“Cole and I were talking in the car,” she says.
“What were we—” Cole begins, coming up beside her, as Gavin sits in the car talking to Brandon.
She whacks his stomach, and cuts him off. “I realize you don’t know us very well, but we were thinking if you’re hurt, it might be good to rest, and just have Liam take care of you. We’d love to have Gavin overnight. I know my boys would love it.”
“What do you think, Harper?” Liam asks. “I’d be able to give you my full, undivided attention.
Between my legs?
Oh, God, why did that stupid—delicious—thought pop into my brain?
I strive to keep myself together, and my voice comes out normal and easy when I say, “I don’t want to put anyone out.”
“Oh, believe me, you wouldn’t be putting us out, and if you’re worried about Liam, he likes to put out.” Her lips quirk at the corner, and Cole, finally cluing into what’s going on, scrubs his face to hide his laugh.
Gavin jumps from the car. “Mommy, can I? Can I have a sleepover?”
“You don’t have clothes, or a toothbrush or anything.”
Nina waves my worries away. “He can borrow Brandon’s clothes, and we have spare everything.”
Gavin tugs on my sweater. “Mommy, please.”
I take a fast breath. “Are you sure, Nina?”
“Positive,” she says.
“Liam can swing by to get him tomorrow, whenever. No hurry. You just keep yourself off the foot. Best for you to be on your back.” This time she really can’t keep her grin away, so she turns the other way and walks over like she’s saying something to her kids. I’m glad everyone is getting a kick out of this, all the sexual innuendos, and hey, maybe she’s getting ideas for a book, but truthfully, she is rather funny.
“Gavin, you be a good boy.”
“Yay!” he squeals, and dashes back to the car.
“Jeez, don’t I even get a kiss.” He blows me a kiss, and hops back into the car. “Thank you,” I say to Cole and Nina.
“Come on, let’s get you on your back,” Liam says, and then he shakes his head, like he too is sexually flustered by all this talk. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean. Thanks again,” I say as Liam carries me to the door, holds me awkwardly as he puts his key in and takes me inside.
“Bed?” he asks.
I resist the urge to scream yes! from the top of my lungs. He might only be asking where to deposit me, but I have a feeling we’re both thinking about something else, and sleeping with him is a really bad idea.
“I have lots of spare rooms. This house is far too big for just me.”
“How about the sofa?” I say, and guess he bought the place as an investment. My little bungalow would fit in his living room. He carries me into the room, energy sizzling between us, stealing the breath from my lungs, and the common sense from my brain.
He sets me down, and hands me the remote. “I’ll get some ice.”
I stare at his lovely backside, the way his jeans hug him nicely as he disappears around the corner. Girlfriend, do not think about the fun things you could do with that ice. Dammit, I’m thinking about it, and liking it far too much.
He comes back, sits on the end of the sofa and carefully puts my leg on his lap. “Can I roll your jeans up?”
I nod, only because I’m pretty certain my voice is going to fail me.
With big, deft hands, he rolls my pantleg up, and while most times I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off and hardly have any time for self-care, I’m so glad I shaved my legs this morning.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?”
Oh, I bet he could hurt you so good.
“No,” I say around a tightening throat as I push Emma out of my brain. Once he gets my pants up, he rolls my sock off, exposing my badly painted toes.
“It doesn’t look too swollen,” he says, and once again, in his presence, I find myself wanting to shoot back with: that’s what she said.
Good God, girl get yourself together.
“That’s a good thing.”
“Yeah,” he says, like he’s thinking about other things that swell.
“I need it better by tomorrow. I don’t have to work at the pet store, but I do have to walk a few dogs in the afternoon.”
“Let’s not rush things.” He very gently sets the tea towel full of ice on my ankle, and I suck in a small breath as the coolness seeps into my skin. “If you can’t walk the dogs tomorrow, I can do it for you.”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds.” Okay, I don’t mean to sound like I’m on the defense, but really, I might not have a big corporate career or anything, a job like that wouldn’t allow me to spend as much time with Gavin as I do, and I have to be mother and father. Some people look down on me for my choice and for some reason, I really don’t want Liam to be one of those guys.
His eyes lift, meet mine, and I swear to God, they’ve darkened a shade. “I never thought for a second it sounded easy, Harper.”
Guilt washes through me. There I go, judging him before I really know him. I must say though, I know he’s known as the Rule Breaker, but I love the way he is with his friends, and my little family. I think there really is more to this guy than meets the eye. Something solid and dependable deep inside. Still, I know better than to get involved. Dupe me once, your fault. Dupe me twice,
