She opens the door, and I start to divest myself of bags. The heavy one filled with jeans left grooves on my wrist, and I hold it up for her to see. “See what your shopping trip did to me?” I ask playfully.
She takes my hand in hers and turns my arm over, appraising it closely. Her hands are soft, and her fingernails are manicured to perfection. She drags her forefinger across my wrist. “I’m so sorry, Matt. Look at you: you’re wounded!” She laughs loudly. It sounds so pretty coming out of her lips. It’s unfettered and not at all restrained. I f**king love it, particularly when she tips her head back and then she gets to laughing so hard she snorts. But that just makes her laugh even louder. “What can I do to make it up to you?” she asks.
I hold my wrist up and stick out my bottom lip. “Kiss it and make it better?” I suggest.
She lifts my wrist up high and presses her lips to my skin. I’m afraid I’m going to melt into a big, old, sweaty ball of funk right there on her carpet, but as soon as her lips touch me, she blows a quick raspberry into my skin. It makes me laugh, and I grab for her, pulling her to me.
But just then, a naked child streaks out of the bathroom. It’s Mellie, and I cover my eyes as she runs by. Seth chases after her carrying a towel. He growls at her playfully, though, and she dashes behind the couch. She starts to run by me, and I reach out really quickly and grab her, holding her squirmy little naked body far away from me. Damn, but she’s slippery. She laughs and wiggles her feet, kicking wildly, and it’s all I can do to hold on to her.
“Come here, you,” Seth growls, and he wraps Mellie up in a towel. She giggles all the way down the hallway until I hear the door shut.
Sky lays her hand on my chest, brushing down it. “You’re all wet,” she says, shaking her head.
“It’s fine,” I say, brushing her worry aside. “It’s just a little water.” I rub my hands together. They’re still slippery. “And soap.” I laugh.
“Let me get you a towel,” she says and starts toward the kitchen. “I’m still learning where things are.” She opens drawer after drawer. She finally finds a hand towel and holds it out to me. “Sorry she got you wet. Not to mention streaking naked in front of you.”
“Are you kidding?” I ask. I f**king love this stuff. I have missed this commotion in my own house since the younger boys left. “It’s fine.”
“I would give you a T-shirt to change into but I don’t have one your size,” she says. She grimaces. “Sorry.”
I make like I’m going to pull this one over my head, and her eyes dance toward my abs, growing wider when she takes in the tattoo to the left of my belly button. “Wow,” she breathes. She covers her mouth with her fingertips.
My tat is a green frog. But it’s not just any green frog. My brother Logan is an amazing artist, and he drew it for me. It’s a frog on a lily pad with flowers floating all around. On top of the frog’s head is a crown of thorns. I really love it, but I feel kind of raw and exposed now that she’s seen it. “Want to kiss my frog?” I ask, since I’m feeling so out of sorts.
She licks her lips.
“Don’t do that,” I warn. My voice sounds gruff even to me.
“Do what?” she whispers.
I step toward her, glancing really quickly down the hallway to see where the kids are. “Don’t lick your lips at me, Sky,” I say.
She does it again. “Oops,” she breathes, but she’s grinning.
I want to kiss her, but I need to know what I’m up against. “How’s your boyfriend?” I ask. I know Seth said they broke up, but I want to hear it from her. I won’t touch someone who is dating someone else. I have had enough heartbreak in that arena to last a lifetime.
“What boyfriend?” she asks.
“Don’t give me hope if there is none,” I sing. But I’m serious. Totally serious.
“We broke up.”
“Are you devastated?” I want to know how she’s feeling. About all of it.
“Elated,” she says instead.
Thank God. A shiver crawls up my spine because I’m seriously interested in this woman. “You sure you’re done with him?”
“Positive.” She nods. Her eyes don’t leave mine.
“I’m going to make you fall in love with me,” I warn.
“You can try,” she says quietly.
I lean down and kiss her cheek really quickly just before Mellie runs into the room. She skids to a stop at my feet, sliding into the room on her footed jammies. She grabs onto my legs with one arm and slips her palm into Sky’s hand with the other. Sky brushes a strand of hair from Mellie’s face, a soft look in her eye that I didn’t expect from her.
“Anybody want to play bowling on the Wii?” Seth asks as he walks into the kitchen. He looks from Sky to me and back. “What did I miss?” he asks.
“I got you a bunch of stuff today at the store. Why don’t you check it out?” she asks.
His brow arches. “You got stuff for me?” He grins and woops and goes to rummage through the bags. He is a teenage boy, and I do have experience with those beasts. The girls, not so much. When she’s not looking, I chuck him on the shoulder and warn, “Even if you don’t like it, pretend you do. Don’t hurt her feelings.”
“Are you kidding?” he asks. He holds up a T-shirt. “These are great.” He tries his shoes on, and they fit. She bought Vans, so she couldn’t go wrong there. He loves them. “You shouldn’t have, Aunt Sky,” he says. He gets up and goes to her. She’s grinning from ear to ear. He picks her up and spins her around. “Thank you,” he says.