Текст книги "Look After Us"

Автор книги: Elena Matthews

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 10 страниц)

“GOOD MORNING!” ASHTON ANNOUNCES to everyone with a huge smile splaying across his face as we both enter the kitchen hand in hand.

“Good morning. Did you two sleep okay?” Alana asks while she busies herself making breakfast. The incredible smell of bacon that sizzles in the pan causes my stomach to grumble. I’m a little taken aback seeing her in such a sober state considering how wasted she was last night. I would have sworn she’d wake up with a bitch of a hangover, but with the smile plastered on her face as she hums along to the radio, it’s obvious she’s anything but hungover.

I go to answer, but Tyler, who’s currently helping himself to a muffin, interrupts me, but not before Alana tries to smack his hand away. “From the sounds of it I can’t imagine either of them got any sleep,” he says as he stuffs his face with a homemade muffin and my entire face flames up in an instant. I wasn’t that loud, was I? “And by the look of that shit-eating-king-of-the-jungle-grin on his face, tells me his manhood is well and truly used.”

The redness in my cheeks intensifies, making it feel as if my cheeks really are on fire. I can hear Ashton chuckle from beside me, and his amusement only adds to my mortification. Shit. I hadn’t realized anyone would have been able to hear. Just kill me now.

It doesn’t help my humiliation when I happen to glance into the direction of Ashton’s dad; I see the trademark Bailey smirk etched along his face hidden behind his newspaper, and I desperately want the floor to swallow me whole.

“I hope you guys are hungry, I have enough here to feed an army. Go, sit.” I inwardly thank Alana for her quick diversion as Ashton and I take a seat at the table. I look over to Jo and Mia, who both look a little worse for wear this morning. “Drink a little too much last night?” Ashton asks with a grin as he pours us both a glass of orange juice. Jo is the first to groan out a wordless response, and Mia is barely able to lift her head up from the table.

Jo’s eyes fall from Ashton to me, and they wrinkle on a frown in an instant. “How do you look as fresh as a daisy right now? Seriously you suck.”

I snort out a laugh. I’m hardly as fresh as a daisy. I showered thirty minutes ago and I already feel like I need another one with the beads of sweat that are beginning to form. The summer heat in the south is unbearable. It makes me thankful for the moderately cooler weather in Seattle.

“Ugh … I’m. Never. Drinking. Again,” comes the murmured groan from Mia as she finally looks up from the table with dark circles prominent under her eyes. Her complexion is pale with a hint of green that makes me think she’s moments away from throwing up.

Tyler places two glasses of some green slimy concoction in front of both Jo and Mia before he drops a kiss on the top of Mia’s head. “Drink these. It’s the perfect hangover cure.”

Jo’s the first one to push it away, the frown still marring her face. “Um, no thanks. I want some real food.” Mia stares at it as if something dead is floating on the top, her appearance deepening with an unruly shade of green. “Oh God, I’m going to be sick.” The chair suddenly scrapes back as Mia rushes to stand, her hands clutching hold of her mouth before she rushes towards the nearest bathroom, the sound of her gagging following close behind.

“Dude,” Ashton begins, eyeing up the green milkshake with the same disgust as Mia did just moments ago. “That looks disgusting.”

“It’s not that bad. It looks worse than it tastes.”

“Tell that to your soon-to-be wife who’s currently hurling her guts up.” The moment the words leave Ashton’s mouth we hear the sound of retching coming from the upstairs bathroom. I watch Jo’s face turn ghostly pale at the very sound, and in a flash she’s up on her feet rushing in the same direction, slapping her hands over her mouth. It turns my stomach slightly, but thankfully the incredible aroma of food manages to override my need to join in with Mia and Jo.

After a moment, Tyler looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “What the hell were you guys drinking last night?”

I take a sip of the refreshing orange juice before answering. “The usual; champagne, cocktails, shots, and then it turned into a college party when the stripper bought everyone a round of jello shots, and the rest is history. But I stopped drinking pretty early on though.”

I cower in my seat when two sets of green eyes burn into me. What did I say? I glance at Alana and I see she’s trying to stifle a laugh as she concentrates on pouring the pancake mix into a pan.

“There … there was a stripper?” Ashton asks in a strained voice. My eyes slowly slide over to Tyler where I can almost see the jealousy rising from him like a steam train. Then I chance a glance at Ashton’s dad, who’s wearing an amused smile on his face.

“Um …” I struggle to form a single word, suddenly feeling flustered after my accidental slip-up. I’m sure I told Ashton by text last night … but I was pretty drunk, so the text message probably made absolutely no sense. I’m a professional editor, yet the moment my veins are swimming with alcohol, my ability to grasp the use of grammar is shockingly bad. That’s why I have to stay one hundred percent sober when working through a manuscript.

“Can either one of you boys get your nephew from outside? Breakfast is almost ready,” Alana speaks up from out of nowhere.

And again saved by the bell. I love that woman.

Tyler looks at his mom with a tense smile, knowing just how convenient her distraction is.

“Sure thing, Mom,” he says after a moment of silence. He stands from his seat and walks out of the kitchen in search of Junior. Once alone—excluding Alana and Samuel—Ashton pulls my seat closer to him and he wraps a protective arm around my shoulders, engulfing me with his heat.

“So, a stripper, huh? Was this stripper hot?”

Now look who’s jealous.

I smile while putting him under my scrutiny, finding his response amusing. The stripper was hot, ridiculously so, but he had nothing on Ashton.

“Are you jealous?”

I expect him to deny it but he surprises me when he says, “Hell yeah, I’m jealous. I don’t want some guy with an eight pack and a twelve inch cock turning my fiancée on.” My eyes grow in size at his words. Did he really just say that in front of his mom and dad? Oh my God.

“No, it was more like ten inch …” Alana pipes up causing my already widened eyes to quadruple in size.

“Jesus, Mom …” Ashton breathes with an aspirated sigh, chuckling under his breath.

“Just stating the facts, sweetheart. And I wouldn’t worry too much, baby boy. It was Mia who got the lap dance, not Ava.” That information seems to soften the tensed wrinkles around his eyes. I force my focus on Ashton and rest my hands on either side of his face, my fingers scratching against the scruff of his stubble.

“Yes he was hot, but he wasn’t you,” I say in a low voice and a smile replaces his frown. My smile follows suit and not wanting the next words being heard by his mom and dad, I press my mouth to his ear and whisper, “In fact you were all I could think about. Especially how incredible you would look in a fireman’s outfit. I couldn’t wait to get home to you.”

When I pull away my heart constricts and my breath quickens when I come face to face with his smoldering smile, his tranquil green eyes sparkling with lust.

“Is that so?” he questions, his voice laced with intrigue.

“Uh-huh,” I say teasingly.

He closes the distance between us and he presses his mouth to my ear. “If we were alone right now, you’d be spread along this table faster than you could say—”

“Uncle Ashton!”

Ashton stifles his chuckle as he says, “Yep, not what I was going for.”

His nephew runs over to him and jumps on his lap while I’m left trying to take a steady breath, desperate for my heart rate to slow down. Tyler returns to the kitchen seconds later and I have to hold back my laughter when I still see the look of jealousy flaring in his eyes. It seems he’s not the only Bailey who has an alpha-male jealous streak.

Placing the last clean plate in the cupboard, I turn just as Riley walks into the kitchen, dressed in a pair of cut-off denim shorts and the shortest crop top that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. Jo was wrong. I don’t look as fresh as a daisy, Riley does. Seriously, she looks completely flawless, as if she’s been on a weekend spa retreat. She doesn’t look the slightest bit hungover, and she threw drinks back like the best of them.

“Morning ya’ll!”

Even though she greets everyone, I don’t miss how her eyes only zone in on Ashton, who is currently wiping down the countertops. After Alana cooked up an amazing breakfast, Ashton and I offered to clean up so she could begin the wedding preparations. I watch Ashton closely as he greets Riley with a friendly smile and a brief, “Morning,” before returning to the cleaning at hand. I breathe out a sigh of relief, happy that his eyes didn’t stray any further than her face. I wouldn’t have blamed him—I mean, she is almost spilling out of her barely-there shirt—but I would have been pissed if he had checked her out while I’m standing only feet away from him.

She gently places her purse on the counter and her eyes finally take in Mia and Jo who are slouching at the table, cradling their heads within their hands. She bursts out into a roar of laughter. “Oh Lord, you two look like shit!”

Jo slowly lifts her head and flips her the bird, with a deadpan expression on her face. Mia also lifts her head, wincing at the sound of Riley’s continuous laughter as she forces her dark, pissed off eyes into her direction. “I hate you. The chisel that has taken residency in my head is your fault.” She points her head in my direction. “Ava can be my new maid of honor. You’re fired.”

If it weren’t for the uplifted tilt of her mouth I would have thought she was being serious. Riley’s smile stays in place. “Don’t be a bitch because you can’t handle your alcohol intake. I only planned the bachelorette party. I didn’t force those drinks down you.”

“Like hell you didn’t. You practically force-fed me those jello shots. And don’t even get me started on the stripper.” I feel myself blush as last night comes back to me as the highly explicit sex positions he was simulating on her comes to mind. I’m pretty certain he was tenting an overly large erection through his tight boxer shorts at one point.

“Oh, you loved it! Just admit it. It was the best bachelorette party ever.”

Mia pivots her head to one side and a smile brightens her face. “It was an awesome bachelorette party,” she admits with a nod of the head. “But no more strippers. Ever. Tyler would barely speak to me at breakfast this morning—once I finally managed to stop puking my guts up that is.” She winces, no doubt from the not-so-fond memory of vomiting. “It’s not exactly the way I want our marriage to begin.”

Riley walks the few steps over to Mia and kisses the top of her head. “No more strippers, I promise.” She steps back, clapping her hands together as if trying to mentally prepare for the big day ahead. “Okay! We have a busy day today. The delivery guys have just pulled up with the chairs, so I’m going to need some muscle to carry them.” Her eyes land on Ashton, and she smiles as if she’s won the jackpot. She walks over to him with an extra shake to her hips—yep I see it—and slides her manicured fingers over his bicep, a move that gets my blood boiling in an instant.

“Just the perfect kind of muscle,” she says giving his arm a squeeze, giggling as she does. Is she seriously groping my fiancé’s bicep right now?

She glances at me. “Do you mind if I borrow him for a couple of hours?” Her words come out in a syrupy sensual tone, as if every word is dripping with a hidden innuendo, while her hand still stays wrapped around his bicep.

Yep. She is definitely groping his bicep. And why the hell is he just letting her?

I bite back my irritation with a tight smile. “Sure.”

She must hear the irritation in my voice as her fingers loosen their hold and her hand drops. However, it doesn’t go far; she drops her hand only to loop her arm through his.

“I’ll bring him back in good shape, I promise.”

She begins to lead him out of the kitchen as Tyler walks in frowning. Riley’s eyes pin him down with a purposeful stare.

“Oh perfect timing! I need your muscles, Bailey. Come with me.”

“O … kay ...” he says with a delayed reaction, shooting Mia a terrified glare; one that says ‘help me’ which only makes her laugh.

Riley loops her other arm through Tyler’s arm and laughter escapes her mouth. “Oh, my own Bailey sandwich! It’s like a dream come true,” she says excitedly and even though I can hear the humor in her voice, it still pisses me off.

Before they’re whisked away to help with the mammoth lifting, Ashton’s eyes connect with mine and with the most heartfelt stare he mouths the words, “I love you.”

I give out a dreamy smile before mouthing, “I love you, too.” He sends me a wink and then he’s gone. All previous agitated thoughts instantly vanish and it takes Alana a few clicks of her fingers to bring me back to the now.

“You have it bad for my son, huh?” I blink as her words sink in, my cheeks blushing as a burst of laughter escapes my lips.

I do have it bad for her son.

Ridiculously so.

My feet ache. No, actually, ache is an understatement.

My feet feel as if I’m walking on heated coals and broken glass all at the same time. The sweltering Texan heat isn’t helping either, making my choice of wearing Converse this morning a regretful one. Blisters feel like the bane of my life right now.

I’ve been helping Alana and Mia with wedding errands all day, getting everything ready for the big day tomorrow. I had no idea what went into planning a wedding, but with the flurry of different deliveries of flowers, hired tents and furniture, decorations, twinkly lights, and not to mention all the last-minute additions that seriously make your head want to explode, I most definitely underestimated the planning behind it all. It’s definitely an eye-opener for when I finally plan my wedding. Although, if this is what it takes to make one day run smoothly, I’d rather elope to an exotic beach somewhere with a handful of our family surrounding us.

After returning from one of the many errand trips of the day, hauling a garment bag with Mia’s wedding dress inside—a dress that probably weighs more than she does—I head on upstairs and hang the garment bag on the back of the door of the guest room. Alana and Mia follow, each carrying two garment bags containing the bridesmaid dresses, and hang them on a garment rail. I frown, confused, when I take in the four garment bags. I was certain Mia was only having three bridesmaids—Riley, Jo, and her cousin Rachel—but maybe the fourth garment bag is Alana’s mother-of-the-groom outfit.

Mia lets out a long yawn, her eyes brimming with tears. She still looks terrible with her pale complexion and dark bags prominent under her eyes.

“Why don’t you go and lie down for a little while?” Alana says to Mia, whose eyes look as if they’re struggling to stay open. She gives a shake of the head but before Mia can argue, Alana beats her to it. “I’ll finish up … we haven’t got that much to do now. I just have to go through the seating plan again and speak to the caterers to make sure everything is on schedule for tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Go and rest for a little while.”

Mia smiles and presses a kiss against Alana’s cheek. “Thank you.” She begins to walk away but suddenly halts in her steps as she turns back to face us.

“Oh, I nearly forgot.” She wanders over to the garment rail, and after a moment of looking through each garment bag, she finally stops at the dress on the far end. She begins to unzip the bag, removing a caramel colored gown from inside. It’s only when she holds it up do I finally see just how stunningly beautiful the dress really is. It’s a strapless gown with a plunging neckline. The bodice is tight-fitting, leaving the rest of the dress to flow flawlessly to the floor. The sheer material has a lace overlay with exquisite gold and caramel beading and sequins adorned into the lace. The beading, with very few sequins, dominates the bodice, but the beading and sequins seamlessly scatter and fade away with the flowing material.

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” I say with an awe-filled whisper. If the bridesmaid dresses are this breathtaking, then the wedding dress must be out of this world.

“This is your dress.”

I look at the dress then back at Mia with my mouth agape in utter shock. “Mine?” I barely mutter.

“Yeah. I got your size from Ashton and from the picture he sent me, I knew you’d look amazing in just about anything.”

“I don’t understand though,” I begin as my eyes admire the delicate beading on the bodice. “You barely know me.”

“You’re family … well you will be when Ashton finally walks you down the aisle, and that’s all that matters. You get to be the sister I never had and I’ve always wanted a sister. Instead I was given a brother who irritates the crap out of me.”

A bubble of laughter leaves my mouth, and I can’t help the tears that begin to fall at being welcomed into Ashton’s family with open arms. I’ve been in Alana’s home for just a little over a day now, and I’ve felt more love in the past twenty-seven hours with Ashton’s family than I have ever felt with my own—well, my mom and my brother anyway. He did love me, but in a skewered way that comes in the form of a psychopath.

Pushing away all bad thoughts of my fucked up family to the side, I force my focus on Mia, trembling with a smile as I do.

“I’d be honored to wear it, thank you, but I didn’t actually bring any shoes that will match that dress.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Kudos to Ashton, he knows almost everything about you, including your shoe size. I’m surprised if Tyler even remembers the color of my eyes. I sometimes think maybe I picked the wrong brother.”

We all cry out in hysterical laughter, then from the hallway we hear, “They’re brown, babe!” which has Mia slapping her hands over her mouth stifling more laughter.

“Wrong! They’re blue actually,” shouts Mia once she’s controlled her laughter.

Suddenly Tyler’s head pops around the door with a beaming grin on his face. “Of course I know what color your eyes are, and that’s why I know they’re actually a mix between blue and green with little flecks of gold,” he states confidently with a beaming smile, and before she can say another word he’s gone.

Mia looks between the both of us with a huge smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of content and love—the same head-over-heels smile I find myself doing every single time I think about Ashton or whenever he’s in my presence. “Okay, so … I guess I’ll keep him.”

Handing the dress to Alana, she pulls me into a hug and squeezes me tightly. “Thank you for helping today. I really appreciate it.” We eventually separate and she has to fight back another yawn. “Okay, I’m going to have a nap before I pass out. I’ll see you guys later.”

She turns towards the door when Alana stops her in her tracks and says, “Don’t forget about what Riley has planned tonight.”

Mia rolls her eyes. “I swear if there are any more strippers, I won’t have a maid of honor tomorrow.” I laugh at her mocked threat as she tiredly leaves the room.

Alana gently places the dress back into the garment bag and returns it to the rail, smoothing the bag down with her hand to ensure the dress doesn’t become creased.

“What does Riley have planned for tonight?” I find myself asking, a little less than thrilled at having to spend another evening with Ashton’s ex.

“Just a slumber party. I think after last night we need a relaxing night in, especially Mia—poor girl is exhausted with all of the wedding planning.” Yep … having a big wedding? I’m not convinced.

“A slumber party sounds perfect,” I agree. “So,” I begin after a moment of silence, “is there anything else you want me to do?”

“No, doll … you go and enjoy the rest of the day. I can do the rest.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind,” I say with an honest smile. Even though the whole wedding preparation has opened my eyes in a negative way, I have to admit I’ve had a pretty fun day hanging out with Mia. I’ve never had a girlfriend, or been the type of girl to ever be surrounded with friends; I’ve always been a loner, but today and yesterday at the bachelorette party, I realize just how much life I’ve missed. Hopefully that will change since I feel like I’ve already made incredible friends in Mia and Jo.

“I’m sure. You’ve done more than enough today. Go and find that handsome son of mine and enjoy the sunshine.” Her eyes glimmer with happiness, and with that I can’t get out of the guest room quick enough.

I change out of my Converse and slide my blister-covered feet into a pair of flip-flops before heading outside in search of Ashton.

As I walk out onto the veranda, I hear the sounds of splashing coming from the swimming pool, and when I squint my eyes through the bright sunshine, I see Ashton playing with Junior. I chuckle when I see Ashton lift him up into the air before launching him into the water. Junior rises from the water’s surface, giggling hysterically before shouting, “Again!”

I walk over to them and just as I’m nearing towards the swimming pool, I almost halt in my steps when I see Riley in the pool too, floating on an inflatable lounger watching Ashton and Junior with an amused grin on her face.

My calm interior flames up with jealousy as my eyes take in what she’s wearing—or the lack thereof. The bikini top barely covers her nipples and as for the piece of string that covers her bottom, it can hardly be classed as a bikini. It’s hardly appropriate swimwear to wear around a six-year-old or a man who’s engaged to another woman—me being the other woman.

Seriously what’s with this chick? She’s so fricking obvious; she might as well be wearing a flashing neon sign.

I’m just thankful that Ashton seems oblivious to her not-so subtle come-ons. It makes me less worried that my jealousy is anything other than my overbearing insecurities, and not something to actually be worried about. My teeth clench together as I step closer to the pool, but when I see Ashton smile at my presence, I manage to bite back my irritation with a matching smile.

“Hi, baby. Finally free from my mom’s torture, huh?” he says with a chuckle, and the sound of his laughter is enough to loosen my muscles from their tense stance. Although I can’t say I don’t miss the scowl on Riley’s face when her eyes finally latch onto me, it only lasts a split second before it’s replaced with a fake smile.

Focusing on Ashton, I laugh before sliding my feet from my flip-flops, perching myself on the edge of the pool. I dangle my legs into the water, sighing at how wonderful the cool water feels against my aching feet. He swims over to me and rests his arms on the tops of my thighs, his green eyes piercing into mine, the unique emerald hues even more breathtaking from the sun bouncing off the glistening water. My eyes roam over his broad shoulders and masculine chest, watching the droplets of water run freely along his skin before finally looking at his handsome face, which is now spread with a huge-ass grin.

“Are you checking me out?”

A giggle bursts from my lips as my finger disperses the water dews that linger on his shoulder. “Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?” I raise my eyebrow, my mouth tilting to the side with a smile.

“No, ma’am. You can check me out whenever you want,” he says with a mischievous grin. Small splashes can be heard and I look behind Ashton to see Junior paddling towards us.

“Uncle Ashton,” he begins, out of breath. “Throw me in the water again!”

Ashton pushes down both hands on either side of me and raises his upper body from the water, causing water to splash all over me in the process, and gingerly presses a kiss against my lips. My lips tingle from his mere contact as he sinks back into the water. Leaning back onto my hands, I watch with a contented smile as he swims towards Junior, lifting him over his head before throwing him into the water with a huge splash, the sound of more hysterical giggles coming from Junior when his little body remerges from the water moments later. After a few more times of throwing him into the water, Ashton decides to call it quits and Junior begins jumping in and out of the pool, much to my delight splashing Riley every time he bombs into the water.

Ashton leisurely swims back over to me, his fingers capturing my legs in the depth of the water, causing a gasp to leave my lips at the sudden contact. “You okay? You look a little tired. Late night?” he asks suggestively, knowing very well I had a late night … a late night with him. I can’t resist pushing at his chest with the tips of my toes before playfully splashing him with my feet. He glides closer to me, his fingers latching onto my legs again, his thumbs gently caressing against the smoothness of my skin.

“Yeah, just this heat is getting to me a little bit,” I say wiping away the perspiration I feel forming against my forehead.

“You should come in the water.”

“I don’t have my bikini on.”

“So?” He wiggles his eyebrows and I shift away from his hold with a shriek of laughter, knowing from the wicked glint in his eyes what he’s moments away from doing.

“Don’t you dare. My phone is in my pocket.”

He laughs holding his hands out in surrender. “Okay, I promise not to drag you in the pool. So …” he begins, resting his arms on the side of the pool, slanting his head to the side. “How many times have you spoken to Sebastian today?”

I try to mask my sheepish smile, but fail miserably when his eyes wrinkle with the widening of his full-blown grin.

“Um … four times.”

Ashton’s head falls back in amusement. “You’re getting worse,” he sputters through his laughter.

“Well in my defense he didn’t answer the first three times.”

He shakes his head with disbelief, his wide smile still in place. “What am I going to do with you?” I match his grin as my fingers run through the thick tendrils of his wet hair. “Is Lily okay?” he asks seriously a few moments later.

“Yeah. She’s perfect. Although I should feel jealous of you since the first words out of her mouth when I spoke to her were ‘Where’s Ashton?’ not ‘Hi, Mommy’ or ‘I miss you, Mommy’.”

More laughter howls from his mouth and I can’t help the pout that forms on my lips, my arms crossing defensively over my chest, especially when he says, “That’s my girl.”

When he locks onto my unimpressed glare, he moves closer until both his arms are placed on either side of my thighs. “You don’t need to be jealous, baby,” he says with a hint of amusement, amusement that has my lips curling up in a smile. “But what can I say … I’m obviously more missed than you.” The pad of my feet make contact with his chest and in one smooth movement I push him away from me, splashing him in the face, causing him to cough-choke on his laughter.

“You’re such an ass!” I exclaim, staring daggers at him with a full-blown smile, noticing how his eyes still crinkle with merriment, along with the signature smirk that I see slanted to the side of his mouth.

“Your ass,” he affirms with a raised eyebrow.

I roll my eyes and say, “Yes, my ass.” Just as I say this I happen to take a glance in Riley’s direction, my eyes locking on hers with a look that says ‘stay the hell away’. She seems to understand my warning perfectly as she slides off the inflatable lounger and makes her way out of the pool with a soured pout. Just as she grabs a towel and walks into the house, I hear Jo shout out from the veranda, “Junior, babe … that’s enough. Come and get dry please!”

Junior’s little feet climb the steps, and a little frown appears on his cute face. “Just five more minutes, please!” he begs, his green doe-eyes widening.

“Now, Junior,” she says in a stern tone that clearly tells him that she’s not to be argued with. He looks in our direction, his puppy dog eyes still in place. Ashton chuckles under his breath. “Do as your momma says, bud.”

He rolls his eyes with an over exaggerated sigh before stomping towards the house, complaining how unfair it is that Uncle Ashton can stay in the pool and he can’t. His armbands squeak with every move he makes.

Once alone, I lean back on my elbows, watching as Ashton takes hold of my left foot in the water and begins massaging it with his fingertips. An involuntary moan escapes my parted lips, loving the way his masterful fingers feel against my delicate foot. He also notices my slight wince when his thumb moves over one of my newly formed blisters. He looks at me questioningly, with one eyebrow raised. “You okay?”

“Yeah … it’s just my feet are a little sore from all the walking around today, but that’s nice. Continue,” I say with a playful smile, one that he reciprocates.

“I’ll be gentle,” he says before continuing with his wonderful massage. We’re silent for a while and I feel myself becoming engrossed and, quite frankly, a little turned on as I watch the way his masculine thumbs knead the arch of my foot. I’m amazed at how a simple touch from his fingers can incite such an electrifying current; one that travels from the tips of my toes to the fine strands of hair on my head. I watch intently as his hands move to my other foot, continuing their caress along my highly sensitized skin now tingling from his touch. I finally slide my eyes over to his face, noticing a ghost of a smile on his lips, almost like he’s reminiscing.

“What?” I ask, my lips curling into a contagious smile, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. His eyes meet mine and his smile widens.

“I’m just thinking about the first time I did this.” He pivots his head to my feet and I immediately know what he’s recalling. It was after my sister’s funeral in Miami, and to help me relax after one of the worst days of my life, he offered to give me a foot massage. It might seem like an innocent gesture between two friends yet it was anything but innocent …

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life,” he says bringing me out of my thoughts. “You were just laying there in that fluffy robe, with nothing else on underneath and … God, the things I wanted to do to you,” he almost growls. I sit up straight and smile down at him.