Page 79 of Keeping it Real

Collin gave him a pitying look.“The interview the judge conducted when Sheridan filed her petition.”

“That was nearly two months ago.”

“Yee-aah.Has something changed since then?”

Damn straight something had changed.

Not that he was discussing that with his agent.

“We’re all good.”Alek gestured to where Marissa was still waiting.“I thought you said you were going to treat her right.Quit ignoring her.”

The goofy look was back on Collin’s face.He saluted Alek as he jogged over to where Finn’s teacher waited.Her face lit up with a smile identical to Collin’s.Alek shook his head in amazement before getting into his car and driving away.

Twenty-One

Hattie rushedup to greet her when Sheridan walked in from the garage.The dog looked past her, presumably for Finn.She rubbed Hattie’s head.

“He’s not there,” she told the dog.“He’ll be home tomorrow.”

The dog sighed before lumbering off to the mudroom, where she plopped onto her bed with a groan.

“Right there with ya, girl.It’s been a long day.”

Sheridan followed the scent of bacon to the kitchen.Alek was at the stove making an omelet.

“Yum.”

He laughed as he slid the omelet from the pan onto a plate.“Bacon makes everything better.”

Except it wasn’t the bacon that had her moaning.Alek had changed out of his game night suit into a pair of soft black joggers that fit his ass like a glove.The muscles in his back rippled beneath his blue cashmere sweater.For some reason, the dish towel draped over his shoulder made him even sexier.

“Come.Eat.”He gestured for her to sit at the table.

“You didn’t have to make me dinner.I’m not that hungry.”

Her stomach betrayed her by growling.

“Uh-huh.”He pulled out the chair for her.“Sit.”

She did as he asked because she realized she was in fact, starving—not to mention too exhausted to argue with him.

Alek poured some white wine into her glass.“How is Jackson?”

She sighed.“He’s still out.”

He whipped up an omelet for himself.“And Brad?”

“It doesn’t look like they will involve the police, thank goodness.Brad is a jerk who was incredibly careless, but it wasn’t premeditated.”She chomped on a piece of bacon.“Lori worked the angles all day to keep the story from getting out.More to protect the team than Brad, I think.Everyone at the hospital is obligated to keep it under wraps.Now, all we need is Jackson to open his eyes.”

“He will,” Alek said with more confidence than she felt.“Tomorrow morning, he’ll wake up as good as new and with a raging case of the munchies.”

She smiled as she sipped her wine.“Someone is feeling very confident this evening.Could it have something to do with having eight shutout periods under your belt?”

Alek shot her a wicked grin as he sat down next to her.“I have lots of things under my belt that you might be interested in.”

A flush burned her cheeks.“You know you didn’t have to make me dinner.You were going to get lucky anyway.”

“Yeah, I know.But I need you to have the strength for all the things I want to do to you later,” he teased.“Besides, this has easily become one of my favorite parts of the day.”