“Herriot being the devil?”
“Of course.”
She didn’t know a thing about construction, or whatever it was Ross did, exactly, but she couldn’t imagine any better role for Armand Herriot than the devil. “I’m sorry.” She hesitated, then said, “Do you want me to stay for a little while? The kids have been bugging me to watch the movie Shrek. We spent most of the day at the pool and didn’t get to see it.”
She wanted so much to touch him. To find some way to comfort him. She watched as he drank the rest of the bottle. He didn’t respond to her question, but continued staring down the hall, rubbing his chin lightly with one hand.
“You know,” he said finally, “that would be great.”
…
“Say good-bye to Kelsey and then head upstairs,” Ross told Matt. “Remember, it’s her last day.” He’d just carried a sleepy Julia to her bed and turned out the lights. Thankfully, the memory of the grim events of the day had been dulled by a couple of hours of cartoon donkeys and ogres, some truly awful Alfredo, several beers, and the close proximity of Kelsey on the couch beside him while they watched the movie.
He didn’t want to think about what her replacement as nanny meant for the two of them. There was only so much a man’s brain could handle at one time, and he’d reached his limit at about 10:00 a.m. that morning.
“But…” Matt glanced over at Kelsey. “Didn’t you tell him about the climbing wall?”
She grimaced. “You were supposed to let me ask him about that,” she said, shooting him a guilty look.
“Oops.” Matt didn’t look the least bit repentant. “Sorry.” He ran over and gave Kelsey one of his trademark tackle-hugs, and then skipped up the stairs and disappeared from view.
“Climbing wall?” Ross raised one tired brow. He had been wondering how long it would be before Kelsey suggested something along those lines.
“It’s totally safe,” she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “It’s a popular place with tons of kids and safety instructors. There are foam mats on the ground, and special climbs for the kids that aren’t too difficult. They’re never more than twelve feet off the ground and—”
He raised a hand to stop her. “I thought Hope was coming on Monday.”
“She was—or can be, if you want. But I didn’t get to take the kids climbing this week so I talked to Hope about it and she said if it’s okay with you, I can come back Monday and take the kids there. She isn’t into it herself, and Marie can get her a one-day temp job and have her start Tuesday. Matt was really excited about it and I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
He didn’t have the energy to fight about climbing walls, or anything else Kelsey might have planned. “That’s nice of you. I’m sure Matt is thrilled. It’s fine with me as long as everyone does whatever safety checks they require and it doesn’t mess things up for Hope for the rest of the summer.”
“Wow,” she said. “You really must be in a bad mood. I thought you’d never agree to that.”
He tried for a smile, but it fell away. Kelsey picked up her bag and started toward the door. He thought about letting her go, but knew he couldn’t. She was slipping on her shoes as he approached from behind. Her T-shirt was cool under his fingers. His thumb found the skin of her neck and she froze.
“Ross…” Her voice trailed away.
He touched her neck with his mouth. “Can you stay?” he asked. “Just a little bit longer?”
Her body was still. He felt her heartbeat under her skin.
“Yes.”
She turned around slowly, and the kiss was as necessary as it was inevitable. Their bodies seemed to fall into each other as though they’d never been apart. For the first time that day, he forgot everything.
After a long moment, she pulled away. “You need to check on Matt,” she said.
He nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
…
Ross waited until the kids were asleep before he went back downstairs. Kelsey must have exhausted them at the pool, because even Luke didn’t protest when he turned off the lights and closed the door, and within a few minutes, he was snoring away.
He found Kelsey in the kitchen, sitting on one of the barstools by the center island. She was reading a magazine and swinging one long leg underneath her, in a strangely enticing, unselfconscious motion.
Would there come a time when he didn’t look at her and feel her fresh, pure sensuality like a punch to his gut?
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked, walking over to the cupboard and taking out a bottle of merlot. “I think I need one.”