Page 83 of Of Pucking Course

She chuckles. “You’re the hottest.”

I drop a kiss to her mouth. “The guys and I noticed Coach Porter checking Abby out when they talked this afternoon. He actually smiled and laughed when he was talking to her.”

Dakota’s eyes light up. “No way. I mean, I see himsmiling around Sophie, but other than that, he hardly ever smiles.”

“So are you gonna play matchmaker between your best friend’s dad and your coworker?”

Dakota shakes her head. “Nope. Abby isn’t interested in dating. She’s a single mom, and she’s pretty focused on her daughter. Besides, she’s still reeling from being with her ex. I guess he did a number on her.”

I frown, sad to hear what Abby’s been through. I don’t know her well, but she’s always kind and warm whenever I’ve been around her. I’m tempted to ask what happened, but I stop myself. That’s not my business.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say. “She seems like such a sweet person.”

“She is.” Dakota lets out a heavy sigh. “He hasn’t been a very good dad to her daughter either. He left shortly after she was born.”

“Are you serious?”

She nods. “Yeah. What a jerk, right?”

“Yeah. Jesus.” What kind of man abandons his family like that?

“Abby is such a catch. She’s beautiful and sweet and funny and passionate about her job,” Dakota says. “I tried to convince her to sign up for a dating app, but she refuses. It’s just so sad because she’s so young to swear off relationships forever. She’s only thirty-one.”

We finish eating, and I offer to clean up the kitchen. Once I’m done loading the dishwasher, I look up and see Dakota turning on the TV in the living room and pulling upThe Big Bang Theory.

She turns to look at me, smiling. “Feel like cuddling on the couch with me and watching an episode?”

“Always.”

I fall onto the couch and pull her against me. She slinks her arms around my middle, cuddling into my chest.

My body relaxes completely. It feels so comfortable, so easy being with Dakota. As much as I love doing filthy things to her in bed, I like this just as much—hanging out, talking, watching TV. It doesn’t matter what I do with her. She always puts me in the best mood.

But then I remind myself. This is just temporary, until she recovers from her breakup and gets back on her feet. In just a few short months, she’ll move out of here and be living on her own, and we won’t be doing this anymore. Just like we won’t be hooking up together.

She’ll move on and find someone else to be with—someone who’s not totally off limits because they’re not her brother’s best friend. And I’ll just be the guy she had a fling with to build her confidence in the bedroom.

An ugly feeling claws through my stomach and up my chest when I think about Dakota being with someone else.

A second later, I feel like a dumbass. What is wrong with me, getting jealous over someone that doesn’t even exist, over something that hasn’t even happened?

I bury the thought and force myself to focus on the moment. I’m here with her now, having fun. That’s all that matters.

The theme song starts, and we both start singing along. We look at each other as we laugh-sing our way through it.

“God, we’re such dorks,” she says when it ends.

Sparks fly through my chest. I try not to read too much into them. We’re just two friends having fun together.

I chuckle. “We really are.”

Chapter 30

Dakota

Iglance around the classroom as the kids rest on their mats on the floor.

It’s afternoon nap time, and half the kids are asleep while the other half are lying down with their eyes closed or just gazing around the room. It’s more of a quiet time to rest than a time for the kids to sleep. Either way, it’s a nice, peaceful twenty minutes during a busy school day.

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