Chapter 9

9

I cy wind tickles the sweat dripping down my neck and face as I skate across the roughed-up ice, adjusting my stick in my gloved hand as I go. I haven't played in months, mostly because my schedule with Rory and at the hospital hasn't allowed for it. This felt good. Necessary even to burn off the excess tension that's been sitting heavy in my limbs.

What happened this morning with Estlin in my office was a mistake.

It never should have happened from either of us, but that's not even what alarms me so much about it. It's how fast it happened. How impulsive I was to play-fight and then tickle her like that in the first place. How good it felt when she was on top of me.

After she left my office, she spent the day playing with Rory and keeping her distance from me. Any interactions we did have were polite and professional. When Katy came to pick Rory up for swimming, Estlin moved all of her stuff in, refusing my help, and I haven't seen her since as she stayed up in her room until I left for hockey.

I'm hoping what happened this morning won't happen again and that we can be adults from here on out. Adults who don't touch or tickle or tease or flirt. She's sitting up in the stands with Rory and Jack because I made the mistake of telling Jack I was playing today when he called me earlier to not only thank me for hiring Estlin but also to see how it was going.

A bump on my shoulder jostles me out of my thoughts. "Nice shot on goal," my cousin Stone, who is Kaplan's, son, says skating beside me. He also works at Children's with me, though he's an emergency medicine resident. We lost, which pisses me off because my last-second shot hit the crossbar. I never miss that shot.

"Thanks, man, but it didn't get where it needed to go."

Vander skates on the other side of me as we file toward the bench and the locker rooms so we can shower off our loss. Vander's father, Lenox, along with Zax, Greyson, Asher, and Callan, who is Katy's uncle and adoptive father, were all once part of Central Square, a wildly famous rock band. The Central Square people are good friends with the Fritzes, which means we're now pretty much one big, giant family.

"Dude, you haven't played in forever," Vander states. "Give yourself a break." He pulls off his helmet and wipes at his sweaty forehead with the hem of his jersey.

"I still played like shit. I think I'm out of sorts."

Stone gives me a devious grin as we reach the locker room and start removing our skates, jerseys, and pads. "That wouldn't have anything to do with the sexy brunette I saw watching and cheering you on, would it?"

My fingers on the laces of my hockey pants freeze for a half-second before I continue unlacing them. "You mean my daughter's new nanny?" I deadpan, throwing him an eye that lets him know I'm not taking the bait.

"Is that who that is?" Vander picks up, the other guys are already shooting the shit on the other side of the locker room. I know them, but I'm not close with them. I only play in this league because Vander and Stone do. "I know you had mentioned you were going to hire someone, but I didn't know you pulled the trigger."

Vander has a tone and is giving me a look. One I know well from him. By day, he runs a multibillion-dollar cyber security firm. By night, he's a hacker, one of the best in the world, like his father is. And when Angelica was pulling all her shit, I used his hacking skills. Knowing him as well as I do, his tone and look are offering the same thing.

In this case, I'm not sure there's much of a need to dig into the nanny.

"She's Jack's sister," I tell him.

His eyebrows bounce. "Shit," he hisses. "That's Eddie? I didn't recognize her." Vander is only a few years older than her, though he looks like he's closer to my age, which he uses to his advantage frequently.

"That's her. Only she goes by her middle name, Estlin, now." I stand, shoving all my sweaty gear into my bag and zipping it up, leaving me in only my boxer briefs. "She just moved back from Europe."

"So she's single?" Stone presses. "Because hell, I don't remember Eddie looking like that when I met her as a kid."

"Because she didn't." Vander snickers dryly, and I'm glad I have my back to them now. I'm glad they can't see that my fists are balled up and my jaw is clenched. "So… is she single?" he presses.

"I don't think she's dating right now," I tell them.

"And how would you know that piece of information, boss ?" Stone emphasizes, his voice taunting. "You discuss her love life as part of the interview process?"

Shit. I turn and fold my arms over my bare chest. I'm gross and sore since I haven't skated like that in a while, and I'm in desperate need of a shower. I shouldn't have said that. I did it because I don't want either of these guys sniffing around her. Not because they're not great guys and not because Estlin isn't allowed to date whomever she wants.

But because the idea of her with someone else, one of my friends, my family, hitting on her, dating her, fucking her when I can't hits a strange trigger button I didn't know I had—and definitely shouldn't have where she's concerned.

Still, I can't tell if Stone is fucking with me or not. He hasn't shown interest in anyone in a long time. He's been too obsessed with the woman he had a vacation fling with two years ago and hasn't seen since.

I do my best to play it off, to sound casual and unaffected. "I told her I didn't want her bringing men home to my house, and she told me it wouldn't be a problem because she's not dating right now."

That last part is a fucking lie, but I don't give two shits. Thankfully, they let it drop, but not before they exchange quiet looks I don't like.

"I'm gonna hit the showers. Are you guys taking off?"

"Yeah." Vander steps forward and extends his hand to give me a fist-pound since we're all too nasty for even a handshake. "Nice game out there today. Hope you can make it more often."

"Same. It was fun." I give Stone a pound as well, and then I get my sorry ass into the shower, trying not to think about if they'll run into her—intentionally or unintentionally—as she, Jack, and Rory wait for me to finish up. They'd flirt because that's what they do with beautiful women, and they're single and closer to her in age than I am.

Fuck. The side of my fist hits the tile wall as hot water cascades over me. Why do I care this much? I barely know the girl. She's my nanny. My best friend's little sister. Undeniably forbidden to me in every way.

I can't have her .

But that doesn't mean I want them to either.

Jealousy fucking sucks and makes me feel like a stupid college kid.

This bullshit needs to stop, and it needs to stop now.

I finish showering and get myself dressed quickly, knowing Rory must be getting antsy by this point and is likely hungry. I grab my heavy equipment bag off the ground along with my skates and then head out of the locker room.

"Daddy!" Rory calls out as she races over to me like I just won the Stanley Cup. She jumps up into my arms, and I have to drop my skates and bag to catch her.

I let out a chuckle, kissing the side of her face. "Hey, Moonshine. How was swimming?"

"Fun. Katy showed me how to do the butterfly stroke which she said gives me a mermaid tail when I do it."

"Cool. You'll have to show me." I set her down, noticing Estlin and Jack talking up by the exit. Thankfully, Vander and Stone aren't with them. "Are you hungry?" I ask, picking up my stuff again and walking with her to join them.

"Starving," she groans in that exaggerated kid way. "Can we go for sushi?"

I smile down at her. Katy's uncle Callan is a silent owner of one of the best Asian fusion and sushi restaurants in Boston, and whenever we go there, they spoil Rory like crazy, whether Katy or Callan is with us or not. Rory doesn't even eat sushi. She goes for the dumplings, fried rice, and chicken fingers.

"Sure. But only two chocolate mochi this time, Moonshine. Last time you had too many, and it gave you a stomachache."

She pouts but doesn't argue. Likely because she remembers that stomachache.

"Nice game, brother." Jack gives me a bro hug. "It's been a long ass time since I've seen you play."

"You were really good," Estlin chimes in, giving me a coy smile. "Not quite the bruiser I was told about, but it was fun to watch."

"Bruiser?" Jack laughs. "You told her about breaking Vargus's nose?"

"It's my battle glory," I defend. "My one claim to fame."

Jack snorts, slapping me on the back. "Oh, you mean other than being Owen Fritz and a world-renowned pediatric surgeon?"

"Fine. My one badas—butt"—I glance down at Rory as I make the correction, but she's too busy singing to herself to have noticed—"claim to fame." I take her hand, adjusting my heavy bag on my shoulder as we reach the parking lot, but Estlin comes running around to the other side of her and takes her hand to make it easier for me.

"Well, I think it's pretty bad butt," Estlin says with a hint of a smile aimed at me as we make our way to my car, and I'm relieved to see there's no mocking or even innuendo behind that. "I've never done any butt-kicking in my life. I've never won a championship either, so I'd be bragging more than you are if I did." She helps Rory up and into her booster, shutting the back door behind her.

"No, you just won every literary and art award growing up and graduated from your high school and university at the top of your class." Jack pokes, but there's no hiding the pride in his voice or expression either. He grabs Estlin around the shoulders and drags her into him, hugging her right here in the parking lot, and I'm hit with a brutal pang of guilt. "I'm being a sappy bastard, but I'm glad we're both back home. I'm glad you're… well, you know what I'm especially glad for. This was fun." He kisses her forehead. "Thanks for inviting me along."

She laughs, hugging him back. "Me too. Thanks for driving us." After giving him a squeeze, she releases him and gets in the front passenger seat.

"You don't want to join us for dinner? "

"Nah," he says as we make our way around the back of the car to my side. "I've got an early shift tomorrow. My first one working back in Boston. But enjoy."

I smack his back and then head toward my door when he calls out, and stops me. "Hey, Owen?"

I turn back to him. "Yeah?"

"Take care of my sister for me."

Hell.

I don't respond, but thankfully he doesn't wait for me to. He just crosses the lot over to where his car is, and for a moment, I watch him, twisted up, unsure for the first time what the right and wrong thing is to do.

I've never kept a secret from Jack in my life. Growing up, we were impossibly close and have stayed that way into adulthood despite distance and the madness of life. Now I'm keeping this from him. A secret so invasive it tears me up from the inside out. I'm a piece of shit who fucked his little sister—the one he just asked me to take care of—and then snuck out of the hotel room like a thief.

I'm not the friend to him that he has been to me.

And I hate it.

A soft knock stirs me out of the patient's chart I was reviewing. "Come in," I call absently, logging out of the EMR. It's getting late and I need to go to bed. Rory has already had her bath and has been asleep for over two hours and my shift starts at seven tomorrow morning.

"Sorry to bother you." Estlin's sweet voice comes from the doorway where she hovers, her tone hesitant and a little unsure. "I wanted to give you these before I forgot. I know tomorrow is going to be a bit off to the races for both of us, and I wasn't sure if I'd see you in the morning before you left. "

At dinner, I told her that tomorrow she's essentially on her own here. Rory has one more week of summer break, which puts Estlin in the hot seat to keep her occupied now that Rory's camps are all done.

I shut down my laptop and spin in my chair to face her and instantly regret it. Her long hair is wet and hangs past her shoulders to the middle of her back, and her face is soft and bare of any makeup. She's wearing green cotton sleep shorts that make her full thighs look pale and creamy and an old threadbare T-shirt. With no fucking bra under it. Her nipples are gorgeous, hard peaks, and I have to force my eyes to stay on hers and not drop to appreciate the view before me.

"What is it?" I bark harshly, and my unexpected tone startles hers. It startles me too, but I can't do this. I can't have her walking into my office late at night looking like a wet dream I don't want to wake from.

She licks her lips—a nervous gesture, but it still makes my cock twitch—before straightening her spine and carrying the NDA I gave her earlier in the day across the room for me to take. As she gets closer, the smell of her shampoo and body lotion hits me like a grenade, making my jaw clench and my hands grip the arms of my chair so I don't do something stupid like grab her hips and place her on my lap.

"Just put it down on my desk."

She does, her body coming so close to mine that I can feel the heat of her skin.

Goddammit. What is it about her that I'm so fucking attracted to, and how on earth do I make it stop?

"I… uh. I was going to ask if you'd mind if I borrowed a book, but I can come back another time when you're not so… busy," she finishes, but I can see in her face she was mentally calling me a jerk or some other term I've no doubt deserved.

I don't want to be a jerk to her. She's Jack's little sister and my employee. I'm not a dick to the people who work for me, and I'm not a dick to the people of the people I care about. But with her, I'm not sure I have much of a choice.

"Go pick something out," I snap and then turn back to my desk, wishing I hadn't shut everything down so I'd have something to distract myself with while she's in here. I go for her papers, putting them all into a neat stack for me to scan and send to my attorney. I won't be able to do that until tomorrow evening, so for now, I get up and go over to the large safe I have built into the wall behind one of the drawers next to my desk.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy."

"What?"

She shrugs. "You remind me of Mr. Darcy. You know, from Pride and Prejudice ."

My hand drags across my jaw. "I know who Mr. Darcy is." As I recall, he was a bit pompous and judgmental. Arrogant. For some reason that makes me chuckle. I haven't read Pride and Prejudice since high school, but I remember the basics. "Does that make you my Elizabeth?" I shake my head quickly, wondering where that came from and what the hell made me say it. "Don't answer that."

"I won't. I'm going book shopping now."

A moment later, I hear a soft laugh from the other side of the room and turn to look over my shoulder. Estlin is standing on her tiptoes, reaching for something on one of the shelves. The movement makes the muscles in her legs bunch up and it also gives me a view of the underside of her perfect ass. If she bends just a little…

"I never took you for a spicy romance reader."

"What?"

She turns, nearly catching me staring at her ass, and my gaze shoots up just in time to appreciate her giving me a playful smile, holding up a book, waving it back and forth like I should know what the hell—oh fuck. Fucking Katy. "Those aren't mine. "

"Uh-huh," she plays. "Sure."

I roll my eyes and huff, turning back to my safe and making sure it's blocked as I use my thumbprint and then punch in the code to open it. It makes a mechanical sound, and then the door pops open. I set the papers in on top, then quickly shut and lock it.

I stand, close the cabinet, and turn to face her, putting my hands behind my back to grip the edge of the built-in. "Bennett's mom has cancer," I tell her. "She loves dirty romance books, and during her chemo, Bennett reads those books to her. Katy, who doesn't think I get out enough and loves to tease and torment me, brought those over. She put two on the bookshelf and two on my nightstand for me."

Estlin cracks up, taking in the book cover with new eyes. "I love that. I love that Bennett reads these to his mom, and I love that Katy gave them to you."

I don't respond. I just stare her down, wanting, needing her to go. "They're yours if you want them."

"Oh, I'll take them. I was planning on stealing your Hemingway that I saw earlier, but these will help tuck me into bed."

Jesus. Did she just say that?

"I think you're missing out," she continues, oblivious to how I'm now sweating. "These look good."

"I have no doubt they are, but I have neither time nor the inclination to read them. And the Hemingways on that shelf are all first editions, so if you take one and don't return it in perfect condition, I'll not only fire you, I'll kill you."

"Noted." Her hand goes up in surrender. "I'd never ever destroy a book, let alone a first edition. But now I might be too afraid to touch them."

"You can touch them, Estlin, since I know you want to."

Her eyes spark wide for a flicker of a second, and a blush stains her cheeks. "I um. I think I'll start with this one tonight." She holds up the book in her hand.

"Good night then."

"Good night, Owen."

She tucks the book against her chest and walks out of my office. I count to a hundred, and when I figure she's had a good enough head start on me, I shut everything off in my office and go up to my room.

My dick is hard as I enter my bedroom and bathroom. I can't shut my thoughts off as I think about how she looked just now and about the book she's reading. Will she touch herself to it? Sink beneath the covers and play with her tits and wet pussy until she's a writhing, moaning, delicious mess?

Fuck. I sigh and shake my head. Immediately, I start the shower, turning it to cold. I won't give in to the temptation.

Even if it's the sweetest fucking temptation I've ever encountered.