Page 33 of Just A Little Fling

He slid his hand behind my head to steady me, and the grip anchored me. It felt like everything was going to be all right. My soft sigh earned me a smile against my lips.

I needed to win this game.

CHAPTEREIGHT

LEVI

“Babbo, since I’m the guest, shouldn’t you have let me win?” Nico asked with a wide smile.

“Nope,” I answered with one of my own, then took a breath before I continued, “Do you remember what happened when you got here last night?”

Putting this off wasn’t helpful to anyone. If what I suspected was correct, Nico wanted me to step forward despite his insistence he was only interested in casual, no-strings-attached fun.

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Right, so you know the flower beds I started working on yesterday got all kinds of messed up?”

I’d peeked outside when I got up this morning andmesswas a generous description. They were trampled with hours of work wasted.

“Did I ruin them?” Nico bit his lip in worry.

“They are fixable, but I’d appreciate it if you’d help me.”

His scrunched-up nose was adorable. “But, Babbo, I haaaaaate yard work. It’s messy, and my hands get all gross.”

“That’s why gardening gloves were invented.”

Nico’s grumpy expression was a clear reminder that he was a middle and he’d been teetering on the edge of falling into that space all morning. If I were lucky, he’d feel secure enough to fall the rest of the way.

“Sweet Boy, we gotta fix the messes we make. Right?”

His sigh was long-suffering, dramatic, and cute.

“Babbo, I don’t like it when you’re right.” He pouted.

“It’s annoying, isn’t it?” I laughed.

“Very much, yes.”

“How about this? We go back to your place for some work clothes, you help me in the garden, and when it’s done, we get out the controllers and order a pizza for lunch?”

Nico nodded and asked, “Can I borrow some slides to go home in?”

“Sure.”

I rummaged in the closet to find something for him. Nico put them on and then borrowed a jacket since it was still chilly outside. When he reached the back door, he paused, looked at me, and asked, “Are you coming?”

“Of course. One sec though. I need to get my shoes.”

Shoes found, we headed out the back door and directly to the bungalow. I waited behind him while he punched in the passcode on the automatic lock before going inside. He stopped before he opened the door, blocking my view of the interior.

“Babbo, before you go in, I just want you to know I planned on cleaning it up this weekend.” Nico stepped back and allowed me to enter the bungalow.

I couldn’t tell whether he was making a joke or not when I stepped inside. I saw a recently cleaned kitchen and a somewhat messy living room. There were some leftover breakfast dishes on the counter, along with some cereal boxes, and a blanket was tossed on the couch. The messiest part was the pile of shoes near the door. The game controllers were a haphazard mess of wires like most people. I mean, I wouldn’t want to live in it, but it was hardly a disaster zone. My fingers twitched to tidy up anyway.

“Are you messing with me, Sweet Boy?”

“Me? I would never do that, Babbo.” His grin told me he was full of shit.

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