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Laughter bubbled around me as Kane made his green circle and cheered.
“I’m amazing!” he cried, and Jax twisted his head to look at him.
“Yeah, you are kiddo.”
“Daddy,” Bonnie declared. “Right hand to yellow.”
“Oh… fiddlesticks,” Jax grumbled, and I laughed at his family-friendly word.
“Is that losing in your future?” I teased, puffing my cheeks to try and cool down my flushing face as my hair draped down and created a blanket of warmth.
“Oh, I’m a pro!” Jax laughed as he threw his right hand forward. It landed directly on my own, sharing my yellow circle. His touch was electric, and a wave of excitement flashed through me from head to toe. Here I was, playing Twister like I was part of some normal family, and underneath it all, I was still caught up on how attractive Jax was.
It was almost too much.
“Summer,” Bonnie said shyly as she spun the dial. “Left foot, red.”
“Oh no,” I gasped, fighting the distraction of Jax’s hand against my own. “Here I come, Kane!”
For a second, I managed to drag my foot over to a red circle near Kane, but all it took was for Ava to burst into giggles when my hair tickled her, for all my strength to leave my limbs.
“Nooo!” I yelled dramatically as I wobbled and threw myself into Jax to avoid falling on either of the children.
“Yes!” Cheers rose from the children as Jax and I rolled off the mat and onto the floor, laughing.
Jax’s thick arm wrapped around my waist, stopping me from rolling too far, and he groaned desperately and released an even more dramatic, “Nooo!”
“Adults lose!” Kane yelled, climbing to his feet and starting to dance.
“He’s right,” I laughed, bracing my hands on Jax’s chest and pushing myself up. “Adults lose.”
“Uncle Jax is a loser,” Ava giggled as she rolled on the mat. Jax held my gaze long enough for my heart to skip, then I quickly climbed off of him and brushed my hair back from my face.
“It’s true,” I grinned, “kids are just better.” I glanced at Bonnie and offered her a softer smile. “Thanks being the spinner, Bonnie. That was awesome!”
She nodded and shoved her fingers back into her mouth.
“Again, again!” squealed Ava, and I leaned down to scoop her up from the mat, ignoring the prickle of sweat down my spine.
“Nope, it’s lunchtime,” Jax said as he stood and dragged a hand through his black curls. “Twister is a hungry sport.”
“Want me to get it?” I asked and set Ava down on the couch next to Bonnie.
“That would be great,” Jax replied as he started to fold up the mat. “Could you take Bonnie’s cup and get her some fresh juice too? The kitchen is through the door on the left.”
“Of course!”
That had been more fun than I expected, and my hand still tingled from Jax’s touch. I grabbed Bonnie’s orange cup from the table and left the room—only to crash into a broad, rock-hard chest.
The cup slipped from my hand, and what was left of Bonnie’s dark drink splashed up and onto the shirt of whoever I had crashed into.
“Oh my God—I’m so sorry!” I gasped, scrambling to catch the cup as the crimson stain spread before my eyes. I glanced up and froze as a pair of warm hazel eyes set in a handsome face stared down at me.
“You must be Summer,” the man chuckled in a voice so deep the vibrations rattled my bones. “I’m Luke.”
5
LUKE
