Page 71 of Uproot

She sees me coming and pulls down her sunglasses, frowning as she turns her tablet around to face me. “Zašto ste ucinili ovu igru tako teškom?”

I laugh as I go over to her, leaning down to kiss her on the head, “I didn't make the game too hard for you, Gana. I’ll help you with it when I get back home later, ok? I’m going to go check on Selah,” I say.

Her scowl quickly turns into a smile, “You can never make it more than 12 hours without Mother Henning over that poor, sweet girl, can you?” she teases.

“No, I really can’t,” I respond, not bothering to hide my impatience when it comes to being away from Selah.

She laughs at me, putting back on her sunglasses, and I move back to the sliding doors. “I’ll pick you up some bagels from Coco’s on my way home,” I promise before heading to my car.

I take the short drive over to Selah’s house quickly, tapping my fingers rapidly on the steering wheel as I go. She spent the night at my house after the debacle with her mother and stepfather last night, but she left me this morning for a girls breakfast with Mary and Evy before they had to go in to work.

She decided to go to her house until I finished working, even though I assured her that I wouldn’t be distracted.

Which was a blatant lie because I’m always focused on her when she’s around. But I still would have preferred her to be there.

I ring the bell to her house, realizing that I still need to ask her for a key. She answers a few moments later, and my eyes quickly scan over her white cotton shorts, and the pink shirt she has on.

“What are you doing here Beckett?!” she exclaims, looking surprised, but happy, as I step inside and shut the door.

“I came to check on you, angel,” I say, leaning down to give her a kiss. “How was breakfast with the ladies?”

“It was good! We got to catch up with each other. Evy is finally coming out of her morning sickness, and Mary said she and Lane are thinking about moving in together,” she responds, and I smile down at her.

“It sounds like they both are doing well then,” I respond.

“They are! I thought you would be busy with work today,” she says.

“Not too busy to see my girl,” I say, as we walk into her living room.

She pauses at the entrance, playing with her shorts as my eyes land on her coffee table.

“Um, I was just doing something to help me relax today like you suggested..” she says, her voice trailing off.

“You like coloring?” I ask, giving her a curious look.

“Yes.. sometimes,” she mutters, continuing to fidget with her fingers. “I mean lots of adults color.”

I go over to the table and pick up the coloring book, looking it over before my eyes move back to hers. “Adults like to color in, “My Little Pony", coloring books?”

She nibbles her bottom lip, looking like she wishes her pink slippers would sink into the wood floor so that she could disappear.

I set the coloring book down and pull her with me to sit on the couch. She doesn’t look at me, so I take her chin in my hand.

“Angel, I told you that you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything you like, remember?” I say, looking into her nervous eyes. “It’s ok if you need to feel like, or be treated like, a little girl sometimes, Selah. You didn’t have the childhood that you desired, and I know you yearn for a different version of it now. I get that, princess. I support whatever makes you happy.”

Her pensive expression eases slightly as she looks down at her hands.

“I just didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable about the things I enjoy. I thought it would be too difficult to understand how sometimes I just need to get into a different headspace,” she admits, looking back up at me.

I give her a small smile, shaking my head, “Absolutelynothingabout loving you is difficult, or hard to understand, angel. Loving you is the easiest, most natural thing I’ve ever done. And I’m honored that you share every secret part of yourself with me,” I assure her.

She stares back at me with admiration in her warm brown eyes, before pressing her lips to mine. I lean back and she falls against me, keeping our lips joined. I kiss her slow and tenderly, showing her exactly how serious my words are.

My hand goes underneath the back of her t-shirt, and I run my hands up her warm skin, my cock stirring having our bodies reunited again.

She breaks our kiss and I growl at her, thinking she is trying to get away from me. I dig my fingers into her hips, and she giggles at me, moving to straddle my lap.

Well that will work too..

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