lovely and mysterious Julie Dennings. The first time I heard your name, Graham was certain that you were up to something truly devious. If his original assumptions were correct, you’re a master at worming your way into the heart of the Porter mansion.”

“For God’s sakes, Miles,” Graham muttered. “Do you have to be such an idiot?”

I wasn’t one to let another smooth talking Porter catch me off-guard. “Deception of the Porter family isn’t high on my list. How’s that jaw feel, by the way?” I fixed a steely look at Graham. “My son wanted to know why he wasn’t allowed to punch people like that.”

Graham had the decency to glance at the floor, but Miles chuckled. “I’m afraid the punch was well deserved. Graham was simply defending your honor, although I suppose we owe the boy an apology. I was looking forward to getting to know him. Daniel tells me that he’s quite the charmer, and this house could use a little charm.”

“I need to get back to work,” Graham said suddenly as he stood. “Julie, we’ll finish this conversation up at a later date. If my cousin doesn’t keep you too long, you’re welcome to go home early.”

His voice was chilly, as if the conversation in question hadn’t heated his blood the way it had heated mine. I was left puzzled as he stormed out. “Don’t mind him,” Miles said as he took Graham’s seat. “He is emotionally stunted. It’s the Porter genes. Did I miss a good catfight? I always wanted to know how Darleen would fair with those huge jugs of hers slowing her down.”

The idea of Darleen and I in a knock-down-drag-out fight was so absurd that I had to laugh, although I was sure that was Miles’s plan all along. I’d known him for less than ten minutes, and I already liked him. He had a way about him that made me feel at ease, and he was so different from Graham. I wondered if his parents were a little more warm and loving. “You didn’t miss anything,” I said easily. “Although it’s been a long time since I’ve been in a fight, I don’t think Darleen is the type who cries at a broken nail despite her prissy attitude. She’d probably surprise everyone.”

Miles leaned forward, and the light caught his eyes. I realized that they had the same greyish tint that Graham’s had. “You? In a fight? Do tell.”

“Oh yeah,” I laughed. “I took down Mark Golding with one swift kick when he tried to take my Barbie lunchbox. I saved up six months worth of allowance to buy it, and I was not about to let him get his grubby hands on it!”

Miles whistled. “One kick, huh?”

“To the groin. Works every time.”

He visibly winced, and I chuckled. I wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon talking to him and maybe grilling him about Graham, but he stood and stretched. “Unfortunately, I’m not just here for pleasure, but I do want to get to know more about the woman who has made my cousin resort to violence.”

“I’m sure you don’t have to worry about that again,” I said as a dull flush creeped up my cheeks. “It was just a bad day for everyone.”

“You should get to know him,” Miles said softly. “I think you might be surprised by what you find.”

I was speechless when he walked away. Surely Miles knew that I wasn’t the kind of woman that should be getting to know Graham, but his words echoed in my head. Maybe I had painted Graham unfairly. Just because the circumstances resembled Jonathan’s didn’t mean that they were two peas in a pod. Maybe I’d spent so much time protecting myself and Tyler that I didn’t realize how much we were both lacking.

It sounded insane in my head, but maybe Miles was right. Maybe I should take a chance and see what Graham had to offer.

Especially since I was already half in love with the man.