Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“Uh-oh, he’s using his captain voice,” Landry teases.
That makes us all laugh, and I nod, my gaze meeting each of theirs. I wish I had something profound to say, but there’s a lump lodged in the back of my throat. These guys, my friends, my teammates, my brothers, they are my family. I feel like a fool for not telling them all of this sooner.
I’m not that young kid anymore. I’ve built a life I’m proud of, and I’ve surrounded myself with people who are worthy of my time. I can’t help but let a little sliver of hope inside my heart that they’re right. One day, I’ll meet her, the game changer, the one woman whom I’m meant to love for the rest of time, and she’ll accept all of me, just like they have. I can’t help but wonder if I already have when an image of Eden pops into my mind.
Who am I kidding? Eden’s all I’ve been thinking about lately.
Chapter Ten
Eden
* * *
“Right hand red,” Cassie, one of the children, calls out. She’s in a wheelchair with a broken foot. I was sick when I found out how that happened, so I’ll spare you the details.
“I just need to get right there.” I lift my hand and cautiously move it to a red circle.“Good thing my arms are long,” Foster says, his hot breath next to my ear, as he aligns his body with mine, reaching over me to place his right hand on red. “You’d better stay still,” he says, his voice low and husky, just loud enough for me to hear.
I wiggle my ass because I can, and he groans. I obviously didn’t think this through, because that sound, coming from that man, along with his crotch lined up perfectly at my ass, and I can—
Oh, shit. He’s hard. Now, I really want to squirm, but I force myself to stay still as I shudder out a breath.
“Told you to stay still, babe,” he mutters, again, his voice low, for my ears only.
He’s right. He did warn me. I’d love to say that I have regrets, but I can’t think of one. I don’t have much experience with men. I could never trust anyone enough to get close. I’ve seen and heard a lot of things, especially in the system, and besides, I didn’t have time. I was working, trying to keep a roof over my head. When I first started with Dust ‘N Shine right out of high school, I was also waitressing on any free days or nights I had off. Thankfully, pay raises have come and gone, and I’ve learned to budget well enough that I was able to let that second job go last year.
Now, I get to spend more time at the children’s home and with my best friend and her family. Dating has been at the bottom of the list, and it still is, but Foster sometimes makes me think that dating should be moved to the top. Honestly, if it were him I was dating, it would be the only thing on the list.
Yeah, my crush is in full swing. He’s sweet, sexy, confident, and there’s this protective thing he has going on: making me text when I get home, making sure I eat, and so many other small things. I tried not to fall for him. Truly, I did. But the man didn’t make it easy on me, and now, here I am.
With each day that passes, I fall a little more under his spell. A spell he has no idea he’s casting. He leans forward, his hard length more prominent now, and then again, maybe he does know. Either way, I have to stay calm, not react in front of the kids, and still be able to look him in the eye when this game is over without blushing.
Easy peasy, right?
“Right hand green!” Cassie calls, and she giggles as we try to make moves and topple over. Foster grabs me by the hips and rolls us so that we’re not crushing the kids. Laughter and cheers are all around us, but all I feel is… fire.
Deep in my veins, roaring with desire, as he holds me close. My back is to his front, and his hard length is still there.
“I can’t move yet,” he whispers.
“You might scare them,” I whisper back, and his entire body shakes with silent laughter behind me.
“You two okay down there?” Macie hollers. She’s one of the workers here at the home, and of course, she’d walk in now.
“Yep,” I quip, a little too quickly.
She grins, eyes flicking between the two of us. “It’s time for lunch, so I’m moving everyone to the dining room. You good to pack this up?” she adds, her smirk unmistakable.
My face has to be on fire. Foster’s arms are still wrapped securely around me from behind, his face buried in my hair like that’s exactly where he belongs. I don’t even want to imagine what we look like right now. No, actually, I can imagine it perfectly, and that’s the problem. Macie’s smirk widens as she takes us in, and I’m pretty sure I’ve turned the exact shade of a ripe tomato.