She flicks her fingernail against the big one. “Too cute.”
“Happens to me once a week. I’ll take a catnap when Abby has friends over, and they conduct pedicure ambushes.”
“The pastels are fetching,” she teases.
I wiggle my toes. “Why, thank you. Does it turn you on?”
She leans over me, a little closer. “So much.”
A groan rumbles out of me, unbidden. Everything she does gets me going. Hell, just the view of her chest fires me up. Her tits in that sports bra are so damn tantalizing. The tease of them, the peek at her flesh.
I want them, dammit, but I can’t have them.
Or her.
I whimper.
She tilts her head. “You okay?”
I clear my throat and sweep away the dirty thoughts. “I’m all good,” I say, and hone in on the poses.
Whatever Katie’s been doing to the team, and to me, it’sworking. In just a couple of weeks, I feel better, I’m playing stronger, and the hammie strain isn’t bothering me a bit.
That feels like winning.
The only thing I wish were different is the time I spend with her. I wish I could see her at night, especially after that picnic lunch. Every night, every hour, every second we spend together seems to tug me deeper into her orbit.
And I like her orbit a lot.
Because…I like her.
When we finish and make our way to the exit, an idea takes hold, gripping me. It feels necessary.
Important.
And it’s a chance to spend more time with her.
“Katie, do you like monkey bread?”
She swings her gaze to me. “The bread that ought to be cake? The bread that’s dessert for breakfast? The bread that’s like a cinnamon roll?”
I tap her nose. “Show-off.”
“Yes. Yes, I do like it.”
I toss out the next question, hoping she also likes what I’m offering. My hope for her yes is more intense than I expected. “Abby wanted to make some, but she’s going to gymnastics with a friend. I thought I would get started, and we could finish when she comes home. Any chance you want to shop for monkey bread supplies with me, and then we can make some with Abby?”
I just asked a woman to hang with my daughter and me.
I ought to be terrified. And I’m honestly not sure why I chose now to ask Katie this big question.
But something about this seems just right.
This afternoon is all I can give, but maybe it will be enough for now.
Chapter 27
Katie
