Dirty Bad Boys Box Set: Forbidden Romance Collection

Pulling back to save my eardrum, I wait until her rant is over. It goes on for another minute or so, her profanities never cease to amaze me. Then, she gasps down the phone line, “OMG guess who just texted me?”

“Who?”

“Mr. Nympho.”

“Oh, Kate,” I say sympathetically. “Don’t go there. He’s a jerk. We both know that. And besides, aren’t you supposed to be going on that date tonight with that Irishman?”

“I did. Done. And so not worth the wait.”

“C’mon Kate, he couldn’t have been that bad.”

“His John belonged to a leprechaun.”

I burst out laughing, with no response to her comment. She laughs with me until the both of us are out of breath. “How did you even finish?”

“I faked it. I’m a good faker. A sad but sometimes handy trait.”

“See, it’s women like you that ruin it for the rest of them. Hang up the phone, don’t you dare respond to him, and please make sure you get home safe without an accident.”

“Yes, Sir Noah.”

***

I was having one of those dreams where you’re falling and just when you’re about to hit the ground—certain you’ll plummet to your own death—you wake up, drenched in sweat. My lungs move up and down, while I’m trying to catch my breath. I turn to my cell to view the time—it’s three am. Ugh. I toss and turn, willing my mind to go to sleep when all I can see is Morgan’s face.

The way she almost melted into me when we kissed.

Fuck! Curb the damn hard-on.

I continue to lie wide awake until the sun rises with a huge boner which can’t be tamed. Correction—I do nothing to tame it. My surroundings, given that it’s Charlie’s and Lex’s home, make me feel like I have Mom staying next door. Awkward and uncomfortable. I need to find some other way to release the enormous amount of tension building up inside of me.

The usual run and quick workout in the gym relieves it somewhat, that is until I hit the shower. Running the soap down my arm, back up onto my chest, then moving down, I have to think of something else to get my mind off it. And so, I start thinking about life back home. What the guys are up to, especially if Benny’s continued his relationship with Rose. I haven’t heard back from Mom after texting her a couple of times. Having her own small business as an interior decorator, she works strange and long hours.

“Uncle Noah!” There’s a bang on the bathroom door, and then more banging. It continues like the beat of a drum.

I turn the water off and grab a towel, wrapping it around me. The longer I leave it, the more banging. I swear to God these damn kids.

“What is it, Amelia?” I ask with a groan.

“It’s Ava, Uncle Noah!” More banging.

I finally give in, opening the door. “Yes, Ava.”

“I just wanted to say good morning.” Her smile, cute and cheeky, spreads across her face. She’s still wearing her pink Minnie Mouse pajamas and matching slippers.

“Good morning, Ava.” I smile softly.

She raises my cell toward my chest and says, “You got a text from your girlfriend.”

I immediately take it from her. “Ava, we talked about this. You’re not supposed to be playing with my phone.”

Her lips quiver, but she manages to hold it in. “Sorry, Uncle Noah. I was playing your game. Lookie!” She points to the game. “I did all this extra stuff,” she says excitedly.

“Did you use all my coins?” I ask in a mild panic.

“Uh-huh.”

Don’t freak out. It only took you like a year to save those coins and gems. This is clearly not a first-world problem. People are dying in Africa. You can handle this.