Elonne II’s face fell. She cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead.
“I wish you could.”
“What about if you work at Lord Edais’? Would we be okay there?”
“I would have to ask him first. But I am not going there today.”
“Could we come with you when you go?”
Suspicion raised its head inside her. Ensuring it didn’t show on her face, she shrugged.
“I do not know, sweetie.”
“What about for the party?” Carlo posed the question as he and his sister walked out of the back room.
“What party?”
“The one that earl invited all of us to. A house party,” Bella said, clapping her hands excitedly.
Her smile didn’t slip even though pain lanced her. “I have not gotten an invitation to that, so I do not know what you are talking about.” Sure, he had mentioned it, but no invitation had arrived for her and she wasn’t going to alert them that he’d told her but didn’t send her one. That would lead to nothing but more questions from these three. And to be honest, she was putting all her free time into getting the second set of books completed in time for the party.
Except she did know. He had told her she was doing all these extra hours to get the books ready for this party. She hadn’t known, however, that he had invited her brother and his family but not her.
The door flew open and she spun around, putting the kids behind her. Elonne stood there, face angry.
“We have to go.”
She glared at him but didn’t say a word, just kissed each of the kids and walked with them to the door.
He sent them on the way out the door and stared at her. She didn’t back down from his glare. A brief flash of shame filled his expression, but it lasted about as long as a heartbeat.
“You are welcome,” she snapped when he began to close the door.
“For what?”
“Watching your kids with no warning it would be needed. And for keeping them even though I will be late to work now.”
“They will be here again tonight.”
“No.”
He blinked and froze. Damn if that fear didn’t start to creep back into her.
“No?”
“I no longer live with you, Elonne. I said I would help if I could. I cannot. I have late work tonight with both Mr. Caulfield and Lord Edais. I cannot have the children here. It will be late when I get home. I will not have time to care for them. You and Cara watch them or pay someone else to do it.” She shooed him out the door and closed it after her. “I have to get to work.”
Waving to the kids as she walked briskly away, she wondered if they would be there when she got home that night.
Chapter Sixteen
He was becoming a stalker.
No other way to state it. Phillip accepted he had officially begun stalking the woman who occupied all his focus.
Gwen “Fyre” Parker.
Which made the was becoming a had become.
These days without seeing her at his place had become hell. To alleviate that, he had gone into town and hung around just to catch a glimpse of her. She was a drug to his system and it craved more.
So much more.
He walked back into his house in a foul mood, having seen her walk into Mr. Caulfield’s business. His one consolation was that she still wouldn’t go out to Caulfield’s home to do the books like she would for him.
Still didn’t set him at ease. Not even with the fact that Damon and his brothers were there to protect her.
Moody, he worked, ate, and sat slumped behind his desk as the day began to end when Keating knocked on the door.
“What?” He frowned at his butler. “Did I not say I wanted to be left alone?”
“Miss Gwen is here to see you, my lord. She was hoping you had a moment.”
Fire licked his blood and his cock jumped to attention. “Send her in.”
God, he hoped he sounded like an earl and not a boy about to get his first woman. He would bet his entire estate that Keating smirked knowingly before he nodded and backed out of the room.
Moments later she was in the room. He stayed seated, aware his hardness would be visible if he stood.
“Miss Gwen.”
“Thank you, Keating,” she said with a smile. “I appreciate you seeing me without any notice, my lord.” A small curtsey.
His butler was gone and seeing the door close behind him was all the prompting Phillip needed. He was up from his seat and striding over the floor to where she stood, holding a bag by her side.
The fact she was wet from the rain that still hadn’t let up didn’t deter him in the slightest. Phillip reached her and wrapped his arms around her, drawing her flush to him as he conquered her mouth.