The Will(104)

“Yeah, Slick. You layin’ Noah out for Amber. Havin’ Con’s back with his situation. Keepin’ Eath close when Donna’s bein’ her usual clueless. Momma bear.”

She covered quickly but he saw her doing it.

Seeing it he knew it sucked for her in a way he felt deep in his gut, but it didn’t suck for him or his kids, what she was trying to hide.

Way back in the day, she’d wanted kids and had given up that dream. Now, at her age, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it would be difficult and possibly dangerous.

“Well,” she huffed haughtily through her cover. “Someone has to do it.”

She was way f*cking right about that.

“Okay, Slick, lots of things I’d wanna lay on you talkin’ about the morning after I’ve had you for the first time…twice, but Donna isn’t one of them.”

Her face cleared and softened again, as did her voice when she asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Talk, not so much,” he stated. He watched her eyes flash, read that too, wished he could give it to her and went on, “Tell you I’m makin’ you breakfast, puttin’ your ass in my truck, gettin’ your car, gettin’ it home and then takin’ you to my place so we can spend the day there with my kids watchin’ football, definitely.”

She didn’t hide her disappointment when she mumbled, “Oh.”

He dipped his face closer and shared, “Had only one condom in my wallet, honey.”

“Oh,” she repeated, still not hiding her disappointment.

“We’ll have that discussion later,” he told her.

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Now, breakfast,” he stated.

“Okay,” she repeated.

“You got a spare toothbrush?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Gran might have one somewhere. I’ll look.”

“Good. You got the coffee ready to switch on?”

“I was, well…occupied with other things last night when I got home.”

He grinned at her and muttered, “Right.” He dipped his head closer again, slid his nose from the curve of her nostril to the tip and, staying close, he said, “You find a toothbrush. I’ll start coffee.”

“All right, Jake. The coffee’s in the fridge.”

“Gotcha.”

He made a move to leave her and was about to touch his mouth to her jaw before doing that when she called, “Jake?”

He lifted his head and caught her gaze. Then he tensed when he caught the look in her eyes.

Shyly, she asked, “This is real, right?”

Fuck him.

Last night, she told him she liked him.

He knew that before she said it.

Right then he knew she really f*cking liked him.

“You think you’re dreamin’, baby?” he asked back.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Fuck.

Him.

“It’s real, Josie,” he promised.

She nodded before she lifted her head and slid her lips from the corner of his mouth across his stubble and pressed them to his jaw, the entire trip he felt in his gut, his dick and burning through his chest.

Not that he had to be reminded but her doing this did the trick.

And yeah.

Fuck yeah.

He really f*cking liked her too.

She dropped her head back to the pillow, her hair again everywhere, and said, “Toothbrush.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, bent and kissed her jaw then moved from the bed thinking that if she wasn’t cool with taking him ungloved, he was buying a f*cking case of condoms and stashing them everywhere so they’d never run out. Her house. Her Cayenne. His truck. His wallet. Her wallet. His workout bag. His office. The club. Her nightstand. His bedroom at home.

Every-f*cking-where.

Dozens of those f*ckers.

He yanked on his training pants and didn’t look back when he exited the room. This was because he’d managed to control his erection and if he saw her in that nightie in her bed with her long blonde hair down, that effort would be wasted.

He was winding his way down the stairs when he stopped dead.

And he stopped dead because he heard someone at the front door and they weren’t knocking or ringing the bell.

As far as he knew, Lydie had given keys to him, Conner, Amber and Ethan. The nursing company that came in and looked after her also had a key. And a couple of her younger friends who could still get around and came to visit her often had them.

None of those people, outside of maybe his kids, would open the door on a Sunday morning before ringing the bell.

And he’d locked it last night. His mind was on Josie but he’d never forget to lock the door to keep her safe and he knew he did.

Slowly, he moved around the landing and had his eyes glued to the door, his steps cautious as he watched a man entering.

That man was not one of his kids, anyone from the nursing company or any of Lydie’s friends.

He had a big black leather bag in his hand like he was staying a while and he was looking into the foyer sneakily.

Jake again stopped on the stairs, crossed his arms on his chest and demanded, “You wanna tell me who the f*ck you are?”

The man’s head jerked around and up. Jake watched his face go slack in shock then his eyes moved over Jake from head to toe and his expression hardened with anger.