Page 61 of Outlaw Heartstrings
Yet still, my lips tingle and yearning stirs deep in my belly. I try to convince myself that wanting to be kissed has nothing to do with Easton. Nothing to do with the fact that he’s even more handsome than he used to be. Nothing to do with those chiseled hockey biceps and that dazzling panty-melting smile. Nothing to do with how great he is with his son and how quickly he’s adapting to his fatherhood role.
I’m just starved for male attention. Which makes sense, since I’ve been single for too damn long. A girl’s got needs. Needs that I’ve squashed down and ignored in order to take care of my little family.
After tucking Jagger into bed and reading him a short book, he’s out like a light. I drag myself through my night routine, scrubbing my face and brushing my teeth.
With my comfy pajamas on, I climb into bed, ready to study for my upcoming real estate exam. But before my laptop even comes to life, my phone dings with a text message.
Easton: Look out the window.
What the heck?
Stumbling out of bed, I rush over to my bedroom window. Past the branches of the old oak tree in the yard, I’m shocked to see Easton here, standing in my driveway.
Smile splitting his face, he puts a finger to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet. Then he waves at me to come and meet him outside.
I rush down the hallway, so excited to find out what’s happening that I don’t even remember I’m only in my pajamas. And not pajamas of the sexy-time variety, either.
When I swing open the front door, Easton’s there on the steps, flashing his dimples and holding up a bag of old-fashioned donuts.
A smile rolls across my lips. I dash outside to join him.
22
EASTON
Alba’s green doe eyes literally sparkle when I hold up the sugary scented paper bag.
“You…I…Wow,” she stutters, shocked to see me standing here with her favorite donuts and two cups of pink lemonade at this hour of the night. “This is amazing.” She takes a sniff of the bag. “I should say that I can’t accept this… but these donuts smell too good to turn down. Thank you.”
“Perfect. Because I don’t want you to turn them down,” I say on a laugh. “Here. Dig in.”
She quickly grabs a thin blanket from inside and wraps it around her bare shoulders. Then we sit side by side on the porch bench and enjoy our dessert in the summer evening air. We take turns reaching into the bag, sugar and glazed frosting flaking from our fingers with each bite.
Silvery slivers of the full moon illuminate the porch. I glance around for nosy neighbors, but the dense foliage of the towering oak tree shields our second story hideout from any curious eyes that might be peeking out from behind their curtains.
I’m only allowing myself a few of these, secretly letting Alba enjoy most of the donuts, since I need to try and maintain my glowing, hockey figure. I don’t want to be like Alan, a former right winger who used to be on my previous team, before he packed on thirty extra pounds while trying to heal from a knee injury.
Yeah. Alan was nice and all, but I sure don’t want to turn out likethatguy.
“Gosh. Remember that time we decided to put money together to get a dozen of these donuts back in the day?” Alba laughs.
“It’s embarrassing how long it took to scrounge up my half of the money.”
“Yeah. You had to get real creative to find enough money,” she adds. “Like offering to clean out my parents’ cars, just in hopes of finding loose change under the seats.”
“And rummaging through the cracks of all the church pews.”
“Oh!” She giggles. “You definitely hit the jackpot there.”
“And you’re conveniently leaving out the part about you covering more than your own share. The rest of the cost, you paid for out of your own money.”
“Shit. I didn’t think you’d noticed.”
“Yeah, you thought you were being sneaky about it.” I shoot her a pretend glare.
She winces and shrugs. “Well, your scrounging would have only gotten us so far at the cash register.”
“I cringe, thinking back to all the loose change I collected that day,” I say. “Do you think that counts as stealing?”
