Chapter 14

14

S tepping out of my bedroom, I rub my bleary eyes. This week has been brutal. One tough case after another, and I have to work through Saturday, and it's only Thursday evening. The only good thing going right now is that Rory is in a good place. Estlin has been here for more than a month now, and her help with Rory has been everything for both of us.

I don't have to race over to my parents' or Wren's or anyone else's to pick Rory up. She's home and her homework is done, and she helps Estlin make food for us to eat. I used to have my housekeeper occasionally make dinners and leave them in the fridge for me to reheat, but Estlin loves to cook, and Rory loves to help her, and it's been so good for her.

And me.

I admit that my level of stress has significantly gone down.

Estlin takes Rory to gymnastics on Thursday afternoons, and I get texts and videos of them together. Other than the fact that the woman makes my dick hard morning, noon, and night, I'm managing. No more drunken games or clothing mishaps for us .

I still regret that I lost my head when Estlin came downstairs last weekend before she went out looking beautiful and sexy—after I saw and felt what she was wearing under her clothes—and I texted Katy, telling her not to let her get hit on or go home with anyone.

It was wrong. I had no place asking that, and Katy even called me out on it.

Still, my jealousy and desire for her are unlike anything I've ever battled before.

With a yawn, I stumble down the hall, still rubbing my eyes so they readjust and I can see when I catch something small and white lying in the middle of the hallway floor. What the hell is that? My brow furrows as I get close, and my heart kicks up its speed when I bend down and realize it's a pair of Estlin's panties.

Shit. They must have fallen out of her basket when she did her laundry earlier. Picking them up, I can't stop my thumb from dragging along the thin lace as I examine them. They're sexy as fuck. A sheer lacy front and crotch with thin bands that make up the sides and thong. There's a small metal circle connecting the two sides and the thong piece that I can picture sitting right up the crack of her ass on her lower back.

Fuck . I groan, my dick instantly growing hard. Again.

I either need to get laid or give in and finally start jerking off, even if it's about her. I can't handle the relentless tension in my body. How I'm always wound so fucking tight, ready to burst whenever she's around. Maybe a release would help that. Take the edge off.

The problem is, I don't want anyone but her.

Like a goddamn pervert, I bring them up to my nose and take a deep inhale.

Motherfucker. I groan again, my cock actually leaking into my briefs.

A noise comes from the stairs that startles me. Shit! I stuff the panties into my pocket and turn, practically sweating like the sinner I am.

Estlin's head pops up from the top of the stairs. "Hey!" she says with a smile as she sees me. "Are you coming down for dinner? The food's ready."

"Uh-huh."

Her head tilts, her long hair falling across her shoulders. "You okay? You have that Mr. Darcy tone to you again."

What is it with her calling me Mr. Darcy? "I'm fine. I'm coming." And I'm going to need to later before I lose my mind for good. This is the second pair of panties I've officially stolen from my nanny.

The three of us have fajitas since that's what Rory said she wanted. They're fantastic. Estlin is an amazing cook. Easy. Light. I've been trying to be more relaxed, more present, especially with Rory. She's been excited to plan the sailing trip with me. Naturally, this has Katy gloating, but when doesn't Katy?

After dinner, I head upstairs to remove my contacts and put on my glasses to give my eyes a much-needed break. Only right before I go to leave, I feel something in my pocket and remember I have Estlin's panties in there.

All through dinner with her, I had them in my pocket.

It drags a wicked grin to my lips, and I slip them out, touching them again. I go over to my bed and sit down, staring at them. I'm a fucking creep. A dirty old man. I sigh, dropping my elbow to my thigh and resting my forehead in my hand as I stare down at the tiny scrap in my hand. Being a single dad isn't easy. Working as a surgeon isn't easy. Being fucking Owen Fritz isn't easy.

All those things combined equal no sex. No relationships.

And while I'm not sure how much I miss the relationship part, more and more I'm starting to miss the sex part. I can't get that night with her out of my head. I can't get her out of my head. I bring them to my nose again just as the door to my room opens, and I jump out of my skin. Immediately, I shove them under my pillow and turn, trying to calm my racing heart and cool my nerves after nearly being caught twice in one night with Estlin's panties under my nose.

"Dad?" Rory comes in. "Did you want to watch the movie with us?"

"Sure," I say a little too brightly. I clear my throat. "Which one did you pick? And please tell me it's not The Little Mermaid again."

Rory makes an annoyed scowl but gets over it a second later. "No. Estlin said she wanted to watch Encanto ."

"Perfect." I stand and head down to the movie theater with her. Estlin is already there, the movie queued up on the massive screen, and a bowl of popcorn in her hand.

"This is not all for you," she warns Rory. "We're sharing this for sure."

It makes me snicker. I think Rory's vomiting did a number on her.

"Aargh," Rory huffs but climbs onto the reclining bench seat instead of one of the large single seats. Estlin and I pile in on either side of her, but as they watch the movie, I can't stop watching them. The way they snuggle and say the lines together and giggle and sing along. Every day I'm near her, this feeling I've been pretending isn't there gets a little stronger, a little more persistent.

Words like nanny, best friend's little sister, and too young all start to lose their meaning.

Estlin catches me watching her and smiles. I smile back, like a fool tempting a fate I have no business tempting.

The movie ends, and I put Rory to bed as she sings me songs from the movie. "When I grow up, I want to be a pop star, an artist, a mommy, and a professional swimmer."

"Those all sound good. What about a doctor? "

She scrunches her nose. "You work too much, and there's a lot of blood."

Hard to argue with that.

"All right, pop star. Let's get you to sleep."

I kiss Rory good night and then head down the hall. I don't know where Estlin is or what she's up to, but I have no plans to find out. My shift starts early tomorrow, and I need as much sleep as I can get. Only when I climb into bed and get settled in the dark, I feel Estlin's thong beneath my pillow. And it makes for a very long, restless night.

My forearm meets the shower wall, the top of my head tucking into it, keeping my face pointed down toward the shower floor. Toward my heavy, thick cock that's practically staring accusingly up at me. Hot water cascades down my back, and I don't have it in me this morning to turn it to cold.

I woke up an hour earlier than I normally do after a shitful night of sleep. But no matter how hard I ran on the treadmill, how many weights I lifted, or how many crunches I did, it wasn't enough. No way I can go through the shift I have today like this.

With a groan of defeat, I wrap my fist around my cock and groan again, this time in pleasure. Fuck, that feels good. And God, do I need this.

I start to pull in hard, fast jerks because not only am I too wound up to drag it out for myself, but I'm short on time. My fist against the wall clenches and my eyes close as I picture her, no longer able to hold it back.

Estlin's blue-green eyes stare up at me in a haze of lust. Her silky cunt wrapped around my cock. Her large, perfect tits bounce as I pound into her. Her sweet fucking moans cling to me as she says my name .

"Owen. Oh shit!"

"What?" I jolt away from the wall like I've been electrocuted, slipping along the shower floor and nearly busting my ass. Estlin is in my bathroom. What the fuck is she doing in my bathroom? And at this hour. "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

"Oh my God!" She covers her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I thought you'd be working out. You're always in the gym at this hour."

"I have to be in early. What are you doing in here?"

"Right. Right. Fuck. Right."

"Estlin?!" It's both a question and an expletive. She's wearing a cropped shirt with no bra and tiny sleep shorts. Not fucking helping anything right now, sweet thing .

"I was looking for my panties. I'm missing my favorite ones, and I can't find them anywhere, so I thought…" She trails off, nibbling on her lip as she shifts her position nervously.

"So you thought you'd sneak into my bathroom to look for them?"

"I didn't know you'd be in the shower!" she shouts, still with her eyes covered since I'm standing here naked, though my cock isn't as happy as he was a few minutes ago.

"You shouldn't just come in here."

"I know! I know, I'm sorry. But if I asked you for them, you wouldn't have given them to me."

She's right. I wouldn't have. I would have denied it until my dying breath. And to prove that point…

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure." She cocks her hip. "And I'm sure if I asked you if you were just jerking off, you'd lie about that too."

Shit. She saw. Of course she saw. How could she not?

"Out."

"Were you thinking of me and my panties?"

Fucking vixen. "No. Never."

Her hand falls away from her eyes, and she gives me a smug look before her gaze travels down my body, barely obstructed by the steam on the glass door. "Suuuure you weren't." She bobs her head. "Don't worry. I use my vibrator while thinking about you sometimes. At least I'm honest about it. Panty thief ." She swivels around and leaves, slamming the bathroom door shut behind her.

Shit. Fuck!

I turn off the water and fly out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body and racing into my bedroom with wet feet, slipping and sliding as I go. My hair is dripping all over me, and I shiver against the cool air of my room.

Estlin is now digging into my nightstand drawer, searching for her goddamn panties. And of course…

"Ha!" She pulls out the ones I stole from her the night we met. "I knew it. How many times did you put these over your face and jerk off?"

My stupid dick gives a twitch, but for once I answer her honestly, despite my mortification. "Not once."

She studies me for a moment, and when she realizes I'm telling the truth, she frowns. She doesn't like that answer. Especially after she just admitted she uses her vibrator to thoughts of me. Something I shouldn't have reminded myself about because I'm starting to tent my towel.

She moves on, thankfully not noticing that. "Where are my other panties? Those are my favorite ones, and I know you have them. They were in my laundry basket yesterday, and now they're not with my clean stuff."

"Maybe the dryer ate them."

"I put them on the hand-wash cycle and never dry them, Owen. I know you have them."

I fold my arms over my chest, and she takes me in as I do that, her gaze flicking over my shoulders, arms, and abs dripping with water. She licks her lips, her pupils darkening, and then she clears her throat and looks over toward the door, her cheeks heating with color.

"I just want them back. If you don't give them to me, I'll go through your room after you leave."

I can't have that. Not that I have a lot to hide, but I can't know she's in my room, touching my things.

With a growl of frustration, I storm over to the bed, practically shoving her out of the way as I do. I reach beneath my pillow and ball up her thong in my fist. "Here." I chuck it at her. "Happy now?"

A triumphant smile curls up her lips. "You kept them under your pillow and didn't use them? Am I supposed to believe that?" Her incredulous tone tells me she doesn't believe me for a second.

"I didn't. I had them in my hand last night, and Rory came in. I panicked and shoved them under my pillow and then forgot about them."

Her eyes narrow at me, and she does another sweep of my body. "Whatever you say, Panty-thieving pervert."

"You've proven your point. Now get out of here. I have to get dressed for work."

She skips over to the door, and I watch her ass jiggle as she does in only those little shorts. The door shuts behind her, and I blow out a strained breath. My dick hurts. My balls fucking ache. And now she knows for sure that I stole her underwear. Twice.

How do I explain that away? I'm her boss. I crossed a million lines I told her we weren't ever going to cross.

With a heavy, miserable sigh, I head for the closet to get dressed when the door bursts open again. I was in the process of taking off my towel, and when she comes in, I quickly recover myself. She catches me doing it, a wry smirk on her lips .

She tosses something at me that hits me right in the face, only to bounce off and plummet to the floor.

"There. Freshly worn. Those should help you finish what you were doing in the shower." She spins back around and slams the door shut behind her. I pick up her panties—no longer giving a fuck since she gave them to me for this purpose—and smell them.

Fuuuuck .

I groan. The towel hits the floor. And with her panties against my face, I jerk off, coming too fast and hard while imagining my tongue in her cunt. It's pathetic. Not only is there no way I'll ever live this down, but there's also no way I won't do this again now that I've started.