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Landon
“Minor cut under his knee.”
“Minor, huh? I heard him scream from the front.” She gave me a stern look I found adorable. “I’ll bring the first-aid kit from my car and wash my hands.”
“Okay, come directly to the backyard afterward.”
I soothed Milo until Maddie arrived, her hands clean, carrying the first-aid kit. Milo was sitting in the hammock, closely inspecting his leg.
“Hey, Milo, let me take a look at that.” She crouched over him, splaying her palm just under his cut. “Okay, that’s not a big deal. We’ll just clean it up and put a Band-Aid on it.”
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I didn’t hide my smile.
“But I’ll need stitches,” Milo muttered. “It splits open, look.”
Maddie flinched as Milo proceeded to pull at both sides of his leg and the wound parted.
“It’s not as deep as you think, Milo.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am sure. It’s going to pinch a little when I clean it, but you’re brave, aren’t you?”
Milo nodded solemnly and gritted his teeth as Maddie worked on the cut. The tenderness in her gestures stirred something inside me. She kept talking to him, distracting him, her voice calm and soothing.
Milo only loosened up after the Band-Aid was in place. He stepped down from the hammock, placed his foot tentatively on the ground.
“Hey, it doesn’t hurt at all. Let’s get back to playing.”
I laughed. “We’re done for today, buddy. We’re meeting your mom in two hours. We should go if you want that ice cream.”
“Okay, I’ll go change.”
After he went inside, Maddie asked, “How come you can play soccer?”
“Wanted to play pro. Even got a college scholarship for it.”
“Nice. So how come you didn’t go pro?”
“Moved back here after my parents passed away and focused on other things. I still play as a hobby.”
“Wow, aren’t you full of surprises?”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Her eyes widened and she sighed, a cute little sound I wanted to eat up. Her lips were perfect: pink, plump, with a sweet bow in the middle. This woman was seven levels of tempting, and I hadn’t been tempted in years. I didn’t want to be tempted. But Maddie had been in my thoughts all morning. The broken windshield still bothered me. She didn’t seem to need or want my protection, but I wanted to give it to her anyway.
“Well, I’d better get back to work,” she sai
d.
She went past me inside the house and I caught a whiff of her body wash, sweetly floral but fresh somehow. She smelled delicious. With a shake of my head, I resolved to put Maddie out of my mind.
I managed to keep my resolve for about twenty-four hours. Since I’d grown up in LA, my oldest friends were all here, but they only had time to meet after work. I’d arranged for some breakfast get-togethers next week, but this week, I’d reserved my mornings for Milo. Since it was the end of June, he was on his summer vacation, so he had as much time to fill as I did.
The next day, Lori dropped off Milo for practice at eight o’clock and picked him up at ten. I went for a run afterward and finished my tour at the front of the house. Maddie was a few feet lower on the slope, bending over, securing one of the logs. Her ass was sticking up in the air, and the sight was glorious. When she finally straightened up, her breasts bounced with the movement, and her face was flushed; half her blonde hair had fallen out of her bun. She looked a little wild, and that prompted an image in my mind—a flash of Maddie’s entire body reacting on a thrust, calling my name. I’d fist her hair while burying myself in her to the hilt.
She met my eyes and smiled sheepishly, smoothing one hand over her hair. Her smile was amazing. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her, and I kept her gaze, watching the flush extend to her chest, her teeth gnawing at her lower lip. Still, I didn’t break eye contact. She did, but I looked at her long after she averted her gaze.
