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Their easy banter is enough to cool me off so I can stand. “I better head home. It’s late.”
Emily’s gaze darts between Libby and me.
“Sure. I’ll walk you out.” She picks up the remote and clicks the movie off.
“Night, Dex.” Libby wiggles her fingers at me. “Thanks for the treats. And dinner.”
“No problem, Libby.”
She holds out her fist to me and, pleased she initiated it, I tap my knuckles against hers.
Once we’re outside, Emily wraps her hand around mine. “Libby likes you.”
“I like her. She’s a good kid.”
“She is. Most of the time.”
I stop her at the steps. “Want you to go inside before I leave.”
“I will.” Her gaze searches the small, quiet street. “It’s a safe neighborhood, but you never know…” Her voice trails off into a whisper.
I brush my knuckles against her cheek. “Thank you for today.”
“Thank you. For everything.” I lean in and kiss the tip of her nose.
A faint smile ghosts her lips, then she turns serious again. “I don’t mean to be pushy…” She bites her lip and a vision of her sweet mouth wrapped around my cock flashes before my eyes. Jesus Christ.Pay attention for fuck’s sake.She’s trying to say something important.
“…It’s just a long drive. Late at night. Deer jumping in the road. I know you have the truck tonight so it’s safer than your bike. But I still worry.”
She must’ve asked me to text her when I get home again. “I like that you worry about me.” I stare past her at the house. “Iworry about you and Libby here all alone by yourselves.”
“We’re used to it.”
I curl my hand around hers and pull her toward me. “What if I moved closer?” Without waiting for a response, I plow ahead with my thought. “I’ll ask Grinder if I can take over the lease to his apartment.”
She frowns at my brother’s road name for a brief second. “Oh. Grayson. Serena said his place was close when she was staying with us.”
“Would you worry less if I didn’t have to go so far?”
“You’d do that…for me?”
I’m starting to think I’d do almost anything for her.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Emily
Work had been a slog.Or it would’ve been if I didn’t have a memorable afternoon and evening with Dex to replay in my head over and over again.
Reliving those moments certainly helped when I had to notify one of our clients that their ammonia levels were out of compliance. I had to endure minutes of verbal abuse over the phone regarding the quality of my testing methods and equipment. To my annoyance, I ended up retesting the sample just to shut them up. And what do you know? The result was the same. I let them know by email.
Happy to be leaving work behind me for the next fourteen hours, I pull into my driveway, noting the warm glow from the living room lights around the edges of the window. Libby’s already home.
Hmm…Which version of my sister will I encounter tonight? The sweet one or the sassy one? Living with a teenager sure keeps life exciting.
I unlock the front door and push it open. Libby’s on the couch with the television on but she’s staring at her phone, endlessly sliding her thumb over the screen.
“Hey, Libby,” I call out.
