Dream Keeper (Dream Team 4)

A look that said he didn’t quite know what to make of me.

He got a kick out of it.

But he didn’t get it.

I wanted to ask about it but maybe not now.

Now was the time for…

He got close.

And I threw myself at him, got on my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, putting pressure there, and I laid a wet one on him.

Like both times before when I’d instigated things, it was mine for a nanosecond before Auggie’s arms around me clamped tight and he shuffled me inside.

I heard the door slam (not shut…slam) when he kicked it closed.

I was then whirled and pressed to it and we made way the fuck out.

God, he even tasted like summertime.

When I had both my hands up his sweater at the back and my nails were exploring his hot skin, and he had his hand curved under my breast, wrapped around, not cupping, but like he was about to do that and more, he broke the kiss.

No!

“Auggie—” I started to protest when he slid his hand from where it was an awesome promise to my waist, where it just felt sweet.

He caught my eyes. “Baby, that was one helluva hello, and there are no complaints coming from me about it, but we gotta be at Juno’s school in fifteen minutes.”

“It’s a ten-minute drive away.”

I mean, if I could be hot and bothered and do the math, so could he.

“And you were one minute away from being drilled in your entryway again.”

I considered this, and in considering it I realized it was essential in that moment for me to make another substantial sacrifice as a mom.

And that was to stop snogging Auggie so we could get to the school on time, not get there late and with me having sex hair.

However.

“Only one minute?” I teased.

Auggie wasn’t in a playful mood.

Thus, in all seriousness, he declared, “You’re gorgeous. You taste good. You feel good. I haven’t fucked anyone since I fucked you two feet away from here. And I’ve never in my life had someone open their door to me that way. So yeah. I’m already hard, very hard, and that’s all for you, so I wanna give it to you. But I’m not gonna.”

There was so much there, to properly address all of it, I’d have to light a few candles and put on some calming music.

I didn’t do that because I didn’t have time to do that.

I quickly prioritized and focused on the top of that list.

“You’ve never had someone open their door that way to you?”

Suddenly, he looked uncomfortable.

Very uncomfortable.

Awkward even.

It was weirdly cute.

It was also alarming.

“No,” he said like he had to force that syllable out.

Okay.

This was impossible.

Someone who looked like him, kissed like him, fucked like him.

Someone who was funny and protective and liked kids.

It wasn’t just impossible.

It was unbelievable.

But at the look on his face, I believed it.

“You wanna grab your bag so we can go?” he suggested.

“Sure,” I said softly, giving him a squeeze before I let him go and headed into the office.

Even if it wasn’t far away and he could have hung at the door, Auggie followed me.

Then again, after dinner last night, we got into groping and making out. Thus, he still hadn’t had a tour of my house.

“That’s cute,” he said, gaze to Juno’s side of the room.

I glanced at him and then to my daughter’s space and saw that he seemed to have his attention centered on a Polaroid resting on one of Juno’s shelves. It was of me and Juno. Our neighbor Len took it on Halloween.

I’d gone for it in a full-on Wonder Woman outfit (I wasn’t going to have this body forever, so while I had it, I was gonna flaunt it, and it was a hit, because…Wonder Woman).

Juno had surprised me by wanting the collared catsuit of Black Widow.

It was a kickass selection for my girl. No Elsa for her (not that there was anything wrong with Elsa).

So I’d hit up Lori from down the way who was a great seamstress (and, not incidentally, Len was her husband).

And there the Black Widow was. Red wig and dangling utility belt and all.

“I know,” I agreed with Auggie. “One could say Juno was the only Black Widow on the block on Halloween.”

He turned to me. “That’s definitely cool, Pepper. But I meant her whole space.” He tipped his head that way. “It’s cute. It’s awesome she has that. You’re a great mom.”

Uhhh…

I frowned at him. “If you don’t want to be jumped, you can’t say stuff like that.”

He grinned at me at the same time, and since I’d nabbed my bag, he took my hand and headed us to the door.

“So noted.”

I went with him and tried not to skip to his SUV.

Like he did that night he’d driven me home, Auggie opened the door for me, which was utterly adorable, and when my ass was planted in his seat, I gave him a smile to communicate that.