Nikki Moore - Picnics in Hyde Park

‘It’s not that hot,’ she answered.

‘It will be,’ he shot back, stalking back over to her. ‘Come on,’ he stepped closer, eyes narrowing. ‘Look how overheated you got at our interview; ready to fall over from standing on the doorstep too long. You’ll make yourself ill, and then where will my kids be? Take it off.’ Reaching out, he curled a big hand around the jacket collar and tugged her closer.

She froze, smelling his aftershave, far too close to his broad, muscular chest, her body flashing with heat, but not because of the weather this time. She mustn’t sway towards him. Couldn’t ask him to put his fingers down inside her collar, to run them over the tops of her boobs, to—

‘Is this wool?’ he asked in disbelief, testing the material between two fingers.

‘Er—’ she pulled a face. ‘It might be.’

‘It’s the middle of summer. You’re completely insane,’ he joked. ‘Right, that’s it. Take it off. I don’t want to get done at tribunal for not ensuring the health and well-being of my employees.’

‘No!’ She might have given in at that point but quite apart from sticking to her guns, there was a really good reason she didn’t want to remove the jacket in front of him.

‘Yes!’ he insisted. To her shock, he started unbuttoning it, and she wrestled with him, trying to bat him away.

‘Matt, don’t!’ Oh shit, she thought fleetingly. ‘I said don—’

Unfortunately the jacket only had four buttons, his fingers made mega-quick work of them and she stepped back at the same time as he undid the last one.

The jacket flew open, revealing her pale, round breasts encased in a red lacy bra.

‘Bloody hell!’ His breath whooshed out, eyes all but popping out of his head as he took in her cleavage. ‘You’re not wearing a top!’

‘Thank you Captain Obvious, I didn’t know that,’ she muttered, yanking the jacket back together, doing it up with fumbling fingers, face burning as he spun around to give her some privacy. This was so embarrassing, and would probably forever be known as either jacket-gate or bra-gate. Why it had to happen in front of Matt of all people, she didn’t know. It was just her luck. ‘Sorry,’ she thought of how her sarcastic Captain Obvious comment must have sounded, ‘I didn’t mean to be rude.’

‘That’s fine. I’m sorry too. I-I just meant…Bloody hell,’ he repeated. ‘Why?’

‘It is too hot,’ she grimaced. Now the outfit choice looked really stupid. ‘And I didn’t think it would matter that I had nothing on underneath. You can turn around now,’ she said. When he obeyed, it was like he couldn’t quite bring himself to look at her, fixing his eyes on a spot on the wall over her left shoulder. She gazed up at him, seeing the nonplussed expression on his face. For some reason her mouth quirked up on one side. They must have looked like complete idiots during their little struggle, her trying to keep the jacket on, him trying to get her out of it. ‘I wasn’t planning on taking the jacket off,’ she explained, ‘and I didn’t foresee a madman coming along and trying to wrestle me out of it,’ she finished drily.

‘No,’ he conceded, dropping his eyes to her face, ‘I don’t suppose you did.’ For a moment he looked solemn, but then his mouth curved, a spark of warmth in his eyes.

Their gazes connected. There was a silence.

‘It was like a comedy sketch or something,’ he choked out. ‘Your face! I’ve never seen anyone look so panicked!’

She couldn’t help it, grinning back. ‘Well, you can understand why now.’ She gave into laughter, holding her side. ‘We must have looked pretty ridiculous. I mean, imagine if the kids had seen us,’ she snorted.

‘They’d think that we’ve lost it,’ he agreed, laughing. ‘Not a great example to set for them.’

Oh, bugger. The kids. She’d forgotten all about them. It’d never happened to her before. In her other jobs she hadn’t ever neglected her professional responsibilities. ‘Oh, God, they’re alone in the kitchen. I should go.’

‘Yes,’ Matt crossed back to his desk, looking puzzled, ‘me too. That’s right, I have work to do, a meeting to go to.’ He rammed his phone into his jeans pocket, hunting around in the mess of music sheets and other random items. ‘Keys… keys. Argh…bloody things.’

Zoe stood by the door, watching as he cast various papers and a spare tablet around. ‘Um, Matt.’

‘Hmmm?’ He picked up an expandable file, shook it, put it back down. Picked up a mug of all things, as if the keys would be hiding in it or under it somehow.

‘Don’t you put your car keys in the bowl by the door?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘The bowl,’ his head came up and he glanced over at her, face clearing. ‘Yeah, you’re right, I always do. I can’t think why I forgot—’ his green eyes flickered over her chest. ‘I’ve got to go,’ he blurted, racing past her out of the office. ‘See you this evening. Bye kids.’ She heard him yell, followed by the slam of the door and the quiet purr of the Prius rapidly fading into the distance.

Shaking her head at his odd departure, Zoe walked into the kitchen to find Jasper standing by the fridge, face covered in strawberry jam, slices of bread, utensils and bowls littering the floor and work surfaces.

‘I got hungry,’ Jasper explained woefully, staring up at her with an expression on his face that said please don’t tell me off .

Aimee was completely oblivious, head stuck in a thick book of fairytales with line drawings on the cover.

‘That’s okay,’ ruffling Jasper’s hair, Zoe lead him over to the sink and started wiping his hands and face with a damp cloth, ‘it was my fault. I took too long with your dad.’ She blushed as she thought of all the things they could have done if they’d had more time. If when he’d opened her jacket he’d sunk to his knees and buried his face in her cleavage and—

No. Remember why you’re here .

There was no doubt about it, Matt was hot, but her sister came first, she wasn’t letting her down again. Plus, no good came of getting involved on the rebound. ‘Next time come and get me, okay?’ she asked the little boy, shaking her head as she found a clump of red jam in the hair behind his ear. ‘When you want jam, remember it’s supposed to go on something, Jasper. Like toast. Not the floor, or yourself,’ she smiled.

‘Yes, Zoe,’ he nodded.

‘Great. Now how about giving me a hand clearing up this mess?’ Stooping over, she picked up a bowl and two spoons.

‘Do I have to?’ he whined. ‘Melody wouldn’t have made me.’

She loved her sister, but had she been half asleep on the job or something? At seven and nearly five, these children were old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, and to be clearing up after themselves. Just because their dad was super-rich and super-successful, it didn’t mean they couldn’t learn some traditional values and personal responsibility. She must ask Matt about it, and talk to Mel too.

‘It would be great if you could,’ she said to Jasper casually. ‘But if you’re worried I can pick up more things faster than you…’

‘No, you can’t!’

‘Can!’ Wiggling her eyebrows.

‘Can’t.’ He giggled, racing over to grab a couple of forks off the side and bring them to her.

‘Good boy,’ she nodded approvingly scooping up slices of bread, and randomly, a bottle opener. They were definitely not being left alone in the kitchen again, until they were better trained. ‘Everything that’s been on the floor will need to go in a pile in the sink so I can wash them up.’

‘Ok-ay,’ Jasper sang cheerfully, clattering a mixing bowl and wooden spoon into the sink, along with a broken egg.