Page 20 of Before We Fell

Irritation spiked. She spoke to her like she had the right to be in my house in the first place.

Riley yanked her brush out of her hair and her large, crystal blue eyes I so badly wanted to see shine with happiness came to me. Silence defended, like none of us knew what to say and both sets of female eyes landed on me. Like I knew what the hell to say.

“Hey, Squirt. Guess what? Miss Frazier is our neighbor.” Riley’s brows arched at that and her lips twitched.

It made her happy? Shit. I’d never understand females. Teachers were the last thing that made me smile when I was a kid.

Except for maybe Mrs. Pearson. She saw more sock time than the porn I stashed between my mattresses.

“Yes,” Lauren said. She had stood up and was pointing down at her leg. “I didn’t know you two lived here, but I live through the backyard trees. I came over this morning to ask your uncle to be quieter in the mornings. Seems the trees and brush need to be cleaned up because I got scrapes.” She kept her gaze on Riley and moved closer, slowly as if she was afraid of terrifying the girl.

And for reasons I couldn’t fathom, my gaze dropped to her ass and those legs she was gesturing to as she did it.

Note: Add getting laid to my to-do list. That’d stop me from fighting a hard-on with my niece’s teacher.

“That was nice of your uncle, wasn’t it?” Lauren asked, crouching down now in front of Riley.

Riley glanced at Lauren’s legs, her arms, and then pointed to her temple where there was a small scratch that had pebbled with blood. “You got hurt,” she said, her voice so scratchy and quiet.

Her words burned my chest. I barely got a yes or no, and she gave her words to Miss Frazier?

My hands curled into fists.

Lauren touched her temple and nodded. “I did, but I’m okay now. Your Uncle Noah helped me. Nice guy, huh?”

“He buys me ice cream.”

Lauren laughed and her soft sound went straight to my balls. This had to end. I stepped up, intent on suggesting Lauren get on her way when Riley held her brush out.

My breathing stalled and that burn in my chest traveled to my brain, sparking that part of the region that made me want to slam my fist into a wall.

“Will you help me?” she asked, and her chin trembled. I stumbled back from the shock of it all.

For three months I’d tried to get my hands on her hair and every time I tried, she ran away from me.

And this woman walked onto my property? Interrupted my morning? And Riley went straight to her?

I must have made a sound. Might have been a growl. Lauren glanced at me over her shoulder, pretty brown brows arched into points on her forehead like she was silently asking me if it was okay.

The hell it wasn’t, but what else could I do? Riley’s hair was a mess and she’d refused to let either me or my mom help her.

I nodded once and crossed my arms over my chest. This was insane.

I shouldn’t have been jealous Riley went to someone else. I shouldn’t have been so damn angry Riley talked to her teacher. And I shouldn’t have wanted to slake that anger by shoving Miss Frazier against a wall and taking it out on her sexy little body.

“It’s fine.” Yeah. I was definitely growling. This woman got under my skin and I needed to kick her out. Stat. “I’ll go work. You two, do…” I waved a disgusted hand in the air. “Whatever girls do.”

“A girl’s day,” Lauren said as if it was the best idea ever and grinned. Riley looked equally excited at the idea.

Nothing like pouring a little salt in the wound.

Riley tipped her head to the side and shuffled on her feet, still clad in her pajamas, she looked rumpled and sleepy and so stinking cute. “Will you braid it for me?”

“Of course I will,” she said. “Do you have hair ties I can use?” At Riley’s nod, Lauren asked her to go get them and the girl turned and ran off so quick, I blinked and she was gone.

This from the girl who trudged through life like she was stuck in quicksand.

“Is this okay?” Lauren asked, standing and brushing her hands down her thighs. “I didn’t mean to intrude. Or take over. I just feel for her.”

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