Page 18 of His Long-Lost Baby

“Thank you,” she says, smiling up at me. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” I reply, returning her smile. “Now, let’s get to work.”

She moves to leave, and I catch her arm. “One more thing,” I say, my voice low.

“Yes?” she asks, voice barely above a whisper.

Realizing that I’ve overstepped by grabbing her arm, I quickly release it.

Shit. What the hell is wrong with me?

It’s like my thinking brain has gone to hell. This woman walks into the room and everything up there gets scrambled.

“James?” she prompts. “You said there was something else?”

“Yes.” I clear my throat and take a step back from her. “I want to see what you come up with for the project before we present it to the rest of the team. Just to make sure everything is perfect.”

She nods, a look of relief washing over her face. “Of course, I’ll make sure it’s ready for your review.”

“Perfect,” I say, feeling some of the tension between us dissipating. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

As she leaves my office, I can’t help but wonder what just happened between us. I’ve always prided myself on being professional and composed, but something about Billie throws me off balance.

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I have a project to focus on, and I won’t let anything distract me from making it a success.

Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve been with a woman, and that’s what has me all messed up.

Pulling out my phone, I text a girl I’ve been casually dating for the past couple months. And of course it’s casual.

I don’t do serious. I tried that a couple times, and it wasn’t for me.

But as I stare at her name on my phone, I can’t help but feel a sense of emptiness. This woman, who I’ve been seeing for months, doesn’t excite me the way Billie does.

I shake my head, trying to push the thought away. I can’t let myself be distracted by an employee.

Dinner tonight?I text Camille.

She responds almost immediately.

Sure, where do you want to meet?

I quickly reply, suggesting a restaurant I know she likes. As I hit send, I can’t help but wonder if I’m making the right choice. Maybe I should cancel and focus on work instead. But then again, a night out might be just what I need to clear my head.

Billie is smart and creative. Beautiful, too. But if she’s going to be a distraction then that will be a problem, and it’s up to me to make sure things don’t come to that.

CHAPTER7

BILLIE

“It’s time to put your shoes on, sweetie.”

“No!” Quinn sits on the living room floor, arms crossed. “I don’t want to.”

I sigh, catching sight of the clock on the wall. Damn it. We should have left for school drop-off ten minutes ago.

I kneel down in front of her, trying to coax her into getting ready. “Come on, Quinn. You don’t want to be late for school, do you?”

“I’m not going today.”