expect you to make that kind of emotional commitment to him.” He glances around the room and sighs heavily. “You see what happened when he thought you were gone for good. I need to prepare myself if . . . if you plan to leave us.”
I wipe my eyes. “Do you want me to go?”
“Are you kidding? Olivia, you’ve done more with him in six days than I’ve been able to do in months. He adores you. You calm him. You calm me. If you were to leave . . . I honestly don’t know what I’ll do, but that’s not your problem. He’s my son, and I’ll get him the help he needs. But I need to know what I’m facing here. I have to know. Do you want to stay with us? Because if you don’t . . .”
His voice trails off, but he doesn’t have to finish his thought.
I understand.
If I’m leaving, it’s best I go now.
For a split second, I consider packing my suitcase. No one would blame me. All they’d have to do is take one look at this room to see how unstable the child truly is.
But the mere thought of walking out that door makes me sick to my stomach.
I can’t abandon him.
I won’t.
“I love him, too. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Jackson’s eyes dance with relief and joy.
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
He smiles then—a heart-stopping, beautiful smile that takes my breath away. Our hands, still linked, suddenly become all I can focus on, because his fingers start trailing against my skin, causing goosebumps to erupt on my flesh.
Jackson’s eyes flicker to my lips.
“You’re so good with him. So good for him,” he says softly.
“He’s good for me, too.”
Jackson’s face inches closer to mine, and my entire body trembles when he trails his nose along my cheek. With a quiet gasp, I tilt my head, and he softly brushes his lips against my neck.
“So good,” he murmurs.
His hands find my waist, pulling me close. In the back of my mind, I hear a voice screaming this is wrong. That we can’t. That we shouldn’t. But his touch is electric, and it’s all I can do not to whimper when he teases my lips with his own.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispers.
We should stop, but instinct and emotion override logic.
And I close my eyes.
My mind is at war with my body.
It’s too much. Too fast. We need to stop.
The rational side of my brain understands this. But the other side—the frustrated and exhausted side—is now in control of my every move. My every thought. My every breath.
I lift my hand and smooth her hair away from her beautiful face. So soft. I knew it would be, no matter how hard I’d tried not to imagine it. Her gorgeous green eyes are closed, but her lips part in silent invitation.
I’m too tired to refuse. I simply don’t have the strength.
“Livia . . . where are you?”
A small, soft voice floats from down the hall. Her eyes dart open. Immense relief combined with crushing defeat vibrates through my body as my son’s voice registers in my ears.
Instantly, the spell is broken.
“I should go,” she says softly.
And, in a flash, she’s gone. Out of my arms and running to my son.
Completely bewildered, I quickly walk to my study and slam the door, resting my forehead against the cool, mahogany door as I try to catch my breath. When that doesn’t work, I head to the bar and pour myself a drink before collapsing in the leather chair. I drain the whiskey in one colossal swallow.
What are you doing, Healey?
I have no idea. I’ve had no clue since the woman walked into my house. For the first time in years, I’m attracted to a woman, and I have absolutely no idea what to do.
You can’t do anything. That’s the problem.
I crossed a line tonight. An imaginary but potent line in the sand that I’d drawn in my own head. From the moment she walked into my office on that very first day, I’d realized immediately that I would have to keep my distance if this arrangement was going to work.
And I’d kept my distance . . . until tonight.
It unnerves me, just how attracted I am to her. With her long blonde hair and deep green eyes, she’s breathtakingly beautiful. Even her boring T-shirts and jeans aren’t enough to hide how gorgeous she is. If anything, the fact that she doesn’t try to look beautiful makes her even more so.
My attraction to