“No.”
“Come on, Dom,” she whines, rolling onto her back again. “It’s just for an evening. It won’t be fun, I won’t lie, but I really want to take you with me. Don’t you want to see what I’ve been working on?”
“I’m proud of you, whatever you’ve done. But . . .” I imagine seeing the two wenches from the restaurant there and being under their scrutiny. “It’s not my thing.”
“You brought me here. I want to bring you there.”
“You took me to Hillary’s. Same difference.”
“No, it isn’t. Not at all.”
r /> “Then I can’t imagine the excitement I’d have at a charity ball,” I deadpan.
She gives me the best glare she can muster, which isn’t much. “Will you at least think about it?”
“You think about this,” I say, getting to my feet and looking down at her. “You consider what it might be like if I got my hands on Graham. Then ask me again to accompany you if you think that’s a great choice. In the meantime, I’ll be in the ring if you care to join me.”
I walk away, hearing her scramble to her feet behind me. “No one is here, right?”
“Nada.”
“You know what we could do . . .”
I grin, knowing exactly what she’s thinking and start peeling my shirt off.
Camilla
“I CAN HANDLE THIS,” I laugh. The wind blows through my hair, the sunshine warm on my face as I look up at Dom. “I’ve babysat kids before.”
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I see his attention switch direction and land on my cleavage. I squeeze a little tighter than necessary and watch his pupils widen just a bit.
“Do you want to go to the gym today? Or stay home and play with Ryder?” I ask.
“Gym.”
“Then get your ass out of here,” I say, swatting him on the behind as I step to the side. “Ryder! Don’t go down the slide headfirst, okay?”
“Okay!”
He repositions himself at the top of the slide and scoots down the metal incline and into a pit of sand below. Picking himself up, he goes right back around to do it again with the biggest smile on his face.
The playground behind their apartment complex is minimal at best. A slide, a broken teeter-totter, a little dinosaur that just bobs back and forth, and a couple of swings are it. Ryder knows no difference. This is his favorite place in the world.
“What are you going to do all afternoon?” Dom asks, coming up behind me and folding me into his chest. His chin rests on my shoulder as we watch his nephew.
“This, probably. I, um . . .” I force a swallow, a little nervous and a little embarrassed about my next sentence. “I brought some designs that Sienna has for the company she’s thinking about launching with a friend in Illinois. She asked me to take a look at them for some reason, but I don’t know why—”
“Because you’re smart.”
My cheeks heat and it has nothing to do with the sun.
“I heard your suggestions for The Gold Room. Have you ever thought of doing something with design? Maybe interior design or something? Your house is beautiful.”