Page 20 of Balance

I try to shove him away from the sink, but, Christ, he is so damn solid that he doesn’t even budge. He glances over at me with a cocky smirk. “Not so tough now, huh?” He flicks soapy water at my face and I wince and try to protect my eyes.

“Jackhole. Seriously, get out of here. I don’t mind cleaning.” I try to shove myself in front of him, assuming he would move away. He presses his arms down on either side of me, his fingers curling around the sink, pressing his front against my back.

He’s so warm, his body so damn hard, and muscular.

He breathes me in and I shiver. Oh… Oh fuck. He needs to move away. Now.

“Fuck, you smell amazing.” I bite down on my lip and have to restrain myself from not arching or pressing back against him.

“I… I got the dishes.” I whisper and he presses his lips to the back of my neck. I bite my tongue and then he moves away. I heave out a soft sigh and close my eyes. Praying he’s leaving the room.

He hums as saunters out of the kitchen, I hear his bare feet slapping against the tiles. I turn, watching him leave, the way his clothes cling to his lean, tall… so fucking tall… muscular body. He’s turning the corner when he glances back at me and sends me a hard wink. Knowing I would be watching.

I glance away and stare down at the sink and scrub the dishes so hard I’m worried they’re going to crack.

I’m still flushed, panting for air. I hold my breath, trying to calm down my poor heart.

This is bad news bears…

Chapter 7

Morgan

__________

Ijump up onto the bus, my nerves are shot and I’m jittery, nervous as hell to leave the girls already. It feels like those months alone with them moved way too fucking fast, and now Lillian is going to be alone in the house with my girls.

I’m not worried about her, I know that she takes care of them.

I just… Fuck. I can’t stop thinking about Saturday morning when she shoved her hot, curvy little body in front of me at the sink. Her scent drove me wild. Still does.

She smelled like my fruit pancakes and peanut butter, but still something floral, and sweet. Musky. Her.

I drop down in the back and pull out my phone, staring down at our message thread. Is it too early to text her and check in? I check the time and snort under my breath. I just left the house an hour ago.

Logan and Landon join me in the back, while Blake, James, and Alexi are making their way down behind them. We don’t usually see Alexi much outside of practice and games, but it’snice to have him around more. The crazy Russian is actually fun to be around.

James claps my back and sits beside me, sighing as he gets comfortable. “I bet you feel the same way I do… first time away from the kids in what feels like forever. It gets easier, right? I hated leaving my sisters, but I knew they were always in good hands with Marie. It just feels different leaving the babies.”

I nod and glance around. Nolan is staring intently down at his phone. He’s been off lately. He barely goes out anymore. He was always out with Marie, helping her, talking about her constantly, but ever since she and James started a relationship, had their babies and got engaged… I feel for him. I think our resident gigolo actually fell for her.

Landon sends me a look from across the aisle. “You haven’t even told us much about this nanny, man. Is she one of those sweet old ladies? Or is she young and hot?”

I roll my eyes and toss my phone face down on my lap. “She’s in her late twenties. She’s a school teacher from California. She’s sweet, amazing with the girls. And yeah… she’s… she’s something else.”

Nolan perks up at that, always down to talk about women. “Break it down for us. Nice rack… ass? Long hair, short hair?”

I shake my head at him. “Long brown hair, it’s curly and always crazy unless she braids it or has it up. Bright gray eyes… Pale skin. Nice curves.” I bite my lip and glance up at the ceiling. “I’m still dealing with everything with Brittany. She also just got out of a long-term relationship. She has a lot of… trauma from her past. Plus, I’m technically her boss.”

Nolan rolls his eyes. “I’m not her boss.”

Landon snorts and rubs his hands. “I’m not either. You should invite us over one night… We haven’t had a cookout in a while. I’ll bring the beer, James will cook. I’m sure the kids would love to see Marie and the babies.”

I shrug. “I don’t see why not. The house has been so damn quiet lately. I don’t know how she does it. The girls are listening, they clean up after themselves, and they even help her cook. I don’t know how everything always looks so perfect, either.”

James frowns and nods his head, nudging my shoulder with his. “That’s great, man… Just be careful. Those girls are getting attached to her. If shit goes sour between you and her, it’s going to affect them the most. Keep it in your pants.”

I wince and stare back down at my phone. When he had some issues with Marie before she had the babies, his sisters chose Marie over him. I don’t know what I would do in that situation.

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