Page 81 of Skate the Line

She pouts harder. “What?”

What the hell am I doing thinking about my daughter’s nanny while some other woman grinds over me?

That was the entire point of going out—well, sort of. This all started because of Kane.

I took the blonde from him as payback. He had his eye on her, spitting his lame game, and I casually stepped in front of him and pulled her flush against me.

He knew exactly why I did it too. Instead of winding back and attempting to knock me out, like he’d do with any other man in the bar, he smiled like a maniac and walked away.

“Yeah, sorry. I have an early morning.”

The woman climbs from my lap on shaky legs. She seems disappointed, and I wish I felt bad.

But I don’t.

I leave her apartment without looking back.

It’s after midnight.

Sunny and Ellie will both be asleep, which is good because I’m not up to acting like my typical aloof self with Sunny at the moment. I’m exhausted from the game and from keeping my thoughts on the straight and narrow. Seeing her in that darkened hallway with nothing but her skimpy tank top on after I practically convulsed over her wearing someone else’s number flipped a switch in my head.

The only explanation is that I need to get laid.

Yet, here I am, entering my house with my dick still nestled inside my pants,untouched.

The lights are dim in the living room. I quietly walk through the hall and stop when I see both Sunny and Ellie asleep on the couch. The cushions and blankets swallow them both whole. Asmile slips onto my face, and I rub my hand down my scruffy cheek.

There are two bowls of popcorn on the coffee table, half-eaten.

Sesame Streetplays on the TV, which is…unusual.

With smooth steps, I walk over to Ellie and gently scoop her into my arms.

She sleeps like a rock, just like me.

It takes no time getting her into her bed and blanketing her with the blue quilt. I place a kiss on her forehead and head back to the living room.

My heart noticeably gains traction as I rest against the arched alcove. Sunny’s hair lies over her shoulders in thick waves, and her face is free from any emotion. Perfect golden skin and smooth cheeks that lead down to her bow-shaped lips.

My nostrils flare. I’m obviously attracted to her.

When I met her, my first thought was that she was the type of beautiful that smacks you in the face, but I had my reservations. She’s young, which to me meanswild.I assumed she was untrustworthy and flighty, and I expected her to fuck up at least once, but I was wrong.

That doesn’t happen often.

She’s mature beyond her years—driven, determined, independent, and a ray of sunshine. When she enters a room and smiles, there’s a warmth that follows her. She has a vibe to her that’s alluring, making you crave it. She doesn’t even have to try either. It’s justher.

It’s admirable that she’s still like this after someone broke her trust and damaged a part of her pureness. I’ve seen the anxiety seep in, yet she has a way of smiling and laughing a moment later.

It’s baffling.

I shake my thoughts away and busy myself with cleaning up the popcorn. I do my best to ignore Sunny sleeping peacefully on the couch,stillwearing my jersey.A gray knitted blanket is draped over her, only showing small snippets of her body. I wait a few seconds and wonder if I should leave her there, but Ellie is an early riser. She’ll wake Sunny up the second she lays eyes on her.

Hovering above her, I place one hand on the back of the couch and lean forward. I give her shoulder a soft nudge, and her face twitches. A small line appears in between her eyebrows, right below a strand of her hair that has fallen into her face.

“Sunsh—” I clear my throat. “Sunny.”

She sucks in a sharp breath and pops up so fast I’m forced to step backward. Her bare feet slap onto the hardwood floor as she gasps for air, sending her hair into a blurry brown mess. “Ellie?!”

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