Hostile(77)

“Grady,” I gasp, close to coming in my jeans.

He pulls back enough to look down into my eyes, not releasing his hold on me. “Yeah?”

“What are we doing?”

I could kick myself for stopping this, but this is Grady. He doesn’t make out with guys. I can’t be a drunken mistake. Not to him.

“Celebrating?” His right eyebrow kicks up along with a cocky grin spreading on his too handsome face.

I’m shocked he isn’t flipping the fuck out. But again, this is Grady. He doesn’t freak out. He’s calm, cool, and collected. Always. It’s why he’s a fucking fantastic pitcher. Nothing rattles him. “Like this?” I rasp as I feel his body on top of mine while I pant and plead with him silently to come back to me.

The spell broken, he sits up, letting go of my wrists and kneeling between my legs. “Maybe not the best idea.”

It’s like a knife plunging into my heart, but deep down I know he’s right. There are so many things I want to say to him. I want to pull him back to me, kiss the fuck out of him, and tell him I’m an idiot for saying anything. To get lost with me.

But I don’t. Instead, I take his hand when he stands and then pulls me up, ruffling my hair in the casual, easy way that’s just Grady.

He isn’t freaking out that he kissed a guy. His thoughts aren’t swirling around in his head that’s moving far away while I’m staying in the same state where we grew up. He doesn’t worry about any of that.

“Come on, fucker. This is our last night before the real world comes calling and we make it our bitch.”

I follow, but it’s on shaky, uncertain legs.

Because now, I’ve had a fucking taste. And I have no idea how I’m going to come back from that.



* * *



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WOULD YOU RATHER?





Rather have a single father/kindergarten teacher romance? Go to the next page for a peek at Totally Schooled!





TOTALLY SCHOOLED





CHAPTER 1





“Daddy! Are we going to school now?” I grin at my daughter, who just bounced into our living room, her blonde hair a total wreck from her nap. “Pleeeeasse.”

I laugh at her, swiping her hair behind her ear and pulling her onto my lap. “In a minute.”

“Yes!” She’s so damn excited to go to kindergarten this year. It will be her first time in school, and although I’m excited for her, I’m also scared as hell. She’s never been in the care of anyone she wasn’t related to before.

“It’s just to meet your teacher this evening though. You know that, right?”

Her little bottom lip pokes out like it does when she’s thinking hard about something. “Yeah. That’s okay. My teacher is going to be awesome.”

I laugh, I can’t help it. I’m definitely not a laugher, but when it comes to Hailey, I laugh. I joke. I play. Hell—I’m a princess when she tells me I’m a princess and we’re going to have a tea party with her dolls. I’ll do anything for the kid. “Yeah. I’m sure she’ll be really nice, sweetie.”

Or at least, Ms. Burke had better be nice or my ass will be out of that school so fast. I try to shake away my nerves. I know this is part of the whole parenting thing, but I’ve come to terms with this being the hardest part of parenting for me a long time ago.

Trusting someone else with Hailey.

Other than my Aunt Jo, I don’t let anyone watch her.

Guess that’s all changing now.

I move Hailey to the floor in front of me so I can try to wrangle her hair into a ponytail. It’s a mess of curls—just like her mother had. My heart clenches in my chest when I think about Heather, but I try my best to put a smile on my face by the time Hailey jumps up, turns around, and grabs my hand. “Okay, Daddy. Let’s go.”

“Yeah? You sure you want to go to school?”

She puts one hand on her hip, cocking it at an angle and giving me the stink eye. “Yes. Let’s goooooo.”

I chuckle, and we walk outside of our small apartment. I lock the door before Hailey drags me down two flights of stairs to my car. I unlock the car, buckle her into her car seat, and drive to the school. We’ve driven past it several times in the last two days since we moved to Shawnee, a Kansas City suburb.

The school is close to our apartment, so it doesn’t take long to get there. As soon as I pull her out of her seat, she’s already dashing toward the entrance. “Hailey!” I holler after her, remotely locking my car while catching up with her and taking her hand with mine. “Don’t run off, okay?”

“I’m just so excited!”

I grin. I know I shouldn’t. I should lecture her on how dangerous it can be running in a parking lot, but damn those blue eyes and blonde curls . . . The kid is just too damn cute. “Okay. Just be careful. Hold my hand.”

She agrees, and we walk inside. We’re greeted by the principal—an older, but friendly woman who directs us to Hailey’s new classroom, which we find easily. When we walk inside, I’m suddenly frozen in place, struck by the sight of the hottest man I’ve ever seen.