Page 74 of Long Road Home

“Jordan—”

“Yeah. That’s the look I want to remember on your face when I’m thinking about you today. Now kiss me. I have to go.”

My hands went to his cheeks. “Always so bossy.”

“You like my bossy.” His head came down. Or I pulled him to me. I didn’t quite know what happened, who moved first, but his mouth was on mine, his tongue sliding against mine, our lips fused together and I was at risk of forgetting everything, including my name, when he yanked back. “Water turned off upstairs.”

My gaze slid in that direction and I pressed my hands down his arms to the skin beneath his navy-blue polo shirt, Carlton Resort and Spa embroidered over one of his pecs. “You’re so hot. Always have been.”

“You’ve always been the only girl I see,” he said, eyes glimmering, lips lifted at the edges.

When he talked like that, the world melted. My knees turned liquid. “Thank you,” I said, and heard steps pounding the stairs.

“Ready Mom! Where we going?”

“Someplace cool!” I shouted back.

“Where you taking him?” Jordan asked.

I was ready to tell him everything. It just wasn’t the time. Plans had to be made anyway and there were things to line up. “A surprise for him. I’ll tell you later?”

“You better.” He turned and reached out for Toby. “Hey buddy. I gotta take off. You be good for your mom, today, yeah?”

Toby’s grin was enough to light up the sky. “Yeah. Always am.”

“Please.” I snorted. “You’re a pain in my butt.”

Toby pointed his finger at me. “That must be why it’s so big.”

“Why you…” I leaped for him, and Jordan’s arm curled around my waist, holding me back.

“I’d run, man. Those are fighting words with a woman.” He could barely talk over his sudden, bursting laugh.

“I’ll get you!” I shouted, laughing so hard peeing my pants was a possibility.

“Yeah, yeah,” Toby said, sneaking back toward the stairs. “You’d have to catch me first and we all know how well you run.”

I fought against Jordan’s arm, pressing his hand away, laughing hysterically. “You are a runt!”

“Yeah, but I’m a fast one!” He turned and took off running through the living room.

“Let me go!” Jordan did immediately, and I almost fell to my knees, scrambled to my feet, and I took off after Toby, Jordan’s booming laugh echoed through the house.

“I’ll get you!” I shouted, chasing Toby up the stairs, but by the time I reached his room, his door was closed, and rattling the handle told me it was locked. “Hey, yeah…you better hide.”

Laugher hit my ears from the side of his door.

I turned, defeated, out of breath. Man. I was out of shape. Jordan stood at the bottom of the stairs. Both of his hands were propped on the banister, one foot on the bottom step. He looked regal and sexy. Professional and ready for a day on the course. Dress pants, shining brown dress shoes. The navy polo. He wassucha man. Not the boy who’d taught me everything I knew about sex and then vigorously reminded me of all of it last night.

I brushed off the lustful haze he always put me in and shoved a finger in his direction. “And you are in trouble. I’ll get you later.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

“Go to work.” Laughter threatening again. God, I loved him. I couldn’t wait to tell him. “I need to get my clothes and get home.”

“Keys are on the counter. The truck should have gas in it. You can bring it back here later tonight for dinner and stay again.”

“Again?”

---