Page 122 of Need You To Choose Me

“Blondie, I think I’ll need to put you in time-out.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the look he shoots my way has me reconsidering. Sighing, I let my hands drop. “Okay, okay. I’m not even going to look at it.”

Blake just stares at me for a moment longer as if he’s waiting to fight me, but when he realizes I’m serious, he walks around me, his body brushing against mine as he leans down and whispers, “Good girl.”

His husky voice has a shudder run down my spine.

If the man knows the effect he has on me, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he walks to the counter, where Malcom runs our order.

“Where is your car?” Blake asks as we leave the store.

“I took a walk.”

My doctor suggested that I should consider doing some light exercise since it helps with gestational diabetes, so I’ve been trying to go on a walk at least once a day.

Blake nods in understanding, his hand slipping to the small of my back. “Let’s get you home?”

His warm palm burns through the layers of clothes separating us as he guides me across the street where he parked his truck. He drops the paint in the bed, and we huddle inside.

The drive back home passes quickly, Levi’s cheerful chatter filling the space all the way back home.

“You go inside, and I’ll be back in a few. I’m just gonna drop these off at Savannah’s, okay, buddy?”

“But I wanna go with you,” Levi pouts.

“Well, you need to go home and take a shower since tomorrow is a school day.”

He huffs and stomps his foot. “I don’t wanna go to school if Sav’s not there. It’s boring.” Those innocent gray eyes turn toward me. “When are you coming back?”

“I’m actually returning tomorrow.”

“For real?”

A smile spreads on my lips. “For real. So I’ll see you then?”

“Yes!” Levi fist pumps excitedly. Before I get to react, his arms wrap around me in a quick hug, and he dashes into his house, yelling over his shoulder, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Blake shakes his head. “I swear that kid likes you more than he likes me.”

“He does not,” I protest as we go to my house. I pull out the keys and let him inside. “You can just drop them somewhere here. And once again, thank you so much for buying them.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me, you know that?” Blake walks past me. “I’m doing it because it’s for us. Munchkin is our baby. Besides, remodeling keeps me busy.”

My gaze darts down his muscled back, watching the way his bicep flexes while he holds onto the can of paint—the way those gray sweatpants molded to his thighs and ass.

He shouldn’t look that hot doing something so mundane, right?

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Blake turns around to face me. My cheeks heat under his watchful gaze at being caught staring.

“Umm, y-yes. Sure.” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “What’s up?”

Something about the way he was looking at me had the hair on my neck prickling at attention.

“I’m leaving?—”

I blink, unsure if I heard him correctly.

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