Reckless (Mason Family #3) - Adriana Locke Page 0,43
look at what’s available for little girls these days. Does she like anything in particular?”
I think. “Puppies. Watches. Cake. Mermaids?”
Mom laughs. “The fact that you know that just fills me with joy.”
“Don’t you dare tell Oliver.”
Her laughter grows. “I’ll see you this afternoon. If you need something specifically, text me.”
“I love you, Mommy.”
“Love you, baby boy.”
I sit back and take another long drink of my coffee.
And that’s how you get shit done.
I’m thinking about which of the two guest rooms to let Rosie have—the one full of shit or the one I use as a workout room—when a noise at the doorway makes me jump.
“You scared the fuck out of me,” I say as Jaxi comes around the corner.
Her eyes are as wide as plates. “You scared me. I didn’t know you were up. Coffee?”
“Over there.”
I watch her walk around the island with the shortest shorts barely covering her behind. The thin fabric hangs off the globes of her ass. Each step she takes causes the fabric to ride up and almost gives me a glimpse of the curve from her bottom to her thigh.
Fuck. Me.
She disposes of my used coffee pod and puts another in the machine.
“Did you sleep okay?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I lie. “You?”
“Yeah.”
I think she’s lying too.
“My family is coming over today,” I tell her. “It’s going to be mass chaos, and they’re bringing stuff to help you guys get settled.”
Jaxi whirls around. “Your family? Boone …”
“They just want to help.”
“I don’t …” She takes a long breath and closes her eyes for a moment. “I don’t know what to do in this situation.”
“Um, say okay. Or thank you. Or, Wow, that’s great?”
She opens her eyes. “It’s hard for me to accept charity. Even when it’s well-meant. It makes me feel really vulnerable.”
“Don’t feel that way. Please. I guarantee you my mom is happily online shopping as we speak. This will make her year.”
She bites her lip as she contemplates her response. I don’t give her time.
“They’re bringing dinner, too, which means no takeout. I’m sure that makes you happy.” I walk beside her, hoping she doesn’t notice how my cock tents my shorts as I pass. “This is just the way it is around here. Better get used to it, sweetheart.”
She grins. “I’ll try. But you have done way more than you had to. I’m super appreciative.”
“And that’s how you handle this situation,” I tease.
She leans against the counter, resting her elbows on the surface. It causes her breasts to stick out and I wonder if she’s fucking with me on purpose or if I’m just overstimulated.
“Did you really sleep okay?” she asks. “I can sleep on the couch tonight. I should, actually. It’s your bed.”
“I slept fine. Like a baby.”
“Sure you did,” she says, mocking me.
The coffee machine sputters the conclusion of the cycle, and I hand her the filled mug. Our fingers brush together, and a jolt of energy passes from her into me.
She grins. “Thanks.”
“Not a problem at all.” I pop another pod into the machine. “How are you feeling about all of this? It’s got to be messing with you a little bit.”
She grips the mug with both hands. The playfulness from a moment ago is gone, and I feel bad about that. But I also want her to talk to me if she needs to. It’s a double-edged sword.
“It is messing with me a little,” she admits. “I laid awake all night just thinking about my life and what I thought it would be and what it’s become.” She looks up at me. “I’m not upset about it. It just … it shined a light on my life in a way I didn’t expect.”
“As in …?”
We stand in the kitchen, each of us holding our mugs of coffee. The sun streaks into the room and gives things a cheery tint that probably isn’t representative of the conversation. What strikes me more is how real this conversation is. Two days ago, I could barely get a word out of her about who she was, why she left Columbus, and why she was heading to an island in the Pacific.
And now?
It’s as though she’s peeled away the reticence and is letting me see her soul. It makes things easier, and I’m happy she seems to trust me enough to share with me. But I’m not sure I deserve it. I know I’m not equipped enough to handle it.
“When I was a little girl, I thought I would grow up and have a couple