AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dylan grunted. “Good. The trick is to remember that the next time you’re covered in throw-up at three a.m.”
I chuckled lightly. “Noted.”
In the end, I did feel better after talking to Dylan. I was still stressed, but I was more confident in my capacity to handle what was on my plate. My cousin had spent the last three years doing all the things I needed to do in the next three weeks, and it was kind of like the first four-minute mile. Once I had it in my head that raising a kid on my ownandrunning a business were in the realm of possibility, it was easier to stop listing the ways it could go wrong and focus on the ways it could go right.
There was only one thing he’d been wrong about. Abbie. She was satisfied with the way things were between us, and for the most part, I had been, too. I’d had a lot of fucking fun over the years, and my few pathetic attempts at getting serious with a girl had always blown up in my face. I wasn’t boyfriend material, and Abbie would be the first to confirm it. Sure, I’d hated every man she’d ever been with and believed she deserved better, but it’s not as ifbettermeant me. I just had to keep it in my pants—or my hand—and pretend like that kiss never happened. So what if Abbie thought it was terrible? I knew it wasn’t my best work, and that’s what mattered, right? My ego wasn’t so needy I had to obsess over this.
I checked the time on my phone and dropped my head back with a groan. The bar was due to open in less than twentyminutes, giving me no time to rest and reset, let alone eat anything. I hadn’t even extended operating hours yet, and I was struggling to keep up with my schedule. I ran the bar solo as often as I could, but I did have staff who were available for extra shifts when I needed help. And I did need help. Another expense I hadn’t counted on, but one that I’d have to suck up along with all the others.
Dragging myself to standing, I headed for the loft. There was still time to check on Seb before I changed for another night behind the bar.
I smirked as I set my foot on the first stair, the hem of my shirt already bunched in my hands. Because the thing about my ego? It might not be needy, but it was bigger than my self-preservation instincts. And if sex was all I had to offer Abbie, I had no choice but to up my game.
17
Abbie
I had my eyeson the clock and my mind on Will’s mouth when he rushed into the loft fifteen minutes before opening time at The Stop. By the time the door had swung closed behind him, he’d crossed half the living room and pulled his dusty black shirt off over his head, so he was half naked when his eyes landed on me and Seb. Where did he get off looking so hot?
Will paused with an adoring smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I’d pushed the coffee table to one side and set up Seb on a play mat in the middle of the living room rug, then stretched out beside him while he played with the frame of toys dangling over his head. Will came over and crouched on Seb’s other side, offering him a goofy grin as he tickled his tummy.
I did not acknowledge Will’s tanned, muscular arms or the way his forearms flexed as he rested them on his knees. I paid no attention to his hands, his hard, carved stomach, or the V lines that led my gaze to the promised land. I ignored it all. The samewayhewas apparently going to ignore the fact he’d kissed me on his way out the door earlier.
He was probably ashamed about how bad it was. I would be.
And I wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up. Denial made it easier to ignore how that one ordinary, boring, thoughtless touch of his lips had turned me to mush. Will kissing like a grandpa was his shame to bear.
That it could turn me into a puddle anyway was mine.
Will’s blue eyes flickered up to mine. “You napping on the job, Ellison?”
“Not napping. Chatting.” I turned my head towards Seb, and he reached out and latched onto my nose tight enough that my next words came out all nasally. “We’re getting to know each other.”
Will’s mouth turned down at the corners, and he stood up. “I wish I could join you, but I have to get back downstairs.”
Seb detached from my face, and my gaze travelled upwards, raking over Will’s body from ankle to eye. When I reached his face, there was a knowing smirk on his mouth. Busted.
I rolled my eyes and threw a stuffed toy at him. “Stop showing off and put some clothes on.”
He laughed and spun around, leaping up the ladder to the loft and taking the fuzzy bunny with him. I wiped the drool from my chin as his back muscles leapt beneath his bronzed skin, and his impressive calves tightened as his toes sprung off each step.
“If I had more time, I’d let you look a little longer,” he called over his shoulder. “Sucks to be you.”
I squeezed my thighs together and sighed. He had no idea.
Propping myself on one elbow, I faced Seb and gave him my hand to play with. “Safe to say you’re going to be as handsome as your daddy, but promise me one thing, will you? Don’t torture women the way he does. No man needs an ego that size. It’s unattractive.”
Seb squealed and pumped his legs, babbling a response.
I huffed irritably. “Okay,fine. If you end up even half as hot as the man who made you, the overstuffed ego might work for you, too.” I leaned in and whispered, “Just don’t tell him I said that.”
Will reappeared in a clean grey T-shirt, and he’d swapped his shorts for dark blue jeans that hugged his bum. I sat up and looped my arms around my knees as I watched him drop onto the sofa and pull on his sneakers.
His glance darted to me and away again as he tied his laces. “How are the repairs coming along at the studio?”
Yep, he was ignoring the kiss. I told myself it was a good thing and shoved the flicker of disappointment to the side.
It had been a few days since I met with the insurance company at my place. I’d told Will the truth about the studio needing major work but accidentally, on purpose, left out the fact that my apartment didn’t.
