“It’s fine. I’ll call you later to check in,” I tell her and then hang up.
I block out my day tomorrow, sending a message to Barbara that I’m going to be working from home.
I have no idea what the fuck I’m doing. But the next morning at nine a.m., I’m standing on Lauren’s porch, hoping she doesn’t turn me away.
I hear the door locks turning and hold my breath. Rachel opens the door, still in her pajamas. I squat down to talk to her, asking, “Hey, there, is Mommy home?”
She smiles at me, showing me a missing tooth, her lips shiny with what I’m assuming is syrup. “Mommy!” she yells loudly. “Asshat is at the door.”
I put my head down, laughing at the nickname. “What?” I hear her voice from somewhere inside the house as she makes her way to the door. She is wearing a short pink cotton robe, loosely tied at the waist, the front a bit open on top so you see her camisole. Her hair piled up on her head, she places her hands on Rachel’s shoulders. “What are you doing here?” She looks down at me.
I rise up from the squat position. “I came to see if you and the kids would like to go ice skating?” I ask her, and not waiting for her to invite me, I walk past her, kissing her on the head.
I shrug off my jacket, throwing it on the pile next to the door with the other jackets. Then I turn and look at her. “Is that bacon I smell?”
“Real bacon,” Rachel says, turning to run back into the kitchen.
I look at Lauren questioningly. “Kaleigh makes them eat vegan bacon, but I picked up the real deal yesterday, so it’s like Christmas morning.” She laughs as she pulls her robe together at the top of her neck. “Austin, what are you doing here?” She asks me again, and before I have a chance to answer her, Gabe runs into the room.
“Are we really going skating?” His eyes are wide with anticipation. “Mom, can I bring my stick so we can shoot some pucks?” He then turns to me. “Is it okay if I bring my stick?”
“You play hockey?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I want to, but Mom says I have to choose one sport, so I chose soccer.” Gabe looks at his mom.
“I used to play college hockey with Cooper Stone. Have you heard of him? He’s retired now, but he was a big deal when he was playing.”
“You used to play with Cooper Stone? Matthew (add last name) is my favorite player of all time! He’s still a rookie, but he’s awesome.”
I smile at him. This kid obviously wants to play hockey. “How about next Sunday, if it’s okay with your mom, I ask Cooper to join us on the ice?”
“Mom, please? I’ll do all my chores.” Gabe turns to his mom and begs.
“First off, you’re at your dad’s next weekend. And second, you don’t have any equipment, and this isn’t the right time for me to be buying stuff,” she answers him.
“I have extra gear,” I pipe in. I totally don’t, but I’ll buy whatever he needs me to buy.
She looks at me. “How about we go do the skating thing and see how you like it. You’ve never really been on skates, Gabe,” she proposes gently, and he must see it as a win in his favor, because he jumps up and hugs her, repeating ‘thank you’ over and over again.
“Rachel, we’re going skating!” Gabe yells, running out of the room.
“You look cute,” I tell her because she does look cute, but it’s more than that.
“We aren’t dating, Austin. You can’t talk to me like that.” She shakes her head. “Please, don’t make this harder for me.” She keeps her voice low, and I advance on her, but she quickly brushes past me and heads into the kitchen, picking up the kids’ breakfast plates on her way to the sink.
“What do we call you if we can’t call you Asshat?” Rachel turns and to me on her way up the stairs.
“His name is Austin, so no more of that language, young lady. Now, go get dressed,” her mother instructs from the kitchen. Gabe grabs her hand to hurry her upstairs to get dressed.
I head into the kitchen, finding Lauren bent over, loading the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Her ass taunts me, and my cock is hard and ready to slide into her.
Looking over my shoulder to make sure we’re alone, I walk over to her, placing my hands on her hips.
Her body stills and then stiffens once my hands land on her. I press my hips forward so she feels me. The warmth of her body penetrates right through me. She snaps up straight, keeping her back to me. “I can’t seem to forget you,” I whisper in her ear as I sweep her hair to the side and kiss her neck. “I can’t think.” I run small kisses up the side of her neck as she tilts her head to the side to give me better access. I’m about to slip my hand inside her robe when I hear someone barreling down the stairs.
My hands leave her hips and I back away from her, while Lauren slams the dishwasher closed. “I’m not quitting my job just so you can have your way,” she hisses as she walks past me. “Get ready, because there are more games to play, Austin.”
She walks upstairs as I watch her, and I swear there’s a distinct swing to her hips.
Chapter 23
Lauren
He showed up like he just walked off a fucking catwalk modeling casual men’s fashion. His faded blue jeans fit him perfectly, hugging him in all the right places and making his package look huge. Okay, fine. He’s very
