Blame It on Paris
2: Chapter 2
Anelise was grinning like a kid at Christmas as she and Michael found their seats in first class.
“I’ve never been in first class before, thank you,” she whispered to Michael as she touched his arm gently.
Her touch was light, but it sent a jolt through him.
He felt his breath catch and hoped she hadn’t noticed.
After takeoff, Ollie watched videos while Anelise was engrossed in a well-worn book, a pen and a pack of sticky notes at her side.
“What are you reading?” Michael asked.
Anelise looked up, a smile on her face.
“One of my favorites, Wuthering Heights. It’s for my paper. I’m delving into the Brontë sisters and their impact on the classic romance novel. They wrote some of my favorite novels... I’m a hopeless romantic.”
Michael smiled and said, “There certainly seems to be a lot of that going around.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not about to run off and get married in Vegas like your other nanny,” Anelise chuckled.
“Not Paris either, I hope,” Michael played along. “Now that’s a city fit for a wedding.”
“Can I ask you a question?” Anelise asked timidly.
“Of course,” he said, noticing she had a habit of biting her lip when she was nervous, and finding it adorable.
“Where is Ollie’s mom?” she asked, treading carefully.
Michael let out a sigh.
“That’s a long story, probably longer than this flight...”
Ani nodded.
“Okay…”
“Ani, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that...shit…that I…”
She cut him off.
“You can tell me when you’re ready. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be an angry woman storming in to get to him.”
Michael smiled.
“Thanks for understanding. The short version is, I don’t know where she is, and she doesn’t know we’re here, so I promise, there’s no crazy woman coming!”
As the cabin lights dimmed and the hum of the engines lulled Ollie into drowsiness, he leaned heavily against Anelise, pushing her toward Michael, their shoulders pressed together.
Michael leaned in and whispered, “He’s heavier than he looks, huh? Feel free to lean on me. It’s okay.”
Anelise hesitated for a second, then relaxed ever so slightly, letting her head rest gently against his shoulder.
The contact was warm, comforting—and electric.
Anelise eventually drifted off, her head resting against Michael’s shoulder.
As time passed, she snuggled closer in her sleep.
Half-awake, she sighed contentedly, murmuring softly and squeezing what felt like the most comfortable pillow she’d ever held.
Her fingers flexed slightly, tracing the solid shape beneath them.
Michael let out a low, unintentional groan.
Her eyes flew open.
Panic surged through her chest as she registered whose body it was pressed against.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, jerking her hand back like she’d been burned. “Michael, I—I didn’t mean...”
“It’s okay, Ani,” he said, voice low and rough. “You were asleep.”
She lifted her gaze to him, her eyes wide and soft, filled with sweetness and a hint of something that made his chest tighten.
The plane was quiet and dark.
Everyone else was asleep.
It felt like they were the only two people in the world.
He accidentally caught a glimpse down her shirt, the delicate lace and curve of her cleavage stealing his breath.
Heat surged through him as he quickly looked away, struggling to control his reaction, wanting to be respectful.
Anelise could sense what her closeness did to him, and that only made her pulse quicken.
Suddenly, Ollie cried out.
Anelise gently turned toward the little boy, her fingers brushing his hair back as she soothed him.
Just a little nightmare, and he was soon back asleep, but the moment with Michael was over.
She settled back into her seat.
Her body ached to lean into him again, but she stayed still, her hands folded tightly in her lap.
He’d let her sleep on him to be nice, that was all.
She wouldn’t let it happen again.
Michael turned back to his folder, but his mind wasn’t on the numbers.
He adjusted his seatbelt, trying to ease the pressure from how hard he was.
He told himself to think about work, about anything but the image in his head of pulling her into the tiny airplane bathroom and having his way with her.
***
Michael couldn’t help but admire how Anelise managed to keep Ollie entertained the whole ride to the hotel.
The suite was stunning, complete with three rooms and a small kitchenette.
Anelise snapped photos to send to Leslie.
Michael claimed the master bedroom, leaving Anelise and Ollie the smaller rooms on the other side of the suite.
“Ani, is this arrangement okay? I feel like I’m miles away, and I’m not sure if I’ll hear Ollie if he wakes up,” Michael confessed, guilt creeping into his voice.
“Michael, you mentioned your schedule might be erratic. We don’t want to disturb Ollie, so don’t worry. We’ll manage,” she reassured him.
The unpacking took about an hour, filled with Anelise’s laughter.
She and Ollie were having a blast.
The little boy was already worming his way into her heart, and she had a feeling they were going to be fast friends.
Later, they went to dinner with Craig and Ken at a nearby pub, and Ani had an amazing fish and chips.
Afterward, they let Ollie run around and play at a park, hoping to tire him out and help him adjust to the local time.
That’s when Anelise’s phone rang.
Seeing it was her parents, she muttered a curse under her breath and licked her lips.
“It’s my parents. I have my key. I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.”
“Sounds good. Take your time and tell them I said hi!”
She gave him a weak smile, nodded, and answered the call as they walked away.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Anelise! You were supposed to call us once you were settled! How was the flight? Is the hotel up to standard? Do you have your own room?” Kim fired off questions.
“The flight was fine, and of course I have my own room! Where else would I be sleeping?” Ani retorted, barely concealing her annoyance.
“Well, things happen, and even though Michael promised you’d have your own room, I—”
“Mom! Michael is not that kind of guy, and you know it! He’s Dad’s best friend.”
“You don’t raise your voice at your mother!” Neil interjected.
“Anelise, we just miss you. We haven’t seen you in months!” Kim sniffled.
“I love you both, and I’ll be sure to send pictures and updates,” Anelise promised.
Anelise felt a pang of guilt, being their only child, but she needed to maintain the progress she had made coming out of her shell and living an independent life.
She remembered the shock of her first days at college and discovering the world was so much bigger than she’d ever known.
Before college, she knew nothing about sex beyond the basics.
She’d never even dated in high school.
But Leslie had helped educate her, being patient and understanding.
They spent hours talking about it.
That’s when they came up with the “Matt Douglas Scale.”
Matt was the campus heartthrob.
They’d noticed him early on, along with every other girl on campus, and they’d often giggled and daydreamed about him.
Leslie had created a scale to rate other guys against Matt, who was a perfect ten in their eyes.
No one had ever compared to Matt for Anelise.
That was, until she met Michael.
His rich brown hair, sparkling green eyes, and a smile that made her weak in the knees.
And those dimples were just the cherry on top.
He was tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms.
She hadn’t seen his legs outside of jeans, but he had a perfectly squeezable ass.
She could almost feel the heat in her hand just thinking about touching it, and the thought made her blush.
She never thought she’d be so drawn to an older guy, but he was intelligent, worldly, and sophisticated in a way no one her age could ever be.
But she knew he’d never see her in that way.
He’d known her since she was a child.
She was probably just a silly little girl to him still.
***
As soon as she opened the door to the suite, Ollie ran past her, naked and laughing, with his father chasing after him, shirtless with wet hair.
Michael caught Ollie, wrapped him in a towel, and gave her a smile.
“Bathtime got a little out of hand!”
“I can see that!” she laughed.
She couldn’t help but stare at the shirtless Michael.
His chest was broad and toned, with visible abs—impressive for his age.
And she loved his chest hair, touched with silver.
“Want me to do bedtime?” Anelise asked, trying to get back to reality.
“Since I don’t have work tonight, I’ll do it. It’s my favorite thing,” he said.
He scooped Ollie into his arms and flew him through the air, making airplane noises that had the little boy giggling uncontrollably.
Michael’s broad back, the way he held his son so gently—she was smitten.
There was nothing hotter than a man who loved his kid.
Anelise changed into her pajamas—a silky camisole and matching shorts that showed off her legs.
She was curled up on the couch, flipping through channels, when Michael came out of Ollie’s room, still shirtless.
He stopped mid-step when he saw her, his eyes dragging slowly over her figure.
Then he looked away, thinking that if she wore that every night he’d never get any work done this summer.
A knock sounded at the door.
Michael opened it to find Ken holding a folder.
“Hey, just wanted to drop these off—oh,” Ken paused, his eyes landing on Anelise.
His gaze lingered for a beat too long.
Michael stiffened and, without a word, he pushed Ken into the hallway and pulled the door behind him.
“Don’t look at her like that,” he said, his voice low and sharp.
Ken blinked, startled.
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see… that. Just dropping off the folder.”
Michael took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
“Okay, thank you.”
Ken smirked at him.
“Wow, day one and you’re already this flustered. I guess I would be too if my roommate was wearing that. I said it before, I’ll say it again. You’re so screwed.”
“No, she’s just my nanny,” Michael said, mostly to himself as Ken was already down the hall.
As Michael walked back in, Anelise noticed the way his muscles moved with each deep inhale.
It was like he was trying to steady himself. What had him so worked up?
He sat down beside her.
“This summer, maybe you shouldn’t wear something like that... in case Ken or Craig or whoever comes over.”
Anelise sat up, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize...”
His hand gripped the edge of the couch like he was holding himself back as he said, “I know you don’t realize what you do to… men.”
She looked up at him, heart racing, and saw it—pure, possessive hunger in his eyes.
Not just desire. Claiming. Like he wanted to shield her from the world and keep her to himself.
It shocked her, but it also sent a thrill straight down her spine.
No man had ever looked at her like this before.
Continue to the next chapter of Blame It on Paris