Page 35 of Rooster

“Oh? So, you know her?”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“So, you two are an item?”

“Don’t see where that’s any of your business, Mr. Grant.” My phone started to ring in my pocket, so I grabbed it as I told him, “Well, the heat’s fixed now, so she and the kids are good.”

“Okay. Good to know.” He turned and started to leave as he said, “I’ll be seeing you around.”

As soon as he was out of sight, I looked down at the screen and saw that it was Maggie calling. I quickly answered, “Hey. You okay?”

“I am now. Thanks to you.”

“It was nothing.”

“It was far from nothing.” I could hear the smile in her voice as she asked, “Do you think you could come around back so I could give you a proper thank you?”

“Yeah, I think I could manage that.”

“Okay. I’ll go unlock the door.”

I ended the call, and then started toward the back of the house. I’d barely rounded the corner when I spotted Maggie at the back door. I was freezing. My fingers were numb, and my cheeks chapped from the frigid breeze, but the second I saw her standing there with that blanket wrapped around her, I felt warm all over.

A smile swept across her face when she spotted me, and I couldn’t imagine a more beautiful sight. When I got closer, she opened the door wider and whispered, “Hey.”

“Hey there, beautiful.”

“Hey there.” She shivered as she said, “It’s so cold. I hate you had to come over here like this.”

“It’s all good. I’m glad I could help. Besides, it gave me a chance to see you.”

Without warning, I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her close, then bent down and captured her mouth in a kiss. Her soft, full lips opened with a moan, giving me deeper access. Her hand roamed across my chest, then slowly continued up to the nape of my neck as her fingers tangled in my hair.

Having her so close and not being able to do anything about it was fucking with my head. I needed to stop before I got carried away, so I eased back and said, “I better get out of here.”

“Okay. You’re freezing. Go warm up.”

“I just did.”

I gave her a wink, and as I started walking back to my truck, she called out, “Text me later.”

“You can count on it.”

I gave her a wink, then went back and grabbed my tools. Once I was back in the truck, I glanced over at Grant’s place and found him staring out the window. I gave him a quick wave, then started the truck and drove home. It was late and had been a hell of a day, so I went straight to bed.

The next morning, I got up early and drove over to the construction site. I’d barely gotten out of the truck when Guardrail came charging towards me. I could tell by the look on his face he was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear. He inhaled a deep breath, then said, “The kid’s coming today. I’m gonna need you and Torch to take him under your wing.”

“Ah, man. Seriously?”

“I would do it myself, but I’ve gotta go pick up a load of lumber.”

“We’ll do it. No problem.”

“Don’t take it easy on the kid. He’s gonna be here a while. He’s gonna have to step up and do the work or…”

“Oh, he’ll do the work. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Thanks, brother.”

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