“Holy cow.” Miles paused at the door, dropping his bag at his feet.

“Do you like it? It’s the biggest room here other than mine and I wanted you to have the space. There are other rooms if you prefer.”

Gillian put two fingers over his lips. “It’s a great room. You did a good job.” He took her hand then and kissed it without thinking. Just totally pleased. She looked to Miles and then smiled back at Adrian. He supposed they were “out” about this little romance between them with that kiss. She didn’t seem nervous or upset about it, which did relax him a little.

Miles went into the room, tentative at first, just looking and not touching. Gillian stayed him when he began to speak.

And so he’d watched Miles learn the space in his own precise way. Sometimes so much like an engineer. He examined things and then he looked at them again and began to touch.

When he did finally speak, Adrian was glad he’d waited. The look on his son’s face would last him through a thousand shitty days. “This is awesome. Mum, do you see this room?”

“I did, it’s marvelous, isn’t it? What a lovely view.”

The room had a view of the water and a deck. Adrian had put in a big bed and had built-in shelving and drawers installed. A big-screen television was set up in the far end of the room with several gaming systems. A computer and printer as well.

Erin had supervised it all over the last week when Adrian had to go back to Los Angeles to deal with a number of business meetings with management and label people, accountants and lawyers. He’d told her what he wanted for the room and she and Brody had made it all happen.

Miles threw himself on the bed and laughed. It felt so good, that perfect moment. Adrian looked back at Gillian, liking how it felt to have them both in his house.

“Come on then.” Miles jumped up. “Let’s see your room, Mum.”

“You’re downstairs.” Adrian pointed to the hall on the other side of the second floor, an atrium-type ceiling soaring in an open space sitting between. “I’m over there.”

He led them down and around the corner to the guest room that Ella had volunteered to deal with. At first Adrian wanted to create a lush, sensual room for her with deep, rich colors. But then Ella, wonderful, sweet and insightful Ella, had suggested Gillian might feel uncomfortable with a room like that in someone else’s home until she knew them better.

She’d been totally right. He knew that for sure as Gillian stepped into the room and began to look around. She kept her hands clasped as she moved, but her gaze ate the place up.

Gillian hadn’t known what to expect when he’d brought her into the room. What she got was a delight. Pale blue walls with chocolate brown accents and the very occasional splash of green.

“Do you like it? I’ll take credit for it if you do. But if you don’t, I’ll tell you my friend Ella took care of putting this room together this week when I had to be out of town.”

His quirked-up grin was of the sideways persuasion that always made her weak in the knees. Like hands and forearms, of which his were all manly and tattooed and muscled and it drove her crazy to look at them.

She turned before she went any further than that.

Inappropriate! She shook herself and gave herself a mental slap. She met his eyes in the mirror above the dresser. The bed reflected in between them and she swallowed hard at the look on his face. And then the moment was gone with the next breath and she looked away.

And still, something had shifted between them. Subtle, which is why she wasn’t having a stern conversation with him. The hand-holding and then the affectionate kiss to her fingertips had happened in front of Miles.

She knew it would come, unless they hid their relationship totally, which wasn’t to her liking either. This would be about managing expectations so Miles wouldn’t be thinking something unrealistic like his parents would get married in a week or what have you.

Adrian was respectful to her. Touched her with gentleness and a sort of Old-World chivalrous air. She liked it.

She turned back to Adrian and Miles with a smile. “This is beautiful. Really. You and your friend Ella did a great job.” She wondered who these people were going to be when she met them in a few hours. Wondered if they’d like her or if they too believed as Adrian once had that she was out to get something from him.

“Oh good.” His face lost some of its hesitancy. “Through those doors is a patio. You can follow it down toward the water, or you can head left and get to the backyard. The bathroom is through there, as is the closet.”

She wandered back, through the huge bathroom and into the closet. Drawers, shoe racks, pegs for hats and bags.

“Erin is in charge of all the soap and other foofy gear in the house. It’s just that I’m hopeless and she gets some insane charge out of making me try all this stuff she stumbles across. She used to dress the dog up too. She’s bossy like that. Anyway, there’s all sorts of bath and body goop in the linen closet over there. I have no doubt she and Ella tucked all sorts of female regalia all over the place for you to use while you’re here. If you need anything, please let me know. I want you to be comfortable.”

And there was the charming again. He made her swoon with some of things he said and did.

“Thank you. It’s lovely.”

He shrugged, casting for unconcerned, but she saw the slight blush at his neck. Which she’d been looking at and then wishing she could lick it.

Going straight to hell for this.