Tempting a King (King Family Romance Book 1) by Isla Drake (small books to read .txt) 📗

contact list and the pick-up list, so I just…” he trails off, shrugging sheepishly.

I shake my head quickly. “No, no, no,” I say. “You did fine. I’m not upset.” For some reason I feel flustered. “Thank you, again. I’m sorry about that. When I put you on the list, it was mainly just in case. I didn’t know many people here in town and I trust you with him. Plus, I figured if there was ever a situation where I was unreachable, you’d probably be able to find me.” I laugh. “Since I’d probably be here, working.”

Finn looks contrite. “I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Oh!” I realize how my words must have sounded. “No! That’s not what I meant at all.”

He laughs, making it clear that he was joking.

I roll my eyes at him. “I hate you,” I say.

“Nah,” he laughs. “You like me. Best boss ever.”

“Only because I once worked for a telemarketing company in college,” I say. “You rank right above that guy.”

Finn clutches his chest. “Ouch.”

We both smile as we watch Liam for a few seconds.

“I have to say,” I say eventually. “He doesn’t seem to be feeling too awful right now.”

Finn leans toward me and speaks in a low voice. "Between you and me, I don't think he's sick at all. He mentioned not being the best at baseball and not wanting to go to PE because of it."

My mouth drops open in surprise. "That little turd! Skipping class at eight years old? What's next? Smoking crack?"

Finn laughs. "Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “Next up is getting a tattoo and knocking up his girlfriend.”

At my horrified look, he throws back his head and lets out a massive peal of laughter. I force myself not to stare. Finn’s usually so serious, especially at work. Seeing him laughing does something to me. My brain tries to steer itself toward “Fantasy Land”, but I know that’s a mistake. Instead I turn and look over to where Liam is practicing swinging at the empty air. He looks so focused. The sight helps take my mind off how sexy Finn looks right now.

“Stop worrying so much,” Finn says, pulling my attention back to him. He’s looking at Liam, rather than me. “He's a great kid. He was just embarrassed."

"I wonder why he didn't tell me."

"You're a girl," Finn says, turning back to me with a completely serious expression. "This is man stuff."

I shoot him a narrow-eyed gaze and shove at his arm. "Whatever. I can hit a baseball, too."

The move brings me closer to Finn. I can smell the subtle scent of him. It makes me want to close the distance between us and bury my face against that exposed skin at his collar. Neither of us move for a long moment. My eyes move up from the open collar of Finn’s shirt to the line of his jaw. I picture kissing and licking my way from his mouth to that strong jaw and down the column of his neck. I pull my lower lip between my teeth, fighting the urge to act on my impulses. I’m so utterly tempted to completely disregard the fact that we’re outside in full view of anyone who might be nearby, not to mention the fact that Finn’s my boss. My eyes shift to his. There’s that hint of that something more in his eyes that I thought I’d seen earlier. It’s as though he can read my thoughts. It lasts slightly longer this time and I want to drop everything so I can explore it further. What is he thinking?

A movement behind Finn catches my attention, breaking the spell over us. Finn turns and follows my gaze. We watch as a large SUV rolls down the tree-lined drive toward the main house. That would be the rest of the wedding party. I look at Liam and then back to Finn. The fire in his eyes is once again banked. He smiles down at me as though everything is normal. Maybe it is. Maybe it’s just me imagining what I’d like to see.

"Go," Finn says. "I've got him." Is his voice strained? I’m probably imagining that too.

“Are you sure?” I’m proud that my words come out sounding utterly normal despite my racing heart.

“Absolutely,” he says. “Besides, there’s no one better at guest relations than you.” From anyone else, it would sound like false flattery, but I know Finn. He doesn’t give out false compliments. If he says something, it’s because he means it.

“Thanks,” I say softly. Then, to Liam, “Hey buddy, I gotta go back to work. You okay hanging out with Finn for a while?”

“Yes!” Liam practically shouts. He’s grinning broadly and I can’t help but smile back. Much as I wish I could stay and hang out with Finn too, duty calls. I wave at the two of them and turn to walk back toward the main house.

Part of me feels a deep pang of sadness for what Liam might be missing by not having had his father in his life. Not that I think a man is necessary to help raise a boy, but today has made me realize that there are things about being a little boy that I just haven’t considered. Finn picked up on it during a 10-minute car ride. I glance back once before going inside. Finn is crouched down beside Liam demonstrating the proper way to hold a baseball bat. They’re too far away for me to see Liam’s face, but he’s nodding enthusiastically and mimicking Finn’s stance. I swallow away a lump in my throat and remind myself to thank Finn again for today. I know there are a ton of things he should be doing at work. Instead, he’s taking an afternoon off to teach someone else’s son how to hit a baseball. It’s another reminder of the kind of man he is.

Taking a deep breath, I pull myself together and put on my most welcoming smile as I enter the building. It’s showtime.