Page 60 of Discretion at Its Finest

His little sneakers slapped against the tarmac as he tugged me forward, his excitement bubbling over. He’d only ever been on a commercial flight once, but he was too young to remember. It sure was nothing like this.

Reid walked ahead, broad shoulders covered by his dark jacket, his strides powerful. He didn’t look back at us, but I saw the subtle shift of his shoulders, the way he slowed just enough for Eugene to catch up to him.

It was a small gesture, something no one would have noticed. But I did.

We reached the top of the stairs, and the cabin opened before us like another world. Warm lighting, cream plush leather seats, a bar stocked with glass decanters and crystal tumblers. Sunlightpouring through oval windows, catching on metal and wood so polished it practically glowed.

It smelled of cedar and mahogany, faintly of the man in charge.

And inside the cabin I saw her.

Cara.

The nanny Reid hired that I usually kept my distance from.

Perfect ponytail, not a hair out of place, pastel long-sleeve, jeans, embodiment of the girl next door who everyone trusted with their children—but I knew she was more than just that. With how meticulous Reid was, I was sure her resume had to be pages long and her bubbly persona and aura could be turned off with a switch if need be.

She greeted us with a warm smile. “Eugene!” she chirped, kneeling to be at eye level. “Ready for our trip?”

Eugene lit up, running straight into her open arms with the kind of effortless familiarity that stabbed me in the chest.

“Miss Cara, look! I brought my car!” he said, proudly waving the little toy he refused to go anywhere without.

She laughed softly. “Of course you did. And I brought your coloring books, remember? They’re all in the back waiting for you.”

Of course they were.

A pang of jealousy surged through me. I hadn’t packed those; I was too busy trying to get all his essentials, plan for the meetings Reid would inevitably drag me to, and find time to spiral in between it all.

Cara rose, her hand already grabbing Eugene’s to guide him toward the rear cabin.

“How are you, Ms. Devereaux?” she asked with a polite smile.

I nodded, trying to reciprocate it. “I’m great, Cara… Thanks for tagging along.”

“Oh, of course, no worries.” She beamed, then turned to Reid. “I’ll get him settled in, Mr. Kaufman.”

Reid gave a short nod, barely more than a tilt of his chin as they walked away. Eugene didn’t even look back at me as he followed her, bouncing down the aisle. My heart clenched as I watched.

Reid finally looked at me, his gaze not apologetic; instead it was infuriatingly unreadable. His gaze swept over me once before he gestured toward the opposite row of seats.

“Sit,” he said simply.

The command threaded through me before I could stop it. I moved toward my seat, placing my bag beside it as he took the one across from me, legs stretching out in a relaxed and deliberate invasion of my space, his knees nearly brushing mine.

His eyes flicked down my body as his jaw ticked. He was looking at the slit in my white pencil skirt. It was modest enough to pass, suggestive enough to irritate him. The blush-colored silk blouse I’d chosen didn’t help. Professional, yes, but the low V-neck dipped whenever I moved, the fabric shifting just enough to make him look away.

He clenched his jaw again, but I pretended not to notice.

The door sealed behind us with a hiss, and I began preparing for takeoff, to be enclosed with this man for the next six hours.

“Cara’s good with him,” he said, slipping his jacket off, muscles and veins bulging out of his fitted polo, almost like it was a second skin, his figure making the fabric and cut more attractive than it would be on anyone else. “She already knows his routines.”

The words “Apparently better than I do these days,” slipped out before I could stop myself.

His eyes flicked up, studying my expression. He was so annoyingly perceptive. “That’s not possible.” He began, “You’re his mother. He knows your place in his life.”

There was no warmth in his tone. No attempt to soothe me; he said it simply as if it were fact. But still… his words settled under my skin, and I was unsure why. Maybe because they made me feel… better.