Page 78 of Outlaw Heartstrings
Her hand covers her heart when she digs into the gift bag and sees what we got her.
“Easton…” she breathes, staring at the box in awe. “An e-reader?”
Her eyes instantly get glassy and I know I’ve hit the jackpot.
“Do you like it?” Jagger demands excitedly from his seat.
“I love it…” she says, flipping the package over and opening it carefully. Twisting in her seat, her gaze bounces between Jagger and me as she clutches the device to her chest. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
I’m beaming like a little kid when she smiles at me. “I knew you’d like it,” I say. “Jagger agreed. So we just had to get it.”
I’ve noticed that she always has a book peeking out the top of her purse, and there’s always a random romance novel tossed on her kitchen counter. The cutesy illustratedcovers often look innocent enough, but I stole a peek at the pages of one of her books once, and the heat was enough to blow my freaking hair back.
“Well, thank you for thinking of me,” she says, sounding so heartfelt it makes my chest hurt.
Wow—this womanneedsto be loved. Correctly. Because there’s no way that small gestures like this should make her so emotional.
We drive across town to Alba’s home, and I’m hit with a sudden realization.
She needs love. Real love.
Not just a man who will come in and check off her sexual fantasies one by one like it’s just another grocery list. Not some guy who will take advantage of her body, without taking care of her heart when all the toe-curling orgasms are over with.
She needslove.
And I can’t be the one to give her that.
Because I’m only in town for a short time. Because she and I could very likely end up in a custody battle over Jagger. Because I’m her sister’s baby daddy, for crying out loud.
I can’t be the man to love her. And this sex wishlist thing is suddenly starting to feel like a not-so-great idea.
All of a sudden, I want to reconsider this whole thing. Maybe it’s all moving too fast for Alba. I don’t want to push her into something she’s not comfortable with.
Or maybe it’s me.
Maybe I’m the one who’s having second thoughts. Maybe I’m the one who’s going to get too attached. Maybe I’m the one who’ll get hurt.
But that’s just ridiculous. That’s ridiculous, right?
Pushing the worry aside, I pull up in the yard and helpJagger and Alba get their stuff out of the car and up the stairs. “You guys have a good night now,” I say awkwardly from the front porch, seeing if I can make an easy escape.
Alba laughs, eyeballing me over her shoulder. “Don’t you even think about it,” she says in that bossy tone I’ve come to like so much. She’s wearing a sexy smirk, and somehow that makes me even more nervous.
I swallow hard, when she jerks me inside by the hem of my T-shirt and kicks the door closed with her foot. “Yes, ma’am.”
I know exactly what I promised her last night. I told her we’d start her sexy exploration lessons today. And I meant it.Then.
But right now, I’m sort of chickening out.
“How about dinner and a movie? A PG-movie.” I add when she gives me another lustful stare as she leads the way to the kitchen.
“Be quiet and look pretty, Easton. And stop trying to worm your way out of this.” She knows exactly what I’m doing, but I doubt she has a clue how fucking scared I am.
After checking out the fridge and pantry, Alba and I agree that it’s too late to cook anything, so I order some takeout. When the food arrives, the three of us eat in front of the TV.
By the end of the movie, Jagger is out cold and snoring softly, his head resting on my ribs and his feet in Alba’s lap. “I’m going to put him to bed,” I whisper to her.
She gives me a nod, and then I carefully scoop up Jagger and carry him to his room. I place him in bed just as slowly, kiss him on the head, and then stare down at him for a minute.
