too fast sent it swinging like a wrecking ball. That unlikely, but not entirely impossible, scenario was the reason I added him to the list.
Mentally tucking away my short list, I edged around the tree to stay out of sight as Kael drove toward the main road.
“Meadow …” I frowned as she squatted to poop just as the front door shut behind Amber. I reached into my pocket for a poop bag, but there wasn’t one. “Ugh!” I grimaced at the pile she left. Seeing only Kael’s taillights as he turned the corner, I kicked snow over the pile of shit and hightailed it toward the main street, deeming my walk to be over. When I turned the corner to head back home, Kael’s brake lights greeted me from the side of the road.
“Good morning, Mrs. Smith,” he sang with a cheerful tone while rolling down his window.
I continued walking toward home. “For some it is.”
“What were you doing? Spying on me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His truck tailed me down the street. “I saw you in my rearview mirror, hiding behind a tree when I left the Davidsons’.”
“Congratulations on your twenty-twenty vision, and I wasn’t spying.” I sped up my pace as if I could outrun his truck.
“Then what were you doing?”
“Making a list of eligible men in town to fuck.”
He chuckled. “Am I on that list?”
“I can’t remember. It’s a long list in alphabetical order. A lot with H’s too. I’ll let you know.”
A horn honked, going in the opposite direction. I waved at Bella and so did Kael.
“You left a pile of dog shit on the Davidsons’ property. I’m pretty sure that’s frowned upon.”
I shot daggers at him and sped up my pace to a jog. “You’re frowned upon,” I mumbled. When I reached the house, I kept pace right to the front door, even when I heard his truck pull into my driveway.
Door shut.
Shoes off.
Jacket off.
I marched straight up the stairs to shower.
“Elsie, is that about the kiss?” he asked … coming into my house uninvited.
“Jeez … come on in,” I quipped as I turned at the top of the stairs to face him.
“Thanks. I just did.” He unlaced his boots.
“You’re not staying.” I eyed him through tiny slits.
He glanced up from his hunched position. “Why? Because Amber kissed me?”
“No. God! You’re so full of yourself. I have to shower and get to work.”
“Your store doesn’t open for two hours.” He stood straight and glanced at his watch.
“You have to leave.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He prowled toward me, one step at a time. “Why? Because you’re upset that Amber kissed me?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
“So … let’s take that shower.”
“No.” My feet moved backward to keep a safe distance between us.
“Take off your clothes.” He deposited his coat on the banister and shrugged off his long-sleeved tee.
I told my eyes they weren’t allowed to leave his face, but they ignored my request and drifted to his fantastic chest and abs as his hands worked the button and zipper of his jeans.
“If you’re not upset about Amber testing the waters with me, then take your clothes off. Otherwise, I won’t believe you.”
“Cocky bastard.” I ran out of steps to take, missing the doorway and bumping into the wall.
He ate my comment and returned a satisfied grin. When he ducked to kiss me, I turned my head. He made a second attempt, and I whipped my head in the other direction. Once he paused long enough to show a slight level of agitation in his narrowed eyes, I showed my hand.
Gah!
Why did I show my hand? I should have crossed his name off my sex list and moved on. Nope. I made a mom move by licking my fingers and wiping off his mouth—the mouth Amber had kissed.
His lips curled into a smile beneath my scrubbing motions. When I finished, he rubbed them together. “Do you want to urinate on me too?”
“Shut up.” I laced my fingers behind his neck and pulled him to me.
Our hands turned into frantic claws ripping off clothes as our feet tangled and stumbled, navigating to the bathroom.
I had sex with him to prove I wasn’t bothered by Amber—totally normal forty-two-year-old behavior.
“I think I like you spying on me.” Kael ran a hand through his wet hair, towel loosely clinging to his waist.
“I wasn’t spying on you.” I buttoned my pink and white flannel shirt and tucked the front into my skinny jeans. “I was taking a