Bond (Klein Brothers 1)

Looking to the side, Katy muttered, “Now that one’s a total yes.”

“Does he have the kind of body that isn’t absolutely rock hard and ripped, but that you still get shivers when you run your hands over it?”

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. How did she come up with this shit?

“I guess so. I’ve seen him swimming, and he kind of fits that.”

“Is he the type of guy who trims down low? I don’t have time for any mazes where I’ve got to figure out how to find his penis, you know?”

Katy cringed. “Yeah, I don’t know the answer to that one, and I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Does he look after his face and hair, then? If they do that, they usually keep down low decent.”

“Yes, then.”

Jacinda smiled brightly at her. “Well, color me interested.”

“Is that really what you look for in a man?” Naomi asked, not sounding disgusted but amused by the conversation. I think we all were, to be honest.

Jacinda looked at her like she was crazy. “Of course it is. Listen, if a man has a list of ex-bed buddies as long as Santa’s good list, he knows what he’s doing. You’re not going to walk away disappointed.

“If he’s never brought a woman home and has that long list, he’s not going to expect more from me than I’m willing and able to give. Furthermore, if he doesn’t talk much, he’ll be in and out, and that ties into my previous requirement.”

We all burst out laughing. Some women were put off by the number of road miles a man had on him, but given her past and the fact she’d had an abusive boyfriend once-upon-a-time, I could see why Jacinda would have different requirements to most. That said, I’d never once seen or even heard of her being with a man since I’d met her.

“And the manscaping?” Sayla asked, grimacing when she caught sight of Nemi rolling around on the grass. “Your daughter’s gone rabid again. I hope to God that’s just mud she’s rolling around in.”

I echoed that sentiment, but my baby was smiling and looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, so I was disinclined to ruin it for her. I also knew it’d be highly unlikely for the Townsends to have animal poop in an area designated to kids, so I was almost confident it was mud.

“As I said, I don’t have time for mazes where I’ve got to go digging and adventuring through it to find his penis. If I wanted to dig for treasure, I’d go gold or diamond mining.”

Leaning over to pat her on the top of the head, my sister chuckled. “You’re a strange one, girl, but that’s why we love you.”

Rolling her eyes, Jacinda turned back to Katy. “So, where’s this perfect man?”

Katy pointed over at the men. “He’s there, wearing the white t-shirt and jeans.”

Following where Katy was pointing, Jacinda squinted. “The only one wearing that is— Oh, hell no. No, I’m not touching him.”

Tilting her head, Katy asked, “You don’t like Canon?”

Seeing that Jacinda was beginning to panic, Evie jumped in. “So, did I tell you what’s happening with Cody and his dad?”

That situation was something that broke my heart into pieces. Her son was an amazing young man, and anyone would be lucky to have him as their kid. His dad, though, was a complete and utter cock.

“What’s happening with it, honey?” Naomi asked, leaning over and picking a packet of wet wipes out of her purse just as her niece, Shanti, reached us.

“Aunt No-me, I got dirty on my hands.” She held her tiny little hands up, palms out, with her fingers spread.

‘Dirty on my hands’ was an understatement. She had clumps of mud and grass between each digit and under her nails.

“Have you been trying to use mud like Play-Doh again?” Naomi sighed as she began cleaning them. “Once we get these chunks off you, I’ll ask if we can use the bathroom so you can wash them properly.”

Shanti squealed and ran back out onto the grass to join the other kids, stopping when she got to her best friend, Nemi. Guess she didn’t want to get rid of the dirt that badly, then.

“The lawyer wrote to Neil’s saying that visitation depended entirely on Cody after what’d happened when he ran away while he was staying with him. If Neil wants him to go and stay and Cody says no, he doesn’t go and visit him.”

“How much did the asshole argue it?” Bexley asked as she reached for her wine.

“He didn’t. Not even a little. It’s also written into it that once he’s sixteen, he can pick and choose if he sees his dad without any consent from me. Cody wanted that added in so his dad couldn’t give me shit for it if he said no.”