I nodded again. “I’ll make it work.”
Aaron raised his eyebrows, and a smile played around his lips. He was so handsome when he smiled. I wanted to see more of it.
“I should hope so,” he said.
I stood, and Aaron gestured for me to walk to the front door. He followed me. At the door, I turned around, and he nearly bumped into me––he’d expected me to keep walking and not stop before we reached the elevator.
It put him right up against me, and my breath caught in my throat. I could smell his cologne and looked up at his tall, muscular height.
He was incredibly attractive, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Thank you for giving me a chance,” I breathed, remembering what I’d wanted to say.
“We’ll see how it goes, Miss Weaver.”
“Call me Jade,” I said.
“Jade.” God, my name soundeddeliciousin his mouth. “See you tomorrow.”
I nodded and turned to talk to the elevator. I had butterflies in my stomach and panic in my chest.
What have I done?
6
AARON
Jadewasn’tthetypeof woman I would have hired to take care of my kid. She was a little all over the place, and her interview had been terrible. I wouldn't have thought twice about taking her on if it hadn’t been for how Ben had reacted to her.
Ben was always so shy and quiet. He didn’t make friends easily and only opened up to people when he’d known them for a while. When he’d come out to see who Jade was, he’d been so open with her that I’d barely recognized him.
The elevator doors opened the next day, producing Jade.
When she stepped out, she took my breath away. I’d had this same reaction to her yesterday when I’d first met her, too.
She was stunning. Her long, light brown hair was wavy and natural. She didn’t look like she fussed about her looks all the time, and she didn’t have to. She had a natural beauty about her that made me stare. Anyone would do a double take when she walked past. It wasn’t only her natural confidence and the way she carried herself. Her smile was magnetic, and her gray eyes made me want to fall into them.
“Are you ready to leave?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, but as she said it, her foot caught on the lip between the elevator and the foyer floor, and she stumbled forward. “Oh!”
I stepped forward and caught her, one hand on her ribs, the other on her elbow. She was tiny, with a petite build.
“Sorry,” she breathed.
“Careful,” I said.
When she straightened, she was right up against me, and her eyes locked on mine. Her full lips were slightly parted, and her cheeks flushed.
“I can be so clumsy,” she said.
The atmosphere between us was electric, and I was hyper-aware of how close she was, of her small hands on my arms. Her skin was hot, branding me through my shirt.
I could just dip my head and kiss her. She was so close, and the smell of her perfume was intoxicating––something floral and subtle, something addictive.
“We should get going,” I said and cleared my throat. “The school bell will go soon, and I want to show you where to pick up Ben from after school.”
She nodded and took a step back. I turned back to the apartment to shut the front door, and we stepped into the elevator together.