good idea to flirt with me in front of his niece. He couldn’t actually think it was a good idea to flirt with me at all after the other night - could he?
Amber was finally finishing up the last problem on her worksheet when Lisa arrived home with her husband in tow. “Daddy!” Amber exclaimed, nearly falling out of her seat as she launched herself at him.
Lockett got up from the table and spun Lisa around in a big bear-hug. “Happy birthday, sis-in-law,” he said.
She laughed and thumped on his shoulders until he set her down. “I didn’t know you were coming. Was he bothering you?” Lisa asked me.
“Not too much,” I said, closing up Amber’s books. “And happy birthday! I didn’t know!”
“Thanks! Oh, Josh, this is Katherine, the kids’ tutor.” I shook her husband’s hand - Lockett’s brother. He was older, mid-thirties, and had the same eyes and strong, masculine jaw. He didn’t match Lockett’s size, though - not by half.
“Nice to meet you,” he said. Then Finn burst out of his room and jumped at him, stealing his attention away.
“Josh called me up to demand my babysitting services,” Lockett explained. “Go get dressed. You’re going to dinner.”
“And a movie,” Josh said as the kids finally settled down.
“No fair,” Finn whined.
Amber joined in, “We want to go to the movies.”
“Well then I’ll take you,” Lockett said.
As sweet as the scene was, I was starting to feel a little out of place. I retrieved my purse from one of the kitchen chairs and said to Lisa, “Have fun tonight. I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Nuh uh,” Lockett said, “You’re not slipping out, yet. You’re coming with us.”
Josh and Lisa both looked between us - Lockett’s cocksure grin and my bewildered expression - and then looked at each other. “Don’t let this player boss you around,” Josh joked, shoving his brother.
I wracked my brain for a way to gracefully extract myself, but then Amber grabbed my hand. “Don’t leave me with them,” she said, “They’ll make me sit through some action movie and they’ll hog all the popcorn.”
I shrugged at Josh. “He can’t boss me around, but she can.”
“I know the feeling.”
I helped Amber put her things away while her parents got ready to go. We’d join them for the walk over to the movie theater and part ways once there. Great. A night babysitting with Lockett. It wasn’t as if I had anything more pressing to do.
But was it a good idea? Part of me felt like I should flee.
The other part of me was looking forward to sitting with him in the dark.
CHAPTER 7
My leg trembled as his hand rested on my knee. He sank lower in his seat and leaned closer. I could feel his breath tickling my temple.
Lockett wouldn’t kiss me, now. He couldn’t. For one thing, his nephew sat to his other side, and Amber was sitting next to me. The kids would notice, and announce “ew” to the whole theater, and report back to their parents.
But he was sure making me think about it.
The movie wasn’t bad considering it was a kids’ film, so I hissed at him, “I’m trying to watch this.”
“I can already tell you how it ends.”
“I’ll bet.” It wasn’t hard to figure out. It was a pretty standard formula so far - young boy destined to be a hero, something holds him back at first but then he goes on the adventure anyway. We’d only just met his mentor onscreen.
It was hard to concentrate, though, with Lockett’s fingers dancing on my knee.
His lips brushed my ear, sending a thrill of electricity through my body.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, pulling away.
“Bothering you.”
“Well don’t.”
“You really want me to stop?” Finn punched him and hissed, “Shhh!” Lockett thumped him right back.
“I want you to keep your hands to yourself and let me watch the movie,” I
Amber was finally finishing up the last problem on her worksheet when Lisa arrived home with her husband in tow. “Daddy!” Amber exclaimed, nearly falling out of her seat as she launched herself at him.
Lockett got up from the table and spun Lisa around in a big bear-hug. “Happy birthday, sis-in-law,” he said.
She laughed and thumped on his shoulders until he set her down. “I didn’t know you were coming. Was he bothering you?” Lisa asked me.
“Not too much,” I said, closing up Amber’s books. “And happy birthday! I didn’t know!”
“Thanks! Oh, Josh, this is Katherine, the kids’ tutor.” I shook her husband’s hand - Lockett’s brother. He was older, mid-thirties, and had the same eyes and strong, masculine jaw. He didn’t match Lockett’s size, though - not by half.
“Nice to meet you,” he said. Then Finn burst out of his room and jumped at him, stealing his attention away.
“Josh called me up to demand my babysitting services,” Lockett explained. “Go get dressed. You’re going to dinner.”
“And a movie,” Josh said as the kids finally settled down.
“No fair,” Finn whined.
Amber joined in, “We want to go to the movies.”
“Well then I’ll take you,” Lockett said.
As sweet as the scene was, I was starting to feel a little out of place. I retrieved my purse from one of the kitchen chairs and said to Lisa, “Have fun tonight. I’ll see you Thursday.”
“Nuh uh,” Lockett said, “You’re not slipping out, yet. You’re coming with us.”
Josh and Lisa both looked between us - Lockett’s cocksure grin and my bewildered expression - and then looked at each other. “Don’t let this player boss you around,” Josh joked, shoving his brother.
I wracked my brain for a way to gracefully extract myself, but then Amber grabbed my hand. “Don’t leave me with them,” she said, “They’ll make me sit through some action movie and they’ll hog all the popcorn.”
I shrugged at Josh. “He can’t boss me around, but she can.”
“I know the feeling.”
I helped Amber put her things away while her parents got ready to go. We’d join them for the walk over to the movie theater and part ways once there. Great. A night babysitting with Lockett. It wasn’t as if I had anything more pressing to do.
But was it a good idea? Part of me felt like I should flee.
The other part of me was looking forward to sitting with him in the dark.
CHAPTER 7
My leg trembled as his hand rested on my knee. He sank lower in his seat and leaned closer. I could feel his breath tickling my temple.
Lockett wouldn’t kiss me, now. He couldn’t. For one thing, his nephew sat to his other side, and Amber was sitting next to me. The kids would notice, and announce “ew” to the whole theater, and report back to their parents.
But he was sure making me think about it.
The movie wasn’t bad considering it was a kids’ film, so I hissed at him, “I’m trying to watch this.”
“I can already tell you how it ends.”
“I’ll bet.” It wasn’t hard to figure out. It was a pretty standard formula so far - young boy destined to be a hero, something holds him back at first but then he goes on the adventure anyway. We’d only just met his mentor onscreen.
It was hard to concentrate, though, with Lockett’s fingers dancing on my knee.
His lips brushed my ear, sending a thrill of electricity through my body.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, pulling away.
“Bothering you.”
“Well don’t.”
“You really want me to stop?” Finn punched him and hissed, “Shhh!” Lockett thumped him right back.
“I want you to keep your hands to yourself and let me watch the movie,” I
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