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It was just the reminder I needed about why Diesel couldn’t ever truly be mine. There were too many women vying for his attention and his cock, and I couldn’t compete. Even if I could, I wouldn’t, because I didn’t fight battles I couldn’t win. It’s a recipe for heartache.
“Hey, sweetness.” He called out to me with a bright smile as if he wasn’t even thinking about the woman who’d just offered herself to him on a silver platter. “Did you get your errand taken care of?”
Before I could answer, his lips were on mine. It wasn’t the roaring fire from last night or even this morning, instead it was just a slow burn that set my skin on fire and soaked my panties. “Hey.” Was that my voice sounding sexy and breathless?
His lips pulled into a sultry smile that I felt all the way down to my toes. “Errands?”
I nodded. “Right. Yes!” I took a reluctant step back and shoved my hand into my purse. “I was writing earlier, and it made me think of Stacy and, well, never mind. I went back to the house to get these.” I handed two of my sister’s diaries to him, my gaze locked on his, silently telling him how important these were to me and, maybe someday, Leo.
“I’ll keep them safe, pixie. I promise.”
I nodded. “She talks about following someone, but she never mentions a name. You said anything could be useful.” I pulled back, suddenly feeling ridiculous.
“Thank you.” He wrapped his hands around mine, his blue gaze intense. “Thank you.”
I nodded and looked around the suddenly quiet room as I realized that all eyes were on us. “Um, sure, no problem.” I tried to step back, but Diesel smiled and pulled me back, so we were chest to chest. Heart to heart. As if he wanted everyone to see us together. “I hope it helps.”
It took all my concentration not to turn around and watch Simone’s expression in response to this move. I was better than that.
Diesel smiled again. “Ready to head home?”
I nodded. “You don’t have more work to do?”
He shook his head. “Nothing that can’t wait.”
“Oh,” I said quietly. “Okay. Sure.” This conversation felt strangely intimate even though it wasn’t, not in any way, but it was domestic. It implied we were more than we were, despite what either of us wanted.
“Leo, ready to go?”
Leo perked up and nodded eagerly. “Pizza?”
Diesel laughed and many of the other adults joined in. “Not tonight.”
“Aw, man. Okay, I’m ready.” He wrapped his little arms around Chopper, who barked happily, licked his face, and to Leo’s utter delight, let rip a fart so loud I could have easily mistaken it coming from one of the men.
“Yuk, so gross!” Leo squealed, leaning away from the dog while also dragging him back with him. “So stinky! Good boy, Chopper!”
With one final hug, he came to stand between us, and I imagined we looked like one big happy family, two loving parents staring adoringly at their precious little boy. It was a lie, but lies sometimes made the prettiest picture.
The fact that I didn’t panic was the first sign of trouble.
Or maybe it was the second.
I’d lost track.
Chapter Nineteen
Diesel
Waking up with Ellie in my arms was the best feeling in the whole fucking world. She was warm, and more importantly, she was naked, with her curves snuggled up against me, a small smile curling her lips. My lips brushed her shoulder in soft kisses that made her snuggle even closer.
“Mmm,” she moaned sleepily, and snuggled a little closer still, tossing her leg over my thigh.
She was so damn beautiful I couldn’t help but smile, and in sleep she was completely at peace. There were no stress lines crinkling at the corners of her eyes, no tightly pulled lips as if she was waiting for another disaster, another tragedy. But even as I stared at her in the early morning sunlight, relaxed and beautiful and weaving her way into my heart, an unease settled around me.
Something is wrong. Not necessarily with Ellie or Leo, or even me and my MC, but something.
“Wow, you went from staring at me like a creeper to overthinking in seconds.” Ellie’s sleepy voice was music to my ears. “What’s wrong?”
