“Working with a new team is always tough.” Winking, he adds, “Have to do justice to my nickname.”
“Why do they call you ‘the shark,’ anyway?”
Flashing his teeth in a wide smile, he says, “I bite. Often.”
I have no idea why these three words cause me to bite my lip, but I only realize I’m doing it when Eric’s eyes zero in on my mouth. Jesus. I haven’t reacted to a man this way in a long time. Is there anything he can say or do that won’t set my nerves on edge? I doubt it.
“Dad,” Julie exclaims, noticing her father’s presence. “Can we stay a little longer? Luke’s showing me an awesome computer program for designing.”
“Sure.” Eric observes his daughter before turning his attention to me.
“You’d say yes to anything she asks, wouldn’t you?” I inquire.
He doesn’t hesitate. “Yes. If it makes her happy. The things I’ve endured to see my daughter smile….” He shakes his head. “Let’s say that standing here talking to a beautiful woman is a pleasant way to spend the time while indulging Julie.”
His gaze lingers on me for long seconds, and I can feel the tips of my ears heat up. Damn my ears.
Ignoring the ‘beautiful’ remark, I ask, “What did you endure? Humor me.”
“Let’s see. Once, she asked me if I’d dress up as a character from Beauty and the Beast. Turns out I had to play Belle. I rocked that costume like you wouldn’t believe it.”
It’s a good thing I’m sitting because his words liquefy my muscles. This man is eye-cupcake with a side of chocolate sauce, and if he talks about playing Belle for his daughter for one more second, my ovaries might jump him.
I try to keep from laughing, but a giggle finds its way past my lips anyway. “It’s blowing my mind that you even know who Belle is, and I can totally see you rocking a dress. Your secret is safe with me,” I assure him. “It must be hard, being a single parent.”
He clenches his jaw. “We manage. I don’t do everything on my own. My mother helps, and Julie has nannies. Still, she misses her mother daily.”
There’s a finality in his tone that clues me in not to question him further. The silence stretches for a few seconds, and then he points at the designs in front of me, asking, “Are those yours?”
“Yes.”
Rounding the corner of my desk, he stands next to me, looking at my sketches.
“I drew them this afternoon between giving Julie instructions,” I explain. “We won’t be using them for the current collection because they don’t match the direction, but I like to play around, and I can always keep them and see if they’ll fit in future collections.”
“They’re very….” He pauses as if searching for the right word. “Happy, optimistic.”
I nod. “My drawings and my mood go hand in hand.”
“This means you were happy today.” He rests a hand on my shoulder, and the touch warms me. In fact, it more than warms me. It sends tendrils of heat along my nerve endings.
“Yes. I had a lot of fun with Julie. I’m happy you allowed her to come here.”
Since my divorce, I’ve been careful around men—deemi
ng any man who doesn’t share my last name as distrustful even before he opens his mouth. But something about Eric completely disarms me. I feel at ease around him, and that scares the living shit out of me. Probably because I have a hard time believing that a man who has no qualms putting his ego aside for his daughter, dressing up as Belle, deserves to be mistrusted. Or maybe the reason is simpler—I haven’t learned my lesson yet.
“Dad, we’re done,” Julie announces.
“All right, let’s go.”
The pad of his thumb connects with my shoulder and the touch feels loaded with tension, almost intimate. When he retracts his hand, cold grips me. I walk them both to the elevator, and as the doors open, Eric says, “See you tomorrow.”
The fact that I’ll see him every day for the next two weeks sinks in. Something in his gaze tells me he’s thinking the exact same thing. The air between us is instantly charged, and I avert my gaze as Julie bids me good-bye, and they disappear in the elevator.
What have I gotten myself into?
Chapter Three