Chloe put her hands on her hips, jutting one shoulder forward in a half shrug. “I’m pretty good at sharing.”
Ember collected her thoughts from the lust-filled haze of debris swirling through her head and moved toward the swing, turning off the music. The diffused lighting played along his masculine features and thick head of hair as he took a seat on the hanging bench.
“I didn’t realize you knew Chloe.” Ember couldn’t hide the astonishment in her voice.
His eyes, soft and dreamy, momentarily locked on Ember’s, before returning his attention to the little girl, giving her knuckles. “Of course, I know Chloe. We’re buddies, huh?”
“Yep!” She nodded happily.
“Chloe!” JC called, waving from across the yard. “Ready to make smores?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Chloe kicked out of her sandals, gathered one shoe in each hand and bolted across the lawn toward the fire. She twisted her neck, hollering over her shoulder, “Watch how fast I am now, Ember!”
Ember and Nash both chuckled watching her little legs carry her like the wind. “Oh, my gosh! You’re as fast as a cheetah!”
Their soft laughter stretched into silence, hovering like the moon hanging in the night sky. Nerves tumbled through her as the arc of electricity grew stronger between them. Goosebumps skittered over her flesh, tightening her nipples, almost painfully, into tight buds.
Nash stretched out his long legs and crossed them at the ankles, folding his hands over his lap. She could feel his stare sinking into her skin as she tucked her phone back into her purse. Heat gathered beneath the material of her dress.
“I…I should get back.”
Without missing a beat, he questioned cagily, “You afraid to be alone with me?”
A bit of challenge rode in his words.
Ember scowled. “No, course not.”
“It’s a beautiful night.” Nash slanted his head toward the swing inviting her to sit beside him. “Seems a shame to waste a good view.”
Staring at the hard lines of his gorgeous profile, she witnessed a soft smile touching his lips as she sat beside him. Ember scooted her bum back into the deep seat and rested a forearm along the arm of the chair, curling her fingers over the edge in a death-grip.
Drawing a deep breath in through her nose, she looked out over the expansive property. The last bits of daylight faded into dark hues of blues highlighting the silhouette of the horizon.
“Texas does have some of the prettiest sunsets.”
“I’m sure California has some beautiful sunsets too.” He shot her a sideways glance. “How long have you been babysitting Chloe?”
Her heart spurred into a ramshackle rhythm. “How did you know—”
“I asked Reed how he knew you.”
“Oh. Well, I’m not their babysitter. I nannied for Chloe part-time, sometimes more, depending on JC’s schedule.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to offend, just didn’t know the correct terminology.”
“There’s more to being a nanny than getting a call saying, Hey can you babysit for me Friday night. I’m more like a cross between a pre-school teacher and a fun auntie who gets paid.” Ember twisted her neck, smiling. “I adore that little girl.”
“I’m sure. She’s a cutie.” His lips turned upward, blessing her with another honest to goodness smile that would make most women go weak at the knees…including Ember.
Nash bent his legs, steadily rocking the swing back and forth. Ember’s feet dangled over the edge. Long blades of green grass tickled the sides of her feet as they swung.
“How long have you been living in California?”
“I was there five years.”
“Besides being a part-time nanny for Chloe, what else do you do?”
“I’m a yoga instructor. I teach classes, mostly privates. Plus, I run a boot camp on the beach several times a year.” Noting the bewilderment carving into the grooves of his forehead, she added, “It’s like extreme yoga. I combine yoga, core work, and high intensity interval training.”
Color burnished the bridge of his nose and his eyes gleamed, taking her in for a quick beat. His fingers knotted together tighter in his lap, constricting the flow of blood, turning his knuckles white. “Looks like it works great for you. You plan on going back?”
Her head spun and she shot him a look. “You just can’t get me out of here fast enough, can you?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?”
“Is there anyone, maybe a boyfriend, waiting for you back in California? It’s not like you planned to pick up and move back to Texas.”
“No.” She held out the vowel, shaking her head adamantly. “I don’t have a boyfriend.” Ember could’ve dropped the topic of dating right there but couldn’t rein in her anxious ramble. “We…I broke things off a while ago, and obviously, I’m not sure if I’m going back.”
Nash’s brows perked with perplexed interest.
“To California, that is.”
“What happened with the boyfriend? Did you date for very long?”
Ember opened her mouth, but then snapped it shut. How do you tell someone you dumped your boyfriend because he was a lousy lover? Flushed with embarrassment, she mused, “Let’s just say long enough to know that we weren’t compatible.”
Nash nodded slowly…contemplating. After a beat, he slid her a haughty grin. “Pony express, huh?”
An awkward chuckle rumbled from her chest. Her face turned so hot she could roast a marshmallow off it. “Something like that.”
The current of energy flowing between them was hot and carnal, raw. She’d never been so attracted to a man before. Sensual tension fired on all cylinders, but there was so much more to him than good looks. There was something there, something mysterious or risky, that she couldn’t put her finger on, but it drew her in, consuming her.
They sat in silence, swinging, as the echoes of music and laughter filled in the quietness, playing harmony alongside the crickets.
“What about you? You gotta girlfriend?”
“No ma’am.”
“How come? It seems to me that a guy like you would have no problem in that department.”
“A guy like me?”
“Attractive, wealthy…that right there would be enough to check all the boxes off ninety percent of women in Texas.”
His shoulder hitched upward in the tiniest of shrugs. “Guess I’d be considered a serial dater. Or so I’m told.”
“Commitment issues, huh?”
“No.” Vagueness wavered in his tone.
Ember tapped her index finger to her mouth attempting to find a polite way to ask why, however her nerves disintegrated her filter. “So, you’re a Little Red Corvette?”
“Pardon?”
“You know, the song? Love ‘em and leave ‘em fast.”
“No. I’m not a Little Red Corvette.” His face scrunched comically. “Where the hell did that expression come from?”
“My mom uses it,” she chuckled timorously.
“I’ve got no problem committing to the right person, but as you pointed out, I’m merely a check list to the greater population of women in Texas. Plus, I’ve been a little busy growing my business. Sometimes, something’s gotta give. For me, that something is my personal life.”